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?

Chicago Cubs: Hiring a 2020 David Ross-type mentor

One of the biggest reasons that Ross was hired as the new Cubs manager had to do with his mentorship of the players in the dugout when he was still a player.  Ross quickly calmed young nerves and set expectations as the veteran on the bench when he was one of the boys. When Ross showed up in the Cubs dugout, he brought 12 years of experience on seven different teams!

Kipnis brings nine years of experience with the same team, but interestingly enough, he can bring a fresh perspective to the 2020 Cubs of what made the 2016 Cubs so special. He can give insights about what he and other teams thought about the Cubs in 2016 to rekindle that spirit and enthusiasm. So it’s entirely possible that the Cubs just hired the 2020-version of Ross, the player, in Kipnis.

Since the squad won the Championship in 2016, one week before spring training begins, I like to watch this video of the Championship run. It puts me in the mood for the season, reminds me that anything is possible, and immediately evokes the spirit of teamwork, which was so evident in that squad.

While watching this year, I was keenly aware, because of the rumors, that Kipnis could be coming to the team, and I was anxious to pay ‘extra’ attention to what he said about that Championship, his feelings and thoughts.

As he spoke about the awe of playing the historical series in Wrigley Field, I was impressed by Kipnis. I began to recall all those times he came to bat, and I held my breath because of his propensity to get on base. It would be untrue to say I wasn’t worried when Kipnis was next in the lineup against the Cubs.

While Kipnis might end up someday soon being the veteran voice of the Cubs, it was his boyhood love of the game, which made me a fan. Maybe Kipnis will not be the scraggly old soothsayer veteran akin to the Ross legacy but another Ben Zobrist-type player that wants to keep playing baseball and making a difference.  The difference between Zobrist and Kipnis is simple. Zobrist’s teammates called him a ‘Boyscout,’ and Kipnis teammates in Cleveland called him the ‘Dirtbag.’ But why?

Chicago Cubs: The Dirtbag comes home to the Northside

The way Kipnis still feels about the game of baseball can be summed up in his Indians nickname, the ‘Dirtbag,’ which was given to him when he moved from the outfield to second base and began diving for every ball in his zone. He proudly accepted the nickname as there wasn’t a game that went by that Kipnis wasn’t giving it his all on the field and finishing with a dirt-soiled uniform after going for loose balls.

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Kipnis has a baseball-boy soul, similar to former Cub Ben Zobrist. Zobrist and Ross are older than Kipnis and have a few more seasons under their belts, but that’s also the reason the team is feeling good about Kipnis and unfortunately, not picking up the Zobrist contract.  Kipnis still has some time left in his career and adds the excitement of getting to come home, and this could be an excellent season for the newest Chicago Cub.

Kipnis is four or five years younger than Zobrist and so enters the team on similar footing of Zobrist in 2016. While Zobrist arrived in 2016, going into his 11th season, Kipnis will arrive to the Cubs in his 10th season; if he gets called to action.

In 2016, when Zobrist arrived at the Friendly Confines, he put up 18 home runs and 76 RBIs in 147 games. Kipnis will come back home to Chicago with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs in 121 games under his belt from last season with the Indians before getting injured.

Fans will recall that Zobrist’s numbers declined after that 2016 season and never returned. If Kipnis is in the same glide path of father time, then this one-year, $1 million minor-league deal, could be the last chance for Kipnis to make a difference anywhere, before he hangs up his cleats.