Jason Kipnis was the best second baseman in baseball in 2013. He did something that year that no second baseman was able to accomplish in 2014. Not one second base eligible player in 2014 was able to match the 5-category line of Kipnis from 2013 (.284-17-84-86-30). Moreover, do you know how many players, regardless of position, could match that fantasy line in 2014? None. Not one player hit all those marks. So why isn't Kipnis getting more love in the eyes of some?

THE MINORS

Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 Amateur Draft.

2009: Hit .306 with a .847 OPS as a 22 year old in 20 games at Low-A ball.

2010: Spent 133 games at High-A and Double-A. Jason hit .307 with a .878 OPS. He hit 16 homers, stole nine bases, drove in 74 and scored 94 times.

2011: Appeared in 92 games at Triple-A hitting .280 with a .846 OPS. He hit 12 homers and stole 12 bases while scoring 65 times.

2014: He had nine plate appearances at Triple-A.  

TOTALS: .296/.376/.485 with 30 homers, 151 RBIs and 181 runs scored and 23 steals in 1,130 plate appearances.

THE MAJORS

2011: In 36 games he hit .272 with seven homers, five steals and 24 runs scored.

2012: In his first full season he finished one homer short of a 15/30 season. He batted only .257 but still drove in 76 runners and scored 86 times over 152 games.

2013: Finished three homers short of a 20/30 season. He batted .284 and drove in 84 runners while scoring 86 times in 149 games.

2014: Appeared in 129 games due to injury (a strained oblique cost him nearly a month). Was able to steal 22 bases but the rest of his game was diminished as he hit .240 with six homers, 41 RBIs and 61 runs scored. 

THE SKILLS

Kipnis wanted to hit for more power last season. He trained differently to add some bulk. It didn't work. Not only was he dogged for much longer than his time on the DL with a strained oblique, his swing was all out of whack throwing his entire offensive game into a tizzy. He had less power, stole less bases, got on base less and drove the ball so poorly that his .330 SLG was embarrassingly below his career OBP (.338). There's reason for hope though, despite the fact that he recently had a pin removed from a broken finger he suffered while working out in December (he should be fine by the start of the year).

First off, Kipnis will turn 28 this season. There's no reason to think that his physical skills have diminished in any appreciable way at that age meaning that writing off last season, or at least not dissecting it with a razor thin precision, isn't he worst idea I've ever heard. It was a crappy season. There I said it. He was hurt and unproductive. Let's look at least year while focusing closely on his career exploits.

Kipnis has always hit. His minor league numbers show it. His big league numbers prove it.

For his career Kipnis owns a 10.0 BB-rate an a 19.0 K-rate which has produced a 0.53 BB/K mark. Last season that rate was 0.50. Right on par.

Kipnis had a .288 BABIP last year. That's a bit low for a guy with a .308 career mark, but it's well within the realm of the expected. Just look at his .291 mark in 2012. Right on par.

Kipnis has a 1.45 GB/FB ratio for his career. That mark was 1.48 last season. Right on par yet again.

Kipnis has a 23.2 percent line drive rate for his career. That mark was 22.6 last season. Totally on par yet again.

Kipnis has a 7.0 career swinging strike percentage. That mark was 7.1 last season. Par for the course.

For his career Kipnis swings at 40.6 percent of all pitches. Last season that mark was 42.1 percent. Hitting par again.

For his career Kipnis makes contact on 89.7 percent of pitches he swings at inside the strike zone. Last year that mark was 91.0 percent. Tiring of the similarity?

So why did Kipnis struggle so badly last season?

Not that a few of the measures I just noted were a wee bit down. When taken in conjunction with one another, that can lead to some depression. However, the biggest issue was the fact that he simply had no oomph in his swing as the oblique issue crushed his power (the injury originally occurred at the end of April and he admitted he was never right even after he returned a month later). 

I noted that his SLG was awful last year. He finished the year .068 points below his norm. Kipnis also saw his .136 Isolated power number drop all the way to .090. After hitting 36 doubles in 2013 he hit only 25 last season. Worse yet, he simply couldn't convert any fly balls into homers. A career 10.0 HR/F ratio, with a mark of at least 9.7 in his first three seasons, took a tumble all the way down to 4.8 percent last season. Given that his G/F/L were the same as always, one would have to figure that with health the 28 year old would be able to return to previous levels, at least in the power department, and that should fuel tons of growth in his offensive game. 

CONCLUSION

Honestly, how many second basemen in baseball could go 15/30 in 2015? If we're aggressive we might suggest Brian Dozier or Anthony Rendon, but 30 steals from each would really be pushing it. Ian Kinsler was once that type of player but no more. Maybe Kolten Wong for those of you that like to think shooting for the moon is a good thin. Then there is Kipnis who has done it once and missed by a homer in his two seasons of more than 130 games played. That should tell you all you need to know about how 2015 could play out if Kipnis is able to stay healthy. It's not a good move to expect him to go 20/30 in the coming season, but there's a distinct possibility that he returns to the all-star levels that he flashed in 2012-13.

10 team lg: Perfect option in this format due to the fact that he could easily fall out of the top-5 at second base. If that's the case smile, say thanks, and calmly call out his name on draft day.

12 team lg: A target of mine in this format after the elites of the game are off the board. Don't reach, but realize that a 15/30 season with oodles of runs is a distinct possibility.

15 team lg: Sign me up for Kipnis in this format. Would love it if he was my starter at second. Upside like his is nearly impossible to find. If you can get it at a discount - you gotta love it. Invest. 

AL-only: An elite option, or at least potentially one. There's a chance folks will sleep a bit on Kipnis and if they do he represents a prime buying option. If his cost comes in at under $20 or after the 4th round, pounce on that bargain with no hesitation. 

More on Kipnis with my audio thoughts from SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio.