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Today’s story is about a promising ballplayer who was murdered in the Arizona Fall league.

Dernell Stenson was on the cusp of big league stardom back in ’03.

After grinding through eight seasons in the minor leagues, he finally got his shot in the MLB, donning the Cincinnati Reds uniform for 37 games that year.

While he wasn’t yet an everyday player, he was crushing it in the AFL that offseason.

Through 18 games for the Scottsdale Scorpions, Dernell was hitting .394.

His teammates liked him, and the Reds organization was optimistic about his future in Cincy.

It was a time of promise and potential.

But things took a horrifying turn for the worst on November 5th.

At around 1:45 am, his lifeless body was discovered on a Chandler, Arizona street.

It was clear from the jump that this case was a homicide.

Stenson had been bound by his hands and feet, shot execution-style, and run over with his own vehicle.

Initially, police thought his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Gaddis, might have something to do with it.

Just two weeks earlier, Stenson had gone to the police seeking protection from Gaddis because of some threatening texts she’d sent him.

But as the investigation unfolded, the focus shifted.

Five days after the murder, police charged Reginald Riddle (19) and David Griffith (20) with first-degree murder, robbery and kidnapping.

His half-brother Kevin Riddle (43) was also charged with auto theft and hindering the prosecution.

A fourth suspect, Robert Lee Maye (32) was also charged with hindering the investigation.

But charges were dropped once it was discovered that he was part of the federal witness protection program.

The chilling truth of that night emerged.

Stenson had gone out for a few drinks with friends in Scottsdale when Riddle and Griffith attempted to rob him outside a nightclub.

The robbery went awry, and they ended up shooting Dernell when he tried to escape.

It was a senseless and completely avoidable killing.

The devastating end to his life left a lot of "what ifs" that will never be answered, and it’s a reminder that in this game called life, every inning counts.

BASEBALL TRIVIA

Find the answer at the bottom of this email!

IT WAS ALL A DREAM

You might know Jamie Cooper from the world-famous Greatest All Stars Dream Scene, but he is also the man behind the Yankees Dream Scene, and the Phillies Dream Scene.

One thing I love about Jamie’s work is his attention to detail.

Dozens of stories are woven into the fabric of his art, and each piece is like a good book - you’ll find something new every time you look at it.

If you want to own an epic piece of baseball history, use the code DEADLEGENDS to get $15 off any print on the site.

STRANGE NAMES

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is:

Known affectionately as "Buttercup," Louis Pessano Dickerson acquired his nickname from the famed comic opera, H.M.S. Pinafore.

While many folks give him credit for being the first Italian-American in the big leagues, some people say he might not have been Italian at all.

But let's not get too hung up on that.

He played in three different major leagues over a seven-year period, had a .284 lifetime batting average, and recorded 500 knocks.

Not bad, Buttercup.

THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE

If you like this story, check out some of our past favorites:

• The Young Gun: 15-year-old kid debuts in the big leagues

• The Fix: One of baseball’s earliest gambling scandals

• The Outlaw: Live hard, die hard

BASEBALL TRIVIA ANSWER: Cincinnati Red Stockings