Jayson Stark has a really awesome piece up over at ESPN.com where he names Ian Kinsler his First Half AL-MVP!  Very deserving, and it is great to see that Kinsler is getting some recognition for how great he has been so far this year!  Here is what he has to say:

AL MVP of the half year: Ian Kinsler, Rangers

AP Photo/Gail Burton

If you're one of those folks who hasn't paid much attention to Ian Kinsler -- which at least puts you in a group that includes just about everyone in America except Mrs. Kinsler -- it would probably come as a shock to hear he's even the MVP of his own team. But while Josh Hamilton is a more charismatic story and Milton Bradley's 1.033 OPS makes him a sabermetric hero, it's Kinsler who has really been the centerpiece of one of the best offenses in baseball. You'll undoubtedly be stunned to learn that Kinsler leads the league in batting, hits, runs, total bases, extra-base hits and multihit games. He's in the top five in the league in nine major offensive categories. He has stolen 23 bases in 24 tries (with the only caught-stealing on a pickoff). He's hitting .397 with men in scoring position. Only three of his 14 homers have been hit in that Texas home run paradise. He has run off separate hitting streaks of 23 and 19 games just since mid-May. And he has reached base in every game but one since May 16. The only arguments against him come down to defense (16 errors) and the fact that his team hasn't been closer to first place than six games since June 1. But the Rangers actually have more wins since April 24 (42) than the White Sox (41), Angels (41) and Red Sox (40). So every number on Kinsler's stat sheet is relevant to his club's revival. And that's good enough for us.

Apologies to: Hamilton, Bradley, Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Quentin, Kevin Youkilis, Joe Mauer, J.D. Drew.

Kinsler is even the lead picture on the main MLB section over at ESPN.com, awesome!

He gives out some other awards, including AL Least Valuable Player of the First Half, Richie Sexson.  That award is probably more deserving than Kinslers!  A decent read, so check it out!