Dayton Dragons Founded in 1988 in Rockford, Illinois Based in Dayton, Ohio since 2000 |
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Class-level | |||||
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Current | Single A | ||||
Minor league affiliations | |||||
League | Midwest League (1988–present) | ||||
Division | Eastern Division | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Current | Cincinnati Reds (1999–present) | ||||
Previous |
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Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (0) | None | ||||
Division titles (5) |
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Team data | |||||
Nickname | Dayton Dragons (2000–present) | ||||
Previous names
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Ballpark | Fifth Third Field (2000–present) | ||||
Previous parks
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Marinelli Field (1988–1999) | ||||
Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Troy Smith Magic Johnson |
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Manager | José Nieves | ||||
General Manager | Gary Mayse |
The Dayton Dragons are a Class A minor league baseball team playing in the Midwest League based in Dayton, Ohio. The Dragons are affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. Their home stadium is Fifth Third Field. 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]
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).
Contents
Fifth Third Field[edit]
The team's home park is Fifth Third Field in Dayton. 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.[3]
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.[4] On April 17, 2007, the Dragons enjoyed their 500th consecutive sellout.[5]
On July 9, 2011, the Dragons officially set a new record of 815 consecutive sellout games.[6] The sellout streak is the longest across all professional sports in the US, passing the previous record set by the Portland Trail Blazers from 1977–1995.[7][8] On May 10, 2014, the streak of consecutive sellouts reached 1,000 games. According to the official team website, every game in the team's 15-year existence has been a sellout. [9] The Dragons continued their sellout streak throughout 2015 and finished the season with their 1,121st straight sold-out game.[10]
Achievements[edit]
- The team was voted as one of the top ten hottest tickets in all of professional sports by Sports Illustrated.[11]
- The Dragons have led the Midwest League and all of Single A baseball in total season attendance since 2011.[12]
- On July 9, 2011, they set the new record of the most consecutive sold out games (815 total) in all of professional sports.[13] As of the end of the 2014 season, the still-in-progress record stands at 1,051 straight games.[14]
- In 2011, Ballpark Digest named the Dragons the "Minor League Baseball Organization of the Year."[15] 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).[16][17][18]
- In 2012, the Dragons were a finalist team for the Sports Business Journal "Professional Sports Team of the Year."[19]
- In 2012, the Dragons franchise was said to be valued at $23 million making the team the most valuable class A minor league franchise in the United States.[20]
- In 2012, the Dragons franchise was selected as the winner of the John H. Johnson President’s Trophy.[21] The winning team, chosen from all minor league teams (Single A, Double A, and Triple A), is chosen by the president of Minor League Baseball and given to "the complete baseball franchise -- based on franchise stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community, and promotion of the baseball industry." Only two other Midwest Leagues teams have received this award.[22]
- Site of the Midwest League All-Star Games in 2001 and 2013[23]
Season-by-season records[edit]
Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | ||||||
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Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
DAY | 2000 | 70 | 67 | .511 | 4th in MWL East | 2 | 3 | .400 | Defeated West Michigan in League Quarterfinals, 2–1 Lost to Michigan in League Semifinals, 0–2 |
DAY | 2001 | 82 | 57 | .590 | 2nd in MWL East | 2 | 2 | .500 | Defeated Lansing in League Quarterfinals, 2–0 Lost to South Bend in League Semifinals, 0–2 |
DAY | 2002 | 73 | 67 | .521 | 4th in MWL East | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost to West Michigan in League Quarterfinals, 0–2 |
DAY | 2003 | 61 | 78 | .439 | 6th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2004 | 48 | 92 | .343 | 6th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2005 | 60 | 79 | .432 | 6th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2006 | 67 | 73 | .479 | 5th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2007 | 78 | 62 | .557 | 3rd in MWL East | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost to South Bend in League Quarterfinals, 1–2 |
DAY | 2008 | 66 | 72 | .478 | 2nd in MWL East | 2 | 2 | .500 | Defeated Lansing in League Quarterfinals, 2–0 Lost to South Bend In League Semifinals, 0–2 |
DAY | 2009 | 59 | 80 | .425 | 4th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2010 | 53 | 85 | .384 | 8th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2011 | 83 | 57 | .593 | 1st in MWL East | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost to Lansing In League Quarterfinals, 1–2 |
DAY | 2012 | 60 | 78 | .435 | 8th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2013 | 65 | 74 | .468 | 6th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2014 | 68 | 70 | .493 | 3rd in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
DAY | 2015 | 71 | 68 | .511 | 5th in MWL East | – | – | – | Did not Qualify |
TOTAL | — | 1,064 | 1,159 | .479 | — | 8 | 13 | .391 | — |
Major league alumni[edit]
Sixty-seven Dragons players have gone on to play in MLB 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.
- Austin Kearns ('00)
- Adam Dunn ('00)
- Wily Mo Peña ('01)
- Edwin Encarnacion ('01–'02)
- Ryan Hanigan ('02–'03)
- Todd Coffey ('02–'03)
- Joey Votto ('03–'04)
- Chris Dickerson ('04)
- Homer Bailey ('05)
- Johnny Cueto ('06)
- Adam Rosales ('06)
- Jay Bruce ('06)
- Logan Ondrusek ('06)
- Drew Stubbs ('07)
- Chris Heisey ('07)
- Devin Mesoraco ('08)
- Todd Frazier ('08)
- Didi Gregorius ('10)
- Billy Hamilton ('11)
Personnel[edit]
The Dragons have had seven 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 (2011–2012)
- José Nieves (2013–present)
Team Affiliations[edit]
Level | Team | League | Location |
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MLB | Cincinnati Reds | National League | Cincinnati, Ohio |
AAA | Louisville Bats | International League | Louisville, Kentucky |
AA | Pensacola Blue Wahoos | Southern League | Pensacola, Florida |
A+ | Daytona Tortugas | Florida State League | Daytona Beach, Florida |
A | Dayton Dragons | Midwest League | Dayton, Ohio |
Rookie | Billings Mustangs | Pioneer League | Billings, Montana |
Rookie | AZL Reds | Arizona League | Goodyear, Arizona |
Rookie | DSL Reds | Dominican Summer League | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
Media[edit]
All Dragons home and road games are broadcast on radio on 980 WONE, with Tom Nichols as the broadcaster. The broadcasts are also available via the internet at daytondragons.com and wone.com and on mobile devices via the Dragons mobile app.
The Dragons also televise 25 games per season on WHIO Digital Channel 7.2 and Time Warner Cable channels 23 and 372. Tom Nichols handles the play-by-play. Guest color commentators in 2014 included Billy Hamilton, Ken Griffey Sr., Ron Oester, Bill Doran, Doug Bair, Todd Benzinger, Hal McCoy, Josh Hall, and Chris Sexton among others.[24]
Roster[edit]
Dayton Dragons roster
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Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders |
Manager
Coaches
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References[edit]
- ^ "Dragons Break All-Time Sports Sell-Out Record". Dayton Dragons News. Milb.com. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "Dayton Dragons Break Sellout Record". WHIOtv.com. 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "History | Midwest League About". Web.minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ "Ten Hottest Tickets". Dayton Dragons. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
- ^ "Hottest tickets in sports". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
- ^ "Dragons Break All-Time Sports Sell-Out Record". milb.com. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Dayton Dragons all time professional sellout streak MLB".
- ^ Neumann, Thomas (8 July 2011). "Dayton Dragons break Portland Trail Blazers' sellout streak". ESPN.com. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "Dragons Sell-Out Streak Reaches 1,000". milb.com. 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Dragons Attendance again High in National Rankings". milb.com. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ "About the Dayton Dragons".
- ^ "Crunching the 2011 Minor League Baseball attendance figures | News". Ballparkdigest.com. 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ Samuels, Holly. "Dragons knock record out of the park". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ "Dragons 2014 Season in Review". milb.com. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ Dragons Selected as Organization of the Year. Dayton.dragon.milb.com (August 23, 2011). Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
- ^ Dragons enter playoffs with best record in team history. Daytondailynews.com (September 6, 2011). Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
- ^ Dragons End Regular Season with Record-Breaking Win. Web.minorleaguebaseball.com (September 5, 2011). Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
- ^ Dragons pitchers set MWL record. Daytondailynews.com (September 4, 2011). Retrieved on September 23, 2011.
- ^ "Dragons are finalist for team of the year award". milb.com. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
- ^ "Dragons' value ranked best in Class A". daytondailynews.com. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
- ^ Jablonski, David (20 November 2012). "Dragons Claim Minor League Baseball’s Top Honor". Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ Major Award Winners, milb.com
- ^ "Dragons land 2013 Midwest League All-Star Game". BallparkDigest.com. 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- ^ Dragons on TV Wednesday, milb.com, 26 August 2014.
External links[edit]
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