Ian Desmond might be an outfielder, after all. And aside from just being the Rangers' everyday left fielder, he might have some center fielder in him, as well.
On Wednesday, Desmond was arguably the star of the day as he made two outfield assists, including one spectacular play that featured a basket catch at the wall followed by a pivot and a one-hopped throw to first base to double up a base runner all the way from the 400-foot wall in center field at Surprise Stadium.
Later on in the game, he charged a ground ball and nailed a base runner at home to cut down a run. That's three outfield assists for Desmond this week, and two from center field after we thought it'd be a long while before we saw those again with the departure of Leonys Martin and the subpar arm of Delino DeShields.
Desmond might be working his way into a platoon in center field when and if Josh Hamilton is healthy and ready to play left field. In that situation, Hamilton could play against right-handed pitching and slide Desmond to center with DeShields available off the bench.
Against lefties, Hamilton would sit and it'd be Desmond in left and DeShields in center.
It's only been a few weeks since Desmond took up the outfield after his days as an all-star shortstop in Washington came to an end, but he's already looking like a pretty seasoned vet.
