First Rounder Alex Blandino Joins Dragons

DAYTON, OHIO-The Dayton Dragons announced the following roster transactions today:

Shortstop Alex Blandino has been promoted to Dayton from Billings (Pioneer League).

Shortstop Carlton Daal has been placed on the disabled list with a sprained wrist.

Right-handed pitcher Scott Brattvet has been activated from the disabled list and transferred to Billings.

The Dragons roster remains at the Midwest League limit of 25 players.

Blandino was the second of two first round draft picks for the Reds in 2014 (29th overall selection in the draft) and gives the Dragons four first round picks on the current roster (joining Nick Travieso, Phillip Ervin, and Nick Howard). No Dragons club had ever included more than two first round picks at the same time prior to 2014.

Blandino opened his professional career by playing in 29 games at Billings, batting .309 with four home runs and 16 runs batted in. In 23 games in July, he hit .341 with all four of his homers and a slugging percentage of an outstanding .614.

Blandino was drafted by the Reds as a shortstop after playing third base at Stanford University, where he starred for three seasons. He was selected as a Baseball America 2nd Team All-American, Pac-12 All-Conference, and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team as a junior this spring, starting all 61 of his team's games at third base. He finished second in the conference in home runs (12) while batting .310 with 44 RBI. Stanford lost in the final game of the NCAA Super Regionals to eventual national champion Vanderbilt. Blandino was the highest of eight Stanford players drafted in June.

Daal has appeared in 95 games for the Dragons this season, batting .295 with one home run and 29 RBI.

Brattvet made 36 relief appearances for the Dragons, going 3-6 with a 4.08 earned run average and 10 saves.

The Dragons play at Lansing tonight against the Lugnuts at 7:05 p.m. (Radio: WONE-AM 980; daytondragons.com).

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