[Deathwatch] Dernell Stenson, Cincinnati Reds outfielder, 25

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Reds' Stenson shot, dragged to death in Arizona
Posted: Thursday November 6, 2003 1:41AM; Updated: Thursday November 6,
2003 2:05AM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/baseball/mlb/11/05/stenson.death.
ap/index.html?cnn=yes

CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) -- Cincinnati Reds outfielder Dernell Stenson was
found dead early Wednesday on a residential street after he was shot
and apparently run over in a Phoenix suburb, police said.

Chandler police said the death was being treated as a homicide.

A man was being held by police for questioning. No charges had been
filed as of early evening.

Stenson, 25, made his major league debut this season and played 37
games for the Reds. He hit .247 with three home runs and 13 RBIs -- his
homer accounted for Cincinnati's final run of the season.

Stenson's body was found after police received a call around 1:45 a.m.
that shots had been fired. It appeared he had been run over by a
vehicle, police said.

Witnesses told police a black SUV was seen leaving the area. About two
hours later, Mesa police found a vehicle matching the description, and
it was registered to Stenson.

The man found driving the vehicle was being held by Chandler police.

"We extend our prayers and deepest sympathies to Dernell's family and
his friends, teammates and coaches," Reds spokesman Rob Butcher said.

Stenson was playing this month for the Scottsdale Scorpions of the
Arizona Fall League. He was hitting .394, third-best in the league, in
18 games.

Stenson was a third-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1996. He
stayed in their system until this year, when the Reds claimed him off
waivers during spring training.

One of the Reds' most promising young players, Stenson hit .306 with 14
homers and 76 RBIs in 101 games at Class AA Chattanooga and batted .237
with five homers and 14 RBIs in 17 games at Class AAA Louisville.

On Aug. 13, Stenson was called up by the Reds. Three days later, he
doubled twice and singled against Houston in his first big league
start.

On the next-to-last day of the season, Stenson made three outstanding
catches in left field to preserve a win over Montreal. On the final
day, he homered in a 2-1 loss to the Expos.

"This is really awful," Davona Vojovich, a friend of Stenson's who was
outside Scottsdale Stadium, told the East Valley Tribune. "I can't
believe this happened."

It was uncertain when the last time an active major league player was
the victim of a homicide.

Atlanta pitcher Dave Shotkoski was shot to death during an apparent
robbery in West Palm Beach, Fla., on March 24, 1995. He was in the
Braves' camp trying to make the team as a replacement player during the
strike.

Former big league shortstop Gus Polidor was shot to death in April 1995
in Venezuela shortly after being cut by Montreal in his comeback bid.

California Angels star Lyman Bostock was killed by a shotgun blast in
September 1978 in Gary, Ind., while riding in a car.

The Arizona Fall League is designed to help develop some of baseball's
top prospects. League officials canceled games Wednesday and Thursday.