Sports stats



MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Announce 2016 Roster

April 4, 2016 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton Dragons Outfielder Narciso Crook
Dayton Dragons Outfielder Narciso Crook
(Dayton Dragons)

Dayton, Ohio - The Dayton Dragons announced their 2016 team roster today, as assigned by the Cincinnati Reds. The current roster includes 26 players. One roster move will be made prior to the Dragons Midwest League season-opener on Thursday at Bowling Green to get the Dragons to the Midwest League limit of 25.

Tyler Stephenson, the Cincinnati Reds #1 draft pick in 2015 and the fourth highest-drafted high school player in the nation last June, will serve as the Dragons starting catcher in 2016. Stephenson becomes the 14th Reds first round draft pick to play for the Dragons, joining a list that began with Austin Kearns in 2000 and has also included Homer Bailey, Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, Devin Mesoraco, and Robert Stephenson (no relation to Tyler).

The Dragons roster will also include James Vasquez, the Most Valuable Player of the Arizona League in 2015, and Ty Boyles, the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year last season. One of the Reds two second round selections in 2015, right-handed pitcher Tanner Rainey, will be part of the Dragons starting pitching rotation.

The Dayton roster includes seven players who have spent all or part of a previous season with the Dragons. They include outfielders Narciso Crook and Argenis Aldazoro, second baseman Shed Long, shortstop Cory Thompson, starting pitchers Ty Boyles and Franderlyn Romero, and relief pitcher Jeremy Kivel. Crook and Kivel spent the entire 2015 season with the Dragons.

Roster Highlights

Tyler Stephenson was the first catcher selected in the 2015 draft. He was rated by Baseball America as the Reds #4 overall prospect and top catching prospect in the organization following the 2015 season, making him the highest-rated catcher ever to suit up for the Dragons. He was named by Baseball America as the "Best Pure Hitter" in 2015 Reds draft class. Following the draft, he opened his professional career with Billings in 2015 and was voted by Pioneer League managers as the second best prospect in the circuit. Stephenson batted .415 with eight home runs and 25 runs batted in as a high school senior in 2015.

James Vasquez was drafted by the Reds last June out of the University of Central Florida and enjoyed a huge first season of professional baseball with Goodyear in the Arizona League. He was named the league's MVP and nearly won the Triple Crown. He won the batting title with an average of .359 and led the league in homers with nine. He finished second in RBI with 36.

Ty Boyles was the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year with Billings and spent the last three weeks of the season with the Dragons. At Billings, the left-hander posted a 2.17 earned run average in 10 starts, which would have easily led the league if not for his promotion to the Dragons as he finished two innings short of the minimum number needed to qualify.

Tanner Rainey will serve as a starting pitcher for the Dragons after being selected in the second round of the 2015 draft out of the University of West Alabama. At West Alabama, he was a two-way player as a first baseman and pitcher. He started every game at first base as a senior in 2015 and set the school's single-season home run record with 19 in 53 games, batting .386 with a slugging percentage of .842. On the mound, he pitched in 26 of his team's 53 games, working 28.1 innings and posting a 4-1 record with nine saves and a 1.59 ERA. He struck out 50 hitters in those 28.1 innings, featuring a fastball that reportedly reached 97 mph. The Reds drafted Rainey as a pitcher. He is rated as the #17 overall prospect in the Reds organization by Baseball America.

Narciso Crook played in 105 games for the Dragons in 2015, serving as the team's primary center fielder. He led the Dragons in home runs with nine while batting .236. He enjoyed a strong finish to the season, batting .319 with five home runs over his last 27 games.

Shed Long spent the last three months of the 2015 season with the Dragons, batting .283 with six home runs in 42 games. Like Crook, he enjoyed an excellent finish, batting .337 over his last 25 games. His time with the Dragons included a 14-game hitting streak and an inside-the-park home run at Fifth Third Field.

Brantley Bell is the son of longtime Major League player and coach Jay Bell. He is expected to serve as the Dragons starting third baseman. Bell was drafted by the Reds last summer and had a strong first season at Billings, batting .275. His average stayed above the .300 mark until the final week of the season.

The 2016 Dragons will be led by manager Dick Schofield, pitching coach Derrin Ebert, hitting coach Luis Bolivar, and catching coach Corky Miller.

Dayton Dragons 2016 Roster

Catchers: Tyler Stephenson, Mitch Trees, Jose Duarte.

Infielders: James Vasquez (1B), Shed Long (2B), Shane Mardirosian (2B/LF), Cory Thompson (SS), Brantley Bell (3B), Hector Vargas (utility), Mitch Piatnik (INF/OF).

Outfielders: Argenis Aldazoro, Narciso Crook, Jose Siri.

Starting Pitchers: Ty Boyles, Jacob Constante, Jose Lopez, Tanner Rainey, Franderlyn Romero.

Relief Pitchers: Manuel Aybar, Ariel Hernandez, Jake Johnson, Jeremy Kivel, Juan Martinez, Sarkis Ohanian, Austin Orewiler, Jesus Reyes.

The Dragons open the 2016 season on Thursday, April 7 in Bowling Green, Kentucky against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at 7:35 p.m. Opening Day at Fifth Third Field is Saturday, April 9 when the Dragons host Bowling Green at 4:00 p.m. Call (937) 228-2287 for ticket information.

All home and road games can be heard on WONE Radio (980 AM) and on the internet at daytondragons.com and wone.com. Saturday's game will be televised on Dayton's CW, Channel 26 (Time Warner Cable channels 13 and 1013; DirecTV and Dish Network channel 26).

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics




Images from this story

Dayton Dragons Outfielder Narciso Crook
Dayton Dragons Outfielder Narciso Crook
   



Midwest League Stories from April 4, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central