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MWL Dayton Dragons

Dragons GameDay for May 4

May 4, 2021 - Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


The Dayton Dragons open their 21st season tonight, on the road, at the Great Lakes Loons in Midland, Michigan at 6:05 p.m. The game can be heard on WONE 980 AM, at wone.com, and on the Dragons Mobile App as well as the iHeart App. The Dragons home opener is Tuesday, May 11 vs. the Lansing Lugnuts at Day Air Ballpark at 7:05 p.m.

Dragons GameDay

Tuesday, May 4, 2021 l Game # 1

Dow Diamond l Midland, Mich. l 6:05 p.m.

Radio: Fox Sports 980 WONE

Dayton Dragons (0-0) at Great Lakes Loons (0-0)

RH Lyon Richardson vs. RH Bobby Miller

Today's Game: The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) meet the Great Lakes Loons (affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers) in the 2021 season opener for both teams. This is the first game for the Dragons since September 2, 2019. This is the first game of a six-game series.

2021 Season Series: Dragons 0, Loons 0. The two clubs will meet 18 times in 2021 including 12 times in Dayton (June 8-13; July 13-18).

Notable Changes for 2021: Major League Baseball completed a restructuring of the Minor Leagues prior to the 2021 season. Those changes included the contraction of 42 affiliated teams since the last completed season in 2019, cutting the Cincinnati Reds player development system from seven stateside teams to five (Billings and Greeneville were contracted). Here are some of the most significant changes:

The league is now known as the High-A Central League after previously being referred to as the Midwest League.

The league has been reclassified to the High-A level of Minor League Baseball after being a "Low-A" league since the Dragons inception in 2000.

The league has been reduced from 16 teams to 12 (Burlington, Clinton, and Kane County were contracted while Bowling Green moved to a new league).

Each team in the High-A Central League is scheduled to play a 120-game schedule in 2021 (60 home games). This is down from 140 games in previous years.

League Opening Day in 2021 is May 4 for all teams, much later than the typical start date in recent years of April 3-9. The final date on the schedule this season is set for September 19 after teams closed the year on Labor Day (first Monday in September) in recent years.

All series in 2021 are scheduled for six games, Tuesday through Sunday. All teams will have Mondays off throughout the season.

Roster limits in 2021 have been set at 30 players after teams played for 25-player limits in recent years.

One significant rule change has been made in 2021 in the High-A Central League. Pitchers must now step back off the rubber before throwing to a base, a change that will have its greatest impact on left-handed pitchers. Both the snap throw to first and the "lift and hang" throw by a left-hander will now result in a balk call.

Team Notes

The Dragons roster is headlined by Reds top-10 prospect Michael Siani, a center fielder who spent the entire 2019 season with the Dragons when the club was classified as Low-A. Siani moves up a level on the Reds developmental ladder in 2021 (the 2020 season was canceled) and with the Dragons move up to the High-A classification, Siani returns to Dayton. Siani is listed by Baseball America as the "Best Athlete" and "Best Defensive Outfielder" in the Reds organization. He is ranked as the Reds 10th best prospect overall.

The Dragons roster includes three of the top 15 players in Baseball America's ranking of top Reds prospects. Along with Siani at #10, the roster includes right-handed starting pitcher Lyon Richardson, the #13 prospect, and right-handed starter Noah Davis, ranked #15.

Other Dragons players listed by Baseball America in their rankings are RHP Graham Ashcraft (#28) and OF Jacob Hurtubise (#41).

The Dayton roster features 11 players who have previous experience with the Dragons. Along with Michael Siani, the list includes 2019 starting pitchers Lyon Richardson, Ricky Salinas, and Eduardo Salazar; 2019 positional starters shortstop Miguel Hernandez, third baseman Juan Martinez, second baseman/outfielder Brian Rey, left fielder Mariel Bautista, and first baseman Bren Spillane. Relief pitcher Eddy Demurias returns to Dayton after spending all of 2019 with the Dragons. Second baseman Jonathan Willems, who spent part of the 2019 season with the Dragons, also returns.

Dragons second baseman/outfielder Brian Rey broke the club record for most RBI in a game on July 27, 2019 at Fort Wayne, driving in eight runs. He hit two home runs including a grand slam and also contributed a three-run double. The previous record of seven RBI was held by four players including Joey Votto and Adam Dunn. Rey had matched the record by the end of the second inning and broke it in the fourth with a solo homer.

Bren Spillane won the Big Ten Triple Crown in 2018 at the University of Illinois. He was also named 2018 Big Ten Player of the Year.

The Dragons roster features two players who were signed by the Reds out of Federal Service academies. Outfield prospect Jacob Hurtubise was signed out of West Point, where he was an All-American with Army in 2019, and pitcher Jake Gilbert, who played four seasons at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Upcoming Probable Pitchers (Game times are Dayton time) (All games on WONE 980 AM and www.daytondragons.com)

Wed., May 5 (6:05 p.m.): Dayton RH Eduardo Salazar at Great Lakes LH Robinson Ortiz

Thur., May 6 (6:05 p.m.): Dayton RH Noah Davis at Great Lakes RH Juan Morillo

Fri., May 7 (6:05 p.m.): Dayton RH Graham Ashcraft at Great Lakes RH Clayton Beeter

Sat., May 8 (6:05 p.m.): Dayton RH Ricky Salinas at Great Lakes RH Logan Boyer

Sun., May 9 (1:05 p.m.) Dayton RH Lyon Richardson at Great Lakes RH Bobby Miller

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