The Washington Nationals Ian Desmond hit his 15th home run last night helping to lead the Nationals to a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the San Francisco Giants.
He finished the night, 2 for 3 , with the home run coming off of Matt Cain of perfect game fame.
Desmond is now tied for the team lead in home runs with Adam LaRoche. He also leads the team in hits with 94, has 48 RBI in nine stolen bases.
However, Desmond fits in near the top of that list for the Nats.
In 2010 and 2011 Desmond hit a combined 18 home runs.
With 15 this year it is safe to assume you will eclipse the last two years totals, before the middle of July.
Last year his OPS was .656, this year.816. and he will surpass his RBI total of last year, before the All-Star break.
His Wins Above Replacement, WAR, 3.0 is the second highest of all major league shortstops. Desmond will join teammates Strasburg and Gonzalez for the All-Star game in Kansas City.
Desmond is now beginning to get mentioned when people discuss the elite shortstops in major league baseball. He is not only another reason why the Nats are winning, think about where this team might be without him. He is that important/
Can the Nats Continue Their Dream Season ?
Last year the Nationals finished 21 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies. when a team makes this kind of a turnaround in one year, it is natural for fans and observers to start to wonder when it will all come crashing down.
The Nationals have solid pitching, play good defense and have enough offense to continue playing a winning brand of baseball.
Some have mentioned the Nationals as a World Series winner. And while we are not ready to go there, as the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals have shown us in recent years, anything is possible if you just get to the playoffs.
