Ian Kinsler

2013

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2012

Kinsler bounced back in a big way following 2010's injury-marred season, posting another 30-30 season for the second time in three years. He was a MVP candidate despite a .255 average thanks to excellent defense, 121 runs, 89 walks and a 30-for-34 mark on the basepaths. Plate discipline was a major strength for Kinsler last season, as he delivered a career-high 89 percent contact rate while walking in 13 percent of his plate appearances. He's far from a lock for 150 games, but he's among the league's elite when healthy.

2011

Kinsler's injury woes struck again, costing him all of April and July with ankle and groin injuries after a relatively healthy 2009 season. His numbers took a dip as a result, as he swatted just nine homers and stole 15 bases on the heels of a 30-30 season. He did manage a nice OBP thanks to 56 walks in 103 games, but limped to the finish (.250/.339/.395 after the All-Star break) before redeeming himself a bit with some big hits in the postseason. He's not a top of the order hitter any longer with Elvis Andrus' emergence, but will focus on regaining his quickness in the offseason in an effort to regain some of his basestealing prowess. He deserves a mulligan for 2010, and could be a nice rebound candidate bargain for 2011.

2010

Kinsler posted a 30-30 season but was largely considered a disappointment with his .253 average. His BABIP figure of .245 was a drop of nearly 100 points from the .339 he had in 2008, but it was more a reflection on him being content to hit lazy flyballs in hopes of clearing the fence as opposed to spraying the ball all over the field and racking up the base hits. He remained relatively healthy, requiring just one stint on the DL, after failing to eclipse 130 games played in each of his three previous seasons. He'll be a fantasy MVP candidate if he can manage to hit around .280 and retain his power/speed combo, and he's slotted to spend the year in the No. 2 spot in the Texas order after seeing time at both the leadoff spot and in the middle third last season after the emergence of Julio Borbon.

2009

Kinsler missed a large chunk of the season again, this time due to a sports hernia in mid-August that kept him sidelined for the remainder of the season. Talks of wanting to play in the World Baseball Classic are encouraging in that he should start the season healthy, but he has all the looks of a player that will miss 30 games a season due to injury. When healthy, he was up there among the elite as far as second baseman go. The scary part? He hit just four of his 18 homers at home all season. There's an MVP-worthy campaign in him if he can manage to stay healthy.

2008

Kinsler had a nice season in his second full year as Texas' everyday second baseman, but was forced to the sidelines for an extended period for the second time in as many seasons (this time to a stress fracture in his left foot). He draws walks, hits for power and swipes bases at a nice clip so there's tons to like, but he still shows massive home/road splits (.674 OPS on the road, .924 OPS at home in his two-year career).

2007

Kinsler missed six weeks early in the season due to a dislocated thumb injury, but his overall numbers (14 HR, 11 SB) were a nice debut for the rookie second baseman. Toss in 40 walks in 423 at-bats and it gets even better. His home/road splits were large (.927 OPS at home, .673 on the road), and his batting average dipped a bit as the season wore one but his batting eye remained solid. With new manager Ron Washington promising to be more agressive on the bases, Kinsler could well reach the 20/20 plateau in 2007.

2006

Kinsler has cooled off a bit over the past 18 months after a scorching beginning to the 2004 season. He still posted a respectable .274/.348/.464 line at Triple-A Oklahoma City, though. He's the heir apparent at second base now that Alfonso Soriano is in Washington and will provide immediate dividends with his power/speed combo.

2005

Kinlser was leading all minor leaguers with 30 doubles before being promoted to Double-A Frisco. His .866 OPS there pales in comparison to the 1.157 OPS from low Single-A Clinton, but his .306/.369/.500 season in the Arizona Fall League re-affirmed Kinsler as a top infield prospect. He figures to progress as high as Triple-A in 2005 and will likely be the reason Alfonso Soriano's stay in Texas will be short-lived.