Red Sox: World Series champion Ian Kinsler retires after 14 seasons

Former Boston Red Sox second baseman and World Series champion Ian Kinsler has decided to hang up his cleats after a fantastic 14-year career.

Late yesterday afternoon the news came out that former Red Sox second baseman and current Padres infielder Ian Kinsler was retiring. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to break the story and was able to speak with Kinsler about the decision. The infielder will join San Diego’s front office as they figure out how to settle the $4.25M that is left on his contract.

Though his time in Boston was very short he was still a key component in the World Series winning squad of 2018. He was acquired from the Angels at the trade deadline by the president of baseball ops, Dave Dombrowski. Kinsler would play in just 37 games for the Red Sox but he’d notch a .242/.294/.311/.604 slash on the way to the Commissioner’s Trophy.

"“It just felt like this is the end, time to move on,” Kinsler said. “I gave it everything I had. It’s time to do something else.”"

Over the last handful of seasons, he’s seen his playing time dwindle as age and his body began to play factors. Kinsler would only feature in 87 games for the Padres before being shut down early due to a herniated disc. Unfortunately, he won’t be getting a chance to show he still has it and make a comeback in 2020.

One thing that will sadly elude Kinsler is the illustrious 2000-hit mark. He’ll fall one-shy of joining that club and retire with an impressive 1,999 hits to his name. The second baseman had thirteen 100+ hit seasons, with seven of those being over 150. He may not have hit many moonshots but what he did at the plate was more than what was asked of him considering he was touted as a defense-first player.

"“He was just a really, really good major-league player,” Leyland said. “Day in, day out, you got the same effort all the time. He was the ultimate professional. I know that’s a worn-out cliche, but he was. I was always an admirer of his.”"

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As far as his time with the Red Sox is concerned, he came along at just the right time. Longtime infielder Dustin Pedroia was once again on the mend while a rotation of players were filling in for him. Again, he may have only spent a short time at Fenway Park but he made an impact while with the team.

If you look at his career there isn’t much that shines on the scorecard, and that’s why he’s held in such regard by the fans and his peers. His numbers very rarely skewed one way or the other, he was the model of consistency. If Ian never comes out of retirement and this is it for him, he will go down as one of the most reliable and consistent players to ever lace up a pair of cleats.

"“Obviously, Detroit was a great experience for me. Dave Dombrowski traded for me twice. He traded for me in Detroit, then for that magical run in Boston. I was able to be a part of a world-championship team. Those are the two things that really stand out in my head,” Kinsler said."

Hey may not have been with the Red Sox for a long time but Ian Kinsler will go down in history as being a member of one of if not THE best team in franchise history. He’s had one hell of a career spanning 14-years and five teams.

No matter the jersey he had on his back he always played with the mentality that the name on the front was far more important than the one on the back. Congrats on a fantastic career Ian, and thank you for all of your efforts while in Boston.