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MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Futures Team Roster Announced

March 30, 2017 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


DAYTON, OHIO-The 28-man Futures Team roster for the Cincinnati Reds Futures Game was released today. The Reds major league club will meet the Futures Team at 1:35 p.m. at Fifth Third Field on Saturday, April 1. The Futures Team includes top prospects from the Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels in the Reds organization. Gates will open for the game at 11:30 a.m. to allow fans to view Reds batting practice.

The Futures Team will include each of the top 10 position player prospects in the Reds organization, based on the Baseball America prospect rankings entering the 2017 season. The Futures Team is headed by Reds #1 prospect Nick Senzel. Several of the Reds top pitching prospects will also be part of the Futures Team roster.

Here are the top 10 position player prospects in the Reds organization, based on Baseball America rankings. All players on this list will play for the Futures Team on Saturday.

1. Nick Senzel, third baseman (#1 Reds overall prospect) 2. Taylor Trammell, outfielder (#5 Reds overall prospect) 3. Jesse Winker, outfielder (#6 Reds overall prospect) 4. Aristides Aquino, outfielder (#7 Reds overall prospect) 5. Tyler Stephenson, catcher (#10 Reds overall prospect) 6. Chris Okey, catcher (#14 Reds overall prospect) 7. T.J. Friedl, outfielder (#15 Reds overall prospect) 8. Shed Long, second baseman (#16 Reds overall prospect) 9. Phillip Ervin, outfielder (#18 Reds overall prospect) 10. Alfredo Rodriguez, shortstop (#22 Reds overall prospect)

Senzel, the Reds first round draft pick in 2016 out of the University of Tennessee, spent the last two months of the 2016 season with the Dragons and was outstanding. He batted .329 with seven home runs and 36 runs batted in, posting the highest slugging percentage in Dragons history (.567) for any player appearing in at least 50 games.

Trammell was a supplemental first round draft pick last June out of high school in Kennesaw, Georgia. He was the Reds second overall pick, behind Senzel. Trammell, rated by Baseball America as the "Best Athlete" and "Fastest Baserunner" in the Reds organization, was a football star in high school, rushing for over 2,500 yards and scoring 38 touchdowns in his senior season in 2015. He opened his professional career at Billings last summer, batting .303 with 24 stolen bases in 61 games. Trammell is expected to play for the Dragons in 2017.

Winker is the most advanced of any of the prospects on the Futures Team after batting .303 at the Triple-A level with Louisville in 2016. He spent the 2013 season with the Dragons and was the starting left fielder for the East Division team in the Midwest League All-Star Game in Dayton that season.

Based on the Baseball America rankings of Reds top prospects, the highest-rated pitcher who will compete in the Futures Game is former Dragon Tyler Mahle. Mahle spent the 2015 season with the Dragons and enjoyed a big year, earning the Reds Minor League Player of the Year award when he went 13-8 with a 2.43 ERA. He split the 2016 season between Double-A Pensacola and Advanced-A Daytona, posting a combined record of 14-6. Mahle fired a no-hitter in 2016 with Daytona. He is ranked as the #12 prospect in the Reds organization.

Futures Team Roster

Catchers: Tyler Stephenson, Chris Okey, Cassidy Brown

Infielders: Nick Senzel, Shed Long, Gavin LaValley, Alfredo Rodriguez, Alex Blandino, Blake Trahan, Taylor Sparks, Brantley Bell.

Outfielders: Taylor Trammell, Jesse Winker, Aristides Aquino, T.J. Friedl, Phillip Ervin, Sebastian Elizalde, Jose Siri.

Pitchers: Tyler Mahle, Luis Castillo, Jimmy Herget, Ariel Hernandez, Keury Mella, Ismael Guillon, Jackson Stephens, Jake Ehret, Sandy Lugo, Tanner Rainey.

Team Notes: Four former Reds #1 draft picks will play for the Futures Team (Nick Senzel, Tyler Stephenson, Alex Blandino, Phillip Ervin)...Nineteen (19) of the 28 players on the Futures Team roster have previously played for the Dragons...Six (6) players on the Futures Team roster are expected to remain in Dayton to play for the Dragons (Tyler Stephenson, Cassidy Brown, Brantley Bell, Taylor Trammell, T.J. Friedl, Jose Siri).

The Reds Futures Game will open the 2017 baseball season in Dayton. The game will mark the second Reds "Futures Game" at Fifth Third Field. The first, played on April 4, 2009, was the first of its kind in baseball and received national media attention.

The Reds defeated the Futures team, 9-6, in 2009 in a game that featured five home runs including shots by Edwin Encarnacion for the big league club and a three-run homer by then-prospect Todd Frazier, playing for the Futures Team, that landed on the roof of the concessions building in left field. Soon-to-be all-star Johnny Cueto was the starting pitcher for the Reds. The Futures Team also included Drew Stubbs, Chris Heisey, Zack Cozart, Devin Mesoraco, and Juan Francisco among others.

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