Ian Kinsler joins Rangers front office with same competitive edge that ‘hasn’t gone away’

ARLINGTON — At that brief moment the Rangers hummed like a Ferrari, Michael Young was the motor, Adrian Beltré the drive train and Josh Hamilton the fuel injector.

They were all also imports, manufactured elsewhere, and put to work in Texas.

Ian Kinsler, though, was the spark plug. A home-grown one, at that, built right there like he came off the Arlington assembly plant.

Monday, the Rangers rolled out the 40-year-old model once again. And why not? If the organization is determined to ultimately be self-sustainable, Kinsler presents a great platform. No, he’s not going to play second base. That’s Marcus Semien’s territory now and for the foreseeable future. Kinsler is 40 now, more suited to manage, which he will do for Team Israel in next month’s World Baseball Classic, or advise, which is what he will do for GM Chris Young year-round as a special assistant.

“His pedigree as a player speaks for itself,” Young said Monday. “He’s won a World Series and he’s been part of the most successful teams in Ranger history. What I’m most excited about, though, with Ian is the competitiveness and the edge that he brings on a daily basis.

“That hasn’t gone away. He’s someone who really, really wants to win. He knows what it takes to win and he wants to be successful in the next chapter of his baseball career and we’re fortunate that he wants to do that here.”

And, yes, he really, really does want to do it with the Rangers. Quite frankly, he wants to do more of it than he had been with San Diego, where he was a special assistant to GM AJ Preller since he called it quits as a player in 2019. It’s not like he spent any memorable playing time with the Padres. He finished his career there, playing 87 games in 2019 a year after he’d won his World Series as a late-season rental with Boston.

Preller, though, was an assistant GM with the Rangers during his Texas career. He knew Kinsler wanted to stay connected to baseball. He didn’t know how much. The last couple of years have made it clear Kinsler wants to be plenty involved. He played for Team Israel during the delayed 2020 Olympics and will manage the team in the WBC next month. He will join the Rangers at spring training whenever Israel is eliminated.

His contract with San Diego had expired at the end of the season, but the door was open for him to return. Kinsler had more in mind.

The Rangers offer Kinsler easier access to get more involved at the grassroots level of player development and still be present to raise his family. Kinsler, who has resided in North Texas since he reached the majors in 2006, can be at Double-A Frisco from his home within 25 minutes and at Triple-A Round Rock within three hours. He could visit with Double-A players and staff more than once a week on homestands and still be home for dinner or at Globe Life Field in Arlington in time for a game.

“He drove a lot of this,” Young said of how the Rangers got him from San Diego. “We just were open to it. He belongs here.”

Which is funny, because Kinsler said those same three words only moments earlier.

“It’s a great feeling to be part of this organization again,” he said. “They made an impact on me as a player. I’m excited to be a part of what’s being built here. I’m excited about trying to make a mark with the minor leaguers now. I feel like I belong here.”

Six months into running baseball operations solo, Young continues to build out the organization. In addition to Bruce Bochy as manager and Mike Maddux as pitching coach, Young added former Kansas City GM Dayton Moore as an advisor. Kinsler joins a group of special assistants that include Michael Young, Darren Oliver and Colby Lewis. Or, put otherwise: most of the leadership of the Rangers’ best teams. Hey, they know what it took to get the Rangers to the World Series.

Kinsler knows it in its purest form. He was a 17th-round pick in 2003, a scouting diamond if there ever was one, plucked by savvy veteran scout Mike Grouse. He made his MLB debut with the Rangers three years later, played more than 1,000 games with the team, was in the middle of a long-contract extension when he was traded to Detroit for Prince Fielder ahead of 2014.

It caused hard feelings for Kinsler at the time and created a public spat with then-GM Jon Daniels. Kinsler told ESPN he hoped the Rangers would “go 0-162.” It was part of the fire that drove Kinsler as a player. At times, he could let his emotions drive him too much, he’s since said.

Lest anyone think he’s now back because Daniels is gone, he’s not. Kinsler and Daniels spoke long before he was inducted into the Rangers Hall of Fame last year. Daniels was on the field for the induction. Daniels later said the trade of Kinsler was the move he regretted most during his tenure with the Rangers. He’s told Kinsler that. Kinsler apologized for the comment disparaging the Rangers. He could be too emotional, he said.

He learned. He learned what fueled him as a player. He also learned when it drove him too far. And now he can use that experience to help finish off the players and finish out the organization that he expects will take the one step he couldn’t in Texas: Win the World Series.

Twitter: @Evan_P_Grant

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