MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Announce Tentative Opening Night Roster

Published on April 4, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


DAYTON, OH -The Dayton Dragons, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Reds, announced their tentative 25-man Opening Night roster today. The Dragons begin their 11th season in the Midwest League on Thursday, April 8th when they host the Lansing Lugnuts at 7:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Field. Manager Todd Benzinger, hitting coach Ken Griffey, and pitching coach Tony Fossas give the Dragons one of the most credible coaching staffs in league history.

The Dragons 2010 roster will not be finalized until Thursday. The tentative roster announced today includes catcher Kevin Coddington, who represented the Dragons in the 2009 Midwest League All-Star Game. Also on the roster is outfielder Byron Wiley, who led the '09 Dragons in slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

The roster includes 14 players who spent all or part of 2009 with the Dragons. This gives the Dragons an edge in experience over their opening night roster last season when only seven players began the year with the club after playing in Dayton the previous year.

The roster includes 12 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders, and four outfielders. Here are some names that Dragons fans can expect to see:

Kevin Coddington, catcher: Coddington was one of two Dragons players to play in the All-Star Game last season. His return to Dayton was unexpected but came about after the Reds determined that former #1 draft pick Devin Mesoraco ('08 Dragons) would be best served by repeating the Advanced-A level for a second straight year. The decision to assign Mesoraco to Lynchburg bumped Coddington to Dayton.

Byron Wiley, outfielder: Wiley batted .275 for the Dragons in 2009 and belted 12 home runs while driving in 64 runs. He became just the third player in franchise history to hit three home runs in one game when he accomplished the feat on July 5 at West Michigan.

Andrew Means, center fielder: Means was the talk of spring training when he showcased his tremendous athleticism in Goodyear, Arizona. A former wide receiver at Indiana University, Means enters this season dedicated strictly to baseball after splitting his time between the ballpark and the gridiron in past years. He stole 19 bases in 19 tries with the Dragons in 2009, batting .262 in 53 games.

DiDi (pronounced Dee-Dee) Gregorius (gruh-GORE-ee-us), shortstop: Based on Baseball America's rankings, Gregorius is the top Major League prospect on the Dragons roster. He is ranked as the 15th best prospect in the Reds organization. He hit .314 at Rookie-level Billings in 2009 and is considered strong defensively.

Donnie Joseph, left-handed relief pitcher: Joseph is the top left-handed relief prospect in the entire Reds organization. He was drafted in the third round in 2009 out of the University of Houston and appeared in 16 games with the Dragons, 31 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.

Chris Richburg, first baseman: Richburg was the 1st Team All-Big 12 Conference first baseman last spring at Texas Tech and was an all-state wide receiver as a high school football player in football-crazy Texas.

J.C. Sulbaran, starting pitcher: Sulbaran returns to the Dragons after spending '09 in Dayton. He is probably the most recognizable name on the roster to fans outside the Reds organization because of his experience and successes on national television as a member of TEAM Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics.

Kevyn Feiner, utility man: Feiner is a familiar name to Dragons fans after spending all of 2008 and part of '09 in Dayton. He is a high-energy player whose versatility allows him to play almost any position on the field.

Players on the roster who played with the Dragons in 2009 include Coddington, Wiley, Means, Joseph, Sulbaran, and Feiner as well as pitchers Ezequiel Infante, Junior Martinez, Josh Ravin, Justin Walker, and Chase Ware; catcher Jordan Wideman; third baseman Frank Pfister; and outfielder Alex Oliveras.

2010 Roster

Starting Pitchers: Josh Ravin, Brian Pearl, Pedro Villarreal, J.C. Sulbaran, Jacob Johnson.

Relief Pitchers: Donnie Joseph (closer), Nick Christiani, Ezequiel Infante, Junior Martinez, Doug Salinas, Justin Walker, Chase Ware.

Catchers: Kevin Coddington, Mark Fleury, Jordan Wideman.

Infielders: Chris Richburg (1B), Henry Rodriguez (2B), Frank Pfister (3B), DiDi Gregorius (SS), Shane Carlson (2B-3B), and Kevyn Feiner (2B-3B-OF).

Outfielders: Efrain Contreras, Andrew Means, Alex Oliveras, Byron Wiley.

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from April 4, 2010


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