Baseball has become a game of young phenoms. Yasiel Puig. Bryce Harper. Manny Machado. Mike Trout.

The traditional route of several years in the minor leagues has been abolished by youngsters fast-tracking their way through the system. Just this week, Xander Bogaerts debuted for the Boston Red Sox more than a month before his 21st birthday.

"I'm happy to be a part of it, to be included with the young talent like Harper, Machado, Trout. I could just ride their coattails and go for the ride along with them," Jason Kipnis said last month in New York.

Kipnis is one of the best young players in the Major Leagues, but doesn't fit the new mold. An All-Star for the first time in his second full season, the Cleveland Indians second baseman is 26 years old.

A second round pick in 2009, Kipnis played at Kentucky and Arizona State. He played 254 games in Cleveland's system before making his debut with the Indians on July 22, 2011 against the Chicago White Sox.

He logged 150 plate appearances in the second half of 2011, hitting .272/.333/.507 with seven home runs, 19 RBI and five stolen bases. The Indians felt they had a future mainstay. They turned out to be right, but the 2012 season didn't go as planned.

After flashing promising power upon arriving in Cleveland, Kipnis hit .257/.335/.379 with 14 home runs last season. His 31 stolen bases ranked sixth in the American League, but his slugging dropped 128 points. He remains a hot-and-cold hitter, but has found a way to become more consistent at the plate.

"This year, with the help of others, I've done a better job of being the same guy every day and keeping the same approach," Kipnis told RealGM. "That's allowed me to realize the type of hitter that I am, not overstep myself, taking what has been given to me."

Kipnis was awful in April and red-hot in June, but has remained level over the remainder of the season. He is hitting .285/.366/.466 with 15 home runs and 72 RBI in 510 plate appearances. Once again he has brought speed to the bases, swiping 23 bags.

"When you know in your mind that you can have a month like I did in June, and then you have a month like April, it's frustrating," he said. "You want to be helping the team, you want to be contributing. Pitchers weren't throwing stuff I hadn't seen before. You just have to realize how long the season is and not beat yourself up over little stuff."

His offensive numbers are impressive, but advanced statistics put him in entirely different company. Kipnis is tied for eight among AL  players in offensive WAR (4.3). The men above him are household names – Trout, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano and Joe Mauer.

"It's a game of adjustments," he said. "It's all about making adjustments here and there. I've always been a streaky guy. I can get hot with the best of them and slump with the best of them as well. My confidence never wavered; I just had to get there."

In addition to an improved approach, Kipnis has also benefited from the tutelage of new Indians manager Terry Francona. 

"You're not playing for the guy; you're playing with the guy," Kipnis said of Francona. "He's one of those guys that you just want to win for because you know he's on the battlefield with you."

After winning just 68 games last season and finishing in fourth place, the Indians are 11 games over .500 and in the thick of the playoff hunt in the American League. They entered action on Thursday just 2.5 games back in the Wild Card race. Francona has been credited with turning around the roster, which has remained largely the same as it was last season.

Kipnis has a reputation as a scrappy infielder with all-around skills. In addition to his offensive ability, he has established himself as one of the best defenders at his position. Only Dustin Pedroia ranks ahead of him in TZR among AL second baseman.

His toughness and contribution to the Indians has forever endeared him to the city of Cleveland, which has become the Illinois native's adopted home over the last four-plus years.

"Coming from a bigger city like Chicago, you go to Cleveland and honestly it's not going to have the stature and the restaurants and all that, but Cleveland definitely has a great family vibe to it," Kipnis said. "They have accepted me and embraced me as one of their own and I can't thank them enough. It's been awesome and I love playing for the fans in Cleveland. They drafted me, I didn't get to pick, but that city has grown on me."

Kipnis may not be the typical phenom, but he seems like a perfect fit the Indians.