Ian Kinsler is getting older, but he is batting in front of a superb lineup
2015 Season Recap
Ian Kinsler was the 51st player off the board last year with only Jose Altuve taken ahead of him at the second base position. He hit 11 home runs with 73 RBI, scored 94 runs and nabbed 10 stolen bases. He batted .296 (his highest average for seven years), helped in part by a .325 BABIP, some 35-50 points higher than any of his last three seasons. Despite his home runs and stolen bases being on a downwards trajectory, he posted 111 wRC+ which was the highest for four years. He finished as the fourth highest scoring second baseman in points leagues and ranked fifth in roto.
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2016 Projections
2016 ECR™ Expert Consensus Ranking
2016 Season Outlook
The days of 30/30 production have been consigned to the memory and 10/10 production looks to be a more appropriate target. Ian Kinsler lacks the home run power of Robinson Cano or Brian Dozier and no longer poses the stolen base threat that you will get from Jose Altuve or Dee Gordon. What he does offer is consistency and the ability to help you in all five categories. Tagged as an injury risk in the early part of his career, Kinsler has averaged more than 152 games over the last five seasons. He has finished as one of the top-10 run scorers in three of the last five years, dropping down to 19th last season with 94 runs. The Tigers will probably shift Ian Kinsler into the leadoff role so the potential for him to score 100 runs again is high, especially with Justin Upton, Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez hitting behind him. Kinsler currently has an ADP of 79 so there is real bust potential surrounding him, yet his perceived lack of upside means he is dropping in many drafts.
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Gavin Tramps is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Gavin, check out his archive or find him @_tramps.
