Ian Kinsler's Reinvention Is Having a Huge Impact on the Detroit Tigers

Notice anything different about Ian Kinsler lately?

Of course, he’s wearing a different uniform to the one he wore not so long ago, but that’s just the start of it.

Now in his 10th big league season, the Tigers second baseman is a very different specimen to the one that once plied its trade with the Texas Rangers.

In the past, Kinsler was an upper-cut swinging, home run-scorching phenomenon that first emerged in the Lone Star State back in 2006.

His powerful hitting once placed him among the top sluggers of the American League. Kinsler’s 31 homers in 2009 ranked 11th in the league, and two years later, his 32 bombs were fifth-highest.

His home run numbers were particularly impressive when you consider that he’s a middle infielder. In fact, only Robinson Cano hit more homers among AL second baseman than Kinsler from 2006-2014.

As for 2015...

Don’t adjust your eyes. Indeed, the man with 173 career dingers has not left the yard once nearly a quarter of the way through the season.

Time to panic in Motown? Not at all.

The 32-year-old has merely adapted to his new(ish) environment. The process of change began 18 months ago when he was traded by Texas to Detroit and has involved two stages.

The first step was a physical transformation. To optimize performance in his new surroundings, the 32-year-old set about shedding some pounds. He explained his reasoning in the Dallas Morning News via the Associated Press:

"

I like Comerica Park and wanted to lose weight…I (now) have more chances to run and set up the heart of the order. I never had to lose weight in Texas. As hot as it was, it was easy over there. I had to try to add weight over there. Now I have to lose it. I'm ready to go right now.

"

A picture can tell a thousand words. Here is one of Kinsler during his Rangers days.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

This is a shot of him now.

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Kinsler has a noticeably sleeker physique these days. It is certainly playing a part in his power drop, but it is also helping to maintain his agility and durability. Last year, he played in 161 ballgames for Detroit, and he’s not missed a single game so far this season.

The second part of Kinsler’s reinvention was his stroke. His classic low-to-high swing once got full value from home run-friendly Arlington. But Comerica Park is a much different beast.

In his first season with Detroit, Kinsler seemed to be suffering from “Arlingtonitis.” He clearly still felt the lure of the long ball, resulting in a familiar upward tilt in his swing. This habit made him prone to pop-ups and fly-outs, which affected his consistency at the plate. In the second half, he hit a languid .239/.270/.357.

This year, Kinsler seems to have lost his “bleacher fever.” His bat is staying longer in the contact zone enabling him to hit more line drives. According to FanGraphs, his current line-drive percentage (25.6) is the highest of his career. As for his fly-ball percentage, it is sitting at a career-low 36.6.  

During his homer-happy days, Kinsler was known as a dead-pull hitter. This has also changed drastically in 2015. He is now spraying balls to all quadrants of the field. His percentage of balls hit to center (39.7) and right field (25.4) are both career highs.

Despite owning a bagel in the homer column, this new approach is making Kinsler a better hitter overall. A three-hit day on Saturday versus the Cardinals raised his season tally to 46 hits (seventh in the AL). He has also racked up an impressive tally of multi-hit games.

The veteran is getting it done in the clutch, too. Over the past two-and-a-half weeks, Detroit victories have thrice come off Kinsler’s bat. The first came in a 2-1 victory over Kansas City on May 2. The last two both came in dramatic walk-off fashion against KC (again) and the Twins.

Some things are unchanged about the neo-Kinsler. His glove work is still outstanding, with six defensive runs saved already this season. He also remains the same ultra-competitor who helped propel Texas to back-to-back AL pennants earlier this decade.

As a Tiger, he is playing a big part in them fulfilling their aspirations in 2015, albeit in a slightly different way.

Stats in this article are courtesy of mlb.com and FanGraphs

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