Ian Kinsler

Ian Michael Kinsler (; born June 22, 1982) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, and San Diego Padres. Kinsler was a four-time All Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, and a member of the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

Despite having been drafted in the 17th round of the 2000 MLB draft out of college, Kinsler rose to become a four-time All-Star and a member of the ''Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball. He was known as a five-tool player.

Kinsler twice hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases in the same season (2009 and 2011), and is one of 16 ballplayers in major league history who have had multiple 30–30 seasons. In 2011, he also joined the 20–20 club for the third time, one season shy of the major league record for a second baseman. He hit for the cycle in a game in 2009, while getting hits in all six of his at bats. Kinsler is one of only four players in MLB history to record six hits in a game while hitting for the cycle; the others are Bobby Veach, Rondell White, and Christian Yelich, with Yelich being the only player to accomplish the feat since Kinsler.

Through 2013, Kinsler led the Texas Rangers in career stolen bases and power-speed number. In November 2013, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Prince Fielder. He has been awarded both a Fielding Bible Award (2015) and two Gold Glove Awards (2016 and 2018). Through 2019, on defense Kinsler had the best career range factor of any active second baseman in MLB, while on offense among all active players he was 3rd in power–speed number and in career runs scored, and 5th in career doubles. He retired following the end of the 2019 season with 1,999 career hits.

In 2021, he played for the Israeli national baseball team in the 2020 Summer Olympics. He was the manager of Team Israel at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Early life and high school

Kinsler was born in Tucson, Arizona,Edes, Gordon (July 14, 2008)
"Manny no-shows for media gabfest: World still round,"
''The Boston Globe'' and was born to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. Kinsler’s paternal great-grandparents, Benjamin and Rose Künstlich, were born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in the 1930s to escape the rising antisemitism in Europe prior to World War II. Benjamin and Rose anglicized their last name to Kinsler by the time their son, Jack, was born in the U.S. Ian Kinsler's father, Howard, had grown up in the Bronx and played basketball during his freshman season at the University of Arizona, and was a warden at a state prison on Tucson's southeast side. He has been a major influence on Kinsler. When Kinsler was four his father would toss him fly balls, and his dad says Kinsler would "get under them like he'd been doing it his whole life."

His father coached him until high school, and was especially tough. When Kinsler was 13 years old, and the best player on a PONY league team coached by his father that was playing for a championship, his dad caught Kinsler rolling his eyes as he gave the team orders. "I benched him, without hesitation", said his father. With Kinsler on the bench, the team lost the game.

Kinsler had a physical challenge to overcome. "I've had asthma my whole life", Kinsler said. "That was tough when I was younger. I woke up a lot and couldn't breathe, and had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night. It kind of held me back from athletics. I still have it, but I control it. Now I use an atomizer or an inhaler. When I was younger, I used this breathing machine… I hated that thing. I always wanted to run around and be active."

He graduated in 2000 from Canyon del Oro High School in the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley, Arizona. Kinsler helped lead the baseball team to state titles in 1997 and 2000. He hit .380 as a junior, to earn second-team All-League honors, and .504 with 5 home runs and 26 stolen bases during his senior year, in which he was named first-team All-State and first-team All-League. Four of his high school teammates also made it to the major leagues: Brian Anderson (his best friend in high school), Scott Hairston, Chris Duncan, and Shelley Duncan. In 2019 he was inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.

Draft and college

Kinsler was drafted by his home-state Arizona Diamondbacks after high school in the 29th round of the 2000 MLB draft, but did not feel ready for the pros. He opted instead to honour his commitment. He started his college career at Central Arizona College, where he hit .405 with 17 doubles, 37 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases, was named second-team All-ACCAC, and played shortstop alongside future major leaguers Scott Hairston and Rich Harden. The Diamondbacks drafted him again in 2001 (26th round), but he declined to sign because he felt that playing college baseball a little longer would help him develop his game.

Arizona State Sun Devils coach Pat Murphy secured his commitment out of junior college, getting him transfer to ASU in his sophomore year with the promise that he would play shortstop for the Sun Devils. But while he started briefly alongside fellow middle infielder Dustin Pedroia, he ended up spending much of the season on the bench.

University of Missouri Tigers coach Tim Jamieson spotted him in a summer league, and convinced him to head east for his junior year. Jamieson said, "I saw him take ground balls and thought, defensively, he was as good a middle infielder as I had ever seen. As for his bat, I didn't really care." While there, Kinsler had a .335 batting average, .416 on-base percentage, and .536 slugging percentage, with 16 steals in 17 attempts. He was named to the All-Big 12 Conference second team. Jamieson noted, "From the day Ian stepped through the doors here, you could see it on his face: He was on a mission."

Kinsler was then drafted a third time by the Texas Rangers in the 17th round (496th overall) in 2003 as a shortstop at the urging of area scout Mike Grouse. Grouse liked Kinsler's tools, makeup, desire, and gritty approach. In Grouse's scouting report, he wrote that Kinsler had a great feel for the game, athleticism, solid defensive skills, intensity, and leadership qualities. Grouse knew that Kinsler was probably being underrated by rival scouts who did not know that Kinsler had played with a foot stress fracture while at Missouri, "so inslerreally couldn't run like I knew he could. I'd seen him in Wichita the year before, so I knew he was a plus runner. Most people ... didn't know that, so they probably downgraded him. But I knew it, and I wasn't telling anybody." Kinsler, for his part, says: "I thought I was a lot better than a 17th round pick. I thought I belonged in the top 10 rounds." Kinsler nonetheless agreed to sign with the Rangers on his 21st birthday, for $30,000.

Five years later, John Sickels wrote: "Only a handful of players from the 2003 draft are as good as Kinsler, and he's certainly outperformed many more heralded talents. Scouting and drafting will always be an inexact science/art." The pick was later lauded as "one of the greatest 17th round picks of all time."

Minor league career (2003–2005)

2003: Entering the pros

Kinsler signed quickly, and broke in as a shortstop in 2003. He batted .277 in 188 at-bats in his pro debut for the Spokane Indians in the Short-season Northwest League, while leading the team in steals (11) and triples (6). He then spent the 2003–04 winter in Arizona, working out with the Rangers' strength and conditioning coaches. He said: "I was probably 170 pounds, and I decided I needed to lift, put on some weight, and eat as much as I could. And I learned how to hit."

2004: Breakout season

By early 2004, Kinsler had vaulted to the # 1 spot on ''Baseball Americas Prospect Hot Sheet. John Sickels of ''ESPN'' described him as having "great plate discipline, power, and ... einga reasonably good defensive shortstop."

He had a breakout year in 2004. He split the season between two teams, beginning with the Low-A Clinton LumberKings, for which he hit .402/.465/.692 in 224 at bats. Kinsler was voted to start at shortstop for the Midwest League Western Division All Star team, while he was leading the league in batting, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, doubles, extra-base hits, and runs scored, but did not play as he was promoted. ''Baseball America'' rated him the most exciting ballplayer and the # 8 prospect in the league. When a friend asked him what the secret was to his success, he responded: "Dude, I have no idea."

Kinsler was promoted two levels on June 12 to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders. "When I first got called up, there were a million things running through my head", he said. "I was nervous, my hands were sweating. It was really exciting, but I didn't know what to expect. I was a little nervous that ... all of a sudden I wouldn't be able to hit." In June he was named the Rangers' Minor League Player of the Month. Frisco manager Tim Ireland observed:

I think he's succeeding because his swing is graceful and effortless. It's just a smooth swing, and he hits for power because he lets his swing work for him. Defensively, so far he's shown a real feel for shortstop. He's got good feet and soft hands, and he throws well enough.... He seems pretty legit to me.

In July, the Rangers agreed to send Kinsler and prospect right-hander Erik Thompson to the Colorado Rockies for Larry Walker, but Walker vetoed the trade.

He ended up hitting .300/.400/.480 for Frisco, in 277 at bats. Those numbers would have placed him fourth in OBP, seventh in slugging percentage, and eighth in the league's batting race had he received enough plate appearances to qualify for the title (he was short by about 60). ''Baseball America'' rated Kinsler the # 9 prospect in the Texas League.

Overall, in 501 at bats, Kinsler tied for first in the minor leagues in doubles (51), and was seventh in batting average (.345) and ninth in hits (173). He also had 20 home runs, 103 runs, 98 RBIs, 18 HBP, and 23 steals. Rangers manager Buck Showalter marveled at Kinsler's 51 doubles, saying: "Fifty... A lot of guys don't have 50 singles."

''Baseball America'' rated him the No. 4 Rangers prospect, the No. 11 prospect in the minors, and a second-team Minor League All Star. Kinsler was also named a '' Sports Weekly'' All Star, and the Rangers' Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year. In addition, he was awarded the first annual Diamond in the Rough Award, which recognizes a minor leaguer who "defies the odds" and rises from obscurity to play himself into prospect status during a breakout season. For his part, Kinsler noted simply: "It is fun to come to the ballpark every day when you are playing good baseball."

Towards the end of the season, Sickels augmented his scouting report on Kinsler by reporting that he was, "a good athlete, not super-toolsy, but strong for his size with speed a notch above average. His swing looked short, quick, and sharp...Overall, he is a solid all-around player who makes the most of his natural ability."

Kinsler spent the winter of 2004–05 playing for the Peoria Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, improving his versatility by getting work in at second base. There, he hit .306/.369/.500. A scout in Arizona noted that his swing was so effortless, yet generated so much line drive power, that: "It's like he's swinging a Wiffleball bat out there."

2005: Transitioning to second base

Invited to the parent club's 2005 spring training, he hit .327 while slugging .612. Kinsler spent 2005 at Triple-A with the Oklahoma RedHawks, transitioning from shortstop to second base because that is where the organization anticipated he would play in the future, in the event that Alfonso Soriano no longer played second base for the major league team. He was selected to the mid-season Pacific Coast League All Star team in June, and came in a close second to Mitch Jones in the 2005 Triple-A Home Run Derby.

For the season, in 530 at bats he hit .274 with 23 home runs, 102 runs (tied for tenth in the minor leagues), 94 RBIs, and 12 steals in 14 attempts. Kinsler cracked the ''Baseball America'' Top 100 Prospects list, ranking 98th. On the side, during the season he kept an on-line journal for MinorLeagueBaseball.com.

Major league career

Texas Rangers (2006–2013)

2006: Rookie

With Alfonso Soriano having been traded in the off-season, Kinsler won the Rangers' starting second base job in spring training in 2006 over Mark DeRosa. "Ian Kinsler came as advertised", said Showalter.

He made his major league debut against the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day on April 3, 2006, and got his first major league hit in his first major league at bat, off Curt Schilling. Kinsler said:

The crowd was full; I had the butterflies going, so to get that hit was huge. The family was in town.... To go out there and face one of the best pitchers of all time, you've got to be locked in. It's your first game, your first big league experience—it was unbelievable to face that guy.

He was hitting .476 when he dislocated his left thumb sliding head-first into second base on April 11, 2006, and was placed on the disabled list. "I knew it wasn't good when I looked down and I saw the top part of the thumb pointing in at me", Kinsler said. He came back 41 games later on May 25, and went 3–4 with a single and two home runs, to lead the Rangers to an 8–7 victory over the Oakland Athletics. "I hope the fans don't expect that much every night", he joked.

While Kinsler started off the season batting ninth in the lineup, in June Showalter moved him up to seventh. "I think as Ian's career progresses, he'll move up in the batting order", predicted Showalter. For the season, he started 31 games batting seventh, 30 batting eighth, 20 batting sixth, 19 batting ninth, 12 batting second, 3 batting leadoff, 2 batting third, and 1 batting fifth.

Kinsler finished 2006 with a .286 batting average, 14 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a team-leading 11 stolen bases in 423 at bats. He batted .300 with runners in scoring position, and .300 when the game was tied. He led all AL rookies with 27 doubles, and his .454 slugging percentage was the seventh-best in a season since 2000 by an AL rookie with at least 400 at bats. Defensively, in August he tied a team record by recording five double plays in one game. He also led all American League (AL) second basemen in both range factor (5.58) and errors (18). He was named Texas Rangers 2006 Rookie of the Year.

2007: 20–20 season

During the 2006–07 off-season, Kinsler focused on building up his legs to improve his speed, durability, and agility. In spring training in 2007, he hit .429, led the AL in RBIs (19), and was sixth in the major leagues in hits (27).

His hitting form continued into the season, and Kinsler was named the AL Player of the Week for the period ending April 15. He batted .476 (10-for-21) that week with four home runs, eight RBIs, seven runs scored, and a 1.095 slugging percentage. His nine home runs in April tied the team record for that month (shared by Iván Rodríguez (2000), Alex Rodriguez (2002), and Carl Everett (2003)), and were the most ever in the season's first month by a Major League second baseman. Kinsler said: "I'm trying to put good swings on the ball, and if it goes out, it goes out." He batted .298 with 22 RBIs for the month, and was also voted the Rangers' Player of the Month for April.

On July 2, Kinsler went on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his left foot; he did not come back until July 31, and missed 26 games. He tied a major league record on August 25, when he had eight plate appearances in a nine-inning game (a 30–3 win over Baltimore).

In 2007, Kinsler hit 20 home runs and was 23-for-25 in stolen base attempts (a 92% success rate). He became the sixth player in franchise history to reach the 20–20 plateau, joining Alfonso Soriano (2005), Iván Rodríguez (1999), Rafael Palmeiro (1993), Bobby Bonds (1978), and Toby Harrah (1975 and 1977). He did it despite his stress fracture, which kept him under 500 at bats. His 23 stolen bases and 96 runs led the Rangers.

Kinsler finished the season seventh in the AL in power/speed number (21.4), ninth in sacrifice hits (8) and steals of third base (4), and tied for tenth in bunt hits (5). He was also tied for fourth in the league in steals of third (4), eighth in line drive percentage (23%), and tied for ninth in sacrifice hits (8).
He began to hit higher in the batting order, as he batted second in 48 games, leadoff in 26, seventh in 24, sixth in 19, ninth in 10, and eighth in 2. On defense, Kinsler led all major league second basemen in range factor (5.69).

2008: All-Star

In February 2008, Kinsler signed a five-year deal worth $22 million guaranteed with a $10 million option for 2013. The contract was at the time largest the Rangers have ever made to a player whom they drafted and developed. "Ian represents the past, present, and future of this organization", said assistant general manager Thad Levine.

"It's a lot of money", Kinsler said. "I've never imagined being in this position in my life." "This is a big day for me and my family", he reflected. "I've been working my whole life to get to this point, since my dad first started taking me out in the backyard and started throwing the baseball with me."

Kinsler was delighted when Rangers manager Ron Washington ultimately committed to Kinsler being the team's leadoff hitter in 2008. "I didn't think he was the prototype leadoff hitter, but the guy proved me wrong", Washington said. "He'll take a walk, or get one run for us with one swing of the bat. He can bunt, he can run, and he can hit the ball to the other side."

Through mid-May 2008, Kinsler had the best career stolen-base percentage (88.5%) of anyone in Rangers/Senators history with at least 40 attempts. "It's part of my game", said Kinsler. "It's not one of the first things I'm known for." According to scouts, his ability on the basepaths is due to innate instincts and his "twitch speed" rather than his pure running speed. Grouse, who signed him, says that Kinsler also "goes from first to third faster than anyone, because he has that God-given ability to read the ball so well off the bat."

During a mid-June rain delay at Shea Stadium

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