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Texas Rangers Hitting Woes: Should Ian Kinsler Move To A Supporting Role?

Posted on June 15th, 2009 3:36pm by Evan Grant
Filed under Baseball, Burning Questions, Talkin' baseball, Texas Rangers

There are – and have been – plenty of issues with the Rangers lineup.

The bottom of the order strikes out way too much. The middle is lacking Josh Hamilton, which is kind of like a Krispy Kreme donut lacking its glaze. Those are mostly season-long problems, though. The bottom third of the order hasn’t hit all year. Hamilton has missed more time than he’s played.

The thing about right now that needs to be addressed is the leadoff spot. The long slow leak from 2B Ian Kinsler’s bat is expanding and because of it, it’s negating much of the threat the top third of the lineup posed to opponents. Without Kinsler on-base, it becomes a lot easier to pitch around Michael Young.

Did a little more stat surfing on Kinsler. It’s been exactly two months since he went 6-for-6 with a cycle. Do you know what he’s hitting since that historic night? Well, I’m going to tell you. It’s .222. It ranks 77th among the 89 AL batting qualifiers in that time. His on-base percentage? That’s .307, which ranks 71st. He’s certainly not the worst Ranger in either category (Chris Davis is hitting .215 with a .270 OBP; Hank Blalock has a .300 OBP and Marlon Byrd is at .296), but none of the other three carries as important a load as Kinsler does.

For the season now, Kinsler ranks in the lower half of leadoff hitters in the AL in the most important categories: On-base percentage and batting average. He is 10th of 18 qualifiers in OBP at .339 and 11th in batting average at .260. Now, Kinsler ranks second in the AL in on-base-plus-slugging (.847), but the slugging part really isn’t part of his job no matter how many homers he’s hit and no matter how big he swings. He also ranks 10th in pitches per plate appearance among leadoff hitters at 3.84.

So the question comes: Is it time for manager Ron Washington to move Kinsler out of the leadoff spot for a day or two and put somebody else there? First inclination: No. That would essentially be punishing Kinsler in a move designed simply to get his attention. Kinsler is a pro and I don’t think “punishment” is what he needs. On second thought, however, he’s been bad this year for a longer period than he’s been good. Take away his first 10 games of the season and the guy is having a BAD year. The Rangers need to do something to get the entire team going. So, yeah, I’m willing to drop him down in the order to sixth or so for a few days.

But who else could possibly bat leadoff for this team?

Is it too early to give 20-year-old rookie Elvis Andrus a shot? He is, after all, taking more pithces (53.4 percent) than any other Ranger regular. He certainly isn’t taking rookie-style at-bats.

Richard Durrett discusses the possibility of David Murphy. Adam Morris believes the problem all relates back to the absence of Josh Hamilton, which can’t be overestimated.

Murphy has often drawn comparisons to Rusty Greer in his career. And everytime the Rangers had trouble in the leadoff spot it was suggested Greer move there, so it seems only natural that the same situation apply to Murphy. Leading off wasn’t the right role for Greer and I don’t think it’s right for Murphy either.

And while the absence of Hamilton is huge, the Rangers have to try and do something with what they’ve got to get through the four or six more weeks Hamilton will miss.

My suggestion: Give Kinsler a couple of days off at the leadoff spot. Move Omar Vizquel there for a day or two. See if changing up his role doesn’t refresh Kinsler a little bit. So, if I’m Ron Washington this is the lineup I’m writing out for Tuesday’s game against Houston LHP Wandy Rodriguez

1. 2B Omar Vizquel (Gives Kinsler a mental day off from the field, too)
2. 3B Michael Young
3. 1B Hank Blalock (helping the middle of the lineup and making sure Chris Davis can limit his exposure to tough lefties)
4. LF Andruw Jones
5. RF Nelson Cruz
6. DH Ian Kinsler
7. CF Marlon Byrd
8. C Taylor Teagarden (because Jarrod Saltalamacchia has fallen into some old bad habits against left-handed pitching)
9. SS Elvis Andrus

36 Comments to “Texas Rangers Hitting Woes: Should Ian Kinsler Move To A Supporting Role?”

Jed E. @ June 15th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

I don’t think he is a leadoff hitter period. With or without Hamilton in the lineup. He hits the ball in the air way to often. I would give Murphy a shot, but Omar might not be a bad option either.
Corey @ June 15th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

I like the idea of Elvis at the top. Why not Elvis at 1, Omar at 2, Young at 3, etc.?
I think Omar needs more ABs anyway and has the experience to do a lot of things right in the 2-hole.

I am really worried my Rangers are going to be out of first place in less than a week…
…just as I was starting to really believe.
Da Blade @ June 15th, 2009 at 3:58 pm

I’m cool with that line-up for Tuesday. I hope Kinsler gets right soon. If not, I see the #2 spot in his future:

SS Andrus
2B Kinsler
3B Young
RF Cruz
1B Aubrey Huff (if you don’t have a first baseman who can bat as high as fifth, you don’t have a real first baseman – sorry Chris)
CF Byrd
DH Blalock
LF Murphy
C Salty
09 is the Year @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:02 pm

1. Andrus SS
2. MY 3B
3. Kinsler 2B
4. Hamilton LF
5. Cruz RF
6. Jones/Blalock DH
7. Davis/Smoak 1B
8. Salty/TT C
9. Borbon CF
michigan mike @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:02 pm

I am ready to bring up Borbon and let him learn!

Put Hamilton in RF, rotate Cruz and Murphy in LF, and Cruz and Jones at DH. Trade Byrd when Hamilton is back as it seems he does not fit the long range financial plan anyway.

If we are going to struggle at the top of the lineup, lets do it with an eye toward the future. You would still have a terrific defensive outfield, a plus 4th outfielder, and when Jones leaves you bring up Smoak.

2009 is fun and I hope we win but lets develop for the long term and I think Kinsler is a #6.
rob m. @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:05 pm

Ian needs to stop thinking he is Albert Pujols or the second coming of Babe Ruth. Getting on base should be his primary goal.

If Wash can sit Davis during his 10-33 hot streak he should sit Ian during his 4-33 streak.

Evan. You want Hank hitting 3rd vs a LHP?
Evan Grant @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:10 pm

@Rob M: Not particularly, but who else?
rob m. @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:26 pm

For one game vs Wandy why not go with…

2B Vizquel
3B MY
DH Jones
RF Cruz
LF Murphy
CF Byrd
1B Davis
C Teagarden
SS Andrus
becca @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

i think cj should bat against lefties.
Marty B @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

Trade Ian involving a deal to get back a #1 starter.

Ian and a minor league pitcher or 2 (not Feliz, Beavan, or Main) to SF for Matt Cain.

Play Vizquel at 2B this year looking at Vallejo as the future at 2B.

(Not a batting order)

1B – Smoak
2B – Vallejo
3B – MY
SS – Andrus
LF – Hamilton
CF – Borbon
RF – Cruz
DH – Davis/Ramirez
utb @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:31 pm

So…not only are you moving Kinsler down in the lineup, you are DHing him? And you are playing Omar Vizquel…of the amazing .295 OBP in ‘07/’08?

Why in the hell would you do that? Yes, Kinsler has sucked recently…he can join the club. Moving him down to give – Omar Vizquel a shot – seems desperate.

Texas doesn’t have a true leadoff guy, but Vizquel sure as hell isn’t it. You had a lot of reasons behind why Kinsler has sucked as the leadoff man – you gave zero as to why Vizquel will do better.

And why would you put Vizquel at 2nd and move Kinsler to DH?
bottomofthe9th @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:32 pm

Davis hits lefties better than Blalock, both this year and for his career.

After Sunday’s game, I’m officially done with Blalock. No matter how badly things went, the Rangers would have been in it throughout if Davis were playing first base–watching Blalock fall/dive for that Ausmus line drive in the third was painful.

Give me Davis, who for all his failings at least has some upside at the plate; especially given how many runs his glove saves versus Blalock’s.
GS @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

1kinsler
2young
3jones
4cruz
5byrd
6boggs
7davis
8tea
9andrus
Like it or not that is the best we have right now. Kinsler needs to stop swinging for the fence on every single pitch. I do agree a day or two off would serve Kinsler well. He has played in a ton of games so far. There is no way i ever want to see blalock in the 3 spot, especially against a lefty.
bottomofthe9th @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

On second thought, maybe it was one of the hits in the seventh? I’ve blocked it out at this point. Regardless; was still painful.
utb @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:37 pm

New Rangers’ ad in CareerBuilder:

“Are you a 42-year-old baseball player that has produced an ultra-impressive OBP of .305 and .283 over the last two years?

If so, you can be the new leadoff hitter for the Texas Rangers!”

JK Evan, but Omar Vizquel? Really? Someone has had a little too much Cherry Dr. Pepper!
Gary @ June 15th, 2009 at 4:40 pm

i’m with michigan mike. if we are struggling, let the kids learn. bring up borbon, feliz for the pen and the pirate for eddie. maybe even smoak for dh/1st. i know many will say when you are in 1st, go for it with the vets. but the key is we are struggling. i want to win this year, but THAT IS A BONUS. i want to win for the next 10. ranger dynasty!
samags @ June 15th, 2009 at 6:10 pm

IT’S PANIC TIME!!!

Be patient. Let me remind all that this year was to be a development year with our young players. Let them play. The hard times will pay dividends down the road. A dynasty is in the making as long as we don’t panic.
Daniel @ June 15th, 2009 at 6:15 pm

Even if you bring up Borbon, would you really want to throw him in the fire immediately by hitting him lead-off? Plus, who do you want to bench between Byrd, Cruz, and Murphy? And what about when Hamilton comes back?

Second, to those advocating that we trade Kinsler: um… what? Kinsler has been a huge part of our excellent infield defense this year which has been invaluable in turning the pitching around. He arguably has the best range at 2B in the majors and he has only committed 5 errors (which is outstanding, given his range). On top of that, he hits for power, steals bases with a very high percentage. He had very similar numbers to Dustin Pedroia last year when he went down with the sports hernia. Even with his current slump, he is leading the team in walks, so I still think he’s our lead-off man for this year.

As Evan said, we’re just trying knock him out of his slump. A few days rest with the old man hitting lead-off might do the trick. Might Vizquel suck? Sure, but he’s a crafty old guy, plus his OBP is .355 this year. He’ll be ok for two games.
walrus @ June 15th, 2009 at 6:59 pm

Maybe it’s me, but part of the problem for Kins is how he is being pitched to. Last year other teams focused on pitching him away and using breaking stuff. When they would make a mistake and come inside his quick hands would turn on it, and on inside pitches he would use that uppercut swing. This year it seems like a lot of teams are working him inside, so he uses that uppercut swing more and more. The first of the year it got him several homers and quite a bit of success, but lately he’s obviously been slumping with that approach. I could easily be wrong but that’s what I’ve seen.
dj @ June 15th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

Am I the only one who thinks Elvis should bat 2nd?
Rangers Fan @ June 15th, 2009 at 7:35 pm

If you sit Davis, Kinsler and Murphy I will almost guarantee a loss. The reason the pitching is as improved as it is..is because of top-notch defense. Players making the everyday plays and then some. Yes, the pitching in general is better. But the reason there has been such a jump is because of the defense. Omar doesn’t get to a good portion of the balls Kinsler does. I don’t think blowing up the line-up will accomplish anything. I’m not against moving kinsler down for a day or two but not off of 2nd base. They are keeping us in games with the offense slumping. Why would you change what’s working for you?
Kenny In China @ June 15th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

UTB,

Did you read the article. It said to give Ian a couple of days off from the leadoff spot! It did not say to replace him for the rest of the season! The hope is a couple of days rest from leadoff will help him to get out of his funk.
JP @ June 15th, 2009 at 7:37 pm

The curse of BaD Radio is alive and well.
Yeah, I’m talking to you Sturm!
scooper @ June 15th, 2009 at 8:24 pm

As a TEMPORARY fix:

Murphy
MY
Kins
Blalock/Jones
Cruz
Byrd
Elvis
Davis
Salty/TT
dude in Afghanistan @ June 15th, 2009 at 8:45 pm

Hitting comes secondary to defense. Go ahead and mess around with the order if you wish, but keep Kins and Davis on the field as much as possible. I think Kins at 2 or even 4 wouldn’t be a bad thing — but lets move him back to the top when he gets going again.

MY should be hitting 3rd in this Hamilton-less line-up, and please never, never, ever hit Andruw and Hank back-to-back at 3/4 again. I think it should be Murphy/Andrus, or Andrus/Murphy, with Vizquel replacing Elvis when he’s due for time. Then it should be MY/Cruz/Kins, or MY/Kins/Cruz. Put Davis in the 8-hole or the 9-hole until he stops swinging and missing quite so much.

The useless parts of this club right now seem to me to be Andruw and Hank. Neither is prepared to play the field at a high level, and their very average bats aren’t worth the risk of benching Davis. Let’s give MY an occasional day-off at third and put him at DH over Andruw; Vizquel would get a few more ABs filling in at 3B.
Coach @ June 15th, 2009 at 10:06 pm

Our leadoff hitter is @ OKC right now. Julio…….

1) Borbon
2) Murphy
3) Young
4) Cruz
5) Blalock
6) Kinsler
7) Davis
Teagarden
9) Elvis
Evan Grant @ June 15th, 2009 at 11:05 pm

@Rangers Fan, Dude: You guys bring up great points in theory about the fielding, though there wouldn’t be much drop off at second by replacing Kinsler with Omar Vizquel. But if you need to make a jump start for a day or two with a little more offense, your hope is that the re-charged offense would offset any defensive drop-offs. There is a counter weight for every potential move.

@Rob m: Wait a minute, I gotta call you out on this: You don’t want to hit Blalock against Wandy, but you will hit Davis? I’d much rather protect Davis right now and let the veteran take his chances against the toughest lefties in the league.
JustSaying @ June 15th, 2009 at 11:07 pm

Andrus will eventually lead off….let him do it now……..
chris @ June 16th, 2009 at 2:15 am

1) Elvis
2) Omar (dh)
3) Young
4) Cruz
5) Kinsler
6) Murphy
7) Byrd
Teagarden
9) Davis
mark @ June 16th, 2009 at 7:31 am

I’d be happy if everyone in the lineup stopped trying to hit 800ft 5-run homeruns every time up.
ortonius @ June 16th, 2009 at 8:51 am

Evan for Rangers manager!!!

But…here’s what I do:

1. SS Elvis Andrus
2. 2B Omar Vizquel
3. 3B Michael Young
4. LF Andruw Jones
5. RF Nelson Cruz
6. DH Ian Kinsler (quit FREAKING swinging for a HR every time…you are not Hank Blalock!)
7. CF Marlon Byrd
8. 1B Salty (another right-handed bat and he knows how to play 1B)
9. C Taylor Teagarden
Michael Cave @ June 16th, 2009 at 9:23 am

1. SS Andrus
2. DH Young
3. LF Jones
4. RF Cruz
5. 2B Kinsler
6. 1B Blalock
7. CF Byrd
8. C Teagarden
9. 3B Vizquel

Very good defensively vs. lefties and it gets the worst 3B in baseball off the field. SSS but Vizquel’s UZR in the IF this year is excellent. Young is terrible at third. Why have kinsler on the bench at DH while we are on defense stewing about a strikeout? Makes little sense to me.
adiosmofo @ June 16th, 2009 at 9:50 am

How about MY in the leadoff spot?

I’d like to see Kinsler batting 5th consistently behind Cruz. Would help bother players.
J.D. @ June 16th, 2009 at 10:13 am

You cant have Murphy or Salty in the lineup against lefty’s. Murphy is hitting under .150 against them and Salty is struggling against everyone. If you move Kinsler down to 4 or 5 I think it defeats the purpose. His inclination to swing for the fence will be even greater, which I think is one of his primary problems right now. If you’re going to move him down it has to be at least 6 or 7:

2B VIZQUEL
3B YOUNG
RF CRUZ
LF JONES
1B BLALOCK
CF BYRD
DH KINSLER
SS ANDRUS
C TEAGARDEN
Tuesday a.m. Rangers things @ June 16th, 2009 at 11:27 am

[...] Evan Grant thinks that a lineup shakeup is in order, and suggests an arrangement with Omar Vizquel leading off and playing second base, with Ian Kinsler moving to DH and hitting 6th. [...]
Jericho @ June 16th, 2009 at 12:39 pm

Kinsler is reminding me of Soriao leading off for the Cubs. Michigan Mike is spot on with his assessment,”If we are going to struggle at the top of the lineup, lets do it with an eye toward the future”. However we are a year ahead of schedule.

With that said, not sure statistically, but I too would send the good slodier MY out there as the leadoff hitter for the temeporary fix. I am also one of the few who thinks we need Davis’ and Murphy’s gloves in the lineup PERIOD>

Lastly, have not seen this in this thread, but the hitting coach needs to go. Kinsler looks lost at the plate from the perspective of the big uppercut thing and long fly ball outs. Guys on this thread can see it but where is the great Jaramillo? Jaramillo= highly overrated. I don’t see it and have never seen it and have been in the metroplex for the past 25 years. Change is good.