Dessens' destiny

Hurler has a lock on the D'backs No. 3 spot

By Phil Taylor, Sports Illustrated

Team: Arizona Diamondbacks

Site: Tucson, Ariz.

Weather: 75 and sunny, not a cloud in the sky

Player I Saw Whom I Really Liked: Elmer Dessens. If his spring performance is any indication, the Diamondbacks have found a solid No. 3 starter to follow aces Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Dessens, acquired from Cincinnati this winter in a four-team trade in which the D'backs sent promising hitter Erubiel Durazo to the A's, has given up just one unearned run all spring. He ran his string of scoreless innings to 12 by shutting down the White Sox on four hits in four innings last Thursday. Manager Bob Brenly thinks the veteran right-hander fits perfectly into the third spot in the rotation. "It's almost boring watching him pitch," Brenly says admiringly. "Everything is a quality strike around the edges of the plate or down. The guys on defense are on their toes because they know he's going to give them a chance to make the play." The biggest rap on Dessens is that he doesn't pitch deep into games. He averaged fewer than six innings per start last year for the Reds. It's ironic that Dessens and Durazo were involved in the same deal. They are both natives of Hermosillo, Mexico, and the day before the trade was announced, Dessens attended Durazo's wedding.

Around the Horn: Craig Counsell appears likely to win the everyday third base job, which is why Brenly is giving Matt Williams some time at first base during the spring. Williams is willing to take on the new position, but he has a lot of work to do. Against the Giants on Friday, he booted a routine grounder and admitted that he forgot to get into cutoff position on one play. ... The Diamondbacks are trying not to show too much concern about Lyle Overbay, the minor league sensation who's expected to take the first base job from Mark Grace. Overbay has only five hits in 34 at-bats (.147) in exhibition action. ... Byung-Hyun Kim, Arizona's closer the past two seasons, appears to have a slight edge in his battle with Miguel Batista for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Both have pitched well this spring, but Kim has made no secret of his desire to start, while Batista has been in the role of long relief and a spot starter for many years. ... The D'backs are doing their best to comply with Schilling's desire to avoid pitching against National League teams during the preseason. They have set up split-squad games with American League teams and contests for just that reason, and Schilling pitched this week against a team of Colorado Rockies minor leaguers. ... Veteran right-hander Armando Reynoso is trying to catch on for a second tour of duty with Arizona. Reynoso, a non-roster invitee, has pitched well, but with so many slots on the rotation already set, his chances of making the squad are so-so at best.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor will check in periodically with reports from his tour of spring camps.

 

Related information

Stories

Kim making strong bid to join D'backs' rotation Diamondbacks spring training preview Postcards from Spring Training Archive

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video