Why We Love Ian Kinsler

By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent

When you think of the best second baseman in the game most people immediately point to Chase Utley of the Phillies.

Other names that come to mind are Placido Polanco of Detroit, Boston’s Dustin Pedroia, the reigning Rookie of the Year, Florida’s Dan Uggla, or Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips.

However, few will name Texas’ Ian Kinsler, one of baseball’s best kept secrets. That’s too bad, because Kinsler’s quietly having the best year of all.

Kinsler’s residence in anonymity can be attested to a few things.

One, he plays a position full of big name stars who all get a lot more hype on Baseball Tonight. Two, he plays for the Rangers; and lastly, he’s not even the most recognizable player on his own team.

Now the time has come for people to recognize.

Going into Wednesday’s games, Kinsler was leading the majors with 72 runs scored, which was 14 more than his closet A.L. competitor. His 111 hits are seven more than anyone else in the league and his .321 average is just two points behind Hideki Matsui for the A.L. lead as well.

The 26-year-old leadoff hitter’s racked 26 doubles, legged out four triples, hit 13 homers, drove in 50 runs and stolen 20 bases while being caught just once. This man could set any table in Texas.

Among fellow second basemen, he’s in the top three in almost every statistical category. No one else can say that. In fact, Kinsler’s having a better all-around season then Utley, who’s being tabbed the N.L. MVP. Why then is Kinsler not in the A.L. MVP discussions?

Kinsler’s been on a tear as of late, collecting three hits in three straight games and getting two in each of the previous two.

For the month of June, he hit .369 with six homers, 25 runs scored and had 41 hits. You can’t ask for more from a leadoff hitter. While other players have gone on considerable hot streaks, Kinsler’s been on fire since April.

Kinsler’s been the catalyst for a Rangers offense that leads baseball in runs scored. Texas is three games over .500 and fighting hard for a playoff spot. The lineup looks loaded, with Michael Young, Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley, but it’s the guy at the top who’s been the team’s real MVP.

Despite his overall anonymity, Kinsler shouldn’t be a stranger to true MLB fans. In his rookie year (2006), he hit .286 with 14 homers in 120 games. Last year, he came flying out of the gates, belting nine home runs in the first month of the year. His numbers would suffer from a stress factor, but he still managed to steal 23 bases and hit 20 homers.

For Kinsler, the ultimate acknowledgement would be to make the All-Star team. With voting ending this week, it’s unlikely he’ll get the starting nod. Pedroia leads the fan voting by a healthy margin, and while he’s having a good year, Kinsler’s the more deserving of the two.

Hopefully the coach’s will see what the fans have missed and put Kinsler on the team over Polanco or Brian Roberts.

It’s time to jump on the Ian Kinsler Bandwagon, folks. With the All-Star Game approaching, it’ll be a shame if the major’s best second baseman doesn’t get to take his rightful place spot in Yankee Stadium.

(All things are bigger in Texas, and now all things are bigger at TLOS too! Be sure to visit our brand new sister site, The Love of Beer! It’s purely delicious.)