DAYTON, OHIO-The Dayton Dragons, in partnership with the Cincinnati Reds, today announced a 26-player roster. A final Opening Day roster of 25 players will be established prior to the Dragons Midwest League season-opening game on Thursday at the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The Dragons 19th home Opening Day game is set for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 7 against Bowling Green at Fifth Third Field.

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The Dragons roster is headlined by 18-year-old pitcher Hunter Greene , the second overall selection in the 2017 baseball draft. Greene, who was regarded as the top amateur prospect in the nation from the time his fastball was clocked at 102 mph as a 16-year-old, arrives in Dayton with tremendous anticipation. Plans for the start of Greene's season have been the source of speculation from sports media and fans over the last several months, and the Reds have elected to assign Greene to the Dragons to start the year.

The Dragons roster provides an exciting mix of premium young prospects and experienced MWL veterans. The roster includes three of the top 12 players in Baseball America's ranking of top Reds prospects, as well as six of the top 30. The Dayton roster also features eight players who have previous experience with the Dragons including several who have been key contributors in past years.

Dragons 2018 Roster

Starting Pitchers: Hunter Greene, Packy Naughton , Mac Sceroler , Tyler Mondile , Wendolyn Bautista .

Relief Pitchers: Luis Alecis , Tyler Buffett , John Ghyzel , Ryan Nutof , Sarkis Ohanian , Austin Orewiler , Connor Ryan , Cory Thompson .

Catchers: Mark Kolozsvary , Hendrik Clementina , Morgan Lofstrom .

Infielders: Jeter Downs , Jose Garcia, Montrell Marshall , John Sansone , Leandro Santana , Hector Vargas.

Outfielders: Narciso Crook , Stuart Fairchild , Miles Gordon , Andy Sugilio .

Greene, out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, was ranked by both MLB.com and Baseball America as the top prospect in the 2017 draft. He is currently listed as the #2 prospect in the Reds organization (behind former Dragon Nick Senzel ). Greene is also rated by Baseball America as the "Pitcher with the Best Fastball" in the Reds system. As a high school senior in 2017, Greene was 3-0 with a 0.75 earned run average as he notched 43 strikeouts with only four walks in 28 innings.

Infielder Jeter Downs is ranked as the #11 prospect in the Reds organization, while infielder Jose Garcia is #12. Outfielder Stuart Fairchild is ranked #16; outfielder Miles Gordon is #26; and pitcher Packy Naughton is #28.

Eight of the top 10 picks from the Reds 2017 draft are on the Dragons 2018 roster. They include pitcher Hunter Greene (first round, second overall); infielder Jeter Downs (supplemental first round, 32nd overall); outfielder Stuart Fairchild (2nd round); pitcher Mac Sceroler (5th round); pitcher Tyler Buffett (6th round); catcher Mark Kolozsvary (7th round); pitcher Connor Ryan (8th round); pitcher Packy Naughton (9th round).

Returning Dragons players from previous seasons include infielders John Sansone and Hector Vargas ; outfielder Narciso Crook; catcher Morgan Lofstrom; and pitchers Wendolyn Bautista, Sarkis Ohanian, Austin Orewiler, and Cory Thompson.

Here is an overview of the Dragons 2018 roster by position:

Starting Pitching

Hunter Greene reportedly received the largest signing bonus ever awarded to any player in the era of the current draft format. Green, who has already been on the cover of Sports Illustrated, is certain to draw attention from national baseball media when he makes takes the mound at Fifth Third Field. The Dayton rotation with also feature hard-throwing Patrick "Packy" Naughton, a left-hander from Boston who played college baseball at Virginia Tech. Naughton had a strong season at Billings in 2017. His fastball reaches the mid-to-high 90's. Reds 2017 fifth round pick Mac Sceroler out of Southeastern Louisiana University is the nephew of former Orioles star pitcher Ben McDonald. Sceroler was a First Team All-Conference pick in each of his three college seasons, and then had a strong first year of pro ball at Billings last season. New Jersey native Tyler Mondile gives the Dragons four starting pitchers taken within the top 10 rounds of the draft. He was a sixth round pick out of high school in 2016 and was regarded as the hardest thrower in the Garden State. Wendolyn Bautista returns to the Dragons after spending the 2017 season at Advanced-A Daytona. In 2016 with the Dragons, he fired the first nine-inning complete game shutout for the Dragons in eight years.

Bullpen

Experienced relievers Sarkis Ohanian and Austin Orewiler return to the Dragons after playing at Advanced-A Daytona in 2017. Both pitchers spent the 2016 season with the Dragons. Ohanian was brilliant in Dayton, notching a team-leading 13 saves while limited opposing batters to a combined average of .159 and striking out 61 hitters in 35 innings. Tyler Buffett is a product of Oklahoma State, where he was a Big 12 1st Team All-Conference pick in 2016. Former University of Michigan star Ryan Nutof posted a career record of 17-8 in three seasons with the Wolverines. Nutof was a Freshman All-American as a starter at Michigan in 2015. Connor Ryan played college baseball at the University of Illinois-Chicago where he was a standout reliever in 2017 for a team that edged Wright State to gain a berth in the NCAA Regionals. Cory Thompson is now a pitcher after spending four years in the Reds organization as an infielder. He was the Dragons opening day shortstop in 2016 and is a hard thrower with an outstanding breaking ball. John Ghyzel entered professional baseball from the NCAA Division III level at the University of Rochester. He is a flame-thrower with a fastball that tops out at 97 mph. Luis Alecis is a big right-hander with a power arm.

Middle Infielders

The second base-shortstop combo will be one of the strengths for the Dragons in 2018. Jeter Downs is ranked by many publications as a top-10 prospect in the entire Reds organization. Downs passed on an offer to play at the University of Miami to sign with the Reds and is viewed as a top-level hitting prospect with good speed. Jose Garcia is a native of Cuba who was signed to a huge international contract by the Reds last summer after they had scouted him for several years as he starred for the Cuban national team. Garcia is known as an athletic player who plays with high energy and enthusiasm. Both Downs and Garcia are natural shortstops. Hector Vargas returns to the Dragons after making 120 starts here in 2017, mostly at shortstop or second base.

Corner Infielders

John Sansone started 105 games for the Dragons in 2017 including 86 at third base. He hit 13 home runs to tie for second on the team. Montrell Marshall , a first baseman, is the first cousin of former Reds all-star Brandon Phillips . Marshall, from the Atlanta area, stands 6'5", has developing home run power, and is very strong defensively. Third baseman Leandro Santana led the Billings team in home runs last season with 11 in 67 games. Along with Lopez and all three Billings outfielders, Santana was one of five Mustangs with an OPS of over .800 in 2017.

Outfielders

The Dragons outfield was a major strength in 2017 and figures to be again in 2018. Center fielder Stuart Fairchild was the Reds second round draft pick in 2017 out of Wake Forest, where he was a 1st Team All-American. Fairchild hit .360 with 17 home runs at Wake Forest, then batted .304 at Billings. He is an elite defensive player in center field with excellent speed and range. Miles Gordon may have been the best hitter on the Billings team in 2017 when he batted .319 with eight home runs in 61 games, posting a .919 OPS. Gordon, from Canada, was the Reds fourth round draft pick in 2015 and is still only 20 years old. He played mostly right field in 2017. The left fielder at Billings last season, Andy Sugilio , is considered by many to be the second fastest player in the entire Reds organization, behind only former Dragon Billy Hamilton. Sugilio hit a team-leading .345 and stole 20 bases at Billings last season. Narciso Crook can play all three outfield positions and returns to the Dragons after spending all of 2015 and part of 2016 in Dayton. Crook spent part of last season at Advanced-A Daytona but missed a large chunk of the season due to injury.

Catchers

Mark Kolozsvary (pronounced COE-loze-vary) played on a college national championship team at the University of Florida last spring before being drafted in the seventh round by the Reds. He hit .305 at Billings and is considered to be very strong defensively. Hendrik Clementina , acquired in the trade with the Dodgers last summer that sent pitcher Tony Cingrani to Los Angeles, hit .303 last season in the Pioneer League with Billings and Ogden. Morgan Lofstrom saw action with the Dragons briefly last season.

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