Ian Kinsler" src="http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/kinsler-mug-150x150.jpg" alt="2B Ian Kinsler" width="150" height="150" />

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler finished 11th in voting for the 2011 American League MVP, Major League Baseball said Monday.

The two-time All-Star came in just behind Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria and received one 4th-place vote, according to MLB.com. Detroit Tigers P Justin Verlander won the award with 13 first-place votes.

A number of columnists (see example) had observed that the only thing holding back Kinsler, 29, from a stronger finish in the Most Valuable Player race was his .255 batting average. He excelled behind the plate in 2011, joining the elite “30-30” club (at least 30 HRs and 30 stolen bases) for the second time, drawing 89 walks, scoring 121 runs, and finishing among league leaders in multiple categories. He was above-average in the field. And he excelled during the playoffs, including leading all World Series batters with a .360 average and .500 on-base percentage.

Rangers teammate Michael Young finished 8th in the MVP voting.

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