MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons 2013 Preview, Part 7: Starting Pitchers

Published on March 20, 2013 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


The Dragons starting pitching prospectus is filled with outstanding young arms. It is a relatively young group that likely will feature only one pitcher over the age of 21 and only one pitcher with college experience. Still, the depth and quality of the candidates would match up favorably with many of the best staffs in Dragons history, featuring three of the top 10 overall prospects in the entire Reds organization and the #1 pitching prospect.

Robert Stepenson is rated by Baseball America as the top pitching prospect and #2 overall prospect in the Reds organization, second only to former Dragon Billy Hamilton. Stephenson was the Reds first round draft pick in 2011 out of high school in Martinez, California. He made eight starts for the Dragons late in the 2012 season and in his first inning with the club, he fired a pitch that registered at 101 mph on the scoreboard at Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan where the Dragons battled the Great Lakes Loons. As his season continued, he proved to be the hardest-throwing pitcher in Dragons history. His fastball with the Dragons last season generally ranged from 95-97. Some say he throws harder than any Reds starting pitching prospect since Don Gullett arrived at Riverfront Stadium in 1970.

Stephenson, 20, has only 65 innings of professional experience, but his command last season was better than expected for a teenage fireballer. He walked 23 batters over those 65 innings and struck out 72 while opponents hit just .222. His ERA between his eight Dayton starts and another seven at Billings was 3.18. The Reds limited Stephenson to a maximum of five innings per start in 2012 and likely will increase that number in 2013. He may not remain in Dayton all season, but when Stephenson steps onto the mound at Fifth Third Field, he will rank among the best pitching prospects ever to wear a Dragons uniform.

Ismael Guillon (gee-OWN) is viewed by many as the second best left-handed pitching prospect in the Reds system, trailing only Triple-A southpaw Tony Cingrani. Guillon is on the Reds 40-man roster and threw two scoreless innings for Cincinnati this spring before being optioned to Dayton last week. Overall, Baseball America rates Guillon as the #8 prospect in the Reds organization.

Guillon features perhaps the best change-up in the entire Reds farm system to go along with a fastball of 88-90 mph. He signed with the Reds as an international free agent from Venezuela in 2009 and opened his professional career the next season with a solid year in the Arizona League. He endured a rough 2011 season in which he lost command of his pitches for most of the season at Billings, but bounced back strong in 2012. Guillon made 10 starts at Billings in 2012, going 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA to earn a promotion to Dayton. With the Dragons in four starts, he went 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA. Guillon, 21, would give the Dragons a very impressive 1-2 punch with Stephenson.

Dan Langfield is yet another outstanding arm, ranked as the #10 overall prospect in the Reds organization by Baseball America. No Dragons team has ever featured three pitchers ranked among the Reds top 10 prospects, but if Stephenson, Guillon, and Langfield all come to Dayton, this will be the first. Langfield was the Reds third round draft pick in 2012 out of the University of Memphis, where he spent three seasons and became the third-highest drafted player in school history. His junior year, 2012, was his best, as he led Conference USA in strikeouts and was a 1st Team All-Conference selection. He went 7-6 with a 2.79 ERA and finished his career ranked third in school history in strikeouts.

Langfield went to Billings after signing with the Reds. As is often the case with pitchers who have just finished a full college season before turning professional, Langfield's pitch limits were kept low. He threw 37 innings at Billings, going 3-0 with a 2.68 ERA. He struck out 54. Over his last seven games, he allowed a total of three runs in 21.1 innings. Langfield, 22, features a fastball that can reach the mid-90's. His father, Paul, played Minor League Baseball in the Blue Jays and Tigers systems.

Drew Cisco is the grandson of Galen Cisco, a captain on the 1957 Ohio State University football team that won the national title. Galen went on to pitch in the Major Leagues, then serve as a big league pitching coach for five different clubs from 1971-2000. Galen lives in the town he grew up in, St. Mary's, Ohio.

Drew, 21, is a native of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. He was drafted by the Reds out of high school in the sixth round in 2010. He signed too late to pitch that season and then injured his elbow in 2011 and missed the entire season. He returned to pitch effectively at Billings in 2012, going 4-1 with a 3.39 ERA in 15 starts. Eliminating Cisco's one bad start, his ERA in his other 14 outings was 2.44. His control is exceptional. He walked just seven batters all season in 58.1 innings (three of them in the one bad start). He was at his best in the most clutch situations. With runners on base and two outs, opposing batters went just 3 for 29 (.103) against Cisco on the year. Cisco entered the 2011 season ranked as the #12 prospect in the Reds organization, but the injury and resulting "Tommy John" surgery dropped him out of the top 30. With a good year for the Dragons in 2013, he would jump back onto the list.

Sal Romano is another outstanding young pitching prospect with limited experience. A native of Connecticut, he was signed to play college baseball at the University of Tennessee when the Reds drafted him in 2011. His college commitment caused him to drop to the 23rd round, but Romano and the Reds were able to negotiate a deal and he turned professional. Romano, 19, has excellent size at 6'5", 220 lbs., a fastball that can get into the mid-90s with movement, and a curve and change-up that show promise. As a pitcher from a cold-weather state without any experience beyond high school, his development is not as advanced as some of the other prospects, but the Reds love his potential. He played at Billings last season and went 5-6 with a 5.32 ERA in 15 starts. He allowed only one home run all season and had some excellent games, but is looking to become more consistent. Baseball America ranks him as the #29 prospect in the Reds organization.

Wes Mugarian, 21, could be a candidate for the Dayton starting rotation or bullpen and could also be a candidate to make the Bakersfield roster. Mugarian was drafted by the Reds in the fifth round in 2010 out of high school in Pensacola, Florida. His first full season of professional baseball came in 2011 at Billings when he made 15 starts and went 4-5 with a 5.80 ERA. He returned to Billings in 2012 going 1-1, 3.21 in just three starts before a promotion to the Dragons last July. He made 12 appearances (six starts) with Dayton, going 3-3 with a 5.55 ERA.

Nick Travieso, the Reds first round draft pick in 2012, could join the Dragons later in the 2013 season, much like '11 first rounder Robert Stephenson did in 2012.

Notable: 2006 Dragons pitcher Johnny Cueto finished fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2012 with the Reds, going 19-9 with a 2.78 ERA. He ranked third in the league in ERA, third in wins, tied for first in starts, and fifth in innings pitched. Cueto is fifth among all Major League pitchers under age 27 in career victories with 60...2005 Dragon Homer Bailey fired the first Reds no-hitter in 24 years on September 28, 2012 at Pittsburgh. Bailey had four 10-strikeout games last season including one in the playoffs.

Where are Recent Dragons Starting Pitchers? From the 2010 Dragons: Pedro Villarreal spent most of 2012 at Triple-A Louisville but also pitched briefly for the Reds. He will start 2013 back in Louisville. Josh Ravin and Tim Crabbe both split the 2012 season between Advanced-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola. Both could go back to Pensacola this season. J.C. Sulbaran was traded to Kansas City last season as part of a deal that brought Jonathan Broxton to Cincinnati. Jacob Johnson pitched for the Dragons again in 2012 after missing all of 2011 with a shoulder injury. Justin Walker retired before the 2011 season. Ricky Bowen pitched for Ft. Myers, the Advanced-A club for the Minnesota Twins last season. From the 2011 Dragons: Daniel Corcino enjoyed a solid year in 2012 with Double-A Pensacola, is on the Reds 40-man roster, and is expected to go to Louisville in 2013. All-Star Josh Smith had a good year at Bakersfield and should be at Pensacola this season. Daniel Renken also spent the year at Bakersfield and struggled but will try to make the Pensacola team this spring. Kyle Lotzkar split the 2012 season between Bakersfield and Pensacola and will start in Pensacola in 2013. Tanner Robles and Stalin Gerson both split the season between Dayton and Bakersfield and likely go back to Bakersfield in 2013. Others from the 2012 Dragons: James Allen and Radhames Quezada are likely in line to start in Bakersfield this season. Justice French, who made six strong starts in Dayton before spending the rest of the year in Bakersfield, will try to make the Pensacola roster this spring but could also go back to Bakersfield.

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