Kinsler was mentioned as an MVP candidate before his injury by writers at "ESPN", the "Dallas News", the "Los Angeles Times", and the "Washington Post". He could have conceivably rivaled Pedroia for MVP, if not for the sports hernia that cut his 2008 campaign short a month and a half. "I think he just missed having an MVP year", manager Ron Washington said. "If luck been on our side and he stayed healthy, he would have run away with it." In the end, he received a single 10th-place vote from Jeff Wilson of the "Fort Worth Star-Telegram".