The Cleveland Guardians All-Century Team

Second Base

Jason Kipnis (2011-2019)

Stats.: 261/.333/.417, .750 OPS, 102 OPS+, 20.5 bWAR, 1,120 H, 123 HR, 529 RBI

There is not a very deep selection of great Cleveland second basemen in the last two decades. This came down to Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera for the century team, even though Cabrera’s primary position on the team was shortstop. Kipnis’s inclusion on this team stems from him playing a big role on those mid-2010s teams that were some of the best in the American League.

In 2013, Kipnis was a big part of Cleveland making the playoffs for the first time in six years, as he made the All-Star team and put up 5 WAR while posting a .284/.366/.452 batting line, a .818 OPS, and 130 OPS+. He also reached the All-Star team in 2015, posting a .303 batting average with a .823 OPS. In all, Kipnis was basically a league-average hitter in Cleveland but he still represents the best the team has to offer at this position in the last two decades.