After playing shortstop for his entire career with the Washington Nationals, Ian Desmond had to settle at the end of February for a one-year, $8 million deal with the Texas Rangers… to play the outfield.
And the 30-year-old may be able to cash in on a much better deal in the upcoming offseason, as he’s thriving in his role with Texas. Desmond currently has .310/.354/.489 slash line, and a team-leading 2.3 WAR (per Fangraphs) for the first-place Rangers.
As for the defense? Well the thing about shortstops, is they’re usually able to transition anywhere (pitcher and catcher aside) on the diamond without much trouble, due to their athleticism, range, hands, instincts, and arm. And on Wednesday night against the Houston Astros at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Desmond showed off that shortstop arm.
Astros star Jose Altuve hit a groundball single into center field, and Jason Castro tried to score from second base. Desmond charged the ball, and came up firing with a 95.9 mph dart to nail Castro at the plate:
Just a perfect throw, and you can be sure that American League scouts took note. Don’t expect to see many more baserunners challenging Desmond’s arm.
