Clevelinks: Cleveland Indians’ Brady Aiken Rehabbing; Jason Kipnis Notes

The Cleveland Indians’ Second Baseman is Having a Much Better Offseason

In recent weeks, the Cleveland Indians’ new young players received much attention. Many praised Francisco Lindor’s spectacular season, and he is one of the top candidates for the American League Rookie of the Year. But one youngster whom many have forgotten is Brady Aiken, writes Nick Blazek.

The Indians’ first-round pick in this year’s draft has yet to throw a pitch for the Tribe, as he is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. Aiken is currently training in Goodyear, Arizona and should be able to throw off a mound this off-season. The current hope is that Aiken will be healthy for minor league spring training, and he will most likely continue pitching in Low-A ball once he is back to full strength.

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In other news, Jason Kipnis is in a much better situation this off-season than last, writes Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com.  Last off-season, the Indians’ second baseman had just completed a miserable season that saw him slash .240/.310/.330 and his power all but disappeared. Then, he dropped a 45-pound weight on his left ring finger and required surgery. After that, he got food poisoning before being summoned for jury duty.

Now, he has just finished a fantastic season in which he showed less speed and home run skills, but he evolved into a different type of batter. His 2015 campaign only saw him play 141 games, but he still managed to collect an impressive 5.2 wins above a replacement player, per FanGraphs. Even further, he managed to reduce his strikeouts even more.

More from around the AL Central:

Cleveland Indians: The Forgotten Top Pick in Brady Aiken – Wahoo’s on First

Detroit Tigers: Playoff Teams Show Patience is Key – Motor City Bengals

Kansas City Royals World Series Hopes Lead Through Toronto – Kings of Kauffman

Why the Twins Should Sign Johnny Cueto – Puckett’s Pond

Next: Cleveland Indians: The Forgotten Top Pick in the Brady Aiken