Ian Desmond makes the case for Trevor Story to be an All-Star

DENVER – There may be no player in baseball who has made a more dramatic turnaround this season than Ian Desmond.

The sometimes outfielder now settled in at first base struggled mightily over his first 43 games, batting just .175, though he did manage to hit seven home runs, five of which came at critical junctures in Rockies wins.

Still, the lack of any kind of consistent threat began to grate on the fanbase as the empty at-bats piled up. This came to a boiling point on May 9 when he was loudly booed by his home crowd in a game against the Los Angeles Angels in which he struck out four times.

Nine days later, he began a stretch of 33 games in which he is batting .282/.398/.545 with nine home runs, 25 RBI, and four stolen bases, good for a 141 wRC+.

But when asked about this dramatic shift, Desmond downplays the notion that he made any sort of dramatic change. He did note, however: “I don’t really like playing in 40-degree weather.”

Other than that, he was reluctant to talk about himself, drawing attention to the work of the pitching staff and the togetherness of the clubhouse.

But when I asked him about Trevor Story, he had no shortage of thoughts to share.