Chris Dickerson Represents Dragons in MLB Playoffs
Dayton, Ohio-When the Major League Baseball post-season begins tonight, former Dayton Dragons outfielder Chris Dickerson will be an active member of the New York Yankees. Dickerson was named to the Yankees playoff roster today and is the lone Dragons representative on a playoff roster. The Yankees meet the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Playoff Series with game one tonight at 8:37 p.m. (EDT).
Dickerson spent the 2004 season with the Dragons, batting .303 with four home runs, 34 runs batted in, and 27 stolen bases. Dickerson represented the Dragons in the 2004 Midwest League All-Star Game and was also selected to the full-season MWL All-Star Team.
Dickerson made his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 and also played for the Reds in 2009 and 2010. He was traded by the Reds to the Milwaukee Brewers on August 9, 2010 in exchange for outfielder Jim Edmonds, then dealt by Milwaukee to the Yankees for pitcher Sergio Mitre on March 25, 2011.
Dickerson appeared in 60 games for the Yankees this season, batting .260 with one home run and seven runs batted in. He has a .266 career batting average in 233 lifetime games in the majors.
The post-season rosters of the eight participants are also filled with many players who have played at Fifth Third Field in Dayton as Midwest League opponents. The list includes:
• Albert Pujols, first baseman, St. Louis Cardinals. Pujols spent the 2000 season with the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League, then jumped straight to the big leagues with the Cardinals the next season on his way to become the game's greatest hitter over the last decade.
• Prince Fielder, first baseman, Milwaukee Brewers. Fielder spent part of 2002 and all of '03 in the Midwest League with the Beloit Snappers. He hit 27 homers as a 19-year-old with Beloit in '03. Fielder first reached the majors in 2005 and broke out with a 50-homer season with Milwaukee in 2007.
• Justin Upton, right fielder, Arizona Diamondbacks. Upton began his professional career in the Midwest League with the South Bend Silver Hawks in 2006 and the entire season there. The next season, he debuted in the majors at the age of 19. Upton belted 31 home runs with Arizona this season.
• Ian Kinsler, second baseman, Texas Rangers. Kinsler hit .402 with the Clinton Lumber Kings in the first half of the 2004 season. He reached the majors in 2006 and has topped the 30 home run mark in two of the last three seasons, including 32 with the Rangers this season.
• Jon Jay, outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals. Jay spent the 2006 season with Quad Cities and hit .342 in 60 games. He reached the big leagues in 2010.
• Josh Collmenter, starting pitcher, Arizona Diamondbacks. Collmenter, a 10-game winner with the Diamondbacks this season, was one of the more recent members of the group to play at Fifth Third Field. He spent the entire 2008 season with South Bend and faced the Dragons on multiple occasions.
To date, 52 former Dragons players have reached the Major Leagues including 2010 National League Most Valuable Player Joey Votto as well as current Reds Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, Chris Heisey, Drew Stubbs, Homer Bailey, Ryan Hanigan, Logan Ondrusek, Paul Janish, Juan Francisco, Todd Frazier, Dave Sappelt, Devin Mesoraco, Jeremy Horst, Carlos Fisher, Zack Cozart, and Chris Valaika.