The Cleveland Indians' Jason Kipnis has had a breakout start to the season.

His strong performance is a major contributor to The Tribe's position near the top of the AL Central.

This prompts the question: Should Kipnis be the starting second baseman for the American League in the upcoming MLB All-Star Game?

Traditionally, it takes a while before a younger player builds up the body of work and reputation necessary to make the All-Star team. And in Kipnis' case, unless you play fantasy baseball or are a fan of the Tribe, you have probably never heard of him.

Let's look at the stats of the contenders: 

  Runs Home Runs RBI Steals AVG OBP
Jason Kipnis  42       9  36   14 .277 .336
Ian Kinsler  46       7  28    8 .271 .339
Robinson Cano  40      11  29    1 .293 .348

 

Since Kinsler and Cano play for large-market teams, they would seem to have the inside track. But you can certainly make the case that Kipnis' production has been better, especially since he has all those steals to go with his power numbers.

What do you think? If you were voting today, who would you vote for? 

Please leave a comment and get a discussion going.