May 15, 2012
FOXSports.com senior baseball writer Ken Rosenthal's weekly notes column offered up this glowing report on former Arizona State outfielder Jason Kipnis, who is excelling for the Cleveland Indians after transitioning to second base:
Indians right-hander Justin Masterson came up with that gem of a quote, saying of second baseman Jason Kipnis, “We are all Kipnises of how great he’s going to be as a hitter.”
The reference, of course, was to the famed billboard, “We are all witnesses,” that once adorned a downtown building in Cleveland in honor of LeBron James.
Kipnis might never be as celebrated as James, but his reputation in baseball circles is growing.
“He has a really good approach to hitting,” the Rangers’ Michael Young says. “He plays hard. He has good at-bats. He looks like a gamer. I like seeing that in young players.”
Kipnis, the Indians’ second-round pick in 2009, began his pro career in the outfield, but the Indians gave him an 11-month crash course at second starting in Jan. 2010.
His conversion began at the team’s spring-training facility in Goodyear, Ariz., under the tutelage of Anthony Medrano, the Indians’ Rookie League manager.
Kipnis continued through spring training, started the season at Single A Kinston and finished at Double A Akron. After he went home, the Indians summoned him to Triple A Columbus when that club needed an extra infielder for the playoffs.
From there, Kipnis went to the Instructional League, then the Arizona Fall League, finally shutting it down in November.
He made his major-league debut last July 22, approximately 18 months after changing positions.
“He is fully committed to being the best player he can be, and has done everything in his power to expedite that development,” Indians general manager Chris Antonetti says.
Rosenthal also shared some more plaudits for Diamondbacks pitching prospect Trevor Bauer:
Right-hander Trevor Bauer, one of the game’s top pitching prospects, is averaging nearly five walks per nine innings for the Diamondbacks’ Double A affiliate, but one scout who saw him recently isn’t particularly worried.
“He’s not missing by much,” the scout said. “He’s refining his skills. He’s still got some maturing to do. He does some things sometimes when an umpire doesn’t call a pitch his way. But if he can harness everything, he has chance to be really good.”
-- Ken Rosenthal, FOXSports.com
