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MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons 2016 Team Preview, Part 1: Catchers

March 1, 2016 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton Dragons Catcher Chad Tromp
Dayton Dragons Catcher Chad Tromp
(Dayton Dragons)

This will be an active week for 2016 Dayton Dragons players and coaches. On Thursday, all Reds Minor League coaches, pitchers, and catchers will report to the spring training complex in Goodyear, Arizona. A few of the Minor League coaches, such as new Dragons manager Dick Schofield, have already been in Arizona for several days as participants in Major League camp, but all the coaches, along with the pitchers and catchers, will be on hand by Thursday. The remaining position players are due in camp by Wednesday, March 9.

On March 17, the Minor League spring training games will begin. Each of the approximately 200 Minor League players will be tentatively assigned to one of the four Reds full-season Minor League team rosters and open a 16-game spring schedule against other organizations. The Dragons first game on March 17 will match them again the Great Lakes Loons, the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Minor League rosters will be fluid throughout the spring. As the Reds trim their Major League spring roster from its current number of 63 players to the opening day limit of 25, it will create a domino effect with the Minor League rosters. For example, when a player is sent down from big league camp and assigned to the Triple-A Louisville Bats spring roster, a player from the Louisville team will be sent to Double-A Pensacola, and so on. For that reason, the group of players who open the spring schedule with the Dragons on March 17 might barely resemble the group that boards the plane for Dayton on April 3.

The Dragons will open their 17th season in the Midwest League on Thursday, April 7 in Bowling Green, Kentucky when they battle the Bowling Green Hot Rods at 7:35 p.m. (hear the game on WONE 980-AM and at DaytonDragons.com). The Dragons annual home "Opening Day" game is Saturday, April 9 at 4:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Field, also against Bowling Green.

Over the next 24 days, we will provide an eight-part preview of the 2016 Dayton Dragons.

Dayton Dragons 2016 Team Preview, Part 1: The Catchers

Players listed here are candidates for positions on the 25-man Dragons season-opening roster. This preview is an unofficial projection of possible roster candidates. Minor League rosters are not established until April 4. Spring training variables including performance, injuries, trades, and additional player acquisitions will impact the roster accordingly.

Catchers

Candidates: Tyler Stephenson, Chad Tromp, Mitch Trees.

Over the Dragons history, 13 Reds "true" first round draft picks (not including supplemental first rounders) have played for the Dragons, starting with Austin Kearns in 2000. The list also includes Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, and Devin Mesoraco (*see complete list at end of preview). In 2016, the number is expected to increase to 14 when catcher Tyler Stephenson plays for the Dragons.

Stephenson was the Reds first round pick in 2015 when he was selected with the 11th overall choice in the draft out of Kennesaw Mountain High School in Kennesaw, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Stephenson was the highest drafted catcher by any team in 2015, and the fourth highest high school pick in the entire draft.

For decades, the Reds rarely selected a catcher in the first round, taking only two in their history over a 42-year period from the time the draft began in 1965 until taking Mesoraco in 2007. Then in 2010, they took another catcher, Yasmani Grandal, in the first round. Grandal was traded a year later to the Padres as part of the package to acquire starting pitcher Mat Latos. In 2015, the Reds took Stephenson, making him their third catcher selected in the first round over a nine-year period. Tyler Stephenson is not related to Reds 2011 first round pick Robert Stephenson, a right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Dragons in 2012-'13 and is now on the doorstep of reaching the Major Leagues.

Tyler Stephenson, 19, was rated by Baseball America as the fourth best prospect in the Reds organization in their 2016 Prospect Handbook, making him the most highly-rated catcher ever to play for the Dragons (assuming he does start the year in Dayton). For the record, both Mesoraco and Grandal were rated as the Reds #6 prospects in the year after they were drafted.

Stephenson is a big body for a catcher at 6'4", 225 lbs. During his high school season last spring, Stephenson batted .415 with eight home runs and 25 runs batted in. He received some attention for a home run against a rival team in a high school playoff game that appeared on YouTube and came after the opponent had intentionally walked Stephenson in each of his first three plate appearances in that game. Stephenson's high school coach, George Hansen, described the blast in a story by C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"It was one of those things, that he hit it so hard and it got out of the field so quickly - we have this massive row of pine trees and oaks behind our field - and I'm not kidding you, the ball was still traveling up as it cleared all of those trees," Hansen said to Rosecrans. "Even the fans from the opposing team, they were clapping. It wasn't like some 370-foot shot that barely cleared the outfielder's glove, it was one of those jaw-dropping, 'did-we-just-see-what-we-thought-we-saw' moments."

After signing with the Reds, Stephenson played at Billings and batted .268 with 15 doubles and one home run in 54 games, typically hitting fifth in the batting order. In a poll of managers in that league, Stephenson was picked as the circuit's second best prospect, trailing only Brendan Rodgers, who was the third overall pick in the draft last summer and top high school selection. Scout projections indicate that Stephenson could eventually hit 15-20 home runs per season, though he has a line-drive oriented swing. He also has an advanced approach as a hitter for a player that is less than one year removed from high school. Stephenson has a strong arm behind the plate.

Stephenson will make the jump to Dayton in his first full year of professional baseball as a high school draft pick, an accomplishment that has been rather rare in recent years. It has been very common for a college draft pick to begin his first full season as a pro in Dayton, but for high school picks, that has not been the case. Looking back at some of the Reds highly regarded high school-drafted prospects in recent years, most began their first full season in extended spring training. Mesoraco opened the 2008 season in extended spring camp after being drafted the previous summer, then joined the Dragons later that year. Pitchers Robert Stephenson, Nick Travieso, and Jackson Stephens were on similar timelines, beginning their first full seasons in extended spring training before joining the Dragons later in the year. Players like Billy Hamilton, Tucker Barnhart, and Kyle Waldrop did not reach Dayton until their third years (or second full seasons).

Conversely, in 2013, outfielder Jesse Winker started his first full season with the Dragons after being a high school draft pick in 2012, and Winker became a Midwest League all-star. In 2015, third baseman Gavin LaValley also jumped to Dayton to start his first full season after being drafted out of an Oklahoma high school in 2014. It is not an easy jump for a 19-year-old as the Midwest League is filled with 22-year-old pitchers out of strong college programs, but even though it has not happened frequently, in a few cases, players have shown that it can be done.

The Reds added Corky Miller to the Dayton coaching staff for home games and some road games in 2015, and Miller will be in the same role in 2016. He will get the chance to work with Stephenson.

In most seasons, the Dragons 25-man roster has included two catchers, but the possibility exists that they could carry three in 2016, giving Stephenson the chance to stay in the lineup as a designated hitter on days when he is not catching, while still having an extra catcher available on the bench in the event of an injury.

Chadwick Tromp was one of the most pleasant surprises for the Dragons in 2015. He joined the club from extended spring training on June 14 and served as the third-string catcher for about a month, spending most of his time warming up pitchers in the bullpen. But when Tromp, a native of Aruba, got occasional chances to play, he performed well. On July 18, the Reds released backup catcher Jose Ortiz, allowing Tromp to move up a spot in the pecking order. At the end of the season, Tromp's batting average stood at .293 in 24 games. He did not have a home run, but did contribute eight doubles, and played strong defense. Tromp, who will turn 21 years old later this month, will be a candidate to make the jump to Advanced-A Daytona to share time with 2015 Dragons catcher Garrett Boulware, but he could also begin the season with the Dragons. His career batting average of .292 over 64 professional games is noteworthy.

Mitch Trees is an interesting prospect. He attended the same high school as Dragons manager Dick Schofield (Sacred Heart-Griffin in Springfield, Illinois), where he led his team to a 38-4 record and to within one out of a state championship as a senior in 2014. He batted .389 with a team-leading five home runs, but most notably, Trees was considered to be one of the finest defensive catchers in the entire nation with extraordinary catch-and-throw skills. The Reds selected Trees in the 11th round of the 2014 draft as he passed up a chance to play collegiately at the University of Louisville.

The start of Trees' professional career in 2014 had to be a nightmare for the young prospect. His report date to the Reds Rookie-level affiliate Goodyear Reds was delayed due to a bout with mononucleosis. By the time he got to Goodyear, his team's season was already well underway, and he struggled mightily to catch up. He went 0 for 21 over his first seven games before collecting his first hit with about a week to go in the season. In 2015, he played at Billings, but with the first round investment in Tyler Stephenson on the roster, Trees was again in a difficult position, playing only on a limited basis. He hit two home runs in his first four games at Billings, but finished the year at just .179 in 34 games and struggled with a high strikeout total. He was actually hitting .259 at the midpoint of the season, but finished with a 5 for 52 slump as he may have worn down in his first exposure to the long pro season that began in March and ended in September.

Still, Trees' defensive skills made a strong impression on everyone. Corky Miller, who visited other Reds affiliates when the Dragons went on the road, is one of Trees' biggest fans and feels that his potential is exciting. The Reds will have to decide how to maximize the playing time for Trees without taking away from Stephenson, one of the top catching prospects in all of Minor League Baseball.

*Other first round draft picks to play for the Dragons (listed with year/s with Dragons; year drafted in parenthesis):

2014 Nick Travieso (2012), RHP

Phillip Ervin (2013), OF

Nick Howard (2014), RHP

Alex Blandino (2014), SS

2013 Robert Stephenson (2011), RHP

Nick Travieso (2012), RHP

Phillip Ervin (2013), OF

2012 Robert Stephenson (2011), RHP

2008 Devin Mesoraco (2007), C

2007 Drew Stubbs (2006), OF

2006 Jay Bruce (2005), OF

2005 Homer Bailey (2004), RHP

2002 Chris Gruler (2002), RHP

2003 Chris Gruler (2002), RHP

2001 David Espinosa (2000), SS

2000 Ty Howington (1999), LHP

Austin Kearns (1998), OF

Next up: The first basemen

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics




Images from this story

Dayton Dragons Catcher Chad Tromp
Dayton Dragons Catcher Chad Tromp
   



Midwest League Stories from March 1, 2016


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