Elmer Dessens was born on January 13, 1971 in Hermosillo, Mexico. At age 10, he worked as a newspaper boy. Dessens graduated from Carrera Technical High School. He is married to Lorenia and has three sons, Elmer Jr., Erick, Edward Dessens enjoys fishing and is a Los Angeles Lakers fan.
Dessens was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in. He made his major league debut with the Pirates in and pitched with them until.
Dessens stayed with the Diamondbacks until August, when the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired him for a minor leaguer to bolster their bullpen for the stretch run. That October, Dessens pitched in the postseason for the first and, to date, last time, appearing in one game during the Dodgers' Division Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Dessens pitched one more season for the Dodgers, then became a free agent in the offseason.
Prior to the 2006 season, Dessens signed with the Kansas City Royals.
Second Stint with Dodgers
In July, the Dodgers reacquired Dessens from the Royals for pitcher Odalis Pérez and two minor leaguers, again to bolster their bullpen. While the Dodgers did win the wild card that season, Dessens did not appear as the Dodgers were swept in the Division Series to the New York Mets.
In early August he was released by the Brewers, but a few days later he signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies. He started 5 games for the Rockies, going 1–1 with a 7.58 ERA. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
Second Stint with Pirates
In January 2008, Dessens signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was released during spring training.
After pitching the final game of the league championship against the Sultanes de Monterrey, he signed a major league contract with the Atlanta Braves in August. After the season, Dessens again became a free agent.
New York Mets
In February, Dessens signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. Dessens made his Mets debut on June 23, 2009 against the St. Louis Cardinals. He was designated for assignment on July 30. He had his contract purchased on August 6, 2009, when Jon Niese was placed on the 60-Day disabled list. In December 2009, Dessens signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets for the 2010 season.
On February 8, 2011, it was reported that Dessens had signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants that included an invitation to spring training. However, on February 14, it was reported that the deal fell through.
