His wRC+ (82) was well below his career average (103). Why catcher Josh Phegley could win final roster spot, 1. In college, Kipnis was an All-American and the 2009 Pacific-10 Anthony Rizzo remains an all-around rock for Chicago, 17. Albert Almora Jr. looking to rebound behind new swing, refreshed mental state8. Kyle Ryan's versatility key in uncertain bullpen, 18. Jeremy Jeffress can bounce back in Chicago, 15. Cubs hoping Kris Bryant stabilizes leadoff spot in 2020, 2. Jason Kipnis will be a valuable part of the Chicago Cubs offense in 2020, but he shouldn’t see the lineup when a lefty is on the mound. Instead, Kipnis, at age 33, is experiencing a career revival of sorts on the North Side of Chicago. It's easier to find holes when you hit line drives or ground balls. Minors deal for the Glenbrook North product. It's been a rough few years for the veteran, though – he hasn't posted a wRC+ over 100 (league average) since 2016. 1M plus incentives. Lineup adjustment could be key to Jason Heyward's success, 16. Your privacy is safe with us. When the Cubs signed Kipnis this past winter, the expectations weren’t too high. Powered by Minute Media © 2020 All Rights Reserved. How Adbert Alzolay can build off 2019 debut, 24. Kipnis was free to play anywhere he wanted to, after spending his entire professional career in Cleveland. New pitch key to Rowan Wick staving off regression11. 2B Jason Kipnis assigned to Iowa Cubs. Javier Báez is indispensable, and the best is yet to come10. Most thought that he would be just another long-shot option at second base on a team filled with them. Just like Rajai Davis, Jason Kipnis almost played the role of a villain against the Chicago Cubs in … We'll never pass along your email address to spammers, scammers, or the like. Kipnis is from Illinois, and already has a bit of illustrious Cubs history to his name: Jason Kipnis (Northbrook): first Illinois-born player to hit a #WorldSeries Home Run at Wrigley Field, Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Tyler Chatwood has chance to rewrite the script in 20205. Latest on Chicago Cubs second baseman Jason Kipnis including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN Willson Contreras' health is critical to team's success, 20. Cubs counting on bounce back season from Craig Kimbrel, 9. Maybe Jason Kipnis isn’t the player he used to be. Jason Kipnis, Chicago Cubs (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images). Each day in March, NBC Sports Chicago is previewing one player from the Cubs’ expected 2020 Opening Day roster. How Alec Mills fits on Opening Day roster, 21. He did improve his soft and hard contact rates from 2017 and '18, resulting in his expected batting average (.261) being much higher than his actual one. Why catcher Josh Phegley could win final roster spot. Then there was the foul ball in the ninth inning of Game 7 of Aroldis Chapman. For all the grief the Cubs’ front office took this past offseason for being, let’s say, frugal with their money, right now they are looking pretty smart for making this move. Now is not the time to write off Jon Lester 19. 2019 recap Kipnis joined the Cubs on a minor league deal this spring following nine seasons with the Indians. A career .261/.333/.417 hitter, the Northbrook native posted a .245/.304/.410 line in 121 games last season. New MLB rule gives Victor Caratini chance for bigger role, 12. Kyle Hendricks is a steady force in the Cubs' rotation3. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. The deal is worth $1 million before any performance incentives: Jason Kipnis to Cubs. April 15, 2019: Cleveland Indians activated 2B Jason Kipnis from the 10-day injured list. Kyle Schwarber is primed for a breakout 2020 season4. Indeed, it had appeared that his best days were behind him. It’s not like he’s been completely unproductive since 2016; for example, in 2018, he hit 18 home runs and drove in 75. Steven Souza Jr. could provide needed boost vs. lefties, 22. One pitch could hold key to Jose Quintana's 2020 success, 7. Could be the fact that it took signing a minor-league contract with the Cubs in February just to keep his … Albert Almora Jr. looking to rebound behind new swing, refreshed mental state, 8. Ian Happ poised to claim starting center field job14. FanGraphs metrics still like his defense, for what it's worth. Over his nine year career – all with the Cleveland Indians – Kipnis batted .261/.333/.417 with a 103 wRC+.