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FBb On MASN: The Washington Nationals' New Double Play Combo: Ian Desmond And Anthony Rendon

All the questions about Danny Espinosa's offensive struggles distracted from the fact that Ian Desmond had a rough month of May at the plate, but with a new middle infield partner in the nation's capital now, Desmond's turned things around as he gets used to working with Anthony Rendon.

By Patrick Reddington
USA TODAY Sports

[ed. note - "Every Friday morning throughout this season, hopefully, if they'll continue to have me, I'll be writing a post over at MASNSports.com's Nationals Buzz, "... as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest," writers to their site. All opinions expressed are my own... A sample follows... You can read the entire post HERE or through the link included below."]:

"It's not always how fast a guy is, but how well his feet work in those small spaces. What his body control is like. And (Rendon) is blessed with all those tools." - Doug Harris On 106.7 the FAN this Spring on Rendon at 2nd

"In an interview on 106.7 The Fan in D.C. this spring, Nationals director of player development Doug Harris broke down Rendon's defense, explained what it takes to make the transition and offered his opinion on why he thought a move to second could work for the player Nats general manager Mike Rizzo described a Gold Glove-caliber defender on the night the Nationals picked Rendon sixth overall in the 2011 draft.

"'He has very gifted hands,' Harris said, 'He has very good feet. His feet really work well in small spaces. It's not always how fast a guy is, but how well his feet work in those small spaces. What his body control is like. And (Rendon) is blessed with all those tools.'

'"If you get the footwork down (at second), it's not a dangerous position,' Davey Johnson told reporters this spring who wondered about Rendon, who has dealt with several ankle injuries over the last few years.

FBB Archives: 5 Minutes With Ian Desmond

 Photo © Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

"The Nationals may be losing a little something defensively by making the move to place Espinosa on the DL and replace him at second with Rendon, but the new second baseman's bat pretty much guaranteed him a spot somewhere in the Nationals infield once he was drafted, as long as he was able to stay healthy and on the field after several years of dealing with ankle and shoulder issues in college and his first pro campaign."

• Read the entire article over at MASN's Nationals Buzz through the link below:

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