Rockies start Reynolds over Desmond in NL wild-card game
The Colorado Rockies' $70-million man, Ian Desmond, won't start for his club in its most crucial game all year.
Colorado has given the starting nod at first base to 34-year-old veteran Mark Reynolds in the National League wild-card game Wednesday. The outfield - the other position Desmond's consistently played for the Rockies - will consist of Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, and Gerardo Parra.
| ORDER | PLAYER | POSITION |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlie Blackmon | CF |
| 2 | DJ LeMahieu | 2B |
| 3 | Carlos Gonzalez | RF |
| 4 | Nolan Arenado | 3B |
| 5 | Trevor Story | SS |
| 6 | Gerardo Parra | LF |
| 7 | Mark Reynolds | 1B |
| 8 | Jonathan Lucroy | C |
| 9 | Jon Gray | P |
The 32-year-old Desmond hit .274/.326/.375 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs across 95 games this season, while Reynolds slashed .267/.352/.487 with 30 home runs and 97 RBIs.
Desmond signed a five-year, $70-million contract in the offseason with the Rockies, who intended to use him at first base. He started his MLB career as a shortstop and moved to the outfield in 2016, but had never played first base before coming to Colorado.