Jason Kipnis

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Jason Michael Kipnis (born April 3, 1987; coded "Kip") is an American professional baseball second baseman and center fielder who is currently a free agent.

He has played for the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball (MLB).

He attended Glenbrook North High School in Chicago's suburbs, where he earned three letters for the Glenbrook North Spartans.

He attended the University of Kentucky but then moved to Arizona State University after two years.

Kipnis was both an All-American and the 2009 Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year for the Sun Devils in college. In the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, the Indians selected Kipnis.

He was named the Indians' Minor League Player of the Year and a Minor League All Star in 2010.

Baseball Prospectus rated him as the best Indians prospect and the 28th-best prospect in baseball prior to the 2011 season.

Baseball America named him as the nation's 31st-best prospect at mid-season.

On July 22, 2011, he was recalled from the minor leagues.

He was the Indians' starting second baseman in 2012 until he was released in 2012.

Early life

Jason Michael Kipnis was born in Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, on April 3, 1987. He was the fourth child born to Kay and Mark Kipnis. Blair and Todd, two older brothers, are married. Amanda's older sister Amanda played softball at the University of Maryland. His father was an important part of his baseball career as an infant. He competed in Little League and American Legion Baseball. Although Kipnis played baseball, football, and soccer as a child, he never doubted that his aim was to become a professional baseball player. He grew up a Chicago Cubs fan and was neighbors with Steve Bartman.

Personal life

Kipnis is a Roman Catholic, but he self-identifies as Jewish as a result of his father's Jewish ancestry. Since he is prone to getting his uniform dirty during a game, Kipnis has been dubbed "Dirtbag." Manny Acta, the former Indians' boss, affectionately used the word when speaking out about Kipnis in public.

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Professional career

In the second round (63rd overall) of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, the Cleveland Indians selected Kipnis, who was drafted in the second round (63rd overall), and he received a signing bonus of $575,000. The first-year minor leaguer of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the Short-Season A classification played left and center field in 2009. Although Kipnis seemed to be a good fit as an outfielder, the Indians saw his potential as a second baseman. Kipnis thought he'd be more successful at second base in the majors, particularly because of Cleveland's recent struggles in second base. He was ranked by Baseball America as the fifth best player in the league. During this period, Baseball Prospectus rated Kipnis as the team's eighth-best prospect, comparing the Kipnis as "fitting great baseball intelligence, a lot of energy, and surprising features in a small package." He does a good job and maintains close communication on a daily basis, and he has some surprising pop for his size."

Kipnis batted.300 for the Kinston Indians of the Carolina League in 2010. On June 10, 2010, Kipnis was promoted from Kinston to the Akron Aeros of the AA Eastern League. He earned the Aeros Player of the Week Award twice and made a.311 for the Aeros. Kipnis was ranked as the ninth-best prospect in the Eastern League by Baseball America. Kipnis converted to second base at the same time.

He was a member of the AAA Columbus Clippers in the playoffs. In the Clippers' victory that clinched the International League title, Kipnis batted.455 in five games and hit for the cycle on September 17. In the 2010 Fans Choice "Best Game" Minor League Baseball Yearly Awards, his major game was ranked second.

Veteran catcher Luke Carlin said:

Kipnis ruled the Indians minor league system in hits (159) and runs (96). He came in third in triples (8), fourth in doubles (32), and tied for fifth in both home runs (16) and RBIs (74). He batted a total of 3.23%. He was named as the Indians' 2010 Minor League Player of the Year (the "Lou Boudreau Award") and was named as a 2010 Baseball America Minor League All-Star.

Kipnis was a member of the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League after the 2010 season. He batted.296 and ranked fifth in the league in RBIs (19). He was named to the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game, and he maintained a blog for MLB.com during his time in the league. According to Baseball Prospectus, he was ranked as Cleveland's top prospect.

Kipnis, according to Baseball Prospectus 2011, is "a compact athlete who does not work the count" and consistently barrels up baseball with enough power to support 15–20 home runs per year in the big leagues. Manny Acta, the Indians' general manager, referred to him as "a blue collar, dirt bag, run-through-a-wall, and a tenacious type of guy." Kipnis is "quite robust and has a lot of bat speed," according to writer John Sickels. His passion for the strike zone is impressive, and he has no trouble generating electricity. He does well with fastballs and breaking stuff, makes adjustments, and is able to do left-handed pitching just fine."

Prospectus ranked him as the 28th best prospect in baseball (".300 hitter, with 12–18 home runs") and the best in the league, according to Baseball Prospectus. Jim Bowden ranked him as the 39th best prospect in baseball, saying, "He made a lot of strides defensively this year, and there is no doubt he should be a.300, 15 RBI type offensive 2B in the future." He was originally ranked as the second-best second base prospect and the second-best prospect in the Indians organization, according to Baseball America. The publication ranked him 31st-best in the minors by mid-season.

Kipnis was voted Man of the Week by the Indians on Sunday, June 26 to July 2, after batting.500 with two home runs and a.581 on-base percentage. Kipnis was 11-for-11 in robbed base attempts and was leading the International League in runs scored (60) and triples (9). At that time, he was second in OPS (.559), fifth in on-base percentage (.389), tied for fifth in hits (.305), tied for fifth in stolen bases (11.11), and tied for ninth in home runs (11). Kipnis was named International League Player of the Week on July 4th.

In the 2011 All-Star Futures Game, Kipnis was a member of the Cleveland Indians, with a 98-mph fastball for a home run. Kipnis was also named to the International League All-Star squad, and he doubled and walked in the game on July 13.

Kipnis was promoted from the Clippers to the Cleveland Indians on July 22, 2011. He was second in runs scored (64), seventh in total bases (164), tied for tenth in walks (54), and seventeenth in stolen bases (12 in 13 attempts) at the time.

Kipnis made his major league debut against the Chicago White Sox on July 22, 2011. He batted second base against the Chicago White Sox on July 22, 2011. In the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, his first game in his career came three days later on July 25, 2011. Kipnis became the first Indians second baseman to reach a home run in four straight games, and the only other Indian other than former Indians MVP Al Rosen to do so in his rookie year. It was the first time a player in major league history had homered in four straight games within two weeks of his major league debut. Kipnis was playing for the first time since Jim Fridley in 1952, the first time a rookie had done so since Jim Fridley in 1952. He appeared in 36 games in the major leagues in 2011 and batted.272 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs.

Jason Kipnis took over as the Opening Day base for 2012. In a 7–5 Indians victory on May 3, 2012, Kipnis had a triple, home run, and a career-high four RBIs. Kipnis' first grand slam off him against the Minnesota Twins' starting pitcher Carl Pavano on June 1, 2017. Kipnis played 152 games in 2012, batting.257 with 14 home runs and 76 RBIs, and finished sixth in the American League in steals, with 31.

Kipnis continued to improve in the 2013 season after winning the Player of the Week award twice in the month of June. In comparison to stealing 9 bases in ten attempts, Kipnis batted.419 in June, with an OPS of 1.216. He was also named Player of the Month for June. Kipnis was later named a member of the 2013 American League All Star team. He finished third in sacrifice flies in 2013 (tied for 2nd with 10), walks (tied for 7th, with 76), and robs (tied for 9th, with 30).

On April 4, 2014, Kipnis agreed to a six-year, $52.5 million deal with the Indians.

Kipnis set a new record for the most hits in a single month in May 2015 with 51 total hits. He also closed the month with 30 runs, making him one of the first three players in the MLB to have 50+ hits and 30+ runs in the month of May. He was only behind Ty Cobb and Al Simmons.

Kipnis was named Month of the Month for May on June 1, 2013.

Kipnis was placed on the disabled list on July 9 due to a hamstring injury. He will be activated on August 6, but the hamstring will still feel strained. Kipnis was placed on the 10-day disabled list after suffering from a hamstring injury on August 23, 2017.

Kipnis' 1,000th grand slam against the Chicago White Sox was recorded on September 19, 2018. Kipnis became the first Cleveland Indians player to hit 1,000 runs, 100 home runs, and 100 stolen bases for his career.

Kipnis sustained a fractured right hamate bone in the Indians' surgery on September 17, 2019. After going.245/.404/.715/.715/.715 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI, he ended his season.

The Indians reported on October 31, 2019 that they had declined Kipnis' contract for the 2020 season, making Kipnis a free agent.

Kipnis signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs on February 18, 2020. The offer included an invitation to the Cubs' major league spring training camp in 2020. Kipnis was added to the 40-man roster on July 17, 2020. Kipnis' record in 44 games during the season of 2020 was.337/.404.404.

Kipnis signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves club on February 15, 2021, which included an invitation to Spring Training. Kipnis was released by the Braves on March 27, 2021. Kipnis re-signed with the Braves on a new minor league contract on March 29. Kipnis played in 59 games for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, going.290/.390/.518 with 10 home runs and 32 RBI's. Kipnis was drafted by the Braves on November 11, 2021.

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