The Detroit Tigers have the best record in the big leagues and just swept the defending World Series Champions over the weekend. They have a 7 game lead over the 2nd place Kansas Royals going into Monday Night’s games. One of the biggest reasons the Tigers are seemingly in cruise control this early in the season has been the outstanding play of new 2nd basemen, Ian Kinsler. I’ll be the first to admit when I’m wrong, and when I wrote this article early in spring training, I was dead wrong. I’ll take my crow served on a cold plate Mr. Kinsler, I was wrong.
As we sit here on May 19th, you could make a legit argument that Ian Kinsler is the Tigers MVP. I wouldn’t argue with you one bit. In fact, he has been the best and most dynamic player on the team so far this season. When I wrote my first piece about Kinsler I was really unimpressed with his slacking on-base numbers and his pop/fly out percentages, I never thought he would transition to a pitchers park and be a better player, in fact During the two years before the 2014 season, Kinsler had the highest infield pop out rate of any player in baseball. He was supposed to be on the downside of his career and he has considered the player that the Tigers dumped Prince Fielder’s contract for. He was not supposed to come in here and be the best player on the team.
Ian Kinsler has started red hot for the Tigers in 2014, slashing at a .315/.345/.455 rate, and creating runs at a 113 wRC+ pace. Kinser has mostly batted lead off the Tigers and has excelled in his role as a lead-off hitter while still providing the power and run production that he did early in his career in Texas. Kinser has already scored 29 runs with 20 RBI and 7 walks. He also has 5 steals. He has not been drawing walks as much as he did in Texas, but his on-base percentage is still a click higher than it was last year.
Kinsler has redefined a Tigers team that has failed to have any speed over the past 6 or so years. As a fan of the Tigers, I have been very impressed with how different this team looks this year compared to the previous “Leyland” years. Along with Rajai Davis, Ian Kinsler has really jolted the offense and it is marvelous to watch. The Tigers already have more steals this season than they did all last year.
When Kinsler first came over, I knew that it was a necessary move considering the baggage the Prince Fielder was lugging around with him and that hefty contract, However I was not a big fan of Kinsler based on his previous 2 years in a Rangers uniform, He also came off as a “Me First” type of player when word was leaked that he did not want to move to first base as a member of the Rangers to make room for Jurickson Profar. I’ll never be one to knock a player for not wanting to switch positions, but will always firmly believe in doing what is best for the team. However in Ian’s defense I understand him taking that as a message that the Rangers felt like they had somebody better than him in the waiting. Its very obvious Ian Kinsler is an extremely motivated player and that has really taken his game to a nice level here with the Tigers.
One thing nobody can question so far about Kinsler is his motor and how hard he plays the game. Sure he has made a couple of baserunning gaffes, most noticeably attempting to turn doubles into triples, but as a fan base that watched Prince Fielder jog down to first at a snail’s pace shouldn’t Kinsler’s aggressiveness come off as more of a blessing than a curse? I”ll take a guy that runs hard on every play over a home run trot or bust player every day of the week.
Omar Infante played a very smooth second base for the Tigers last year and maybe a better defender than Kinsler in the long run, but I have also been very pleasantly surprised with Kinsler at second base. He already has posted a 5 DRS or Defensive Runs Saved this season in comparison to the 11 he posted all last year. His range is a nice surprise as well and according to Fangraphs’s advanced metrics, Ian Kinsler has already made 7 plays out of a normal 2nd basemen’s range. Those numbers add up over a full season and he is well on pace to putting up some very nice defensive metrics.
Wondering how Kinsler compares offensively in the American League at his position? Well, he is near the top at every stat and metric. He trails only Robinson Cano in average, (.318 to .315). Kinser is second to Brian Dozier in slugging, .479 to .455. He also checks in at 4th in RBI and 2nd in runs. He ranks 3rd in wRC+ and most importantly he trails only Brian Dozier in total WAR at 1.6 compared to Dozier and his 2.2. Point being that he is near the top of every stat and metric.
Most people, including myself bought into all the Kinsler on a decline hype that was surrounding him when he came over to the Tigers. Truth is maybe Kinsler needed a change of scenery as much as the Rangers wanted to get rid of him. Sending Prince Fielder to the Rangers not only dumped a ton of salary from the Tigers books, it also brought over one of the most dynamic and exciting players in the game today to the Tigers. I know that the season is young, but right now it looks like that trade was an absolute steal for Detroit. Ian Kinsler may be the most motivated player in the game today and he seems to love proving people wrong, and yes I’m the first one raising my hand in that category.
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