Remember the time when it was being debated whether the Ian Desmond signing to a one-year, $8 million deal and moving him from shortstop to left field was a wise move?
Imagine what would've been said if the plan was to move him to center field -- the toughest outfield spot to play from a defensive perspective.
Well, Desmond has quelled any doubts and has proven to be every bit as good, if not better, in the outfield than the struggling Delino DeShields. And with Shin-Soo Choo set to return from the disabled list as soon as a week from today and rookie phenom Nomar Mazara being here to stay, the corner outfield spots are kind of accounted for.
Meet your new center fielder, Ian Desmond.
The former all-star shortstop is starting to hit like an all-star after struggling to a horrible first few weeks this season, so taking his bat out of the lineup now is out of the question. Taking DeShields out and optioning him to Triple-A is definitely not.
Desmond goes into the series-opener against Toronto on Friday night hitting .333 with four homers, 18 RBIs and a 1.070 OPS in his last 84 at-bats. I think it's safe to say the season-starting slump is over.
Desmond has played seven games in center field, and it seems he's about to be playing a lot more.
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"The learning curve for him was shorter than most based on athleticism and the position he played at a high level," manager Jeff Banister told reporters. "He continues to get better. The more he plays center field, he’s going to get better, too."
