Late bloomer

Steve Addy

Monday, June 3, 2002 | 10:11 a.m.

As a 28-year-old utility infielder in his first year of triple-A baseball, Las Vegas native Brian Dallimore is realistic about his chances of a major league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

That is, he has a lot of proving to do, and not much time.

"I know it's a long shot for someone my age. Normally your first year in triple-A, you're a little bit younger," Dallimore said. "I'm older than most (new) guys at this level."

With such a small window before he becomes a 30-year-old career minor-leaguer, Dallimore has begun to play with a sense of urgency in his first season with the Tucson Sidewinders. He led off the game with his second home run of the year Sunday as Tucson clobbered the 51s 10-3.

Dallimore, the son of retired longtime UNLV baseball coach Fred Dallimore, hopes moving into the leadoff spot five games ago put him in a comfort zone after a shaky first two months in the Pacific Coast League. Since bottoming out at .220, Dallimore has hit .324 in his last 10 games to climb back to .245.

That is nowhere near his .311 average of late April, or his .327 average from last year with the double-A El Paso Diablos, when he made the Texas League all-star team. But Dallimore believes he has turned his season around by making some recent batting adjustments.

He's become more patient at the plate, and is making better contact. Last year he was the toughest strikeout in the Texas League (one per 10.23 at-bats), and he feels he's regaining that form after fanning twice as often this season (31 in 155 at-bats, once every five trips).

"A week ago something really clicked, something I was doing well last year but hadn't been doing this year," said Dallimore, a 1992 Clark High graduate who played at Stanford from 1993-96.

"I have started relaxing and letting the ball get to me before I commit to anything. Before I was anticipating pitches, and I would commit to a fastball inside before I even saw a fastball inside. I would be really vulnerable to sliders, and that's why my strikeouts were so high."

Newly confident in his stroke, Dallimore is less certain about his place in the Diamondbacks' plans. Arizona got him from the Astros on April 20, 2000, and he can become a free agent after the season.

Dallimore, who turns 29 on Nov. 15, aims to show the Diamondbacks he can hit consistently and field second and third base equally well. He has seven errors in 46 games, including 41 starts.

"The first thing I have to do is put together a great season and show them I can handle the bat at this level," Dallimore said. "A lot of it has to do with whether the situation (in Arizona) calls for someone like me. It's something I can't worry about too much. After the season, I'll get an indication if there's interest by the Diamondbacks and other teams."

Dallimore had about 40 friends at Sunday's game, and his father saw him play May 16-18 in Sacramento. Fred Dallimore, who lives in Reno, guided UNLV to a 794-558 record from 1974-96.

"He says he's busy. He hunts and fishes a lot, and spends time with his grandkids," Brian said. "I know he's enjoying his (retirement)."