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Ian Desmond | Shortstop

Team: Washington Nationals
Age / DOB:  (27) / 9/20/1985
Ht / Wt:  6'3' / 212
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
Contract: view contract details
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Latest News

Recent News

Ian Desmond went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts Friday against the Indians.
Desmond's 15-game hitting streak was snapped in the loss. Even with Friday's 0-fer, he's hitting .429 (18-for-42) this month. Jun 14 - 10:41 PM

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Player News

Date:
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond doubled and had a solo homer in Tuesday's win over the Mets.

Desmond's solo blast in the first inning was all the Nationals could muster for the first eight frames. They rallied in the ninth, though, with Desmond's double representing a big part of it. The shortstop has now homered in two straight games and has a modest eight-game hitting streak going.
Jun 4 - 9:42 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond is not in the Nationals' lineup Sunday.

It's a planned day off for Desmond. Danny Espinosa is covering shortstop Sunday, while Steve Lombardozzi is at second.
Related: Steve Lombardozzi
Source: Adam Kilgore on Twitter
May 19 - 1:57 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond finished 3-for-4 for the second straight game Saturday but the Nationals fell to the Cubs.

Desmond was 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI on Friday night and then went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and two RBI on Saturday afternoon. He had a .762 OPS on Thursday. It's now .860.
May 11 - 7:26 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond had a huge night at the plate in Friday's 7-3 victory over the Cubs, going 3-for-4 with a homer, double and three RBI.

Desmond also scored three times in the highly productive evening. He's well on his way to proving that 2012's breakout was no fluke, as he's hitting .287/.298/.515 with five bombs, 15 RBI and four stolen bases through his first 35 games.
May 10 - 9:46 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond delivered a two-run homer, the only runs of the game, Wednesday as the Nationals beat the Braves.

The Nats managed only three hits off Braves starter Paul Maholm, but Desmond's fourth home run of the year proved to be enough for the visitors to escape with a win. The shortstop is hitting .299 on the year and batted cleanup for the Nationals on Wednesday, a sign that increased RBI opportunities may be coming his way. Continue to start him in all formats.
May 1 - 9:29 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond will bat cleanup for the first time in his career Wednesday against the Braves.

Nationals manager Davey Johnson is getting creative with Ryan Zimmerman (hamstring) and Jayson Werth (ankle, hamstring) both sidelined. It's not a bad idea with Paul Maholm on the mound for the Braves, as Desmond owns an .876 OPS against southpaws since the start of the 2012 season.
Source: Washington Nationals on Twitter
May 1 - 4:03 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored versus the Marlins on Monday.

It's an early-season fluke, but Desmond has just three RBI to show for a .320 average, six doubles, a triple and two homers this year. And, oddly enough, the one time he drove in someone that wasn't himself, it happened on a sac fly.
Apr 15 - 10:02 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo indicated Monday that he's open to a contract extension for shortstop Ian Desmond.

"We don’t discuss negotiations with players and that type of thing," said Rizzo. "But we feel Ian is one of our leaders. He’s one of the guys that is our core players and he’s a guy we’d like to be with the Nationals for a long time." Desmond will make $3.8 million this season in his first year of arbitration and remains under team control through 2015. The 27-year-old shortstop didn't dismiss the possibility of an extension when asked on Monday, but also said that he's in no rush to get a deal done.
Source: Washington Times
Apr 2 - 9:04 AM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond went 2-for-3 with a homer Saturday as the Nationals topped the Cardinals 6-2.

Team USA picked Jimmy Rollins as its shortstop for the WBC, but one wonders if Desmond might not have the superior choice after he hit .292/.335/.511 last season. Perhaps he'll get his chance next time around. Desmond is 5-for-9 this spring.
Mar 2 - 4:12 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday that he's "open minded" about exploring a contract extension with Ian Desmond.

The Nationals and Desmond avoided arbitration last month by agreeing to a one-year, $3.8 million contract. There haven't been any talks on an extension since, but since he remains under team control through 2015, there's no rush to get something done.
Source: Amanda Comak on Twitter
Feb 13 - 11:42 AM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Nationals avoided arbitration with SS Ian Desmond by agreeing to a one-year, $3.8 million contract.

It's a healthy raise for Desmond, who was in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The bump in pay is well earned, though, after the 27-year-old experienced a breakout year in 2012, batting .292/.335/.511 with 25 homers and 21 steals. He'll be the everyday shortstop again this season.
Jan 18 - 3:48 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Bill Ladson of MLB.com writes that "it would not come as a surprise" if the Nationals engaged in contract extension talks with Ian Desmond this offseason.

Ladson reveals that the two sides had preliminary talks about an extension earlier this season. Desmond, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, had a breakout year for the Nats, batting .292/.335/.511 with 25 homers, 73 RBI and 21 steals. Any deal would likely buy out all of his arbitration years and probably a free agent year or two.
Source: Nationals.mlb.com
Wed, Oct 17, 2012 09:48:00 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond blasted a three-run shot, one of three Nationals’ homers in the game in Saturday’s 10-4 rout of the Brewers.

Desmond finished the afternoon 3-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI. Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche also went deep in the game for the Nats. Desmond has developed into one of the most dynamic offensive shortstops in the league, hitting .298/.335/.522 with 24 homers, 71 RBI and 18 stolen bases on the season. He’ll be an extremely popular name on draft boards next season.
Sat, Sep 22, 2012 04:22:00 PM
Ian Desmond - SS - Nationals

Ian Desmond had a pair of hits and scored a run as the Nationals topped the Dodgers 4-1 on Thursday evening.

He finished the night 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. Desmond has been one of the most dynamic players in the league this season, posting a terrific .296/.333/.517 with 23 homers, 68 RBI and 18 stolen bases on the season. The 27-year-old shortstop will surely be considered among the top-five options at his position heading into next season's fantasy drafts.
Thu, Sep 20, 2012 10:57:00 PM

Depth Charts

Batters
PosRoleName
C1Kurt Suzuki
2Wilson Ramos
3Jhonatan Solano
1B1Adam LaRoche
2Chad Tracy
3Chris Marrero
2B1Danny Espinosa
2Anthony Rendon
3Steve Lombardozzi
4Jeff Kobernus
SS1Ian Desmond
3B1Ryan Zimmerman
LF1Bryce Harper
2Roger Bernadina
CF1Denard Span
RF1Jayson Werth
Starting Pitcher
PosRoleName
S1Stephen Strasburg
2Gio Gonzalez
3Jordan Zimmermann
4Dan Haren
5Ross Detwiler
6Ross Ohlendorf
Relief Pitcher
PosRoleName
R1Rafael Soriano
2Drew Storen
3Tyler Clippard
4Craig Stammen
5Ryan Mattheus
6Christian Garcia
7Ian Krol
8Fernando Abad
9Xavier Cedeno