Heading into the 2015 MLB season, many Detroit Tigers fans wondered what to expect from Ian Kinsler during his second season in the Motor City. Kinsler was an All-Star in 2014, but he had a rough second half, and the fact that he was entering his age-33 campaign led some to speculate that he might be on the decline.

Well, although the Tigers have had their share of disappointments this season, Kinsler, for the most part, has not been one of them. Through his first 93 games, Kinsler has hit .284/.346/.403 with five home runs and 43 RBIs. He did go through an extreme rough patch in which he hit only .094/.186/.189 between May 19 and Jun. 3, but he appears to have righted the ship.

Of course, Kinsler will almost certainly fall short of the 17 home runs he hit last season, but there are other things, such as drawing walks, that he has been much better at this year. In 2014, Kinsler posted a career low 4.0 percent walk rate, which undoubtedly contributed to his career low .307 on-base percentage. This year, his walk rate has shot all the way back up to 8.3 percent, which isn’t too far off of his career mark of 8.9 percent. Being that Kinsler typically bats in either the first or second spot in the  order, getting on base is obviously more important for him than hitting home runs, especially when considering the pop the Tigers’ have in the middle of their lineup even in the absence of Miguel Cabrera.

On the other side of the ball, Kinsler has remained exceptionally sharp as well. Among all qualified second basemen in the American League, he ranks first in Def. (6.3), first in DRS (8), first in UZR (4.9) and second in UZR/150 (7.9).

Kinsler is signed through 2017 with an option for 2018, and although he is getting up there in age, it is looking like he will remain capable of providing well above replacement-level production going forward. Some fans may understandably wish that the Tigers had held on to Devon Travis, but they still have a very good second baseman in Kinsler.

Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.