Cubs: Veteran Jason Kipnis could be Cubs 2020 David Ross

The Chicago Cubs signed a minor league deal with veteran, former All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis. Did the Cubs hire a 2020 version of David Ross?

At some point in almost everyone’s life, there is a dream, notion, an imagination of yourself playing for your favorite professional team. Kids that grew up in Chicago wanted to play for the Chicago Bears or the Chicago Cubs since they could throw a ball.

Second baseman Jason Kipnis was one of those Chicago kids.

Kipnis wanted to play ball baseball for Chicago since being a Spartan at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, just 20 miles north of Wrigley Field.  Drafted in 2008 by the San Diego Padres and in 2009 picked up by the Cleveland Indians, Kipnis has been with Cleveland for the past nine years, including 2016, when he played against the Cubs in the World Series.

Since his World Series performance, the numbers had fallen a bit for the 32-year-old but not as drastically as last year when Kipnis recorded a .245 BA and a .304 OBP in 121 games with 17 home runs before suffering a wrist injury last September which caused his stats to end as his season did. Kipnis will still need a physical to close the deal, but Kipnis could be a viable option since the Cubs utility player Daniel Descalso hasn’t worked out the way the Cubs envisioned.

Besides lending a veteran glove to second base for the Cubs, Kipnis is another left-handed option for the Cubs struggling lineup. One thing Chicago Cubs fans know about Kipnis from watching him battle from the other dugout all these years; is that Kipnis is a hitter. You almost get that Chicago Cub first baseman Anthony Rizzo feeling when Kipnis is up to bat; that he’s going to make something happen.

The most valuable contributions will come in time from Kipnis. As the season progresses and he gets to interact with Rossy’s regular stallions, Kipnis’ insight as a former Indian from the other side of the 2016 Cubs World Series championship will surely help make the current stable even better.

Heck, even Ross might benefit from that insight since he was in the stable under Joe Maddon.

The best thing about the whole move is that Kipnis is energized to come home to Chicago and finish his career right in his childhood backyard. Could Kipnis excitement, combined with his veteran voice in the dugout, strike a familiar enough tone that players might feel as comfortable as they did with the young David Ross or even for utility player Ben Zobrist?