Nationals' Ian Desmond Becomes 3rd Shortstop with Three Straight 20-20 Seasons

Owning a total of 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases entering Thursday's action, Ian Desmond of the Washington Nationals is just the third shortstop in MLB history to have posted three consecutive 20-20 seasons, according to a tweet from MLB Stat of the Day.

It's a relatively new commodity to have players capable of hitting for power at a defensive-oriented position, as all three players in this club are currently under contract with an MLB team.

Alex Rodriguez was the first player to accomplish the feat in 1997-99 while serving as the shortstop for the Seattle Mariners. A-Rod even took it up a notch in his 1998 campaign, totaling 42 home runs and 46 steals for the only 40-40 season of his career. Having played third base for the majority of the final stages of his career, the slugger hasn't put together a 20-20 season since 2007.

After Rodriguez, Hanley Ramirez was the next player to join this club, collecting four straight 20-20 campaigns from 2007-10 with the Florida Marlins. Although various injuries have limited the baserunning of the 30-year-old Ramirez for the past two seasons, he did post a 20-20 year as recently as 2012.

Desmond's 20-20 streak started with a 25-homer and 21-steal season in 2012, which he followed up by accumulating 20 four-baggers and 21 steals in 2013. He won the NL Silver Slugger award after both of those seasons and is seemingly in good position to capture it for a third straight year, as his 23 home runs and 88 RBI entering Thursday lead all eligible National League shortstops.

The 28-year-old shortstop's 88 runs batted in represent a new personal best, helping to make up for a career-high 178 strikeouts in 2014. With plenty of talent in front of him, it's no surprise Desmond has once again been able to produce while hitting primarily out of the No. 5 spot for the NL East division champions.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise specified.