I asked Keith Law (not personally, just over his chat) about Ian Desmond today. He didn’t answer directly about Desmond, just more generally about guys improving on defense:
Charlie (Bethesda, MD): Do you think a guy like Ian Desmond, who seems to be able to hit in the majors (albeit in a small sample) and has the range and ability to start on defense but misses some of the “easy” plays could use time in AAA? Or is learning to concentrate better on defense and not boot stuff just as easy/hard in the majors as in the minors?
Klaw (1:40 PM) Defense is one area that can improve substantially in the majors – in fact, there’s a good chance your team’s best defensive coach is in the majors. I would hold a guy back for the bat, but not for the glove unless it was a new position or he was just unplayable.
So there you have it, he completely agrees with me! Alright, so he didn’t actually answer my question directly, but he did answer something. Actually he probably EXACTLY answered my question, but didn’t answer the implied part. I’m pretty sure he did that on purpose. Anyway, for those of you that believe Desmond is ready to hit in the majors, and has the range to play SS, and just needs to fix his defense, this is your answer. He should be playing on the major league club, working with perhaps the best defensive coach in the organization. Remember that not only is Law a snarky stathead, he also was actually a scout on a major league team, so he’s probably not making this stuff up.