Author Topic: Ian Desmond Appreciation Thread  (Read 32695 times)

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Offline nats2playoffs

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Re: Ian Desmond Appreciation Thread
« Reply #325: July 10, 2012, 02:10:42 PM »
Quote from: tomterp on July 08, 2012, 03:07:37 PM
Kilgore reported last week that Desmond had changed his approach a bit to go opposite field more.
Ian Desmond can hit opposite-field home runs now, too

By Adam Kilgore

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/nationals-journal/post/ian-desmond-can-hit-opposite-field-home-runs-now-too/2012/07/06/gJQA8E7ZSW_blog.html
 
(Alex Brandon - AP) Ian Desmond had no explanation. Before last week, he had never hit an opposite-field home run in his major league career and, as far as he could recall, he had only hit one in five minor league seasons. Then he hit one June 28 in Colorado. Last night, seven days later, he blasted another homer to right field off Matt Cain. “I don’t know,” Desmond said. “I wish I did know. I’d do it more often.”
 
The Nationals believe Desmond can do it more often. At 26, his power has blossomed this year – he has 15 home runs, which puts him on pace for 30. As the rest of his power stroke has come, opposite field homers could become more a part of Desmond’s game.  “You watch him during batting practice,” first baseman Adam LaRoche said. “You watch what he can do, it’s unbelievable the way he can drive the ball. He just hit an oppo home run the other day. He said, ‘I think that’s the first opposite-field home run I’ve ever hit in pro ball.’ I said, ‘With that swing, you ought to hit half your home runs the other way.’ He’s got some unbelievable raw pop.”
 
When Davey Johnson took over last season, he immediately started saying Desmond too often tried to hit singles to the opposite field rather than using his power. He wanted Desmond to ditch his inside-out approach.  “Before, he was taking balls and trying to guide it to right field,” Johnson said. “Even inside pitches, he was trying to serve it over there. He understands dropping the head on it, with a little something on it, and hitting it hard where it’s pitched. That’s the kind of hitter he is.
 
“The year I hit 43, I probably hit eight home runs to right field. But I wasn’t turning inside-out on them. Those were balls away that I put the hammer on. But he’s got more power than I had.

Finally, this explains the dramatic rise in Ian Desmond's power hitting in 2012.  I heard about it in spring training and drafted Desmond, albeit late in the WNFF Fantasy league draft.  But I didn't know how it happened. 

It's NOT Rick Eckstein, (no matter how much DaveyJohnson wants to support Rick.)  DaveyJohnson was the one who changed Desmond's plate approach.  It didn't improve until Davey arrived as manager.  Hanging around the Nationals' spring trainings in prior seasons didn't give Davey enough clout to get Ian's attention back then.  Desmond's OBP in 2011 rose from .266 to .330 that year, after Davey arrived.