The sight of Jason Kipnis in center field during the 2017 postseason was shocking for some Cleveland Indians fans, but it may have never happened if Bradley Zimmer didn’t get injured.
Zimmer knocked himself out for the postseason with a headfirst slide into first base just three weeks before the end of the regular season. If not for that, who knows what would have happened in October.
It is a stretch to say that Zimmer’s presence would have changed the outcome of the ALDS, but it is fair to say that he had a solid rookie season stepping into a situation such as this one.