For Last Time, Ian Kinsler Will Not Be On The All-Star Team

Posted on July 12th, 2009 10:54am by Evan Grant
Filed under Rangers notes, Talkin' baseball, Texas Rangers

Dustin Pedroia has backed out to be with his wife during a difficult time in her pregnancy. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon has added 1B Carlos Pena to the roster. It was reported Pena will partake in the Home Run Derby, but I can’t find final Home Run Derby rosters, so I have no idea if this impacts Nelson Cruz’s participation or not.

Yesterday, Kinsler summed up the situation thusly: “It’s a win-win. If they add me, I get to go and hang out with the All-Stars. If they don’t, I get to spend time with my family.”

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10 Comments to “For Last Time, Ian Kinsler Will Not Be On The All-Star Team”
  • Rangers Fan @ July 12th, 2009 at 10:59 am

    You have to think it would be a little classless to cut Nelson Cruz and replace him with Pena who was added the day before.

    Also- Joe Maddon should be embarrassed on how he has handled being the all-star manager. Kinsler finished 2nd in fan and player voting and is a 2nd basemen. Pena is a first basemen. So 5 or 6 Rays there now?

  • adam @ July 12th, 2009 at 11:09 am

    update from sportscenter:
    pena, nellie cruz, inge, and mauer are the AL derby contestants.
    four 1b from the NL: gonzo, howard, fielder, pujols

  • Johnathan @ July 12th, 2009 at 11:30 am

    I’m dumbfounded that Maddon chose another of his own players to fill an empty roster slot. This time he didn’t even stay within the position. Everyone who had speculated on Pedroia’s replacement until now had suggested Kinsler or Robinson Cano, which made perfect sense. Somebody will need a pretty good argument to convince me that this isn’t a bogus move.

  • Rangers Fan @ July 12th, 2009 at 11:36 am

    Kinsler has a better batting average and 1 more RBI (and Pena hits clean up) and only had 3 less homeruns. Yeah, it’s bogus.

  • gordosan @ July 12th, 2009 at 11:50 am

    Kinsler needs to rest and focus on the second half. He was playing at all-star caliber in April, but since mid-May, he hasn’t been.

  • tett @ July 12th, 2009 at 11:59 am

    @gordosan I agree, Kins needs the rest. However, I also agree with Jonathan… Maddon has shown a complete lack of professionalism in his all star choices… Ben Zobrist? Over Juan Rivera, Jermaine Dye? As for Pena, there were already 3 first basemen on the roster. Next thing you know, he’ll pull Teixeira after the 1st to put Pena in for 4 or 5 innings, and leave Longoria in for the whole game. I think he just picked his own guys because he knows that they’ll never win a fan vote, and that he’ll never have another shot at managing the all star team. Also, anyone notice that almost all the pitchers come out of the AL east, and none from the Rays? Is he trying to tire out the Yanks and Sox pitchers?

  • Auditor @ July 12th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

    I am not so sure I disagree with Maddon based only on the fact that the trend of selecting your own players – regardless of ability- was uber abused by the Red Sox and especially the Yankees (didn’t Torre try to take 9 players once?).

    Sure to the victors go the spoils but such previous abuse- although I cannot saying if a deserving TB player was passed over- any organization is going to have a long memory when it comes to selecting the team when they control the picks (honestly, did you really think Cano had a chance, a Yankee? Uh, no.)

    And when that day comes that a Ranger manager is making all of the additional selections, for right or wrong, I am sure he will load up on his own team – regardless of ability.

    Just the way the process has evolved.

  • matt deen @ July 12th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

    If ian deserves to be an all star then so does my cat.

  • B. Money @ July 12th, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    Kinsler didn’t earn it this year. He also shouldn’t be leading off.

  • Seshaya @ August 6th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

    interesting stuff!