Dayton Dragons

Dayton Dragons Founded in 1988 Dayton, Ohio
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-level
Single A
Minor league affiliations
Midwest League (1988–present) Eastern Division
Major league affiliations
Cincinnati Reds (1999–present) Chicago Cubs (1995–1998) Kansas City Royals (1993–1994) Montreal Expos (1988–1992)
Name
Dayton Dragons (2000–present) Rockford Reds (1999) Rockford Cubbies (1995–1998) Rockford Royals (1993–1994) Rockford Expos (1988–1992)
Ballpark
Fifth Third Field (2000–present) Marinelli Field (1988–1999)
Minor league titles
League titles	None
Division titles	1994, 1993, 1988, 2011
Owner(s)/Operated by: Mandalay Sports Entertainment
Manager: Delino DeShields
General Manager: Gary Mayse

The Dayton Dragons are a Class A minor league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. They play in the Midwest League at Fifth Third Field.

The Dragons came to Dayton in 2000. They were previously a franchise based in Rockford, Illinois and were called the Rockford Expos (1988–1992), Rockford Royals (1993–1994), Rockford Cubbies (1995–1998), and Rockford Reds (1999).

Fifth Third Field

The team's home park is Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio.

During its first season the Dragons set a class A baseball attendance record of 581,853. Dayton broke that record in 2003 when 590,382 fans—ranking seventh in all of minor league baseball—went through the turnstiles, and again in 2004 with 593,663 paying fans.

The Dragons average 8,375 fans per game, or 116% of capacity. The Dragons have been the top Class A team in attendance every year of their existence, and have set and re-broken the record for Class A attendance three times. On April 17, 2007, the Dragons enjoyed their 500th consecutive sellout.

On July 9, 2011, the Dragons officially set a new record of 815 consecutive sellout games. The sellout streak is the longest across all professional sports in the U.S. passing the previous record set by the Portland Trail Blazers from 1977–1995.

Facts

• Voted as one of the top ten hottest tickets to get in ALL of professional sports by Sports Illustrated.
• The Dragons have led the Midwest League and all of Single A baseball in total season attendance since 2011.
• Had a total 2010 attendance of 597,433
• Averaged 8,535 fans in attendance per game in 2010
• On July 9, 2011, set the new record of the most consecutive sold out games (815 total) in all of professional sports.
• Notable part-owners of the team include former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin and basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
• In 2011, Ballpark Digest named the Dragons the "Minor League Baseball Organization of the Year." This honor came during a year in which they set the all-time professional sports sellout streak of 815 (they finished the season at 843 consecutive sellouts); finished 1st in the Midwest League Eastern Division and had the overall best Midwest League record (.593); set franchise records for wins (83–57), wins in a half (48–22 during the second half, which was also the best record among the 80 teams in the seven full-season Minor League Baseball leagues that split their seasons), road wins (38), and wins in a month (22 in August); set franchise records for team ERA (3.39) and shutout wins (14); set a Midwest League pitching record for strikeouts (1,292); and set a franchise record for stolen bases (224, including 103 by shortstop Billy Hamilton, which was the 9th highest total ever for a Minor Leaguer).

Year-by-year Records

Team	Year	Regular Season				Post Season
		Won	Lost	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
DAY	2000	70	67	.511	4th in MWL East	2	3	.400	Lost to Michigan in League Semifinals
DAY	2001	82	57	.590	2nd in MWL East	2	2	.500	Lost to South Bend in League Semifinals
DAY	2002	73	67	.521	4th in MWL East	0	2	.000	Lost to West Michigan in League Quarterfinals
DAY	2003	61	78	.439	6th in MWL East	–	–	–	–
DAY	2004	48	92	.343	6th in MWL East	–	–	–	–
DAY	2005	60	79	.432	6th in MWL East	–	–	–	–
DAY	2006	67	73	.479	5th in MWL East	–	–	–	–
DAY	2007	78	62	.557	3rd in MWL East	1	2	.333	Lost to South Bend in League Quarterfinals
DAY	2008	66	72	.478	2nd in MWL East	2	2	.500	Lost to South Bend In League Semifinals
DAY	2009	59	80	.425	4th in MWL East	–	–	–	–
DAY	2010	53	85	.384	8th in MWL East	–	–	–	–
DAY	2011	83	57	.593	1st in MWL East	1	2	.333	Lost to Lansing In League Quarterfinals

Former players

Many former Dragons players have gone on to play in the MLB. Some notable players include:

• Austin Kearns (2000)
• José Acevedo (2000)
• Ray Olmedo (2000)
• Adam Dunn (2000)
• John Koronka (2001)
• Wily Mo Peña (2001)
• Edwin Encarnacion (2001–2002)
• Todd Coffey (2002–2003)
• Miguel Perez (2003–2004)
• Joey Votto (2003–2004)
• Chris Dickerson (2004)
• Homer Bailey (2005)
• Johnny Cueto (2006)
• Jay Bruce (2006)
• Logan Ondrusek (2006)
• Drew Stubbs (2007)

Personnel

The Dragons have had six managers in their history:

• Freddie Benavides (2000)
• Donnie Scott (2001–2003, 2007–2008)
• Alonzo Powell (2004–2005)
• Billy Gardner, Jr. (2006)
• Todd Benzinger (2009–2010)
• Delino DeShields (2011–present)

The Dragons are broadcast on 980 WONE, with Tom Nichols and Mike Couzens as the broadcasters.

Roster

Dayton Dragons roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 40 Mitch Clarke  6 Daniel Corcino 32 Pat Doyle 29 Stalin Gerson 13 Drew Hayes 35 Blaine Howell 24 Jacob Johnson 10 Luca Panerati 20 Brian Pearl 23 Tanner Robles 28 Chad Rogers 16 Josh Smith 19 Daniel Wolford		Catchers  8 Tucker Barnhart 14 Chris Berset Infielders 30 Dominic D'Anna -- Brandon Dailey  4 Billy Hamilton  9 Frank Pfister 21 David Vidal Outfielders  5 Theo Bowe 33 Juan Duran 25 Jaren Matthews -- Brennan May 18 Kurtis Muller 11 Drew Poulk 38 Yorman Rodriguez 12 Jefry Sierra		Manager 90 Delino DeShields Coaches -- Tom Browning (pitching) 26 Alex Pelaez (hitting) 7-day disabled list * On Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated January 14, 2012 Transactions → More rosters

External links

• Dayton, Ohio, in the Midwest League
• Dayton Dragons web site
• Twitter @DaytonDragons
• Dayton Dragons Dayton Daily News