ARLINGTON, Texas — Former All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler will be inducted to the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, the team announced Wednesday.
Kinsler will be inducted alongside John Blake, who has led the communication efforts for the franchise for more than three decades. Kinsler and Blake will serve as the 25th and 26th members of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, Rangers officials said.
Kinsler was drafted by the Rangers, made his MLB debut with the team and then spent his first eight seasons of his 14-year pro ball career in Arlington. While playing for the Rangers, Kinsler earned three of his four All-Star Game selections, and helped the club to its only two World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.
Kinsler is also one of just 13 players and two second basemen in Major League history with 30 homers and 30 steals each in multiple seasons -- a feat he accomplished twice (2009 and 2011).
Though his playing time with the Rangers ended in 2013, Kinsler has maintained a presence in the region as one of the owners of the Dallas-based baseball bat company Warstic.
Rangers officials said Blake has spent 34 of his 44 years in professional baseball with the team, originally joining the club as Director of Media Relations on November 1, 1984.
Blake also served as vice president of public relations and senior vice president of communications over two decades in his first stint with the organization, which extended through the 2004 season. After four years away, Blake then returned to the Rangers as executive vice president of communications on November 1, 2008, and since transitioned into the role of executive vice president of public affairs in January.
Team officials said the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame was created in 2003 to honor those individuals who have excelled for the franchise both on and off the field. To be considered for a Texas Rangers Hall of Fame selection, former players must have spent a minimum of four seasons in a Texas uniform and be retired as an active player for a minimum of one year.
Both Kinsler and Blake will be inducted in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, August 13, against the Seattle Mariners.
