Ok this is just to settle an argument I was having with a friend of mine. Who is the more "well known" Ranger between Ian Kinsler and Michael Young? That is on a national scale and not just people who follow the Rangers.

P.S. Don't include stats. This isn't "who is better" but who is more "well known."

Ian

Mikey Baseball.

I'd say Ian.

Mike for sure... who represented the Rangers every year at the All-Star game when no one else could? Who has a batting title and (although not really deserved) gold glove? I think MY is more well known around baseball by the average fan.

I totally agree Jordan. In my opinion MY is much more well known. Not just all of the all-star appearances, but one all-star game MVP. Not taking anything away from Ian, but I think Mike has a bigger body of work.

I think big fans of other teams might think of Kinsler before Mikey because he is more of a lighting rod that other teams seem to hate. Mikey is so low key that he may be easily forgettable for someone who rarely thinks about the Rangers roster. That being said I think more casual fans could name Mikey before Ian, it might be closer than you think though.

MY for now- however he's on the decline, and Ian is still on the upswing of his career, possibly. So this could change over time.

I think that anyone who seriously follows the sports would think of MY over Ian, but the majority of people are casual fans. MY is way too low key to stay on the radar. I mean, Ian even made it to an ESPN commercial. I don't think I've seen MY in one, but he could have been...

I know there is a lot of Mike hate on this site... something I've never really understood -- as a Rangers fan, since youth, there haven't been too many guys in recent years who have played more consistently and been easier to root for (in my opinion).

I get it, his glove is not great. He was not a Gold Glove caliber SS, or 2B or 3B -- But he's still one of the best to ever wear a Rangers uniform. He's 34 and his career is winding down, but he's a career .300/.347/.448 player with last year being his weakest offensive year since 2002 and he still hit .284/.330/.444 with 21 HR and 91 RBIs. Does he miss balls at 3B that he should get to? Yes... Are his interviews very canned and a bit dull? Yes... Would I be in favor of maybe switching Mike and Ian in the lineup next year (Ian in the 2 hole and Mike hitting 6th) Yeah... probably... But the guy has given this club 7 great years (03-09) and a very solid year last year. I get why people rag on him as of late, but he is 34 and just remember all the clutch moments he's provided for this club when no one else was around to do so. He has been "the face" of this franchise for a majority of the decade and deservingly so.

But that's just how I feel. I think now, when people outside of the area think of the Rangers, they think of Josh, but Mike is not too far behind.

When I am around other cities baseball fans, such as spring training in Arizona, its obvious that Michael Young is perceived as the face of the Texas Rangers. Though Hamilton comes second and may have surpassed him. Kinsler is about as well known as Uggla among 2B, which is significant but not superstardom.

Young...without any question

AS Game MVP
6 All-Star appearances
Longer career
Plays in 95% of games every year (save for '09), so never misses a trip to Joe Fan's home park
Batting title
Hits title
Gold Glove

Ian does have the 30/30 on his side, but that achievement is very much out of vogue...