Jason Kipnis

While looking at Kipnis' slash line may indicate a slight improvement from 2018, using wRC+ (neutralizing the offensive environment) demonstrates further decline. In his heyday, Kipnis was 30% above average. In 2019, he was 18% below average. Still, the injury-riddled Indians found 511 plate appearances in 121 games for the veteran. Kipnis' contact rate is still very good; the issue is quality as he rates poor in terms of average exit velocity and barrel rate. Kipnis isn't just sliding at the plate, his already weak glove is getting worse. Cleveland opted to part ways with Kipnis, so he'll be looking to catch on elsewhere for his age-33 season. His wRC+ against right-handed pitching is a still-low-but-more-acceptable 91, so perhaps he can find work as part of a platoon. With steals no longer a major asset, Kipnis is strictly single-league fodder unless he happens to find full-time employment.

Kipnis has now had two consecutive seasons of below-average offensive production. The numbers he put up in the counting categories were helpful, but not special. The batting average has been a particular drain on fantasy rosters, as it has dropped each of the past four seasons and is now 40 points below where it was just two seasons ago. The advanced batted-ball numbers validate the offensive struggles rather than give one a sense of hope for what could be on the way. The remaining trouble is he continues to struggle with lefties with no signs of turning it around. He has even been slightly below average against righties, which is supposed to be his bread and butter. Kipnis turns 32 just after the start of the season and will be in the final guaranteed year of his deal with Cleveland. It would be great if he could age like Ian Kinsler, but he's well off that pace the past two seasons.

A shoulder injury forced Kipnis to the DL to start the year and he went on to make two more trips to the disabled list due to hamstring issues. His performance when on the field was less than stellar, with his 82 wRC+ representing a dramatic step backward from 2016 (116), although the injuries presumably played a part in his diminished production. Kipnis' strikeout and walk rates held pretty steady, but his walk rate did fall a bit to 7.5 percent, his lowest mark since his rookie season. While Kipnis has never been a slugger, a big increase in flyball rate in 2017 (from 37.4 percent to 44.1 percent) may help him get back to 20 homers if he can stay on the field for a full season in 2018. He has a track record of good health, but the lingering hamstring issues in the second half are troubling for a player who may be forced to play the outfield more to make room for Yandy Diaz in the infield.

Kipnis has now put together two consecutive solid fantasy seasons, albeit of different flavors. In 2015, he hit for a very high average and hit at the top of the lineup, setting the table for the bigger bats. Last season, he became one of those bigger bats, sacrificing some contact for power and driving the ball more in the air versus into the ground. He set a career high in home runs and runs and nearly did so in RBI. The days of 20-plus steals appear to a thing of the past, and the trade-off is that he is now a more well-rounded categorical player. He is a tough player to forecast because he has a rather large statistical variance in most categories over the past five seasons, and making matters worse, a shoulder injury has clouded Kipnis' availability for the start of the season. This makes for tricky roster planning, but Kipnis has returned profit in four of the past five seasons, and the cost is now dropping as a result of the shoulder issue.

Kipnis rebounded nicely (.303/.372/.451) from a disappointing 2014 campaign (.240/.310/.330) but nagging neck and shoulder woes sapped some of his power as he failed to hit double-digits for the second consecutive season. He hit a career-high 43 doubles, but it's easy to wonder if his days as a 15-homer, 30-steal dual threat up the middle are a thing of the past. Kipnis is still a very nice player when healthy, but second basemen typically don't age well. Moreover, Kipnis will turn 29 this season, and he has had his share of nagging bumps and bruises in each of the last two years. Kipnis was a very successful base stealer (84% success rate through 2014) so last year's 60% rate (12-of-20) is a bit worrisome if the Indians decide to further limit his chances. His best days are behind him but it's reasonable to expect a repeat of his 2015 season if he can stay healthy.

Everyone loved the Jay Hey Kid coming into 2014, so much so that he was taken in the end of the second round of many drafts. Kipnis lost nearly all of May to an oblique injury and then ended the season with leg issues. The time lost cost him nearly 120 plate appearances compared to 2013 and his extra-base hit total dropped from 57 to just 32. He still managed to steal at least 20 bases for a third consecutive season and his plate discipline held mostly in line to where it was with a tad more aggressiveness. The glaring issue was Kipnis simply did not drive the ball as he had the previous season, and the injuries certainly were a factor there. In hindsight, taking Kipnis as a top-25 pick in 2014 was a bit aggressive, but he should be drafted as a top-50 player in 2015 as a strong rebound candidate. Keep a close eye on him during spring training, however, as Kipnis needed surgery on his left ring finger in December after suffering an injury during offseason workouts.

It's hard to find much to complain about in a season that saw Kipnis match or set career highs in runs (86), homers (17), RBI (84) and average (.284), while he added 30 steals for good measure. Another second-half slump (.261 average, four homers, 27 RBI, nine steals) was certainly a puzzling development following his elite level of production in the first half. Kipnis actually fared better against southpaws on the season, but the second-half power slump has to be of some concern. He'll be back as the team's everyday second baseman and remains one of the fantasy elite at the keystone with his combination of power and speed.

Kipnis' final counting stats helped mask an awful second half (.651 OPS in 302 plate appearances with just three homers) in his first full season in the majors. His ability to draw a walk (67 in 672 plate appearances) and his success rate on the basepaths certainly make a repeat 30-plus stolen-base season a possibility, but we'll have to see how much new manager Terry Francona turns him loose. If he can avoid a lengthy power outage, he could take another step toward joining the upper echelon at second base in 2013. He'll be back as the team's everyday second baseman.

Kipnis isn't an elite prospect, but hit his way into the Indians' plans with a strong start (.280/.362/.484 with 12 homers) as a 24-year-old at Triple-A Columbus. He hasn't stumbled in any of his minor league stops since being drafted out of Arizona State and continued the trend with a fine debut for the Indians, hitting .272 with nine doubles and seven homers in 36 games after a July callup. He showed enough improvement at second base defensively to remain at the keystone and figures to offer above average power at the position. He'll be Cleveland's everyday second baseman entering the season and should be a threat for double-digit homers and steals in his first full big league campaign.

Kipnis shined in his full-season debut, posting a .307/.386/.492 line across stops at High-A Kinston and Double-A Akron. He'll turn 24 in April and comes from an established college program at Arizona State so handling Double-A shouldn't come as a total surprise. He had a fine season in the Arizona Fall League (.966 OPS) and should see significant time at Triple-A Columbus this year if everything goes according to plan. He's passable at second base defensively and figures to provide above average power from the keystone once he's established.