Get ready for an exciting season as the Dayton Dragons gear up for their 26th year! The annual home opener, a highly anticipated event, is set for April 7th, pitting the Dragons against their Ohio rivals, the Lake County Captains (Cleveland Guardians affiliate). Mark your calendars for this thrilling matchup at Day Air Ballpark, kicking off at 7:05 pm. But here's where it gets interesting... the Dragons will officially begin their season a few days earlier on the road, facing the Lugnuts in Lansing on April 2nd.
This season promises to be action-packed, with a 132-game schedule, including 66 home games. The Dragons are part of the Midwest League, a highly competitive circuit classified as 'High-A', featuring two divisions with six teams each. Over the next four weeks, we'll dive into an eight-part series, previewing the talented candidates for the Dragons' 2026 roster. For all your ticket needs, whether it's season tickets, group bookings, or single-game purchases, head over to daytondragons.com/tickets or give them a call at (937) 228-2287.
Spring training is in full swing in Goodyear, Arizona, with an impressive 165 minor league players battling it out for roster spots within the Cincinnati Reds organization. Additionally, there are 40 major league players from the Reds training alongside 11 minor league prospects, making a total of 216 talented individuals vying for their spot on the Reds' roster. Only 146 players will make the cut, so the competition is fierce and the stakes are high.
The Reds' full-season affiliates for 2026 remain unchanged from the past five years. Each minor league team will play a spring schedule with games on most dates from March 11th to 29th. The Dragons will arrive in Dayton on March 31st, with workouts scheduled at Day Air Ballpark before their Lansing trip.
The Reds' minor league affiliates include:
- Louisville Bats (Triple-A)
- Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A)
- Dayton Dragons (High-A)
- Daytona Tortugas (Single-A)
For those who don't make the cut for these teams, there's still a chance to continue their development. They'll remain in Arizona for what's known as 'Extended Spring Training', playing against players from other organizations before joining the Arizona Complex League Reds in May.
This is the first installment of our eight-part series, previewing the 2026 Dragons. The players mentioned here are potential candidates for the season-opening roster. Please note that this preview is an unofficial projection, as minor league rosters are not finalized until March 31st. Various factors during spring training, such as performance, injuries, trades, and new acquisitions, can impact the final roster.
Let's start our positional preview with the catchers:
Candidates:
- Alfredo Duno
- Ryan McCrystal
- Diego Omana
When discussing the players who will kick off the 2026 season in Dayton, it's only fitting to begin with the top prospect, and that's none other than Alfredo Duno, a talented catcher. Duno, a 20-year-old Venezuelan, stands at an impressive 6'3" and weighs 248 lbs. He's not just the highest-rated catching prospect to ever play for the Dragons; he's one of the top prospects to pass through Dayton in any position. Currently, Baseball America ranks him as the #2 prospect in the Reds organization, just behind Sal Stewart.
Duno spent the entire 2025 season with the Daytona Tortugas, one level below the Dragons. He was named the Florida State League Most Valuable Player and was also recognized as the league's top Major League prospect. Duno dominated the league, leading in eight crucial categories, including home runs (18), RBIs (81), extra-base hits (52), runs (78), doubles (32), on-base percentage (.430), slugging percentage (.518), and OPS (.948). He finished second in batting average (.287) and base hits (112). It's worth noting that the Florida State League is notoriously challenging for hitters, making Duno's achievements even more impressive.
Baseball America's scouting report on Duno highlights his exceptional understanding of the strike zone: "Few young hitters come close to Duno's advanced grasp. His career .425 OBP ranks fourth among active minor leaguers with at least 750 plate appearances. He won't chase pitches out of the zone... his exceptional power could see him regularly hitting 25 home runs. Duno moves well for his size."
Duno's standout performance came on November 13, 2025, in the Arizona Fall League playoffs. In a single game, he hit three home runs, two of which were estimated at over 450 feet. To put that into perspective, there have been entire seasons in Dragons history where no player hit a home run that traveled 450 feet, and Duno achieved this feat twice in one game! He also drove in six runs, solidifying his status as a true power hitter.
In 2025, Duno became just the second Daytona player to win the Florida State League MVP since the Reds' affiliation began in 2015 (the other being Aristides Aquino in 2016). Before 2025, the only other Reds minor leaguer to win a full-season league MVP in the last 15 years was Billy Hamilton in the High-A California League with Bakersfield in 2012, the year he broke the stolen base record. Notably, former Dragon Sal Stewart joined Duno in 2025 as a Reds prospect who won a league MVP award, being named the best player in the Southern League.
So, when was the last time the Dragons had an MVP on their roster? You'd have to go back to Chris Valaika, now the Reds' hitting coach, who played for the Dragons in 2007 after winning the Pioneer League MVP with Billings in 2006.
But Duno's achievements don't stop there. He also won the award for the best prospect in the Florida State League last year with Daytona, a rare combination as the best prospect is often one of the youngest players in the league (and Duno was only 19 in 2025). He became the first Daytona player to earn this honor since the league started selecting it in 2021. Interestingly, the Dragons have had two players in the last 20 years who won the Midwest League's best prospect award: Elly De La Cruz in 2022 and Edwin Arroyo in 2023.
How does Duno compare to some familiar names from past Dragons seasons? Over the Dragons' 25 seasons, only two Dayton players have been ranked as the Reds' #1 prospect, with the most recent being Homer Bailey in 2005. Duno would become the eighth Dragons player ranked as the Reds' #2 prospect, joining an elite list that includes Adam Dunn, Jay Bruce, Billy Hamilton, Robert Stephenson, Hunter Greene, Rhett Lowder, and Chase Burns.
The highest-ranked catching prospect to play for the Dragons was Tyler Stephenson, who was rated as the Reds' #4 prospect when he joined the Dragons in 2016. Stephenson returned to Dayton in 2017, ranked as the Reds' #10 prospect. Devin Mesoraco was ranked as the Reds' #6 prospect when he played for the Dragons in 2008. Both Stephenson and Mesoraco were Reds first-round draft picks.
There's no denying that Duno, if he starts the season with the Dragons, would be one of the most highly regarded prospects in Dragons history. His elite talent level raises an interesting question about how the Reds will construct the Dayton roster at the catcher position.
Ryan McCrystal, another talented catcher, had an impressive 2025 season, splitting his time between Daytona and the Dragons. He can also play first base, which adds versatility to his game. In a different scenario, McCrystal might be the Dragons' everyday catcher, but with Duno's presence, his role could shift. The Reds could give McCrystal a few games per week at catcher, with Duno as the designated hitter on other days. Alternatively, they might utilize McCrystal at first base most days, as they did in 2025 at Daytona when Duno was also on the team. This decision will likely be made by Reds Director of Player Development Jeremy Farrell, with input from Corky Miller, the Reds Catching Coordinator.
McCrystal was the Reds' ninth-round draft pick in 2024, hailing from East Carolina University. In his final season as a junior in '24, he was named Second Team All-Conference (American Athletic Conference), batting .346 with seven home runs in 54 games. His first full season of professional baseball in 2025 saw him begin with Daytona, where he hit .295 with four home runs in 67 games. This mark is particularly impressive, as the FSL league average for batting average in 2025 was just .234. McCrystal's OPS was 100 points higher than the league average, showcasing his offensive prowess. He joined the Dragons in the second half, maintaining a solid .271 batting average without a home run in 20 games. While his defense is still a work in progress, it has shown improvement. McCrystal is expected to be one of the Dragons' best hitters, regardless of his position on the field.
The third catcher in the mix is Diego Omana, a 23-year-old Venezuelan. Omana's defense is his standout attribute, as he put together an impressive season with the Dragons in 2025. While much of the attention in the Reds' farm system has been on former Dragon Connor Burns for his defensive skills behind the plate, Omana quietly matched Burns' performance without the same recognition. Omana's throwing stats, though difficult to analyze due to recording methods in the minor leagues, indicate that he virtually shut down opposing running games last season. Teams stopped even attempting to steal bases on the days he played. On September 2nd, when the Dragons broke their club record by winning their 14th straight game against Lansing, Omana went 3 for 3 in throwing out Lugnuts base stealers. He also had three games where he threw out two base stealers, showcasing his big-league potential.
Unfortunately, Omana's hitting has not lived up to his defensive prowess, which has kept his defense from getting the recognition it deserves. In 48 games in 2025 between Dayton and Daytona, he batted a modest .200 with one home run. These struggles are particularly frustrating for Omana, as he showed promise as a hitter earlier in his career. In 78 games at the Rookie level from 2021-24, he hit .287, but he has yet to find the same success in Full-Season leagues, batting just .202 in 83 games. Omana could serve as Duno's backup if the Reds decide to keep McCrystal at first base.
Stay tuned for our next installment, where we'll preview the first basemen and continue our journey through the 2026 Dragons roster!
