KINSLER Ian

General
WORLD SERIES WINNER
He was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 17th round, 496th overall pick, of the 2003 MLB Draft out of the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, United States of America. He made his MLB debut in April 2006 and would go on to play in 1888 MLB games, mostly for the Rangers and Detroit Tigers, but also with the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres. He won the 2018 World Series with the Red Sox. (baseball-reference.com, 01 Jan 2021; mlb.com, 01 Jan 2021; star-telegram.com, 26 Jun 2021; oursportscentrla.com, 21 Jun 2021)

INTERNATIONAL COMEBACK
He retired from professional baseball in 2019 and worked as an advisor to baseball operations for the San Diego Padres' General Manager A.J. Preller. He came out of retirement to represent Israel at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Alongside this he played as a second baseman for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League Professional Baseball in the United States of America to help him prepare for the Games in Tokyo. (star-telegram.com, 26 Jun 2021; blessyouboys.com, 07 Jul 2021)

DUAL CITIZENSHIP
He was a member of the US team that won the 2017 World Baseball Classic. In March 2020 he visited Israel to gain dual citizenship. "It's every athlete's dream to be able to compete in the Olympics and I'm even more excited to be able to do this playing for Team Israel. There's also a huge sense of pride in competing for your heritage with Team Israel. It's a different experience and a unique opportunity, to represent both countries that have made me who I am." (nolanwritin.com, 01 Mar 2021; heyalma.com, 28 Jun 2021)