2003 Scouting Report

Dayton Dragons

• Fifth Third Field, Dayton, Ohio.
• Affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds.
• Manager: Donnie Scott.
• Coaches: Jaime Garcia (pitching), Billy White, Randy Brackney (trainer).
• History: MWLguide.com

This page profiles the 2003 Dayton Dragons, a Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of the Midwest League.

Profile

Post-Season Profile

Dayton's team had an ugly year. Although the Dragons were competitive for the first half, they began floundering in July and had completely collapsed by the season's end. Statistically, this wasn't a terrible team, and there were some stars for the fans to cheer; all the same, it was a sorry campaign. The team had a weak offense, bad pitching, and played sub-standard defense. Cincy's player development bosses kept changing the roster, which clearly didn't help team performance.

Second baseman Kevin Howard displayed a fine overall game; he's a reasonably patient hitter with some power and basepath skills. Outfielder Brad Correll showed speed and power in a half-season stay, and third baseman Mark Schramek also looked good in a short opportunity. Outfielder Ryan Fry was the only power source, but swings at nearly every pitch and failed miserably when he didn't homer. Howard, Correll, Hector Tiburcio, and Domonique Lewis all demonstrated some baserunning savvy.

The pitching staff was a mess. Donnie Scott experimented all summer, but never found a way to make things work. Except in the won/lost column, starters Juan Frias and Eddy Valdez had pretty similar seasons; both are solid pitchers, but neither are obvious stars. Josh Daws did star for a few weeks in the bullpen, and Todd Coffey is probably the best pitcher who appeared regularly on this staff. Joel Barreto, Matt McWilliams, and Alexander Farfan--all of whom mostly pitched middle relief--are the best of the rest.

Except where otherwise specified, all statistics are through the end of the season.

Season Summary

• Second Half: 26-43, .377 (6th place, 17.5 behind)
• First Half: 35-35, .500 (4th place, 6.0 behind)
• Pitching: 61-78, 4.05, 39 saves, 0 complete games, 923 strikeouts
• Hitting: .243, 580 runs, 70 HR, 93 steals (67% success)
• Defense: 161 errors (1.16 per game); .690 defensive efficiency
• April: 12-14 (.462)
• May: 15-15 (.500)
• June: 16-10 (.615)
• July: 9-18 (.333)
• August/September: 8-19 (.296)

• Position Players used: 28
• Pitchers used: 26

Leading Players

• Best Player on the Team: Second Baseman Kevin Howard

• Best Starting Pitcher: Eddy Valdez (3.72, 11-3, 67 strikeouts)
• Bullpen Stopper: Josh Daws (1.74, 0-1, 11 saves, 24 strikeouts [only 18 appearances])
• Strikeout Pitcher: Camilo Vazquez, Jose Guevara, Joel Barreto
• Control Pitchers: Thomas Pauly, Todd Coffey

• Best Hitter: Kevin Howard (.285, 9 HR, 75 RBI; 80 runs scored) or Brad Correll (.283, 8 HR, 48 RBI)
• Home Run Leader: Ryan Fry (15)
• High Batting Average: none
• High On Base Percentage: none
• High Slugging Percentage: Ryan Fry (.472)
• Notable Baserunners: Kevin Howard, Brad Correll, Jarrod Schmidt, Hector Biburcio, Domonique Lewis, Manuel Paula
• Notable Batting Eye: Junior Ruiz, Justin Davis

The Dragons at Mid-Season

The Dragons have scored 320 runs and have permitted 320 runs. Donnie Scott uses 3.1 pitchers per game.

Cincy sent a lot of players through Dayton this spring, and the team's shown some slight improvement from month to month. The Dragons are good at getting on base; they're not so good when they get on the bases. This team tends to play high-scoring games.

Outfielder Brad Correll's been on a tear of late, and earned a Player of the Week award in mid-June. DH Mike Bassett, who joined the team late in May, has also been hitting very well, and second baseman Kevin Howard is a fine player. They're supported by a deep cast of fair-to-middlin' hitters; outfielder Domonique Lewis, a high-average speedster, is the best of the rest.

The rotation in Dayton is all right, considering that this team scores well, but none are star pitchers. Juan Frias is, however, a quality pitcher, and Eddy Valdez has been winning despite having an unexceptional stat line. The relief staff has some excellent arms, including closers Josh Daws and Todd Coffey, and utility pitchers Joel Barreto and Matt McWilliams. This team leads the MWL in home runs allowed.

Promoted and missed: Third baseman Mark Schramek & outfielder Justin Davis.

Worth watching: Pitcher Brad George.

Pre-Season Profile

Manager

Donnie Scott's a fairly conservative manager in most respects. He lets good baserunners run; if his team doesn't have good baserunning skills, he looks pretty conventional. He's been very successful.

First Round Draft Selections

• Chris Gruler (2002; third player selected)
• Mark Schramek (2002 sandwich pick; 40th player selected)

Team Age Information

• Average Team Age: 21.7
• Pitchers: 21.6
• Hitters: 21.8

• Oldest Player on the Team: Jon Berry (November 7, 1977)
• Youngest Player on the Team: Camilo Vazquez (November 3, 1983)

The average player in the Midwest League this season is about 21.7 years old.

Where they played last season

This summary was based on the team's opening day roster and will not be revised to reflect roster changes.

Daytons's new team is composed about equally of players from clubs in the low reaches of the Reds' farm system, with some help from outside sources.

Team        League             W/L   Place    Hitters Pitchers
                                    (Teams)
Stockton    California (A+)    89/51  1(10)      0      0
Dayton      Midwest (A)        73/67  7(14)      4      4
Billings    Pioneer (R+)       38/37  3(8)       6      3
Reds        Gulf Coast (R)     30/30  7(14)      6      2

Some of these players appeared for two Cincinnati farm clubs in 2002 and are counted twice in this table. Three of the new Dragons played in other organizations last season, and four were not active professional ball.