Ian Kinsler, a San Diego Padre infielder with a distinguished Major League career prior to his arrival at Petco Park, announced his retirement Friday.
General manager A.J. Preller told MLB.com that Kinsler “will go down as one of the best” among second basemen of his era. He added that Kinsler’s expertise “will be extremely beneficial to our organization.”
He leaves the game as a two-time Gold Glove winner, with a .269 lifetime average. Before his final season in San Diego, he played with the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox.
Kinsler won a World Series championship with the Red Sox in 2018. He hit .217 in San Diego during his final season.
In an interview with The Athletic, Kinsler said injuries had taken their toll. “Pride,” he said “wouldn’t let me go halfway at something that I’ve been doing at 100 percent” over his career.
Ian Kinsler’s time with the Padres obviously didn’t go as he would’ve liked. But he’s unquestionably one of the best second basemen of his generation. And he finishes his 14-year career with 57.2 bWAR, 4 ASGs, 3 Gold Gloves, 1,999 hits… and this: https://t.co/nz8fPGU2y2
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) December 20, 2019
– Staff reports