Dragons Field Staff

Todd Benzinger, Manager (2nd year with Dragons)

Benzinger made his professional baseball managerial debut with the Dragons in 2009. Despite a slow start, the Dragons improved dramatically over the course of the year and finished just one game short of qualifying for the Midwest League playoffs. Benzinger, a Cincinnati-area native who now resides in West Chester, played for the Reds from 1989-'91 and was the first baseman on the Reds 1990 World Series champions. Benzinger recorded the final out of the series when he caught Carney Lansford's foul pop to end game four and complete the Reds' sweep. He spent nine years as a player in the major leagues with the Reds, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, and Giants, playing in 924 major league games. Benzinger was signed by the Red Sox after being selected in the fourth round in the 1981 draft. He reached the major leagues with the Red Sox in 1987 before being acquired by the Reds prior to the 1989 season. He hit 17 home runs while batting .245 for the Reds in '89, playing in 161 of the team's 162 games. In 1990, he appeared in nine of the Reds' 10 post-season games including all four World Series games after playing in 118 regular season games for Cincinnati and batting .253. He was traded by the Reds to Kansas City in 1991 and concluded his major league playing career in 1995. Benzinger was an All-American at New Richmond (Ohio) High School.

Tony Fossas, Pitching Coach (2nd year with Dragons)

Fossas enjoyed a 21-year professional playing career and pitched in the major leagues for all or parts of 12 seasons with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Rangers, Brewers, Mariners, Cubs, and Yankees. Despite not reaching the major leagues until the age of 30, Fossas pitched in 567 big league games from 1988 until 1999. He was originally signed as a 12th round pick of the Rangers in 1979. Known as one of baseball's best situational left-handed relievers, Fossas finished third in the American League in games pitched in 1993 with 71 appearances out of the Red Sox bullpen. His best season came in 1995 with the Cardinals when he pitched in 58 games and allowed only six runs, posting a 1.47 earned run average with a 3-0 record. In 1996, Fossas appeared in five of the seven National League Championship Series games for the Cardinals against the Atlanta Braves.

Ken Griffey, Batting Coach (1st year with Dragons)

Griffey brings legendary credentials to the Dragons dugout. He is a member of the Reds Hall-of-Fame, three-time National League All-Star and Most Valuable Player of the 1980 Major League All-Star Game, former Major League hitting coach, and the right fielder on the Big Red Machine teams of the 1970's that won World Series titles in 1975-76. Griffey enjoyed a 19-year Major League playing career from 1973-'91. He played for the Reds for 12 years from 1973-'81 and then returned from 1988-'90. He posted a career batting average of .296 and collected 2,143 hits. Griffey finished second in the National League in batting average at .336 in 1976 with a Reds club that won its second straight championship, sweeping the Phillies in the NLCS and then winning four straight games over the Yankees in the World Series. He played in the All-Star Game in 1976, '77, and '80. Griffey was a member of the Reds National League Western Division champions of 1973, '75' 76' and '79 as well as the 1981 team that posted the best record in baseball but failed to make the playoffs in a strike year. He hit over .300 five times with the Reds and generally hit second in the batting order between Pete Rose and Joe Morgan. Griffey served as a Major League coach for the Reds from 1997-'01. He is the father of 13-time Major League All-Star Ken Griffey, Jr., who ranks fifth on the all-time career home run list. The two became the first-ever father and son teammates in the Major Leagues with Seattle in 1990 and connected on back-to-back home runs on September 14, 1990.