Fantasy talk: Ian Desmond status report

The Nationals had a tough decision to make this off-season. They could have signed free agent shortstop Jose Reyes to a long-term deal or they could have stuck with young shortstop Ian Desmond, who had raw talent but wasn't able to put it all together in the past few years. GM Mike Rizzo decided to keep Desmond and invest in players at other positions. This must have given Desmond a confidence boost because this decision is turning into a great one for the Nationals. While Reyes has been struggling with Miami, Desmond has been playing like one of the best shortstops in the game and even made this years All-Star team.

Desmond was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the 2004 draft. He didn't put up great numbers in the minor leagues from 2004-2008 but in 2009 he opened some eyes. At the Double-A and Triple-A levels, he hit .330 with 7 home runs and 115 hits. That definitely got the attention of the Nationals front office. In 2009 he started the year in Double-A, hit .306, then went to Triple-A and played even better. He hit .354 in 205 plate appearances. That earned him a well deserved call up to the big leagues. In his brief stint with the Nationals in 2009, he made the most out of his time, hitting .280 in 82 at bats. That earned him the everyday shortstop gig in 2010, and he played decently. One knock about Desmond is that he makes a lot of errors in the field, but his bat has always been there. In the 2010 season he made 34 errors in 154 games. The following season he pretty much put up the same numbers, except his batting average declined slightly. He did not make as many errors, and the Nationals front office saw that as a positive and viewed him as a work in progress. I'll be honest with you, when the Nationals passed up on Reyes, I thought they were making a huge mistake because even though Reyes was an injury prone player, he provided energy and a spark that the Nationals needed at the shortstop position. I also thought Desmond wasn't a great player, because his defensive liabilities overshadowed his offensive skills. Wow was I wrong about him. 

Desmond has solidified the Nationals shortstop position for years to come following this years performance. At the All-Star break, he is hitting .285 with 17 home runs and 98 hits. Yes, you read that right, 17 home runs. Besides Troy Tulowitzki, not many shortstops are known for their power around the MLB. I'm still not sure whether he is just having a power surge right now, or if he will actually turn into a 30-30 player. I really wouldn't be surprised if he finishes the season with 30+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases. A .295 batting average also seems realistic. 

Overall, I'm not completely sold on Desmond being an elite shortstop in the game just yet. He still has some areas that he needs to improve like drawing walks and cutting down the strikeouts. Also, he seems to be getting better in the field so that is definitely good. From a fantasy standpoint, Desmond is probably snatched up in your league already. If you have him, you can either sell him while his value is high or you can keep him and see if he improves his numbers. Either way, the Nationals have a young star in the making with Desmond and hopefully he continues to grow as a player.