Six Former Dragons Added to Reds Roster
Shortstop Didi Gregorius (2010 Dragons), first baseman Donald Lutz (2011 Dragons), second baseman Henry Rodriguez (2010 Dragons), first baseman Neftali Soto (2008 Dragons), and pitchers Kyle Lotzkar (2008, 2011 Dragons) and Pedro Villarreal (2010 Dragons) have been added to the Reds roster, protecting them from being selected by another team in the upcoming Rule V Draft. Twenty-six (26) of the 40 players currently on the Reds roster have played for the Dragons (up from 20 prior to the 2010 Rule V Draft).
With 26 former Dragons on the Reds roster, the number of Reds players who played in Dayton continues to rise. Entering spring training in 2009, there were 15 former Dragons on the Reds 40-man roster. The Reds went to spring training in 2010 with 19 former Dragons on the roster, and as mentioned, there were 20 entering spring training in 2011. In the Dragons 12-year history, 52 Dragons players have reached the Major Leagues, and 19 Major League players have played for the Dragons on injury rehabilitation assignments.
Lutz and Lotzkar were key members of this season's Dragons club that set a club record for victories while going 83-57 over the 2011 season. Lutz became just the second player in Dragons history to hit at least .300 and belt at least 20 home runs, joining Austin Kearns. Lutz finished at .301 with 20 homers and 75 runs batted in. Lotzkar made 14 starts for the Dragons this season, going 3-2 with a 4.32 earned run average.
Gregorius was the Dragons starting shortstop in 2010 when he appeared in 120 games and batted .273. He split the 2011 season between Single-A Bakersfield (.303) and Double-A Carolina (.270).
Rodriguez joined Gregorius as the other half of the Dragons double play combination in 2010, batting .307 with 14 home runs and 78 RBI. Like Gregorius, he split the 2011 season between Bakersfield (.340, 8 HR) and Carolina (.302, 5 HR).
Soto spent the second half of the 2008 season with the Dragons and his arrival keyed the club's climb to the playoffs. With Dayton that season, Soto hit .326 with seven home runs in 52 games. This season, Soto blasted 30 home runs with Carolina while batting .272.
Villarreal spent most of 2010 with the Dragons, serving as a starting pitcher throughout the first half and then moving to the bullpen. He posted a record of 4-7 with a 3.84 ERA. In 2011, Villarreal started the season with Bakersfield (4-3, 4.34 ERA in 10 starts) and then moved to Carolina (7-4, 4.42 ERA in 17 starts).
Other players currently on the Reds roster who played for the Dragons include catchers Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco; infielders Joey Votto, Zack Cozart, Todd Frazier, Paul Janish, Juan Francisco, and Chris Valaika; outfielders Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, Chris Heisey, and Dave Sappelt; and pitchers Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto, Travis Wood, Logan Ondrusek, Carlos Fisher, Jordan Smith, and Jeremy Horst. Additionally, pitcher Edinson Volquez played for the Dragons after reaching the Major Leagues.
The Rule V Draft from Jamie Ramsey, Cincinnati Reds Assistant Director of Media Relations:
RULE 5 DRAFT: All 30 Major League Baseball teams today will file their reserve lists for the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, scheduled for December 8 during the Winter Meetings in Dallas...any player eligible for the Rule 5 Draft who is not protected on a Major League 40-man roster may be selected by another team...eligibility for the draft depends on the player's age during the signing season of his first contract...generally, players who sign at age 19 or older are under a club's control for 4 seasons, while players who sign at age 18 or younger are under a club's control for 5 seasons...after the rosters are submitted, no team can promote a minor league player to its 40-man roster until after the Rule 5 Draft, though teams can remove players from their rosters to make room for a Rule 5 Draft selection.
The Dragons will open their 13th season in the Midwest League on April 5, 2012 against the West Michigan Whitecaps at Fifth Third Field.