Why Jason Kipnis Is My Favourite Player

I was a little excited when the Indians signed veteran Orlando Cabrera to be their starting second baseman. It wasn't long before that excitement wore off, though. Cabrera made some decent defensive plays, but offensively, he was a bit sub-par. I began to wonder how long it would be before he was replaced. The Tribe finally promoted Jason Kipnis from Triple-A Columbus, who edged his way into the start line-up. Now, the young Kipnis finds himself locked-in as the Opening Day second baseman for the Cleveland Indians, an incredible feat for the young Kipnis who won't be twenty-five for almost another month.

As the Indians were starting to lose offensive power to a seemingly neverending slew of injuries, I began exploring the Clippers' roster to see what alternative were out there. Kipnis was at the top of almost all the charts. Kipnis first got my attention when he was named Minor League Player of the Week in June of 2011. It wasn't too much later that he was sent to the All-Star Futures Game, where he belted out a homer in his first at-bat. Kipnis' stats were comparable to All-Star shortstop, Asdrubal Cabrera, and were far superior to that of Orlando Cabrera. I wanted Kipnis in Cleveland, and it didn't take long for that wish to come true.

Kipnis made his Major League debut against the Chicago White Sox on July 22, 2011. He started at second base and no hits for the game. It was a little disappointing debut, for me at least, who though Kipnis would come in and go yard every time he came to the plate. The next game, though, was a different story: he didn't knock the ball out of the park, but he got his first Major League hit in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, driving in the winning run for yet another Indians walk-off win. Nothing giant, but certainly theatrical and a hit to remember for Kipnis. The slugger wasn't done there though: Kipnis hit the long ball in not one, not two, not three, but four consecutive games becoming the first player in Major League history to hit home runs in four consecutive games within two weeks of his debut. Kipnis immediately had an impact on the offensive output for the Tribe. Unfortunately, though, like so many other players, Kipnis found himself on the DL. He was back though after a couple long weeks. He finished the season with a .272 batting average over 36 games and 136 at-bats. He had 37 hits, including seven home runs, and drove in 19 runners and scored 24 runs himself—almost one run a game. So far this Spring, in three games Kipnis is hitting an impressive .429 for seven at-bats in three games, which includes one home run and one double. In comparison, last Spring, over nine games, Kipnis only hit .167 in 18 at-bats, again with one home run. Personally, I am excited to see Kipnis this summer and can't wait for Opening Day, which is in just a little under a month. Not only is Kipnis an amazing player who shows great potential for the future and will be a big part of the Tribe's success, but he also seems to be a pretty cool guy in general, based on his daily comical Tweets. It was a little upsetting hearing him sing Adele on the field, though. Now, if only I could get a re-Tweet.