Rockies Ian Desmond Fractures Hand: Fantasy Fallout Moving Forward

By Brad Kelly | Mar 12, 2017

Mar 9, 2017; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Ian Desmond against Puerto Rico during a 2017 World Baseball Classic exhibition game at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Ian Desmond suffered a fractured hand on Sunday, after being hit by a pitch in spring training action. What is the fantasy fallout for the Rockies and fantasy owners?

Spring training injuries are always one of the bigger fears by any MLB team. While the exhibition games offer invaluable time for players to get things ready for the start of the regular season, the risk is always lurking. No team has been bitten by the spring injury bug harder so far than the Colorado Rockies, who lost Ian Desmond to a fractured hand today.

The Rockies surprised most across the league when they went out and inked Ian Desmond to a five-year deal this offseason, even though it seemed as though he had no clear path to playing time. The Rox decided they would have him try his hand at first base, a position he never played before.

For fantasy owners, the move to Coors Field was the best case scenario. Even though he cooled off in the second half of 2016, Desmond posted a great .285/22 HR/86 RBI/21 SB/.782 OPS line with the Rangers. He is notorious for his streakiness, but the move to Coors looked to finally offer a place where his stats would show somewhat consistency.

More from Fantasy Baseball

Injuries always remind fantasy owners how fickle and fluky things can get. Desmond has not been on the DL since 2012. Since 2013, he has played in at least 154 games per season. You can never predict injuries, but the hope is that this occurred before most have drafted.

There is no timetable yet as to a recovery time, but it safe to say that he will miss most of April. Entering the 2017 season, he looked primed to be a 25 HR/20 SB candidate, but that seemingly is now off the table. Based on his ADP, owners were all over him as he was taken right on the edge of the top-50. Unfortunately, he can no longer be targeted as a mid-round value.

Desmond should still be drafted, but owners will need to take him in the later rounds. For those leagues that allow owners to stash players on the DL, owners can bump him up some.

The Rockies still have a stout offense, but losing Desmond in the early going will hurt. They did bring back Mark Reynolds in the offseason and still have Gerardo Parra on the roster, but they could look an in-house replacement such as Jordan Patterson to man the spot.

Patterson was a 4th round pick by the Rockies in 2013 and debuted with the big league club last season. It was a small sample, but the young lefty went 8 for 18 at the plate in 2016, which came out to a cool .444 AVG. He is a career .290 hitter in the minors and has notched at least 14 HR per season over the last two years. He is a name to watch the rest of the spring as he could shape up to be a popular waiver wire choice early on.

Next: Indians: Jason Kipnis Injures Shoulder

Desmond drives fantasy owners nuts, but he is one of the rare 20 HR/20 SB threats still in the game. The injury undoubtedly sucks for him and fantasy owners. If he can avoid any setbacks and come back at some point in May, he could have a chance to flirt with 20/20 again in 2017. But, owners should temper expectations and hope for a .270/15 HR/65 RBI/15 SB type of line at this point.

Home/Fantasy Baseball