The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is stacked with second basemen.
Ian Kinsler is one of three on the ballot, joining former Arizona State University teammate Dustin Pedroia and Chase Utley. He’s also one of 14 players appearing on the ballot for the first time.
The Hall of Fame is comprised of 348 elected members, including 275 former major league players. Of those, only 20 are second basemen − one of the fewest by position. The last second baseman to join the gang in Cooperstown was Craig Biggio in 2015.
Kinsler was a true second baseman. He played 15,857 innings in the field, with all but three of those innings at second.
His case for the Hall is an interesting one. He was known for his intensity and was an above-average player in multiple facets of the game. He could hit for power, run and was an excellent fielder.
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The 17th-round pick in the 2003 draft played 14 seasons in the majors, mostly with the Texas Rangers (2006-2013) and Detroit Tigers (2014-17). He had short stints with the Los Angeles Angels (2018), Boston Red Sox (2018) and San Diego Padres (2019), then went on to represent Team Israel in 2021 at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. He was a member of the 2018 World Series champion Red Sox and retired with a .269 batting average, 257 home runs, 909 RBI and 243 stolen bases.
Here’s a closer look at Kinsler’s Hall of Fame candidacy:
The case for Ian Kinsler
Kinsler’s credentials begin with Wins Above Replacement. His WAR of 54.1 is the 19th-highest for a second baseman in history. His WAR is also higher than eight second basemen who are already in the Hall.
During the prime of his career from 2007-2016, he had WAR of 48.5, which ranked sixth among position players during that span. He trailed only Robinson Cano (57.5), Adrian Beltre (56.2), Albert Pujols (55.3), Miguel Cabrera (54.8) and Pedroia (50.6).
Kinsler was also known for his power and speed. He retired with 257 homers, eighth-most among second basemen in baseball history, and 243 stolen bases. He’s one of seven second basemen with 200-plus homers and 200-plus stolen bases.
He’s also one of only three second baseman in history to record a 30-30 season, accomplishing the feat in both 2009 and 2011.
And his 185 homers out of the leadoff spot are the fifth-most in MLB history, behind Rickey Henderson, Mookie Betts, George Springer and Alfonso Soriano.
The case against Ian Kinsler
Kinsler retired with 1,999 career hits, falling just short of a milestone that most Hall of Fame candidates have on their resume. His 1,999 hits also rank 29th among second basemen.
He also falls short in traditional measuring sticks. For example, of the 179 players who logged at least 4,000 plate appearances and 50% of their games at second base, his career batting average of .269 ranks 89th.
And lastly, his case is hurt by the lack of accolades. Over 14 seasons, he only had four All-Star appearances and two Gold Gloves.
Voting trends
Kinsler is one of 14 players making their ballot debut − a group headlined by pitcher CC Sabathia and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Through 119 public ballots in Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame voting tracker, Kinsler had only received four votes, totaling 3.2% support. He’ll need about 16 more votes to reach 5% in the final tally and stay on the ballot.
Bottom line
There’s a better chance that Kinsler falls off the ballot in his first year than he ever receives 75% of the vote.
Inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2022, Kinsler helped Texas win the American League pennant in 2010 and 2011 and holds the club records for a second baseman with a .273 batting average, 156 home runs and 539 RBI over 1,066 games from 2006-2013.
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