Watch live: Rangers clash with Twins in Free MLB Game of the Day
Twenty-nine other teams in Major League Baseball must be kicking themselves every time they hear the name Ian Desmond. Because he could have been theirs.
The Rangers signed Desmond to a one-year, $8 million contract in late February, long after all the major free agents had signed. It was a buy-low deal for the Rangers and a career hail mary for Desmond. The Rangers converted him to an outfielder after seven seasons as the Washington Nationals shortstop. And the dividends have been nothing short of amazing.
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He’s an All-Star, a midseason MVP candidate and one of the reasons the Rangers have the best record in the AL (and now sit atop the Yahoo Sports MLB power rankings).
You can see Desmond and the Rangers play Thursday in the MLB Free Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports. They’re facing the Minnesota Twins, with first pitch at 8:05 p.m. You can stream the game in the Yahoo Sports app, Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index, video home and this very post. Local blackouts apply, per MLB rules.
Desmond’s comeback story is one for the ages. For a while, he was the butt of many jokes because he turned down a reported seven-year, $107 million deal with the Washington Nationals in 2014, hoping for a bigger payday in free agency. Only, he had the worst year of his career in 2015, hitting just .233 and striking out 187 times, so free agency wasn’t all he had planned for.
Instead, he got that one-year deal from the Rangers, which required a position change because they have Elvis Andrus at short. Turns out, it was a great decision. As Desmond told MLB.com after his All-Star selection:
“It feels good,” Desmond said. “You know … just a lot of hard work and you know it certainly wasn’t done by myself. You have to give a lot of credit to [outfield coach Jayce Tingler], I showed up in Spring Training and he sought me out. He came up and said, ‘We’re going to work and we’re going to work hard.’ I said, ‘I’m going to put everything I got into it,’ and he said, ‘I’m with you.’ He held true to his word.”
The extra work paid off. He’s picked up the outfield well enough, and his bat is going bonkers this season. He’s hitting .320 with 15 homers, 54 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He’s tied for seventh in baseball with a 4.0 WAR, according to Fangraphs. That’s the same number as Manny Machado. The only players better? Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Josh Donaldson, Jose Altuve, Kris Bryant and Noah Syndergaard.
Desmond has been doing so well, that the conversation around him has changed. Now instead of the guy who foolishly lost out on $100 million, he’s the guy the Rangers should be rushing to sign to a contract extension.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
