Elmer Dessens pitches in relief for the New York Mets. New York is his ninth team as he’s traveled a great deal in his 13 seasons. Dessens posts a good season every three or four years, coming up with sub-4.00 ERAs in 2002, 2005 and 2009. Interestingly, Dessens tends to strikeout fewer batters than usual per nine innings if his lowe ERA seasons.
His strength as a pitcher lies in his low walk rate, 2.7 per nine for his career. With a low strikeout rate, however, his BA allowed is high at .285, meaning his OBP allowed is about average at .335. With a slugging percentage allowed in the mid .400s, the batters who reach base tend to move a long way. Add in a poor performance with runners in scoring position, and Dessens owns a well deserved 4.53 ERA for his career.
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