Fantasy talk: Jason Kipnis status report

Last season, Jason Kipnis opened some eyes in Cleveland with his hitting and above average defense. Some thought he would become a cornerstone player for the Indians, but others thought that he needed to prove that he can perform throughout an entire season.

Kipnis was drafted in the second round (63rd overall) in the 2009 draft by the Indians. He put up very consistent numbers in the minors, and quickly rose through Cleveland's organization. In 2011, he played his first season in Triple-A. His numbers took a slight dip, but they were still solid. He hit .280 with 12 homers and 55 RBI in 400 plate appearances that year. With a gap at the Indians big league second base position, Cleveland's front office did not hesitate to bring him up in the middle of their divisional race. He played pretty well with them, hitting .272 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI in 150 plate appearances down the stretch. 

Coming into the 2012 season, Kipnis was a sleeper pick in all of the fantasy drafts because Cleveland announced he was going to get the everyday gig at second base during the 2012 campaign. Unless he was drafted in the first 5 rounds or so, I'd say his owners should be happy about his performance so far this year. He has hit .272 with 11 homers, 56 RBI, and 21 stolen bases in 99 games this season. While those numbers aren't spectacular, they are still good considering that he is an above average defender. I know defense doesn't net that many points in fantasy, but it is still a good feature to have as a player. Anyway, Kipnis is basically the definition of the Indians as a team. He is an unproven player with loads of talent. The rest of the Indians' squad is basically the same. 

Kipnis has a nice future in the MLB, and I can see him putting up ridiculously consistent numbers. He could even emerge as maybe one of the top five second baseman in the game. Time will tell us fantasy owners what we have in Kipnis, but at the moment I believe he can turn into a 20-20 player who could maintain a .280 batting average or so. If you own Kipnis right now, I'd strongly recommend that you keep him unless you are blown away with an offer, which is doubtful. If you don't own Kipnis right now, there is a strong possibility that he is owned by another team in your league. I would try to trade for him, but don't overpay because like I said earlier, Kipnis is unproven and doesn't have a track record, so it would be a risky pickup.