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Player Profile #85: Ian Desmond | SS | WAS

Found February 13, 2013 on Baseball Professor: Yardbarker Blogger Network
PLAYERS: Ian Desmond,  Hanley Ramirez,  Ben Zobrist,  Brett Lawrie,  Michael Saunders
TEAMS: Washington Nationals,  Los Angeles Dodgers,  Tampa Bay Rays,  Toronto Blue Jays,  Seattle Mariners
Mlb-nationals-tigers-jun
From 2009-2011, Ian Desmond hit 22 homers in 1,302 plate appearances. In 2012 he hit 25 in just 547. What changed? For starters, Desmond’s fly ball rate corrected a two-year slide, rebounding to 34.5%, and he made those fly balls count, muscling 18.2% of them over the fence. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do for an encore.Contributing to Desmond’s breakout from borderline top-200 player to 34th overall in fantasy was his surprising .292 average. He doesn’t have a very good K:BB ratio (last year it was his usual sub-par 4:1), but in each of his three full seasons he’s increased his line drive rate and decreased his infield fly rate. Desmond is slowly improving, and in my mind the biggest question relating to his fantasy value over the next few years isn’t, “How many homers will he hit?” but rather “How does he fit into a top-heavy Nationals lineup?”At a GlanceStrengths: SBNeutral: R, HR, RBI, BA, SLG, OPSWeaknesses: OBPPlayer ComparisonsBest-case scenario: Hanley Ramirez (LA...
Original Story: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Baseba... Verified_ybn
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