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During his first two seasons in a Detroit Tigers uniform, Ian Kinsler did very fine work. He was an All-Star in 2014, and after a bit of a slow start to last season, he went on to hit a whopping .325 in the second half. Over those two years combined, he was worth 9.4 fWAR, ranking first among all MLB second basemen.
This season, however, Kinsler has been even more impressive. He may have recently celebrated his 34th birthday, but he certainly isn’t playing like someone whose career is in decline.
Through 75 games, Kinsler is slashing a rock-solid .295/.351/.492 with 14 homers already. Considering the fact that he hit only 11 home runs last season, his power surge has certainly been a bit of a surprise. Kinsler twice hit 30-plus homers during his days with the Texas Rangers, but it was beginning to appear that those days might be in the past.
When looking around MLB, there are quite a few other second basemen who are having incredible years as well, such as Jose Altuve, Daniel Murphy, Robinson Cano, Ben Zobrist, Rougned Odor, Jason Kipnis and Dustin Pedroia. It is easy to understand how Kinsler might become a bit lost in that shuffle to a certain extent, but for those who watch him play every day, his value to the team is crystal clear.
Right now, Kinsler’s 2.6 fWAR leads all Tigers position players by nearly a full win (superstar Miguel Cabrera is second with a 1.8 fWAR). Back when the Tigers acquired Kinsler from the Rangers in November of 2013, many thought they they would be getting a steady second baseman to replace Omar Infante, who departed via free agency that same offseason.
Over two and a half years later, it should be safe to say that Kinsler has exceeded most everyone’s expectations.
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