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First reported by Ken Rosenthal, former Ranger Ian Desmond signed a five-year, $70 million deal with the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday morning. This deal, while great news for Desmond, carries with it several questions. Where are the Rockies going to play this guy? Moving him back to shortstop is clearly off the table, as that spot is filled by 2016 rookie phenom Trevor Story, not to mention Desmond’s terrible defensive presence at that spot.
It would appear that the only viable opening at the moment is filling the void at first base now that Mark Reynolds is out of town. The other option would be sticking Desmond in the outfield and converting Carlos Gonzalez to first base, seeing as he is the worst defender of the group.
Sources: Ian Desmond to #Rockies.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2016
Editor's note: Be sure to also check out our 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's already loaded up with tons of great rankings articles and draft analysis. Aside from our tiered staff rankings for every position, we also go deep on MLB prospect rankings, impact rookies for 2017, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.
2017 Fantasy Baseball Outlook - Ian Desmond
The move to Coors Field couldn't come at a better time for Desmond, whose production fell off a cliff in the second half of last year. After silencing his critics and earning an All-star bid behind a .322/.375/.524 first half, he finished the season with an abysmal .630 second-half OPS. Combined with the awful 2015 season in Washington, Desmond has really only played three good months of baseball in the past 12.
Fortunately, Coors cures many-a-hitting ailment. Despite the streakiness, Desmond still came through in 2016 with 21 stolen bases and 22 home runs. There's good reason to expect that the power surge will continue in the clean air (and enormous outfield) of Colorado. Also, there are some past numbers to back it up. In 23 career games there, Desmond has absolutely slugged.
Ian Desmond career at Coors Field: .379/.406/611. 11 doubles, 1 triple and 3 HR in 23 career games. 18% K rate.
— Heath Cummings (@heathcummingssr) December 7, 2016
The strikeout percentage is important to note. Over the past four seasons, Desmond has struck out in more than 25% of his plate appearances. Even if the 18% is unsustainable over an entire season, anything close to it will be a welcome improvement. He's especially struggled with chasing the breaking ball during his tepid stretches. The high altitude of Denver should do him some good by taking movement away from tough pitchers.
With the rest of the studs around him in that lineup and the extra base hit potential at Coors Field, Desmond will have every opportunity to turn his time in Colorado into a field day. Expect a heavy increase in counting stats like runs scored and RBI. I mean, just look at this lineup, fully capable of wrecking in a league average park.
| # | Player | POS |
| 1 | Charlie Blackmon | OF |
| 2 | DJ LeMahieu | 2B |
| 3 | Nolan Arenado | 3B |
| 4 | Carlos Gonzalez | OF/1B |
| 5 | Ian Desmond | OF/1B |
| 6 | Trevor Story | SS |
| 7 | David Dahl | OF |
| 8 | Tony Wolters | C |
| 9 | Pitcher | SP |
There is the distinct possibility that the Sarasota native is simply over the hill. Entering his age 31 season, there are plenty of red flags, illustrated by steadily declining production since 2012. And not every hitter shines in Colorado - see Gerardo Parra.
Still, considering the new park factors, the lineup around him and the flexibility of potential position eligibility (given a weak pool at first base heading into 2017), it goes to reason that Desmond will remain a very viable option next season. Consider him a low-end, top-10 first baseman and somewhere in the low-20s range as an outfielder.
The move indirectly affects the fantasy value of other free agent sluggers around the league who would have loved to end up in Colorado. If the Rockies are no longer searching for a first baseman, we can say goodbye to the firepower of Edwin Encarnacion, Mark Trumbo, or Jose Abreu at Coors Field.
