Jason Kipnis - Second Baseman
Born: 04/03/1987 - Height: 5'10" - Weight: 175 - Bats: Left - Throws: Right
| Year | Age | Team | Lvl | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | Avg | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 2009 | 22 | Mahoning Vy | A- | 29 | 111 | 19 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 3 | .306 | .388 | .459 | .847 |
| Totals | 29 | 111 | 19 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 3 | .306 | .388 | .459 | .847 |
Strengths & Opportunities: Kipnis is an advanced, athletic hitter who has a nice compact, clean swing. He has a polished approach at the plate with a discerning eye that packs a powerful punch in his small 5'10" 175-pound frame. He has some incredible bat-to-ball ability, works counts, can hit with two strikes, gets on base, and doesn't strikeout a lot. While he has more hit ability than power at this time, the Indians feel like he has a chance to hit with more power down the road. In fact, his developing power may be his best tool because he has a knack for squaring up the ball and the ball just jumps off his bat to all fields. While he is not very big he has excellent bat speed and strength to hit for power mostly because of some very strong wrists and forearms which help generate a lot of his power and whip the bat through the hitting zone. One comparison made by an Indians official was that he reminds them some of former Texas Rangers big leaguer Rusty Greer.
Kipnis is a baseball player who is an intense competitor. He plays the game with passion and very hard, goes all out, and is fun to watch. While his speed is only just a tick above average, he can steal a base and shows a good success rate because of his good instincts on the bases and intelligence as a player. Unlike most hitters, Kipnis had a lot of experience with wood bats in high school and college having used them in high school tournaments and in college summer leagues in the Virginia Valley League in 2007 and Cape Cod League in 2008. His barrel late in the season at Mahoning Valley was getting a little slower and loopy, so an adjustment was made to shorten up his swing by keeping his hands in front of his head to provide a shorter path. The Indians are also working on leveling out his swing as he has a minor uppercut.
The biggest question mark for Kipnis is where he fits on the field as going into the draft the past two years this was the primary concern among teams. The Indians left him in the outfield for his professional debut in Mahoning Valley, but after the season decided to try him out at second base during the Fall Instructional League. His performance at second base during the instructional period earned him rave reviews not only by the Indians, but from several scouts from other teams as well. One rival scout out in Instructional League said "if he can stick there he has the bat that could make him explode as a prospect."
While Kipnis is only considered an average defender in the outfield, he is very athletic and has the versatility to play any outfield position. He also displays good instincts and gets good jumps on balls. His throwing arm is a tick below average, easily the weakest tool in his arsenal. The problem is he really does not fit anywhere in the outfield as an everyday major league player as he lacks the plus range of a center fielder and lacks the big bat teams covet from a corner outfielder. As a result, he kind of gets lots in the shuffle as an outfielder and is just another solid prospect. As a second baseman his offensive tools play up and increase his value tremendously. The move to second base makes him move valuable, and worst case is if he can't play there everyday it should provide some versatility for him down the road.
Kipnis has experience at second base as he played there in high school and originally enrolled at the University of Kentucky as a shortstop. He also prefers to play the position, which is a big plus when making a position switch as it always helps when the player is 100% on board with the change. The Indians are confident he has the footwork, hands, and comfort level with turning double plays. He doesn't have the natural actions of an infielder and he certainly needs lots of work with coaching and reps at second base, but the feeling is he can be at least an average defender there. Such a change would boost his value as with his bat he would just be at best a fringe corner outfield prospect or an average center field prospect, but as a second baseman his bat plays up big at the position to where he becomes a potential impact player there offensively.
Outlook: Kipnis' path to the big leagues as an everyday player looks to be second base or bust. He was nothing special as an outfielder and just a regular guy, but as a second baseman his bat and ability there puts him in the upper-echelon of second base prospects in minor league baseball. If he stays healthy and handles the position change well, he has the potential to be a player who can put up a high on-base percentage and plus slugging from the position. The Indians were very encouraged with what he showed at second base in Instructional League for five weeks, and are full steam ahead at least for 2010 in keeping him there to see how he develops and adapts to the position. He could move quickly through the system given his advanced hitting ability, though the change to second base will likely slow him down some for at least 2010. He should open the 2010 season as the starting second baseman at advanced Single-A Kinston.
Photo courtesy of Ken Carr
Jason Kipnis MinorLeagueBaseball.com page
Jason Kipnis Baseball-Reference page
Jason Kipnis MinorLeagueSplits.com page
Jason Kipnis Hitting:
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