Rockies confirm Ian Desmond to play centerfield

Scottsdale – Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black confirmed on Thursday in a media session in the early days of spring training camp that veteran Ian Desmond, who spent a majority of last season at first base for the club, will be seen mostly in 2019 patrolling center field.

“He’ll be primarily in the outfield… more as a center fielder,” Black said, “I think that’s his best position.”

When asked for specific reasoning, Black responded, “He was an All-Star center fielder for the Texas Rangers. I think the way he moves, the way he is comfortable, his range left-to-right is centerfield-plus… I just think that’s the best position for him.”

Desmond has struggled to live up to his $70MM contract since joining the Rockies, missing much of the 2017 campaign with injuries and battling with early-season struggles offensively in 2018; an inability by the Rockies to take advantage of his athleticism due to the roster math sticking him at an unfamiliar position also has not helped public perception.

The club hopes a return to the outfield for Desmond will prove to get more out of his skillset while remaining capable of some positional flexibility, should the need arise.

“The versatility that he brings to the team is very valuable. That’s one of the reasons why we signed him,” Black reminded during the briefing.

One of the best to ever man the spot at Coors Field, Cory Sullivan, recently told BSN Denver that Desmond has the most important abilities toward playing a quality center field, though many Rockies fans may be unconvinced until seeing him in action this season.

This decision, as we’ve previously written about, allows Colorado to protect David Dahl from extra wear and tear given his injury history and enables Charlie Blackmon to move to a corner where his declining speed will matter less.

In other positional news, Black declined to place newcomer Daniel Murphy in the same “versatile” category as Desmond, saying that he will almost certainly be at first base “where he wants to be” unless there is a series of unfortunate circumstances. He said it is “unlikely” we see the veteran left-handed hitter at second base.

While both of these bits of intel have been hinted at for a while, these confirmations clearly clarify the view of the likely roster this season.

This leaves one position – second base – as a battleground for players hoping to go from the supporting cast to a starting role. Ryan McMahon, Garrett Hampson, and top prospect Brendan Rodgers are expected to compete for the job, making it the positional battle to watch this spring.