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Cleveland Indians: Three Players Ready for a Big June

By Andrew Schmid

May 25, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall (right) celebrates the Indians win with second baseman Jason Kipnis (center) and left fielder Jose Ramirez (11). The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Cleveland Indians right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall (right) celebrates the Indians win with second baseman Jason Kipnis (center) and left fielder Jose Ramirez (11). The Cleveland Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 at U.S. Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Jason Kipnis

The first player on our countdown is Jason Kipnis. The Cleveland Indians selected Kipnis in the second round of the 2009 draft, and he quickly excelled in the minor leagues. In 2010, his success across Rookie League, Single-A, and Double-A led to him being named the Indians’ Minor League Player of the year and a Baseball America Minor League All-Star. Baseball Prospectus listed the second baseman as the top prospect in the Indians’ system and the 28th-best in baseball entering the 2011 season. 

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Kipnis first broke onto the scene with the Indians in 2011, and he has thrived ever since. After giving us a glimpse of his talent in a 36-game torrent, he settled in during 2012 and 2013, posting two straight seasons of being an All-Star caliber player. Despite scuffling in 2014, the left-handed batter rebounded last season, and he made his second career All-Star appearance.

This season has been a step back from last, however. While still posting excellent results, he has started to become an extreme pull hitter, and has batting average has dropped. One of the reasons why he is ready for a big June is that my expected batting average formula suggests that a .292 mark would better reflect his work than his current batting average of .275.

Another reason to believe in Kipnis’ June is that he has historically posted crazy months of June. Last June, he batted .358 with a .441 on-base percentage. As impressive as this is, he put up an even more impressive June in 2013. Across 27 games, he slashed .419/.517/.699 with four home runs. Even the two “down” season were quite good, as his career weighted runs created plus of 141 in June would suggest.

Next up on our countdown is a reliever who has struggled this year but shows signs of improvement.

Next: The second player on our countdown is...

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