Perhaps it’s Ian Desmond’s fan-friendly attitude, or perhaps it’s because many secretly suspected the shortstop couldn’t keep up the gains he made in 2012 and 2013. Whatever it is there has been a surprising lack of attention being paid to the struggles the Nats starting shortstop is having at the plate in 2014. After a 2012 where Desmond batted .292/.335/.511 with a 128 wRC+ and a 2013 where he batted .280/.331/.453 with a 116 wRC+, it’s disappointing to see Desmond sitting around a .225/.295/.413 line with a 97 wRC+ through 241 plate appearances this year. The $7 million question though is what will Desmond produce at the plate through the end of the season?

The answer is a mixed bag. When you look in the right places there are some encouraging signs that Desmond will be able to pick it up over the coming months. Desmond has walked in 7.9%…