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Ain’t no drag http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , papa’s got some brand new Dragsistory/Hall of FameFarmers onlySeason Preview - Dayton DragonsNew,3commentsAin’t no drag, papa’s got some brand new DragsEDTShareTweetShareShareSeason Preview - Dayton DragonsThe Dayton Dragons opened Midwest League play last night (and lost). And so begins another wonderful season of Dragons baseball, consistently one of the best baseball experiences in America. If you have not visited 5/3 Field to take in a ballgame, I suggest you do so with all reasonable alacrity. So who are the kids slapping on Dragons lids this summer? Let’s take a look!HittersDayton is generally the first full-season stop on a young player’s ascent through the Reds organization. Most of these fellas spent last summer getting drafted and putting in reps with short-season squads in Goodyear or Billings or Greeneville or all of the above. Or maybe they’ve spent a few years working in Dominica or Venezuela, but either way, Dayton is the first real test for most of these kids. Notably absent on this year’s roster is first-round pick Jonathan “Baseballywood” India. He spent a few weeks at the end of last season in Dayton, but he is already moving on and will begin his season in high-A Daytona. IRREGARDLESS, there are a fair number of interesting young bat-flippers on the team.At first base is notorious galoot and 1920s Irish middleweight bare-knuckle pugilist Bren Spillane. Last season, he won the Triple Crown in the Big Ten Conference, slugging a blasphemous .944, before being drafted by the Reds in the third round. Mike Siani Zach Davies Jersey , a fourth-rounder, will patrol center field. He is the Reds’s no. 8 prospect according to Baseball America. He stands out as one of the best defensive outfielders in the minor leagues. Mariel Bautista is another notable CF, though he will likely play the corners more often with Siani around. Bautista is a Bruno Mars-level hit machine, carrying a .314 batting average in 865 PAs across the short-season levels of the Reds’ minor leagues. He also shows promising pop and discipline, making him one of the most intriguing bats in the Reds’ system. PitchersAmong the notable pitchers, Lyon “no nickname required for a handle like that” Richardson, James “The Argonaut” Marinan, and Jacob Heatherly of Snootshire County stand out. Richardson was drafted in the second round last summer. He is one of the youngest cats on the Dragons roster as he was born in the 21st century. He struggled in his pro debut with Greeneville last summer, but expect him to anchor the Dragons’ staff throughout the summer. Marinan came to the Reds last summer in a trade with the Dodgers for Zach Neal. He was a 2017 draft pick, snatched by the Dodgers in the fourth-round. Heatherly is another ‘17 pick (third round by the Reds). He struggled a bit in Greeneville himself, but he has the devil’s left hand and no sense of decorum. Every spring I tell myself I’m going to see more than a few Dragons games in Dayton, but then my dumb life gets in the way and I never get to do the things I want to do. I suppose that is my fault though http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , as I have made choices in my life that make it more difficult to see the Dragons when I want to. That’s on me.Anyway, go Dragons. I hope Birdzerk comes around again this year. Victor Martinez’s playing career will come to an end on Saturday when the Detroit Tigers face the Kansas City Royals.He will be honored in a pregame ceremony at Comerica Park and serve as the designated hitter. He will not play the remainder of the season.Martinez, 39, has been in the majors since 2002. He is a career .295 hitter and has hit 246 home runs. He’s been with the Tigers organization since 2011, though he missed the 2012 season with a knee injury.Article continues below ...“I think that’s just me thanking the Detroit Tigers fans and everybody here,” he told the Detroit News. “To play the last game of my career here, it’s just one of the ways to thank everybody. I think that would be fair for everybody.”Manager Ron Gardenhire believes it’s a fitting way for Martinez to head into retirement.“He’s just a special guy who has had a great career,” Gardenhire said. “Not just a good career, a great career. I’ve watched him from both sides, from the visitors’ dugout and from the home dugout. I’m pretty lucky.”Martinez will be facing a pitcher who has become a Tigers’ nemesis, Jakob Junis.The Royals right-hander has recorded half of his eight victories against his team’s American League Central Division rival. Junis has posting a 1.74 ERA while striking out 25 batters in 31 innings in those four starts. He’s held Tigers batters to a .193 average.Subtract those performances and Junis is 4-12 with a 5.04 ERA in his other starts. He’ll try to torment the Tigers once again in the third game of the four-game series.In his last start against them on Aug. 28, Junis collected the first complete-game victory of his career. He struck out seven and didn’t issue a walk in the 6-2 triumph.Junis (8-12 Boone Logan Jersey , 4.42 ERA) had his shortest outing of the season on Sunday, giving up four runs on eight hits in three innings against Minnesota.“I had been keeping the ball down and staying ahead of hitters,” Junis told MLB.com afterward. “(Sunday), I was behind hitters and not keeping the ball down. Wasn’t in the zone consistently.”The Tigers haven’t seen that side of him. He’s 6-1 with a 3.14 ERA in seven career starts. Junis doesn’t have more than two victories against any other team.Detroit’s top hitter this season, right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, has gone hitless in 14 career at-bats facing Junis.The Tigers will counter with veteran right-hander Jordan Zimmermann (7-8, 4.41 ERA). He, too, struggled in his last outing on Monday. Zimmermann surrendered five runs in seven hits in 3 2/3 innings against Minnesota. He’s been tagged for seven homers in his last four outings.“He was really upset,” Gardenhire said afterward. “Just trying to figure out what was going on. Part of it is we haven’t been scoring runs. He’s healthy and he’s been throwing the ball well. He’s given us a chance most night. Just the last couple have been rough.”Zimmermann has traditionally pitched well against the Royals. In eight career appearances, he’s 4-1 with a 2.08 ERA.The teams have split the first two games of the series.