MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons 2013 Preview, Part 5: Third Basemen

Published on March 15, 2013 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Seth Mejias-Brean, a key component of the 2012 NCAA national champion University of Arizona Wildcats, appears to be in line to come to Dayton as the Dragons third baseman in 2013. He is considered to be one of the top infield prospects in the Cincinnati Reds organization.

Mejias-Brean is an elite athlete. He earned 10 varsity letters in high school in Tucson including four in baseball, three in football, and three in basketball. He was an Arizona Coaches Association all-state quarterback as a senior when he threw for 17 touchdown passes and ran for 13 more. As a basketball player, he made the All-Region team. He played in both the Arizona baseball and football state all-star games as a senior. On top of all that, he was also a member of the National Honor Society.

Mejias-Brean enrolled at the University of Arizona and spent three seasons there, playing in 182 of his team's 183 games (starting 176). He hit at least .310 all three years and his best year was his final season as a junior in 2012, when he batted .355. The weakness in his scouting report as a college player was a lack of home run power as he hit only two long balls over his three-year career. As a junior, he did contribute 22 doubles and most impressively, he collected 61 RBI in 65 games. He also stole 10 bases. He finished second on a national championship team in batting average and runs batted in and third in extra base hits, so he was clearly a major reason for the Wildcats success. He earned 3rd Team All-American and All-PAC 12 Conference honors. Mejias-Brean also carried a reputation as a tremendous defensive player at third base.

The low home run numbers caused Mejias-Brean to drop in the draft, but he still went in the eighth round, and once he began playing in the Reds organization, he began hitting homers. He spent the summer at Billings and hit .313 with eight home runs and 40 RBI in 46 games. His average actually stood at .354 with just 10 games to play but a late slump cost him 41 points. Between the college season and his time at Billings, he collected 101 RBI in just 111 games. Some adjustments at the plate allowed him to hit for more power without sacrificing contact. He had only eight more strikeouts than walks at Billings, an excellent ratio for a young player.

Mejias-Brean earned Reds Minor League Batter of the Month honors for his very first month in professional baseball, July of 2012, when he hit .388 at Billings. He put together a 22-game hitting streak, the longest in the Reds organization in 2012. His best game came in his 14th game with Billings when he went 5 for 5 with a triple, double, and three singles to raise his average at the time to .420. He was selected to the Pioneer League's full-season all-star team.

Baseball America rates Mejias-Brean as the #18 prospect in the Reds organization, the highest ranking of any infielder. On a Dragons team that could be loaded with quality talent in 2013, Mejias-Brean looks like a potential all-star.

Notable: Dragons 2002 third baseman Edwin Encarnacion played in 136 of the team's 140 games that season to tie a club record, batting .282. He spent five years with the Reds before being traded to Toronto in 2009. In 2012, Encarnacion hit 42 home runs to rank fourth in the American League...The Dragons third baseman in 2007, Juan Francisco, led the Midwest League in home runs. He is now with the Atlanta Braves...Current Reds starting third baseman Todd Frazier was the Dragons starting shortstop at the start of the 2008 season.

Where are Recent Dragons Third Basemen? Dragons 2010 third baseman Frank Pfister, one of the game's all-time nice guys, played independent ball in 2012 with Schaumburg in the Frontier League and hit .306 with 13 home runs in 96 games...Dragons 2011 third baseman David Vidal split the 2012 season between Advanced-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola, belting 18 home runs to tie for third in the organization. He hit .281 with Bakersfield and .230 with Pensacola...Dragons 2012 third baseman Junior Arias is still with the organization and could spend some time in the outfield in 2013. His could return to the Dragons this season.

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Midwest League Stories from March 15, 2013


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