By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ryan Dempster laughs with teammates after playfully falling to the ground during the teams first full squad practice Thursday. (Jeff Swinger photo) | ZOOM |

SARASOTA, Fla. - Ryan Dempster has the stuff, temperament and stamina to be a No. 1 starter. The key, for Dempster, is not to try to pitch like one.

That's what he did in his first three starts after the Reds acquired him from the Marlins in a July 11 trade.

Dempster gave up 16 runs in 12 innings over those three starts - all losses. That was enough to take the happy out of a self-described happy-go-lucky guy.

"The mental grind of having failures wears on you," he said. "For every successful game I was having, I was having two or three unsuccessful ones after the trade. With anybody, it becomes a mental problem. You don't see the big picture. This is a game. It's about having a good time, joking and laughing. When you relax, you perform better."

Dempster finally took his own advice and eased up.

It worked. He went 3-0 in September and allowed only six runs over 25 innings (a 2.16 ERA).

"When he first got over here, he was overthrowing the ball," pitching coach Don Gullett said. "That makes it straighten out. We had him work the ball down in the zone and change speeds."

The Reds were in the pennant race at the time of the trade that sent Juan Encarnacion, Wilton Guerrero and Ryan Snare to the Marlins.

Dempster thought he'd be the guy to get the Reds over the hump. That added up to pressure.

"More so putting it on myself," he said. "Nobody else put it on me. I wanted to win 15 games after the All-Star break. It was an unfortunate learning process you have to go through."

That strong September helped ease Dempster's mind. He ended the season with a 10-13 record and a 5.46 ERA and feeling good about himself.

"Toward the end I felt like I was throwing the ball pretty well," he said. "It made me feel good, because the season ended on a really positive note. I was strong and had my stuff and my confidence back."

It led to a very nice offseason for Dempster. He moved to Denver, got engaged (he and fiancÈe Jenny are getting married in November) and enjoyed life.

"I had a really good time, relaxed. I enjoyed Denver," he said. "I love it there. It worked out good. Running in that high altitude got my lung capacity up."

The happiness will continue if Dempster returns to pitching the way he did in Florida in 2000 and 2001. He combined to go 29-22 in those two seasons. He was an All-Star in 2000.

Dempster is a candidate to be a top starter because he can pitch deep into games on a consistent basis. The last three years, he has thrown 226 1/3, 211 1/3 and 209 innings.

"He has great strength and stamina," Gullett said. "That gives him the potential to (be a No. 1 starter)."

Dempster is only 25. Not many 25-year-olds have two Opening Day starts and 848 major-league innings on their resume.

Starting the year with the Reds, Dempster says, is good for him.

"It's easier coming into spring training with a fresh start," he said. "I already feel like I've been with this team awhile. Everyone has made me feel really comfortable. It's an easier adjustment coming in at spring training than in the middle of the year."

Dempster certainly is a candidate to start Opening Day. He was Florida's in 2001 and 2002.

But, again, he doesn't want to pressure himself.

"Everybody wants to start Opening Day," he said. "But to me, it doesn't matter if I'm pitching in the one or the five hole. Starting Opening Day is great. But that's not a concern of mine going into spring training. I wanted to come in here fresh and have fun."

Improving on that 10-13 record would make having fun easier.

"I keep my goals to myself," he said. "I'm a goal-setter. I've reached some in the past. Last year, I didn't reach as many as I wanted to. "