Ian Kinsler's defensive skills making up for his offensive woes
There's no hiding the fact that Ian Kinsler has struggled badly at the plate in the second half of the season.
Kinsler knows it, Brad Ausmus knows it, and every one of his teammates knows it.
As long as he keeps playing defense the way he has all season, they are OK with it.
Kinsler reached the All-Star break hitting .303, and though he doesn't walk much, 26 doubles and 11 homers made him a very valuable asset with the bat. Since making his fourth All-Star Game appearance, though, things haven't gone nearly as well. The batting average is down to .235, and he has only homered three times.
"Ian goes through stretches where he hits a lot of balls in the air, and he starts to struggle a bit," Ausmus said. "I think his swing mechanics get away from him, and he needs to find the adjustment that will get him out of it."
That doesn't mean Ausmus is going to take Kinsler out of the leadoff spot, and there are a couple good reasons for that. First, while second-half slumps are something he has dealt with throughout his career -- he's hit .285 with good power before the All-Star break as opposed to just .257 afterward -- they have often tended to ease off as autumn arrives. He's averaged 24 homers per 162 games in September and draws more walks than at any other point of the year.
Second, the Tigers don't have anyone else who would be a natural fit in the leadoff spot. Rajai Davis doesn't walk enough, and hasn't hit well in the second half of the season, while the only everyday hitters with a .350 on-base percentage are Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez, and they are locked into the 3-4-5 slots.
Kinsler's numbers look like someone who runs out of gas in the hottest parts of the summer, but he doesn't think a day off at this point would do him any good.
"This late in the year, a day off is more about mental rest than physical rest," he said. "I'd rather be in the lineup."
He's going to be there, because Ausmus knows his pitchers would revolt if he tried to give his second baseman time off down the stretch. Kinsler has amazed his manager and the rest of Detroit's organization with his defensive skills.
"When we got Kins, I knew about his offensive skills, but I had no idea that he was going to be this good defensively," Ausmus said. "He's been playing at a Gold Glove level for us all year, and that's been a huge help to our pitching staff."
Kinsler probably won't win the Gold Glove -- as good as he's been, Dustin Pedroia is still a strong favorite -- but that's doesn't matter to Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello.
"I'll never say a bad word about Omar Infante, who is an outstanding second baseman, but Kins has been incredible," Scherzer said. "I can't tell you how many times a ball has come off the bat that I thought was going to be in right field, and I've turned around to see him make the play."
No one, though, has gotten more from Kinsler's defense than Porcello. The 25-year-old has seen his ERA go from 4.32 to 3.19, and a huge part of that has been the Tigers turning more of his groundballs into outs. Porcello was caught on camera last month yelling a friendly yet unprintable acknowledgement of one of Kinsler's better plays.
"When Kins is making those plays and keeping runners off the bases, I'm able to have quicker innings, which means I can get a rhythm going," Porcello said. "He's been huge for me, because now I can throw my sinker to left-handed batters and have the confidence that he's going to be there to make the play."
Detroit does need Kinsler's bat down the stretch, but he's going to be playing every day as long as his glove hand is still attached to the rest of his body.
And next season, when Kinsler could team up with Jose Iglesias' highlight-reel plays at shortstop? That could be the most spectacular double-play combination any team has seen in a long time.
