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Baseball America Selects 2023 Dragon Blake Dunn as Reds Minor League Player of the Year

September 26, 2023

Dayton, Ohio—Blake Dunn, star outfielder for the Dayton Dragons over the first two months of the 2023 season, has been selected by Baseball America as the Cincinnati Reds Minor League Player of the Year. Baseball America is the trade publication for Minor League Baseball and has covered the sport for

Dayton, Ohio—Blake Dunn, star outfielder for the Dayton Dragons over the first two months of the 2023 season, has been selected by Baseball America as the Cincinnati Reds Minor League Player of the Year.

Baseball America is the trade publication for Minor League Baseball and has covered the sport for more than 40 years, pioneering the creation of “top prospect” lists in the 1980’s. The Reds will name their official Minor League Player of the Year, known at the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award, at RedsFest on December 1. Dunn is certain to be one of the leading candidates for that award as well.

Dunn began the 2023 season with the Dragons and appeared in 47 games, logging more than 200 plate appearances, before being promoted to Double-A Chattanooga on June 6. While with the Dragons, he was named Reds Minor League Player of the Month and Midwest League Player of the Month for April when he batted .386 with five home runs, 11 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.240. Dunn finished his time with the Dragons with eight home runs and 19 stolen bases.

Dunn continued to play at an all-star level at Chattanooga and won the Southern League batting title, hitting .332 with the Lookouts while adding 15 home runs and 35 stolen bases. Combining his stats between Dayton and Chattanooga, Dunn became just the second Reds prospect in modern day Minor League Baseball history (starting in 1963) to compile at least 20 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. Gary Redus reached the same milestone in 1982 and was the only player prior to Dunn to reach the 20 homer/50 steal parameter.

Dunn’s final combined numbers in 2023 included 124 games played with a batting average of .312, 23 home runs, 54 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .425, a slugging percentage of .522, and an OPS of .947. Dunn was also known for his many amazing diving and leaping catches in the outfield.

The selection of Dunn marked the second straight year in which Baseball America selected, as Reds Minor League Player of the Year, a prospect who had started the year with the Dragons and finished with Chattanooga. In 2022, Elly De La Cruz followed the same path to earn the award.

Dunn was the Reds 15th round draft pick in 2021 out of Western Michigan University. He enjoyed a legendary high school career in Michigan, earning 16 varsity letters and setting records in four sports, competing in baseball, football, basketball, and track.

Dragons 2024 season ticket information is available now. Call the Dragons at (937) 228-2287 or email [email protected] for more information, or visit the Dragons website at daytondragons.com/seasontickets.

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