Washington Nationals: Top 10 homegrown players in team history

6. Ian Desmond

Like Cordero, Ian Desmond was drafted by the Montreal Expos. Desmond was drafted in the third round of the 2004 draft, but took much longer to reach the majors, due to the fact that he was drafted out of high school.

Desmond debuted in 2009, and immediately excelled, batting .280 in 21 games as a September call-up. From there, he went on to become a team leader and one of the best players to ever don the curly W.

In seven seasons with the Nats, Desmond owned a slash line of .264/.312/.424 to go with 110 homers and 122 stolen bases. One of the things he became known for was his three consecutive 20/20 seasons (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases). He was worth 17.4 wins above replacement players, according to FanGraphs.

Desmond was also a very decorated player during his tenure with the Nats. In addition to leading the Nats to two division titles, he was named an All-Star in 2012 and won three consecutive Silver Slugger Awards from 2012-2014.

Finally, Desmond was a fantastic member of the DC community. He did lots of charity work, mostly through the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. He served as a member of the academy’s board of directors, and played a key role in its establishment.

Now with the Colorado Rockies, Desmond is still beloved among the Nats’ fanbase. He was injured when he returned to Nationals Park in 2017, but still received a warm ovation and a video tribute on the scoreboard.

Ian Desmond may no longer be with the Nats, but he is still beloved, and he is the sixth best homegrown player in team history.