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Jason Kipnis

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Jason Kipnis
Kipnis with the Arizona State Sun Devils, in 2009
Cleveland Indians – No. 22
Second baseman
Born: (1987-04-03) April 3, 1987 (age 37)
Northbrook, Illinois
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
debut
July 22, 2011, for the Cleveland Indians
Career statistics
(through August 16, 2011)
Batting average.279
Home runs6
Runs batted in11
Teams
Career highlights and awards
  • 2010 Indians' Minor League Player of the Year

Jason Michael Kipnis (born April 3, 1987; nicknamed "Kip")[1] is an American baseball player who plays second base for the Cleveland Indians. He was called up from the minor leagues to the Indians on July 22, 2011.

In college, he was an All American, and the 2009 Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year for the Arizona State Sun Devils. The Indians picked him in the second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.

In 2010, he was named the Indians' Minor League Player of the Year, and a Baseball America Minor League All Star. Prior to the 2011 season, Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the top Indians prospect, and the 28th-highest prospect in baseball. Mid-season, Baseball America rated him as baseball's 31st-best prospect.[2][3]

Personal life

Kipnis was born in Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.[4][5][6][7] His parents are Mark and Kay Kipnis. He has three older siblings, one of whom played softball at the University of Maryland.[8][3][9] Kipnis is now a practicing Roman Catholic (who with his consent was reflected as being Jewish for years, and whose father is Jewish).[10]

High school

Kipnis attended Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, graduating in 2005.[11][12] He earned three letters playing baseball for the Glenbrook North Spartans and was twice selected as team captain. He played shortstop and center field and pitched.[3][13][14] As an all-conference junior, he batted .455 with a school-record 11 home runs. As a senior, he batted .521 with a .690 on base percentage and 32 stolen bases in 32 attempts, and was named first-team all-state and the Central Suburban League MVP.[3][9] He was named all-conference in both his junior and senior seasons.[3][15]

He also played football for Glenbrook North in 2003 and 2004.[8] Kipnis was an All-Conference wide receiver.[3][9][16] He set school season-records for catches, yards, and touchdowns.[3] He also established school career records for catches and yards.[15][17] As a senior in 2004, Kipnis had 49 pass receptions for 956 yards and 10 touchdowns.[18] His 2004 totals remain Glenbrook North single-season records for receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.[19] He also still holds the school's career record with 1,247 receiving yards.[19] In December 2004, the Pioneer Press sports staff selected Kipnis as a member of its "2004 North Stars," the all-star football team for the Central Suburban League's North Division. In announcing its selection, the Pioneer Press wrote: "Quite simply one of the top receivers in the state, a player who piled up impressive numbers despite the fact the Spartans averaged barely 15 passing attempts per game."[18][16][17] He was also a kick returner and a place kicker for the team.[8][3][9][15] In addition, as a freshman he played soccer, setting the school's single-season goal scoring record with 41, and basketball.[9]

College

Kipnis first attended the University of Kentucky. There, he red-shirted for one year. He then played baseball for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2007, batting .337 with a .450 on base percentage as an outfielder and stealing 11 bases in 12 attempts in 34 games.[20][3][21] In February, he was awarded Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honors.[22][15] In the summer of 2007, he played for the Covington Lumberjacks of the Valley Baseball League.[23] During the summer he batted .318 with a .505 on base percentage, while stealing 24 bases.[24]

He then attended Arizona State, where he was considered the best hitter on the Sun Devils.[25][11][20]

In 2008, he batted .371 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs, and finished second in the league with 24 stolen bases in 28 attempts, as he played alongside Ike Davis and Brett Wallace.[26] He primarily played center field but played all outfield positions and second base, and batted leadoff part of the time.[27][28][24] He was named the Pacific-10 (Pac-10) Conference Newcomer of the Year (becoming the second Arizona State player to win the award, after Ike Davis, who won it in 2006), a Pac-10 Conference All-Star outfielder, first-team All-West Region by the ABCA, second-team All America by the ABCA, and third-team All-American outfielder by Baseball America.[29][30][27] In May 2008 he won the Pacific 10 Player of the Week award.[31] Arizona State coach Pat Murphy said: "I love that kid. He's tough as nails, and really hard on himself."[32] Paul DePodesta, the San Diego Padres front office assistant and former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager, described him as "a pesky player who is a very tough out, hitting the ball to all fields and running the bases aggressively ... [who] plays very hard and is surprisingly strong."[24] In the summer of 2008, he played for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League.[33]

In 2009, he batted .384 with a .500 on base percentage and a .709 slugging percentage as the team's leadoff hitter, with 16 home runs, 71 RBIs, 27 steals in 33 attempts, and 51 walks vs. 32 strikeouts. He was named the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, a Pac-10 Conference All-Star outfielder, and a 1st Team College All-American outfielder by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), by Baseball America, and by Collegiate Baseball.[4][20][34] He was rated the # 1 outfielder in the nation by Rivals.com.[26]

In his two years playing for the Sun Devils as an outfielder, he batted .378 with 30 home runs, 144 RBIs, 142 runs, 37 doubles, 10 triples, and 51 stolen bases in 474 at bats.[20][35]

Academically, he double-majored in psychology and sociology.[36][37]

Minor leagues

2009

Kipnis was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft, but opted to remain in college.[38] He was the seventh-highest player in the draft who chose not to sign.[39]

He was then drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the second round (63rd overall) of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, and signed for a signing bonus of $575,000.[40][4]

In his first season in the minors, in 2009 he batted .306 for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the Short-Season A classification New York-Penn League, playing left field and center field.[11][35][41] While he appeared to be a good prospect as an outfielder, the Indians hoped that he would be even more valuable if he converted to become a second baseman.[40] Baseball America ranked him the 5th-best player in the league.[42] Baseball Prospectus rated him the Indians' 8th-best prospect, describing Kipnis as "fitting great baseball intelligence, a lot of intensity, and surprising tools into a small package. He works the count extremely well and makes consistently hard contact, and he has some surprising pop for his size."[43]

2010

In 2010, Kipnis batted .300 for the Kinston Indians of the A+ Carolina League.[35] He next hit .311 for the Akron Aeros of the AA Eastern League, along the way twice winning the Aeros Player of the Week Award.[35][44][45] He was ranked the 9th-best prospect in the Eastern League by Baseball America.[46] At the same time, he made a successful conversion to second base.[35][47]

He then joined the AAA Columbus Clippers for their playoffs. He batted .455 in five games, and hit for the cycle on September 17 in the Clippers’ victory that clinched the International League title.[48][46] His big game was voted 2nd in the 2010 Fans Choice "Best Game" MiLBY Awards.[49] Veteran catcher Luke Carlin said:

They bring up Kipnis from Akron, and we look at this little guy and say, 'Where did he come from, and what is he doing here?' We were teasing him, and all he does is go out and hit about a million. I mean, here's this little infielder and they put him in the fifth spot ... What's that about? He goes out and hits for the cycle.[8]

For 2010, Kipnis led the Indians minor league system in hits (159) and runs (96), tied for third in triples (8), was fourth in doubles (32), and tied for fifth in both home runs (16) and RBIs (74) while batting a combined .313.[46][50] He was named the Indians' 2010 Minor League Player of the Year (the "Lou Boudreau Award"), and was named a 2010 Baseball America Minor League All-Star.[51][52]

After the 2010 season, he played for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. He batted .296, was tied for 5th in the league in RBIs (19), and was honored by being named to the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game, and wrote a blog for MLB.com during his time in the league.[36][53][54][16] Baseball Prospectus ranked him as Cleveland's top prospect.[55]

2011

Baseball Prospectus 2011 reported that he was "a compact athlete who works the count, and consistently barrels up balls with enough power for 15–20 home runs annually in the big leagues."[11] Indians Manager Manny Acta described him as: "a blue collar, dirt bag, run-through-a-wall, relentless type of guy."[56] Writer John Sickels said he is "quite strong and has plenty of bat speed. His feel for the strike zone is impressive, and he has no problem generating power. He seems to handle both fastballs and breaking stuff well, makes adjustments, and can handle left-handed pitching just fine."[57]

Baseball Prospectus ranked him as the 28th-highest prospect in baseball (".300 hitter, with 12–18 home runs"), and the best in the organization.[58] Jim Bowden ranked him the 39th-best prospect in baseball ("He made great progress defensively this past year, and there is no doubt he should be a .300, 15 HR, 70 RBI type offensive 2B in the future").[11][59] Baseball America initially ranked him as the 54th-best prospect in baseball (and the 2nd-best second base prospect, as well as the 2nd-best prospect in the Indians organization),[60][61][62][63] but by mid-season had increased their rating of him to the 31st-best in the minors.[64]

In 2011, Kipnis was named the Indians Minor League Player of the Week for June 26 – July 2, after batting .500 with 2 home runs and a .581 on-base percentage, in a season in which he was so far 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts.[65] At the time, Kipnis was leading the International League in runs scored (60) and triples (9), was 2nd in OPS (.914), 4th in slugging percentage (.525), 5th in on-base percentage (.389), tied for 6th in RBIs (50), tied for 7th in hits (90), 12th in average (.305), tied for 15th in stolen bases (11), and tied for 19th in HRs (11).[65] On July 4 he was also named the International League Player of the Week.[65]

Kipnis represented the Cleveland Indians in the 2011 All-Star Futures Game on July 10, hitting a 95-mph fastball for a home run in his first at bat, leading off the bottom of the first inning for the United States.[66][67][68][69] He was also named to the International League All-Star team, and doubled and walked in the game on July 13.[65][70]

On July 22, 2011, Kipnis was called up from the AAA Columbus Clippers to the Cleveland Indians.[71] At the time, he was leading the International league in triples (9), was 2nd in runs scored (64), 7th in total bases (164), 10th in walks (44/tied), 12th in RBIs (55), and 17th in stolen bases (12; in 13 attempts).[72][73]

Major leagues

Cleveland Indians (2011–present)

He made his major league debut on July 23, 2011, starting at second base against the Chicago White Sox.[74] His first career hit came in his next game, two days later – a game-winning walk-off single with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning, defeating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.[75]

On August 3, Kipnis became the first Indians second baseman to hit a home run in four consecutive games, and the only Indian other than former Indians MVP Al Rosen to do so in his rookie year.[76] It was the first time in major league history that a player had homered in four consecutive games within the first two weeks of debuting in the majors.[77]

On August 10, Kipnis had a five-hit, four-run game, the first time a rookie had done so since Jim Fridley in 1952.[78] Kipnis suffered a mild to moderate right hamstring strain while stretching prior to a mid-August game against the White Sox, went on the disabled list, and was expected to miss three weeks.[79]

References

  1. ^ "Player Bio: Jason Kipnis". Thesundevils.cstv.com. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  2. ^ "Baseball America 2011 Top 100 Prospects". Baseball America. February 23, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.(rating Kipnis #54 in its list of top 100 prospects)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Player Bio: Jason Kipnis". CSTV. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Jason Kipnis Awards". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  5. ^ Joshua Neuman (October 28, 2009). "The Hebrew Nation Needs Its Own World Series". Heeb Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  6. ^ Ron Kaplan (June 14, 2011). "Kipnis coming?". New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  7. ^ Fine, Jeremy (September 26, 2010). "Where Should We Look Now?". Jewish Journal. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d Murr, Chuck (March 29, 2011). "Pro Baseball Career Has Deep Roots in Northbrook". Northbrook Patch. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Player Bio: Jason Kipnis". Ukathletics.com. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  10. ^ Nate Bloom (August 5, 2011). "Jewish Stars". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e Steven Goldman (2011). Baseball Prospectus 2011. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0470622067. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  12. ^ Martinez, Robert (November 29, 2010). "Glenbrook North Grad Chases Major League Baseball Dreams". Northbrook Patch. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  13. ^ Dennis Mahoney (July 8, 2004). "Napoleon knows how to deliver". Skokie Review. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  14. ^ Jim Coffman (July 1, 2004). "Northbrook hits rough stretch". Glenview Announcements. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d Randy Policar (2008). Arizona State Sun Devil Baseball Media Guide (PDF). Ben Franklin Press, Inc. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
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  18. ^ a b Dennis Mahoney (December 9, 2004). "Kelly stands out in final grid year". Skokie Review.
  19. ^ a b "Glenbrook North Spartans Football: Individual Records". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
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  22. ^ "Cats' Coughlin Receives National Honor". Wkyt.com. March 6, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  23. ^ Mike Barber (August 1, 2007). "Jacks Jolt Turks". Daily News-Record. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
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  25. ^ Augie Garrido, Kevin Costner (2011). Life Is Yours to Win: Lessons Forged from the Purpose, Passion, and Magic of Baseball. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1439186936. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
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  27. ^ a b Douglas Kroll (May 29, 2008). "Same Faces, New Places; Some teams strike gold in transfers". CSTV. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  28. ^ Metcalfe, Jeff (April 24, 2008). "ASU's Kipnis reduces, produces". Azcentral.com. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
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  33. ^ "Cape League: Brewster takes East lead". Cape Cod Times. June 28, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
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  36. ^ a b Martinez, Robert (November 29, 2010). "Glenbrook North Grad Chases Major League Baseball Dreams". Northbrook Patch. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
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  38. ^ "Jason Kipnis Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
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  45. ^ "Aeros Name Alex White Player of the Week". OurSports Central. July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  46. ^ a b c "White Named Indians Minor League Pitcher Of Year". Witn.com. October 22, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
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  54. ^ Paul Hoynes (November 18, 2010). "Bud Selig says Major League Baseball players, owners are playing nice". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  55. ^ Goldstein, Kevin (November 30, 2010). "Future Shock: Cleveland Indians Top 11 Prospects". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  56. ^ Chuck Crow. "Grady Sizemore will start covering the bases in his comeback return: Indians Insider". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  57. ^ Boring, Kent (July 8, 2011). "Prospect of the Day: Jason Kipnis, 2B, Cleveland Indians". Minor League Ball. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  58. ^ "Kipnis called up from Triple-A; Converted second baseman can play outfield, Valbuena sent down". WTAM. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  59. ^ Thomas Ondrey (February 12, 2011). "P.M. Cleveland Indians links: Shin-Soo Choo the reliable standout on a roster full with questions". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
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  61. ^ "Chisenhall, Kipnis to start season in minors". NBC Sports. February 2, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  62. ^ Evans, Brad (July 20, 2011). "Jason Kipnis small in stature, enormous in potential". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
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  65. ^ a b c d "2B Jason Kipnis named Indians Minor League Player of The Week". mlb.com. July 5, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  66. ^ Zack Meizel (June 23, 2011). "Drew Pomeranz, Jason Kipnis to represent Indians at Futures Game". mlb.com. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  67. ^ Haller, Doug (July 10, 2011). "Former ASU star Jason Kipnis leads Team USA over Team World in All-Star Futures Game". Azcentral.com. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  68. ^ Haller, Doug (July 10, 2011). "Former ASU star Jason Kipnis leads Team USA over Team World in All-Star Futures Game". Azcentral.com. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  69. ^ Badler, Ben (July 10, 2011). "Prospects: Futures Game Superlatives". Baseball America. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  70. ^ Phillips, Carron J. (July 14, 2011). "Triple-A All-Star Game: How the players did". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  71. ^ Matthew Pouliot (July 21, 2011). "Indians call up top prospect Jason Kipnis". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  72. ^ Jordan Bastien (July 21, 2011). "Tribe calls up touted prospect Jason Kipnis; Up-and-coming second baseman could see time in the outfield". mlb.com. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  73. ^ "News alert: Indians call up 2B Jason Kipnis". Jewish Baseball News. July 21, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  74. ^ "Punchless Indians fall to White Sox 3–0". Dayton Daily News. July 23, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  75. ^ "Kipnis' first hit wins it for Indians in ninth". Vancouver Sun. July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  76. ^ "Jason Kipnis on a HR roll". cleveland.com. August 5, 2006. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  77. ^ "Show-stopper: Kipnis off to amazing start". mlb.com. July 31, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  78. ^ "Kipnis Penning Quite the Rookie Campaign". MLB.com. August 10, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  79. ^ [1]
Preceded by Indians' Minor League Player of the Year
(the Lou Boudreau Award)
2010 		Succeeded by

Template:Persondata

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