Ian Desmond

3.1. Minor Leagues

The Montreal Expos, which would later become the Washington Nationals, selected Ian Desmond in the third round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, as the 84th overall pick. He officially signed his professional contract on June 16, receiving a signing bonus of 430.00 K USD.

In 2004, Desmond began his professional journey with the Gulf Coast League Expos, where he batted 0.227 with one home run and 27 RBIs. He ranked second in the Gulf Coast League for at-bats with 216 and fifth in stolen bases with 13. He also played four games for the Class-A short-season Vermont Expos, posting a 0.250 batting average with one home run and one RBI.

The 2005 season saw Desmond achieve a career-high 20 stolen bases. He batted 0.247 with four home runs and 23 RBIs in 73 games for the Class-A Savannah Sand Gnats. He then moved to the Class-A Advanced Potomac Nationals of the Carolina League, where he batted 0.256 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 55 games. At the conclusion of the season, Baseball America recognized him as the best defensive shortstop in the South Atlantic League (SAL) in their top tools survey of league managers, and he was also ranked as the 19th best prospect in the SAL.

In 2006, Desmond batted 0.244 and set a career high with nine home runs and 45 RBIs for Potomac. He scored 50 runs and hit 20 doubles in 92 games. He also played briefly for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, where he recorded a 0.182 batting average with no home homes and three RBIs.

Desmond spent the entire 2007 season with Potomac, setting new career highs in multiple offensive categories: 14 home runs, a 0.264 batting average, a 0.357 on-base percentage, and 30 doubles. He hit his first home run of the season on April 17 and had a notable performance on April 20, going 3-for-5 with a home run, double, three RBIs, and two runs scored. He also homered in consecutive games on two occasions: July 28-29 and August 12-13.

In 2008, Desmond played for Harrisburg, continuing into the 2009 season. In his three months there, he batted 0.306, leading to his promotion to the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in June. He excelled in 55 games with the Chiefs, achieving an impressive 0.354 batting average. Following the conclusion of the minor league season, he was called up to the Washington Nationals, marking his ascension to Major League Baseball.

3.2. Washington Nationals

Ian Desmond made his major league debut on September 10, 2009, against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his second at-bat, he recorded his first career hit and RBI with a double, and subsequently hit his first career home run in his third at-bat. His immediate impact was historic, as he became only the second player in MLB history, alongside Guy Sturdy of the 1927 St. Louis Browns, to accumulate at least six hits and four RBIs in his first two major league games.

On March 28, 2010, after a strong spring training performance where he led the team in RBIs, Desmond secured the starting shortstop job for the Nationals, beating out incumbent Cristian Guzmán. His first full year in the majors was somewhat erratic; he famously booted the first ball hit to him, yet in the very next game, he hit the Nationals' first home run of the season. He finished the 2010 season batting 0.269 with 10 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. Defensively, however, he led both leagues with 34 errors, highlighting his struggles in the field.

In 2011, Desmond's offensive production declined slightly, batting 0.253 with a 0.298 on-base percentage and a 0.358 slugging percentage across 154 games. Despite an increase in strikeouts, which contributed to a lower batting average of 0.223 in the first half of the season, he recovered significantly in the latter half, batting 0.289. He also set a career high with 25 stolen bases.

At the beginning of the 2012 season, Desmond changed his uniform number to 20 to honor Frank Robinson. On Opening Day, he started at shortstop and served as the leadoff hitter for the Nationals against the Chicago Cubs. His strong performance led to his first All-Star selection, but he was forced to withdraw from the game on July 7 due to a sore oblique. The injury lingered, leading to his placement on the 15-day disabled list on July 23. Under the encouragement of manager Davey Johnson, Desmond developed into a very aggressive hitter, swinging at 55% of pitches, which was the second-highest rate in the National League and seventh overall in MLB for 2012. On August 20, he hit his 18th home run of the season, establishing a new franchise record for home runs by a shortstop. By September 24, with 24 home runs and his 20th stolen base, Desmond became the first Nationals player since Alfonso Soriano in 2006 to join the elite 20-20 club (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases). For his impressive offensive contributions, he was awarded his first Silver Slugger Award.

In 2013, Desmond continued his stellar offensive performance, once again achieving a 20 home run - 20 stolen base season and earning his second consecutive Silver Slugger Award. He played in 158 games, where he batted 0.280 with 20 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases.

Prior to the 2014 season, the Nationals offered Desmond a substantial seven-year, 104.00 M USD contract extension, which would have positioned him as one of the highest-paid shortstops in Major League Baseball. However, Desmond declined this offer, instead signing a two-year, 17.50 M USD deal that allowed him to forgo his final two years of salary arbitration and become a free agent after the 2015 season. In 2014, he clinched his third consecutive Silver Slugger Award at shortstop, batting 0.255 with a 0.313 on-base percentage and a 0.430 slugging percentage, hitting 24 home runs and driving in 91 RBIs. He also ranked second in the league in power-speed number with 24.0. Despite his offensive prowess, he recorded 183 strikeouts, ranking third in the league.

The 2015 season proved to be a challenging one for Desmond, as he experienced significant struggles both offensively and defensively. In 156 games, he hit 0.233 with a 0.290 on-base percentage and a 0.384 slugging percentage, contributing 19 home runs and 62 RBIs. His defensive performance was particularly poor, as he committed 27 errors in the field, the highest mark among all MLB players. He also struck out 187 times, which was the second-worst total in the league. At the conclusion of the season, he became a free agent, having declined a 15.80 M USD qualifying offer from the Nationals.

3.3. Texas Rangers

After remaining a free agent for an extended period into the offseason, Ian Desmond signed a one-year, 8.00 M USD contract with the Texas Rangers on February 29, 2016. This figure was considerably lower than the 15.80 M USD qualifying offer he had previously declined from the Nationals.

Upon joining the Rangers, Desmond was expected to transition from his natural position of shortstop to primarily playing in the outfield. He made his first appearances in left field and center field during Cactus League action in March 2016, a significant shift in his defensive role.

Desmond's adaptability proved successful, leading to his selection as an American League All-Star to represent the Rangers at the 2016 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Diego, alongside teammate Cole Hamels. Prior to the All-Star break, he was batting an impressive 0.322 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs. He concluded the 2016 season with a batting average of 0.285, 22 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases, marking his fourth career season achieving the "20 home run - 20 stolen base" milestone. Despite his strong offensive showing, his outfield defense remained a concern; he committed nine errors as a center fielder, which was the most in the league for that position, and three errors in 29 games as a left fielder, totaling 12 outfield errors, the worst in the American League.

In the postseason, the Rangers faced the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2016 ALDS and were swept in three games. Desmond went 3-for-14 (0.214 batting average) with two RBIs in the series, collecting all of his hits and RBIs in Game 2, which was his third career three-hit game in the postseason.

Following the season, Desmond became a free agent once more. On November 14, he declined a 17.20 M USD qualifying offer from the Rangers.

3.4. Colorado Rockies

On December 13, 2016, Ian Desmond signed a five-year, 70.00 M USD contract with the Colorado Rockies, which included a team option for a sixth year.

During a spring training game on March 13, 2017, Desmond suffered a metacarpal fracture in his left hand after being hit by a pitch, an injury that required surgery. As a result, he began the season on the disabled list. He made his debut for the Rockies on April 30, playing left field, largely due to the strong performance of first baseman Mark Reynolds. In his 95 games that season, he batted 0.274 with 7 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.

In 2018, Desmond played a career-high 160 games, batting 0.236 with 22 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. Notably, he recorded the highest ground ball percentage among all major league hitters at 62.0% for the season.

The 2019 season saw Desmond hit 0.255 with 20 home runs and 65 RBIs in 140 games. He initially returned to playing center field due to teammate Charlie Blackmon's conversion to a different position, but his defensive struggles persisted, as he committed four errors in center field. As the season progressed, and with the emergence of players like David Dahl and Raimel Tapia, he was frequently utilized in left field or as a pinch hitter. On June 10, 2019, Desmond hit a home run that traveled 486 ft off of Mike Montgomery at Coors Field, marking the fifth-longest home run of the 2019 season.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Desmond made the decision to opt out of the entire 2020 MLB season, announcing his choice via social media. He subsequently opted out of the 2021 season as well, announcing this on February 21, 2021, through his Instagram page. By choosing to opt out of both seasons, Desmond forfeited his salary, effectively converting his five-year, 70.00 M USD contract into a three-year, 45.00 M USD deal.

The Rockies declined their 15.00 M USD option for the 2022 season, instead paying Desmond a 2.00 M USD buyout. He officially became a free agent on November 4, 2021. Throughout his five seasons with the Colorado Rockies, Desmond was consistently nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award each year, recognizing his extensive community work and philanthropic efforts off the field.

6.1. Batting Statistics

6.2. Pitching Statistics

6.3. Fielding Statistics (Infield)

6.4. Fielding Statistics (Outfield)