Ian Desmond: 3 Best Fantasy Landing Spots

One of the pillars of any fantasy team and what they plan do at the draft is to target players that offer across the board production. From 2012 through 2014, Ian Desmond, was without a doubt the most dynamic offensive shortstop in the league (outside of a healthy Troy Tulowitzki which is rare) as he provided rock steady stats from this notoriously weak fantasy position.

The 20 HR/20 SB club is one of the most sought after skill sets in all of baseball and Desmond was eclipsing that every season over this three-year stretch, making him one of the most valuable fantasy players in the game. Heading into 2015, there were plenty of warning signs that Desmond’s production was going to dip and it sure did just that.

Fantasy owners knew that the AVG was going to be rough, but they were banking on the 20/20 to be there and offset that hindrance. Over the first half of the season Desmond posted a, .212/7 HR/24 RBI/5 SB line, which had most fantasy owners dropping Desmond and not looking back.

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But he reestablished some value in the second half as he raised his walks, dropped his strikeouts and posted a, .262/12 HR/38 RBI/8 SB line. So with Desmond being one of the best options in a weak infield free agent class, he will have plenty of suitors.

Here are the three best fantasy landing spots for Desmond in 2016.

Chicago White Sox

It looks as though Alexei Ramirez is on his way out of town, leaving the White Sox with a hole at shortstop and in need of a dynamic player to fill Ramirez’s role. Chicago’s offense last season was abysmal and they desperately need to infuse it with some sort free agent acquisition.

If the White Sox could bring Desmond in he could take over at short for the foreseeable future and either be slotted in the number two hole behind Adam Eaton and in front of Jose Abreu or behind Abreu and offer him some sort of protection. Hopefully, Desmond realizes that he needs change his plate approach and if he could do that in Chicago, he will very well be that 20/20 threat again.

Arizona Diamondbacks

This could be one of the dark horse teams in the Desmond market, as they could enhance an already solid offense with another stick. They have some options already in-house like, Chris Owings and Nick Ahmed, but neither of them do not nearly have the potential upside that Desmond has.

Imaging a D’Backs lineup with an already solid core of A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt, plus adding Desmond to the fold to elongate the lineup and what you have is a team that can outscore just about anyone in the NL on any given night.

It also seems as though they may struggle bringing in an ace pitcher, Cueto recently turned down their $120 million offer, so they may resort to solidifying the offense instead if they cannot find the pitching help. If he lands here, bump him back up your rankings as he should not disappoint.

New York Mets

This is one of the most consistent team associated team with Desmond this offseason as the team needs a middle infielder after more than likely losing Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes to free agency. Desmond would clearly step in and be an upgrade at short over Wilmer Flores and hopefully fill some of the offensive void that Murphy’s solid production had for the Mets.

While Desmond’s defense is cringe worthy, his upside alone could offer the Mets with another offensive weapon that they will desperately need to compete in 2016. While the move to Citi Field wouldn’t do Desmond any favors statistically, he does have nine career home runs there, so he should be able to once again flirt with the 20 homer mark. Let wherever he lands dictate if you target him aggressively or not, most owners will be scared off of him so 2016 may be the year where you can buy low on him.

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