Dragons Announce Roster--Two Most Recent Reds #1 Picks to Play in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio—The Dayton Dragons, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Reds, announced a prospect-filled Dragons projected opening night roster today that includes the Reds last two top draft picks. The Dragons will open their 24th season in the Midwest League at Day Air Ballpark on Friday, April 5th against the Lansing
Dayton, Ohio—The Dayton Dragons, in conjunction with the Cincinnati Reds, announced a prospect-filled Dragons projected opening night roster today that includes the Reds last two top draft picks. The Dragons will open their 24th season in the Midwest League at Day Air Ballpark on Friday, April 5th against the Lansing Lugnuts at 7:05 p.m.
For information on Dragons season tickets, group tickets, or single-game tickets, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.
The Dragons projected opening night roster is headed by Rhett Lowder, the Reds first round draft pick (seventh overall pick) in 2023 out of Wake Forest University, who will make his professional debut in 2024. Lowder enjoyed one of the finest seasons in college baseball history in 2023 at Wake Forest, earning First Team All-American honors and his second straight Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year Award.
The Dragons roster also includes third baseman Cam Collier, the Reds first round draft pick (18th overall pick) in 2022. Collier, just 19 years old, played for Single-A Daytona in 2023. This is only the third time in Dragons history that the Dayton roster will feature the Reds two most recent number one draft picks (this also occurred in 2000 and 2014).
The Dragons roster is also loaded with many other high-level prospects within the Reds organization. In fact, five of the top-10 Reds prospects on the Baseball America Reds top-30 list will start the season in Dayton. The Dragons will also feature center fielder/second baseman Carlos Jorge (Reds #6 prospect); third baseman Sal Stewart (Reds #7 prospect), and middle infielder Leonardo Balcazar (Reds #8 prospect).
Additionally, shortstop Victor Acosta is ranked #19 by Baseball America, and outfielder Hector Rodriguez is ranked #20, giving the Dragons seven players ranked among the Reds top-20 by Baseball America. Outfielder Ethan O’Donnell and Jay Allen II do not appear on the Baseball America Reds top-30 list, but they are both on the MLB Pipeline Reds top-30 list, with O’Donnell at #23 and Allen at #25, giving the Dragons nine players within the Reds top-25 on the MLB Pipeline list.
The Dayton roster includes 15 players who spent all or part of the 2023 season with the Dragons, including fan-favorite first baseman Ruben Ibarra, who finished tied for the team lead in both home runs (18) and RBI (63) last season. Ibarra is eight home runs short of the all-time Dragons franchise record of 30 by Chris Williamson, who played for the Dragons in 2000-02.
The Dragons roster includes six players selected by the Reds in the first three rounds of the draft including Lowder and Collier; Jay Allen II (Supplemental 1st round, 2021); Sal Stewart (Supplemental 1st round, 2022); Logan Tanner (2nd round, 2022); and Bryce Hubbart (3rd round, 2022).
Here is the Dragons projected opening night roster:
Pitchers: Kevin Abel, Pedro Alfonseca, Brock Bell, Ryan Cardona, Tanner Cooper, Arij Fransen, Myles Gayman, Johnathan Harmon, Bryce Hubbart, Brody Jessee, Rhett Lowder, Jared Lyons, Joseph Menefee, Luis Mey, Graham Osman, Javi Rivera, T.J. Sikkema.
Catchers: Cade Hunter, Logan Tanner.
Infielders: Victor Acosta, Leonardo Balcazar, Cam Collier, Yan Contreras, Ruben Ibarra, Jose Serrano, Sal Stewart.
Outfielders: Jay Allen II, Carlos Jorge, Ethan O’Donnell, Hector Rodriguez.
Lowder will be one of the biggest prospects in Dragons history. He is currently ranked as the Reds #2 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline (Lowder is #1 among active players; the highest-rated prospect on both lists, Noelvi Marte, is currently inactive). In 2023, Lowder was named Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and ACC Male Athlete of the Year, ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year, and First Team All-American. He went 15-0 with a 1.87 ERA, walking just 24 with 143 strikeouts in 120.1 innings, and led the nation in wins while finishing fourth in ERA and strikeouts. He also earned ACC Pitcher of the Year in 2022 and is one of only two pitchers ever to win ACC Pitcher of the Year in consecutive seasons. In 2023, he led Wake Forest to its first berth in the College World Series since 1955. In the 2023 College World Series, Lowder fired seven scoreless innings against eventual national champion LSU in his final college appearance.