The Intangibles: Ian Kinsler

After this past week I decided I needed a weekend of off-the-grid time, but now I’m back and ready to review the season of one of the best all-around players in the game. Somehow, for a lot of people, Ian has flown somewhat under the radar. He has managed to flex every baseball muscle he can and still receive a minimal amount of credit for it.

kindler was drafted in the 17th round of the 2003 Major League Draft. Known as a 5 tool player, he quickly rose to the big leagues. This post wasn’t meant to be a summary of all of his time with the Rangers, just 2011, but I would be incredibly wrong not to include a list of his accomplishments. After he was drafted, he began to add these accomplishments to his resume(thank you Wikipedia):

2× All-Star selection (2008, 2010)
2× AL Player of the Week (April 2007 & April 2009)
Ranked # 24 on the Sporting News’ list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball (2009)
Hit for the cycle (2009)
3× 20–20 club (2007, 2009, 2011)
2× 30-30 club (2009, 2011)
Majors-best 25-game hit streak (2008)
Led major league 2B in range factor (5.77, 2008)
2× led AL 2B in range factor (5.58, 2006; 5.69, 2007)
Led major league 2B in double plays (123, 2008)
Led AL in power-speed # (31.0, 2009)
Rangers Rookie of the Year (2006)
Rangers record for career steals of third (21, 2009)
Rangers record for career leadoff home runs (9, 2009)
Tied Rangers record for home runs in April (9, 2007)
Rangers record for hits in 9-inning game (6, 2009)
Tied Rangers record for runs in a game (5, 2009)
Tied Rangers record for extra base hits in a game (4, 2009)
Tied Rangers record for double plays in a game (5, 2006)

Extremely impressive. One of my favorite of his accomplishments is definitely his 2 30-20 seasons. Let’s break down what kind of accomplishment that is. There have been fifty-eight 30–30 seasons by 37 different players through the 2011 season. Barry and Bobby Bonds account for 10 of those seasons. The 30-30 season is the result of speed plus power plus an unbelievable instinct for the game, and is a feat that only the best of the game can claim. His other stats weren’t to bad either. He played in 155 games, had 620 at bats, and hit a solid .255/.355/.477. Some would say his average is a bit low, I say who cares. He was second in the AL in Runs Scored with 121, 7th in Stolen Bases with 30, and 5th in the AL in walks with 89. He played magnificent defense, regularly appearing on ESPN’s Web Gems. His leadership qualities are noticeable and effective. One of the back-bone players of this team, I hope to see him succeed with the Rangers for years to come. Until next time, Go Rangers.