It was just around this time last year that Ian Desmond was called up by the Nationals and got significant burn in the majors for the first time. In that time he hit around .280, setting a pretty high bar for this season. In the first half the year, he was somewhat disappointing. But as Adam Kilgore reports, he's been red hot after the All-Star break.
For almost two months, Desmond has made something happen. While hitting at the top of the lineup, Desmond has become one of the best offensive rookies in baseball since the all-star break. He has hit .337/.364/.467 - fourth, eighth and eight among a loaded National League rookie class - to raise his season totals to .286/.323/.423.
Kilgore then begs the question, is he a candidate for the rookie of the year? Let's take a look.
One of Desmond's biggest obstacles is the depth of the rookie class he is apart of. There are a number of rookies who have made significant impacts on their clubs all year long. Kilgore uses the wins over replacement stat to list them.
Jason Heyward: 3.9
Buster Posey: 3.1
Jamie Garcia: 3.0
Ike Davis: 2.7
Stephen Strasburg: 2.6
Gaby Sanchez: 2.5
Starlin Castro: 2.3
Jose Tabata: 2.0
Ian Desmond: 1.8
So truthfully, he doesn't have that much of a chance. But just the fact that he is forcing this conversation, is indicative of how effective he has been in the second half.