The Dayton Dragons are in their final week of spring training as the battles continue for roster spots in Goodyear, Arizona. With a 30-player roster limit, final decisions will be made by the Cincinnati Reds over the next few days before the club arrives in Dayton early next week.

The Dragons home Opening Night game is set for Tuesday, April 8 against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark as the team begins its historic 25^th season. The Dragons will officially open their season on the road in 2025, four days prior to their home opener, when they battle the West Michigan Whitecaps in Grand Rapids, Michigan at 6:35 pm on April 4.

This is part seven of an eight-part positional preview of the candidates for the Dragons 2025 roster. Players listed here are candidates for positions on the Dragons season-opening roster.

This preview is an unofficial projection of possible roster candidates. Minor League rosters are not established until April 1. Spring training variables including performance, injuries, trades, and additional player acquisitions will impact the roster accordingly.

For Dragons season ticket or group ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.

The Starting Pitchers

Click links on each name for career stats and player information.

Candidates: Chase Burns, Adam Serwinowski, Ty Floyd, Luke Holman, Nestor Lorant, Gabriel Aguilera, Jose Montero, Ben Brutti.

Starting pitching might be the number one strength of the Dragons opening night roster. The list could include four different starters who are listed among the Reds top 20 prospects on virtually every list. Beyond those four, there are four more potential starters that had ERA’s under 4.00 with Daytona in 2025. That is a combination of quality and quantity that is going to be tough to match on opposing Midwest League pitching staffs. All eight may not start the year in Dayton, but this is a very strong group to pick from.

The chances of Chase Burns starting the season with the Dragons are still a little unclear, but it appears that he could be on the same timetable as Rhett Lowder in 2024. Lowder opened the season with the Dragons and remained in Dayton until early May, when he was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga.

If Burns starts the year in Dayton, he would be one of the top pitching prospects in Dragons history. Burns was the Reds first round pick (second overall pick in the entire draft) in 2024 and received a record signing bonus of $9.25 million. Entering the 2025 season, he is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Reds #1 prospect, while Baseball America has him listed at #2, behind only Lowder, who is still considered a prospect despite having brief big league experience. Over the Dragons history, only two players have ever played for the Dragons while simultaneously ranked as the Reds #1 prospect. Those players were Homer Bailey in 2005, who went on to a 14-year Major League career, and Chris Gruler in 2003, whose career was cut short by injuries.

Burns has a scouting report like almost no other pitcher. First of all, he has a fastball that has touched 102 mph and regularly reaches 100. Secondly, he has a slider that many scouts consider to be an even better pitch than his fastball. Lastly, he also has a curveball and change-up in his arsenal, and both pitches are considered to already be better than major league average. Baseball America says “Burns’ stuff is good enough to simply blow away many hitters.”

Burns started his college career at the University of Tennessee and transferred after two seasons to Wake Forest for his junior year in 2024. At Wake Forest, Burns went 10-1 with a 2.70 earned run average in exactly 100 innings, posting an amazing strikeout total of 191 to lead the nation. He was selected First Team All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year. In six of his 16 starts, he struck out at least 14 batters including a career-high 16 against Clemson. If Burns does start the year with the Dragons, fans will want to see him in April, because he probably will not be here in May. And he will be worth the visit.

Adam Serwinowski is a highly-regarded left-hander who has improved dramatically since the Reds drafted him in the 15^th round in 2022 out of Taylors Eastside High School in South Carolina. Serwinowski is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Reds fourth best pitching prospect (behind Lowder, Burns, and Chase Petty) and their #12 overall prospect. Baseball America ranks Serwinowski in the #18 spot.

Serwinowski, just 20 years old, is 6’5”, 204 lbs. He spent all of last season at Single-A Daytona, making 25 stars with a 3.57 ERA. In 86 innings, he struck out 106 and allowed just 64 hits. Serwinowski threw an immaculate inning in 2024, striking out all three batters he faced, each on three pitches. His fastball averages 94 mph and tops out at 97.

Ty Floyd will be thrilled just to be pitching in game competition in 2025. Drafted in the supplemental first round in 2023 (38^th overall pick), he has not yet pitched professionally. He missed the entire 2024 season due to injury. Floyd is still ranked as the Reds #14 prospect by Baseball America while MLB Pipeline lists him at #17.

Floyd played college baseball at LSU and made a name for himself on a national level in the 2023 College World Series in a game against Florida, when he struck out 17 batters in eight innings. Floyd went 7-0 with a 4.35 ERA at LSU in ’23, notching 120 strikeouts in 91 innings while giving up only 70 hits. Floyd is 23 years old.

Luke Holman was drafted by the Reds in the supplemental second round (71^st overall pick) in 2024 and like Floyd, he finished his college career at LSU. However, Floyd and Holman were never teammates as Holman spent the 2022-23 seasons at Alabama.

In 2024 at LSU, Holman went 9-4 with a 2.75 ERA. He finished second in the Southeastern Conference in ERA, strikeouts (127), and opponent batting average (.174). He did not pitch professionally last summer after signing with the Reds. Baseball America ranks Holman as the Reds #13 prospect and MLB Pipeline slots him in at #14. He is 22 years old.

Nestor Lorant could be a starter or reliever for the Dragons in 2025 after serving in both roles with Single-A Dayton during an extremely successful season in 2024 when he won the Reds Minor League Pitcher of the Year award as well as the Florida State League Pitcher of the Year.

In 22 games with Daytona in 2024, Lorant produced an ERA of 1.44, second best in all Minor League Baseball among pitchers with at least 80 innings. Lorant, with an outstanding change-up, allowed opposing batters to hit for a combined average of only .180. Lorant is 22 years old from Venezuela. Lorant is not overpowering with a fastball that will reach 93 mph.

Gabriel Aguilera split the 2024 season between Dayton and Daytona, posting a combined ERA of 3.55 in 99 innings. That included 13 starts with the Dragons when he went 4-4 with a 4.35 ERA. He is 24 years old and a native of Venezuela.

Jose Montero had a good year with Daytona in 2024, posting a 3.47 ERA in 96 innings. His sinking fastball will average 94-95 mph. The 21-year-old right-hander is a native of Venezuela.

Ben Brutti was a high school draft pick by the Reds in 2022, taken in the 11^th round out of Wakefield, Rhode Island. He played at South Kingston High School and was the 2022 Gatorade HS Player of the Year for the state. Brutti, 21, spent all of 2024 at Daytona and produced a 3.34 ERA in 80 innings. Brutti’s fastball will top out around 92 mph but he is still young enough to add velocity as he matures and gains experience.

Next up: Relief Pitchers