In game seven of the 2016 World Series, Indians’ fans thought Jason Kipnis won the team’s first world title since 1948 with a drive down the right field line.
The ball went foul, the Tribe lost, and Kipnis’ career may have reached its apex.
The native of Chicago, had a great Series, going 9 for 31 with two home runs, including one which put the fourth game away for Cleveland, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead.
The Tribe second baseman was outstanding that year, hitting .275 with a career high 23 home runs and 82 RBIs (811 OPS). It was his third season like that in a four year span, with only 2014 as the exception.
He was 29 years old that season.
Since that time, Kipnis had an injury plagued 2017 campaign, playing just 90 games, and hit just .232 (705 OPS) in just 90 games. And the Indians got hot when, he was hurt, and Terry Francona shuffled Jose Ramirez to second base, and playing Yandy Diaz and Gio Urshela at the hot corner.
When he returned, Francona moved him to centerfield for the playoffs, keeping Ramirez and Urshela, a better defensive infield, right where they were.
Last season, at age 31, it didn’t get much better for Kipnis. His OPS was 704, with a .230 batting average, 18 homers and 75 ribbies. He did stay healthy, and was able to play 147 games.
When the front office acquired Josh Donaldson on August 31st, Kipnis again moved to the outfield, and Ramirez moved from third back to 2B.
Now, Kipnis is coming off two consecutive seasons where he has not performed to the level he established early in his career, where from 2011-16, he made two all star teams and was a key offensive cog for the Indians.
Unfortunately for management, Kipnis’ compensation, which was based on his early success for gone from a little over $4 million in 2015 to $13.7 million last year, and he will make $14.7 million in 2019.
Talk about getting less bang for your buck!
That’s the dilemma for Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff. They would love to deal the player, because he’s not performing up to his salary, but because his production has dropped since 2016, no one is interested.
We are sure they tried to make deals where they move another player with more value and attach Kipnis, taking back less in return, but to be sure, management didn’t want to (nor should they have) give up anything of value.
And he’s the player they have tried to phase out in each of the last two seasons.
What has changed for Kipnis is the pop in his bat. His extra base hits have declined from 59 in 2015 and 68 in ’16 to 37 in 2017 and 47 last season. His walks haven’t changed much.
Plus, it’s clear to most people that Ramirez is the superior defensive second baseman. Kipnis isn’t terrible, but Ramirez is better.
If the Tribe had a solid lineup, Kipnis’ declining production wouldn’t be as much as an issue, but they don’t, so he becomes a liability. And if his numbers continue to go down, as he will be 32, he becomes a player who shouldn’t be getting everyday at bats, and right now, he’ll be in there everyday.
The Indians need to have at least six solid hitters to have a good offense this season. As we said, they have three. If Kipnis doesn’t get off to a good start, it will represent another tough decision for Francona and the front office.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 