On defense, he was 2nd in the AL in putouts (289), assists (425), and double plays (109) among all second basemen. His single-season defensive WARs in 2014 (2.9) and 2015 (2.6) were the second- and seventh-best in Tigers' history. Following the 2015 season, Kinsler was awarded the Fielding Bible Award as the best-fielding second baseman in MLB. His 19 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) were six better than any other Major League second baseman that season, according to Fangraphs. His 6.3 Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) was the best in the American League, and second only to Miami's Dee Gordon. His 2.6 defensive Wins Above Replacement, according to the Baseball Reference formula, ranked him 8th among all Major League players regardless of position. Kinsler had put up 50 Defensive Runs Saved over the last three seasons, according to "The Fielding Bible". The next-best total among Major League second basemen was 29, from Colorado's DJ LeMahieu.