Dayton Dragons

Last updated

Dayton Dragons
Dayton Dragons logo.svg Dragons cap.PNG
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class High-A (2021–present)
Previous classes Class A (2000–2020)
League Midwest League (2022–present)
DivisionEast Division
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Team Cincinnati Reds (1999–present)
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles (0)None
Division titles (6)
  • 1988
  • 1993
  • 1994
  • 2001
  • 2011
  • 2021
Team data
NameDayton Dragons (2000–present)
Previous names
  • Rockford Reds (1999)
  • Rockford Cubbies (1995–1998)
  • Rockford Royals (1993–1994)
  • Rockford Expos (1988–1992)
MascotsHeater, Gem, and Wink
Ballpark Day Air Ballpark (2000–present)
Previous parks
 Marinelli Field (1988–1999)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Palisades Arcadia Baseball LLC
General managerRobert Murphy
Manager Bryan LaHair

The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most consecutive sellouts by a professional sports team, selling out their 815th consecutive game, breaking the record formerly held by the Portland Trail Blazers. [1] [2]

Contents

The Dragons came to Dayton in 2000 as the franchise was relocated from Rockford, Illinois. The franchise was previously known as the Rockford Expos (then Royals, Cubbies, and Reds). In 2021, the Dragons and 11 other teams that had previously competed in the Midwest League entered the High-A Central as Major League Baseball completed a large restructuring of the minor leagues. This was a temporary name change, with the historical "Midwest League" moniker returning for the 2022 season. [3]

Day Air Ballpark

The team's home park is Day Air Ballpark in Dayton, formerly (until 2020) known as Fifth Third Field. During its first season, the Dragons set a Minor League Baseball Class-A single-season attendance record of 581,853. The Dragons broke that record in 2003 and again in 2004. [4] The Dragons broke the record again in 2010 with a season attendance total of 597,433, which still stands as the Class-A record.

The Dragons have averaged 8,258 fans per game over their 21-year history (through the 2021 season). They have led the Class-A level in attendance in every year of their existence and have finished first among all teams below the Triple-A level for 15 straight seasons from 2006 to 2019 and in 2021-22 (there was no season in 2020). [5] In 2022, the Dragons' per-game average attendance of 7,935 was first among all 120 teams across Minor League Baseball. [6]

On July 9, 2011, the Dragons officially set a new record of 815 consecutive sellout games. [7] The sellout streak is the longest across all professional sports in the US, passing the previous record set by the Portland Trail Blazers from 1977 to 1995. [8] [9] On May 10, 2014, the streak of consecutive sellouts reached 1,000 games. After announcing the sellout streak was in jeopardy at the beginning of the 2023 season, [10] the streak reached 1,500 games on August 26, 2023. [11] According to the official team website, every home game in the team's first 20 years (prior to the canceled 2020 season) was a sellout. [12] The streak (which was "paused" in 2020 due to the season being cancelled, and again in 2021 due to all minor league ballparks opening with reduced capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions) now stands at 1,441 consecutive sold-out games (through the end of the 2022 season), an all-time record for sports in North America. [13] [6]

In 2020, the team's stadium was renamed from Fifth Third Field to Day Air Ballpark. [14]

Ownership

In 2014, the founding ownership group, Peter Guber's Mandalay Baseball Properties, sold the team to Palisades Arcadia Baseball LLC, led by Greg Rosenbaum, Nicholas Sakellariadis, and Michael Savit. [15]

Achievements

Elly De La Cruz with the Dayton Dragons in 2022. Elly De La Cruz.jpg
Elly De La Cruz with the Dayton Dragons in 2022.

Season-by-season records

SeasonRegular SeasonPostseason
WonLostWin %FinishWonLostWin %Result
20007067.5114th in MWL East23.400Defeated West Michigan in League Quarterfinals, 2–1
Lost to Michigan in League Semifinals, 2–0
20018257.5902nd in MWL East22.500Defeated Lansing in League Quarterfinals, 2–0
Lost to South Bend in League Semifinals, 2–0
20027367.5214th in MWL East02.000Lost to West Michigan in League Quarterfinals, 2–0
20036178.4396th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20044892.3436th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20056079.4326th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20066773.4795th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20077862.5573rd in MWL East12.333Lost to South Bend in League Quarterfinals, 2–1
20086672.4782nd in MWL East22.500Defeated Lansing in League Quarterfinals, 2–0
Lost to South Bend In League Semifinals, 2–0
20095980.4254th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20105385.3848th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20118357.5931st in MWL East12.333Lost to Lansing In League Quarterfinals, 2–1
20126078.4358th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20136574.4686th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20146870.4933rd in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20157168.5115th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20164793.3368th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20177169.5074th in MWL East33.500Defeated West Michigan in League Quarterfinals, 2–1
Lost to Fort Wayne in League Semifinals, 2–1
20185880.4208th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
20195882.4147th in MWL East–––Did not Qualify
202000.000Season Canceled–––No playoffs
20216555.542T-1st in High-A Central East–––Did not Qualify
20226761.5231st Half: 2nd in MWL East
2nd Half: 4th in MWL East		---Did not Qualify
20236765.5081st Half: 2nd in MWL East
2nd Half: 4th in MWL East		---Did not Qualify
TOTAL14971664.474—1116.407—

Major league alumni

Through the 2023 season, 117 Dragons players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball since the team's move to Dayton in 2000. The following are notable players whose minor league career included playing for the Dayton Dragons, including the years they played in Dayton.

Managers and coaches

The Dragons have had 12 managers in their history:

Additionally, past Dragons coaching staffs have included three inductees into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame as players:

Media

Radio: All Dragons home and road games are broadcast on radio on 980 WONE, with Tom Nichols as the lead broadcaster. The broadcasts are also available via the internet at daytondragons.com and wone.com and on mobile devices via the Dragons mobile app. Dragons radio broadcasts moved to WONE starting with the 2011 season after Dragons games aired on WING 1410 AM from 2003 to 2010 and on WHIO 1290 AM from 2000 to 2002. Nichols has served as the Dragons Director of Broadcasting and lead play-by-play announcer since the 2008 season. Mike Vander Woude was the team's primary broadcaster from 2000 to 2007. All home and road games have been broadcast throughout the Dragons history.

Television: The Dragons have televised 25 games per season since the 2011 season with Dragons Director of Broadcasting Tom Nichols serving as the lead announcer. In 2016, telecasts moved to WBDT (Dayton's CW) as games appeared on an over-the-air network station for the first time in Dragons history. [32] Since the 2016 season, WDTN sports director Jack Pohl has teamed with Nichols on Dragons television broadcasts. From 2001 to 2010, the Dragons television schedule included 15 games per season before the number of broadcasts was increased to 25 in 2011. The Dragons televised five games in their inaugural season of 2000. Dragons games were televised on WHIO-TV digital channel 7.2 (Time Warner Cable channels 23 and 372) from 2009 to 2015. [33] Games were televised on Time Warner Cable from 2000 to 2008. Over the years, Dragons color commentators on television broadcasts have included Joe Nuxhall, Ken Griffey Sr., Tom Browning, Ron Oester, Bill Doran, Tommy Helms, Todd Benzinger, Doug Bair, Jeff Reboulet, and Hal McCoy, among others. [34]

Roster

Dayton Dragons roster
PlayersCoaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 25 Jose Acuna
  •  5 Julian Aguiar
  • 31 Dennis Boatman
  • 17 Brooks Crawford
  • 15 Thomas Farr
  • 19 Myles Gayman
  • 21 Jake Gozzo
  • 35 Owen Holt
  • -- Andrew Jordan ‡
  • 34 John Murphy
  • 10 Hunter Parks
  •  2 Chase Petty
  • -- Patrick Raby ‡
  • 27 Javi Rivera Injury icon 2.svg
  • 16 Braxton Roxby
  •  9 Carson Rudd
  • 32 Jayvien Sandridge
  • 38 Vin Timpanelli

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

  • 20 Ashton Creal
  •  7 Austin Hendrick
  • 30 Wendell Marrero
  •  4 Jack Rogers
  • 14 Justice Thompson


Manager

  • -- Vince Harrison, Jr.

Coaches

  • -- Brian Garman (pitching)
  • -- José León (hitting)
  • -- Jefry Sierra (coach)

60-day injured list

Injury icon 2.svg 7-day injured list
* On Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated January 26, 2024
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB  •  Midwest League
→ Cincinnati Reds minor league players

Player milestones in Dayton Dragons history

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References

  1. ↑ "Dragons Break All-Time Sports Sell-Out Record". Dayton Dragons News. Milb.com. April 18, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Dayton Dragons Break Sellout Record". WHIOtv.com. July 11, 2011. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  4. ↑ "History | Midwest League About". Web.minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Dragons Lead Class-A in Attendance Again". Dayton Dragons. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  6. 1 2 DAYTON DRAGONS 2022 YEAR IN REVIEW
  7. ↑ "Dragons Break All-Time Sports Sell-Out Record". milb.com. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Dayton Dragons all time professional sellout streak MLB".
  9. ↑ Neumann, Thomas (July 8, 2011). "Dayton Dragons break Portland Trail Blazers' sellout streak". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  10. ↑ Digby, Matthew (March 23, 2023). "Dragons hoping to keep sellout streak going". WKEF. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ Digby, Matthew (August 26, 2023). "Dragons reach milestone for sellout streak". WKEF. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Dragons Sell-Out Streak Reaches 1,000". milb.com. May 10, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Dragons 2018 Season Review" (PDF). milb.com. September 7, 2018.
  14. ↑ Gnau, Thomas (January 29, 2020). "Dayton Dragons to rename stadium Day Air Ballpark". WHIO-TV. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Focus is on Dayton, Dragons' new owners say". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  16. 1 2 Wilson, Reggie (November 29, 2018). "Dragons' Robert Murphy named Minor League Baseball Executive of the Year". Dayton 24/7 Now. Sinclair Broadcast Group. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  17. ↑ "About the Dayton Dragons".
  18. ↑ Samuels, Holly. "Dragons knock record out of the park". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Dragons Attendance again High in National Rankings". milb.com. September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  20. ↑ Dragons Selected as Organization of the Year. Dayton.dragon.milb.com (August 23, 2011). Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
  21. ↑ Dragons enter playoffs with best record in team history. Daytondailynews.com (September 6, 2011). Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
  22. ↑ Dragons End Regular Season with Record-Breaking Win. Web.minorleaguebaseball.com (September 5, 2011). Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
  23. ↑ Dragons pitchers set MWL record. Daytondailynews.com (September 4, 2011). Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Dragons are finalist for team of the year award". milb.com. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  25. ↑ Jablonski, David (November 20, 2012). "Dragons Claim Minor League Baseball's Top Honor". Daytona Daily News. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  26. ↑ Major Award Winners, milb.com
  27. ↑ Klebnikov, Sergei (July 8, 2016). "Minor League Baseball's Most Valuable Teams – 3. Dayton Dragons". Forbes. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Dayton Dragons vice president wins top minor league award". Dayton Daily News. November 10, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Dragons Support of Military Nominated for Award". DaytonDragons.com. October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Dragons Honored by DBJ as Customer Service Business of the Year". DaytonDragons.com. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Robert Murphy Crafts a Culture of Success". BaseballAmerica.com. November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  32. ↑ Pendleton, Marc F. (March 21, 2016). "Dragons partner with CW". Dayton Daily News . Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  33. ↑ Katz, Marc (April 3, 2009). "Dragons like their viewership chances". Dayton Daily News . Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  34. ↑ Dragons on TV Wednesday, milb.com, August 26, 2014.
  35. ↑ Thrasher, Don (April 10, 2015). "Dayton Dragons: The History of a Beloved Hometown Team". Dayton Daily News . mydaytondailynews.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Dayton Dragons 2017 Media Guide" (PDF). April 1, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  37. ↑ Rosecrans, C. Trent (July 31, 2017). "Reds prospect Jose Siri sets Midwest League record with 36-game hitting streak". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Cincinnati.com. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
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