Betts: Pressure? What pressure? Dessureault follows brother to Stetson
ABC’s Esteban Dessureault ((Trois Rivières, Que.), shown here on Scout Day, is competing in his third Canadian Futures Showcase. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays Academy
September 20, 2024
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
If following in your brother’s college footsteps is supposed to bring about a lot of pressure, Académie de baseball du Canada infielder Esteban Dessureault (Trois Rivières, Que.) didn’t get the memo.
Dessureault, competing at his third Canadian Futures Showcase this week, is fresh off a commitment to Stetson University.
It’s a family name and an institution that are quickly becoming synonymous with one another.
Esteban’s older brother, Yohann, has produced a .268 average to go along with 23 home runs, 94 RBIs and a .817 OPS through three seasons at the school. He’ll commence his senior campaign in February.
Quite the path to leave for a sibling.
And when it came time to make a decision, it was a clear one for him to go down.
“I committed late, so I wanted to make sure I got every opportunity I could get,” Esteban said.
“I feel like Stetson is the best place for me and also my brother went there so I know what it’s going to be like. I know what the coaches are like and the fields like.”
As is the case with any recruitment effort, play on the field only tells coaches part of the story of who a player is.
For the Dessureault’s, it’s the type of people they are off the field that clearly put them over the top with the Stetson brass.
“I think he played a big role in my recruitment, he’s a guy with an awesome work ethic,” Esteban said of his brother.
“He kind of showed them that Dessureault’s are great players but also great teammates and great guys.”
While there are plenty of similarities when it comes to the intangibles, the physical abilities of the two differ.
“He’s mostly a contact hitter with speed but I’m more of a power hitter than he is,” Esteban said of his second baseman brother despite him hitting 11 home runs in 2023.
“I’m a bigger guy, more power.”
But what about that pressure?
The one that’s supposed to come trying to fill the shoes of an older brother that, to date, has played 156 games and counting with a season to go in DeLand, Fla.
Well, it doesn’t exist, at least not to Esteban.
“Not really, quite the opposite, honestly,” he said of any pressure he’s feeling ahead of arriving on campus in the fall of 2025.
“I feel like a lot of pressure is off me now that I’m committed. Especially at Stetson, they know who he is, they know who I am, so it’s a lot of pressure coming off my shoulders.”
With just under a year until he begins his college career, Esteban wants to work on his athleticism and speed to make himself a more well-rounded player.
He’s already started playing right field, left field and has experience at third base.
But in the immediate future, as he stands down the right field line at Rogers Centre, he’s focused on maximizing his experience at this year’s Showcase.
“I would say the first one, I was kind of a little stressed trying to play well or play better than I’d be able to,” he said of 2022.
“This year, it’s a showcase to let scouts know what I’m able to do. I’m having fun and enjoying the moment. I want to let everyone know who I am and let the Dessureault name be associated with being one of the best players.”