What Pros Wear: What Pros Wear: Ian Desmond (Bat, Batting Gloves, Cleats)

What Pros Wear: Ian Desmond (Bat, Batting Gloves, Cleats)

Mike 02/15/2013

Has any team gone from perennial loser to pennant favorite faster than the Nationals? Until last year, the Nationals had never finished above .500 since they moved to Washington in 2005. In 2012, they finished with the best record in the Major Leagues, 34 games over .500. For 2013, according to Vegas, they are tied with the deep-pocketed Dodgers as NL favorites. Yes, the turnaround is due in large part to the best rotation in baseball (which actually got better this offseason by dropping Edwin Jackson for Dan Haren), but Desmond’s breakout Silver Slugger-winning year helped carry the offense with proven run-producers like Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche.

I was actually surprised watching this video at the power Desmond showed to all fields last year:

Desmond’s Marucci bat was nowhere to be found online but luckily we’ve established a pretty good Twitter rapport with Marucci and they let us know Desmond’s model:

Desmond’s MR24 is named for Manny Ramirez and Marucci does not produce this model.

Source: Hunter Martin/Getty Images North America

For batting gloves, Desmond wears the same gloves as Todd Helton, the Mizuno Global Elite in black/black. The ones you see in the feature are a pair he used in 2011 (hence the number “six”), but these are his most current style:

These gloves are available online, but not in Desmond’s black/black.

Desmond was the first guy we’ve done that I actually felt a little disappointed in his cleat choice. For a young, marketable Shortstop, I just expected more in the footwear department. As difficult as it was to see because his pants are draped so low over his cleats, Desmond wears the Nike Air Zoom Coop V, just as you see in the feature. This was a popular cleat back in 2010 but Desmond is the first we’ve seen wearing them since the beginning of WPW. The Coop V is still available on the web in Desmond’s (very basic) style.