Ian Kinsler named 2016 Graduate of the Year
⋅ NBC
lan Kinsler is known as one of the best second basemen in Major League Baseball. Not a lot of second basemen in the MLB are known as power hitters, but Kinsler has provided some significant pop during his career. Even though he only stands 6’0″ 200 pounds in the batter’s box, he eclipsed the 200 home-run mark in 2016, joining an elite group. An All-Star talented second baseman like Kinsler doesn’t just supply a powerful bat; however, he also provides a reliable glove in the field.
The NBC World Series Graduate of the Year Award is based on the previous season statistics. The GOY must have played in the NBC World Series or played on an NBC affiliated team. Kinsler was a member of the Liberal, KS Bee Jays in 2001, and helped lead them to a seventh place finish in the NBC World Series.
Kinsler played in 49 of 54 games with the Liberal Bee Jays and batted .280, driving in 20 RBl’s and leading the team with 60 total bases. He scored 29 runs on 11 doubles with 3 stolen bases. He also walked 12 times and slugged .357.
While playing second base with the Detroit Tigers, Kinsler hit a .296 average with 185 hits, 11 homeruns and 73 RBl’s in 2015. “I would like to thank the National Baseball Congress for selecting me as the 2016 Graduate of the Year,” Kinsler said. “I just want to thank everybody and I hope everyone has a good time at the tournament.”
Kinsler was not offered a Division I scholarship out of high school but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dreams. He decided to play at Central Arizona College in 2001 and was named second team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC). lan racked up a .405 batting average with three home runs, 39 RBl’s, 17 doubles and 24 stolen bases while leading Central Arizona College to a league title.
After a year at Central Arizona College, Kinsler transferred to Arizona State covering the middle of the infield with current Red Sox second baseman, Dustin Pedroia. In 2002, Kinsler transferred to the University of Missouri and was named All-Big 12 Conference second team and led all hitters with a .619 average in the Fall World Series. Missouri’s Tim Jamison had high praise for Kinsler. “From the moment he walked through the doors here, you could tell he was on a mission,” Jamison said.
The Texas Rangers drafted Kinsler in the 17th round as the 496th overall selection of the MLB Draft. In April of 2006, Kinsler made his major league debut at second base against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. He batted .286 with 14 homeruns and 55 RBls in his first year as a Ranger. Kinsler led the Rangers to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011 against the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Rangers eventually traded Kinsler during the 2013 offseason to the Detroit Tigers.
During his 10-year career as a big leaguer, Kinsler has appeared in four All-Star Games while being a premier second baseman for the Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers. Kinsler was named the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 with the Detroit Tigers while playing in 160 games in a 162 game season. In 2016, Kinsler became only the third active major league player to record 200 home runs, 1,000 runs scored, 1,600 hits and 200 stolen bases.
The Graduate of the Year Award has been awarded to former NBC greats since 1975 and past award recipients include: Albert Pujols, Paul Goldschmidt, Alex Gordon, Mark Texeira, Dave Winfield and Joe Carter. We are proud to announce lan Kinsler as our 2016 Graduate of the Year Award winner.
