The remaining days of spring training are beginning to wind down. The Dayton Dragons will play their eighth spring game today as the continuation of a 14-game Arizona-based March schedule. As cuts are made at the big league level, there is a trickle down effect that allows the minor league affiliates to set their rosters for opening day. Battles for jobs with the four Reds minor league clubs will continue into next week.
In recent years, the starting pitching rotation has been a strength for the Dragons. Many of the players involved in battles for big league rotation spots this spring have come through Dayton, including Sal Romano, Tyler Mahle, Amir Garrett, Robert Stephenson, and Jackson Stephens. The 2017 Dragons rotation was anchored by two all-stars in Scott Moss and Tony Santillan. The 2018 starting group has a bit of a twist involving a premier prospect, but however things fall with roster assignments, the Dayton rotation looks strong at the top.
Starting Pitchers
This is part seven of an eight-part series previewing the 2018 Dragons. Players listed here are candidates for positions on the 25-man Dragons season-opening roster.
This preview is an unofficial projection of possible roster candidates. Minor League rosters are not established until April 2. Spring training variables including performance, injuries, trades, and additional player acquisitions will impact the roster accordingly.
Click links on each name for career stats and player information.
Candidates: Hunter Greene, Packy Naughton, Mac Sceroler, Tyler Mondile, Ryan Olson.
Any discussion of the Dragons 2018 starting rotation will start with mega-prospect Hunter Greene. Reds President & General Manager Dick Williams officially confirmed on Sunday's Reds telecast that Greene will pitch in Dayton this season, but the decision remains to be made on whether Greene will be with the Dragons on Opening Night or stay in Arizona for a time before heading east. 
The genesis of the question related to Greene's arrival relates to the desire to limit his innings over the course of the 2018 season. Midwest League starting pitchers typically throw about 140 innings during a full season of work. Most pitchers who are drafted coming out of high school, as Greene was, spend multiple seasons at the Rookie-level of professional baseball, giving them a chance to gradually increase their annual innings total to build up to the 140 innings they will throw in the Midwest League. Greene, just 18 years old, is a different case. He has thrown a total of four and one-third innings in professional baseball. There has been no gradual build up toward 140 innings. The Reds want to limit the innings on his powerful right arm this season to something significantly less than 140. Therefore, his season will probably either start late or end early to limit his innings.
Who is Hunter Greene? He has been referred to a generational talent. He has already appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. His fastball was clocked at 102 mph at the age of 16. On top of all of that, he was also a great amateur hitter and would have been viewed as one of the top prospects in the 2017 draft as a shortstop. The Reds drafted him to pitch and they view him as a future MLB star on the mound. No player has ever arrived in Dayton with greater anticipation.

Green has made two starts in Minor League pre-season games so far this spring. His first start on a back field at the Goodyear Complex attracted such observers as baseball Hall-of-Famer Joe Morgan and Reds broadcaster Chris Welsh. Greene's fastball in that game topped out at either 100 or 101 mph, depending on the radar gun that picked up the speed. But Greene's potential extends much further than the velocity of his fastball. His smooth pitching delivery, athleticism, mature approach, and his ability to learn and improve make him a fascinating player to watch for in 2018 at Fifth Third Field, whether his time in Dayton starts on Opening Night, or sometime shortly thereafter.
Patrick "Packy" Naughton is a native of Boston who entered the Reds organization with strong expectations as a ninth round draft pick out of Virginia Tech. But Naughton has quickly built on those expectations and is now regarded as a prospect with the ability to become a Major League starter. The left-hander's 2017 season at Virginia Tech did not go as he would have liked as he posted a record of 2-6 with a 6.24 earned run average. But the Reds saw Naughton as a prospect with a big arm who could improve with experience. He was assigned to Billings after signing with the Reds and put up much better numbers than he had at Virginia Tech, compiling a 3.15 ERA in the extremely hitter-friendly Pioneer League where the league average ERA in 2017 was 5.63. Naughton struck out 63 batters in 60 innings while walking only 20. He was almost unhittable over his last five starts, allowing just two earned runs in 25 innings.
Naughton features a four-pitch mix including a fastball that reaches the mid-90s along with a curve, slider, and change-up. He is considered to be an excellent competitor who will battle on the mound. Baseball America ranked Naughton as the #28 prospect in the Reds organization after the 2017 season, quite high for a first-year player who was not drafted in the first three rounds. Naughton looks like the type of pitcher who can anchor a Dragons starting rotation.
Mac Sceroler is a Louisiana native who is the nephew of former Baltimore Orioles standout Ben McDonald, the first overall pick in the 1989 draft. Sceroler played at Southeastern Louisiana University and was drafted by the Reds in the fifth round last June.
Sceroler (pronounced suh-ROLL-er) was a dominant pitcher in high school and led his summer team to the Connie Mack World Series. He had a tremendous college career as his team went to the NCAA Regionals in two of his three seasons at SE Louisiana. He led his conference in wins as a sophomore in 2016, going 10-4 with a 2.25 ERA, and then went 9-2 in 2017 with a 3.26 ERA. He was a First Team All-Conference pick both seasons and was also an Academic All-Conference selection both years. 
After signing with the Reds, Sceroler joined Naughton in the Billings starting rotation. He compiled a good ERA of 3.26 and struck out 44 batters in 39 innings with only 16 walks. He looks like a candidate for a strong year in 2018 with the Dragons. 
Tyler Mondile is a 20-year-old native of Woodbury, New Jersey who was a sixth round draft pick out of high school by the Reds in 2016. He had a great career at Gloucester Catholic High School and was a First Team All-State selection as a senior in 2016. Mondile's biggest moment in high school might have come on May 16, 2016, when he was matched up against Jason Groome, who was drafted in the first round three weeks later by the Red Sox. The game reportedly drew about 6,000 fans, as Mondile tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out 10 in a 1-0 win. Mondile, with a fastball that topped out at 95 mph, was considered to be the hardest-thrower in the state of New Jersey.
Mondile has spent two seasons in the Reds organization at the Rookie level, mostly as a starting pitcher, and posted a career ERA of 4.25. Mondile has shown good control, issuing only 24 walks in 78 innings. His father, Steve, pitched in the Orioles organization and later served as a scout with the Reds.
The other spot in the Dragons rotation could go to one of several different pitchers, depending on how the final days of spring training play out. It appears likely that this spot will go to a hurler who has past experience with the Dragons.
Ryan Olson is one possibility. Olson has battled injuries over his two seasons in the Reds organization, but he sure made a name for himself when he was healthy with the Dragons in 2017. In his second Midwest League start, Olson tossed a nine-inning shutout, an extremely rare achievement for any Single-A pitcher, but almost unheard of in the month of April. Olson went the distance while allowing just four hits. But he was able to make only two more starts before missing the remainder of the 2017 season. Olson had missed the previous season due to injury as well after being drafted by the Reds in the 13th round in 2016.
Olson had a great season in 2015 at Cal Poly Pomona, an NCAA Division II school, going 12-0 with a 1.73 ERA, allowing just 56 hits in 89 innings. He was selected as an All-American and led his team to a #3 ranking in the country. Baseball America predicted Olson as the 2016 D2 Pitcher of Year in a season preview. But Olson's 2016 season was severely limited due to a back injury. He was able to make just five starts, going 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA in college, and then missed the rest of the summer after being drafted. His overall record at Cal Poly Pomona was an incredible 15-0.
If Olson is healthy and returns to Dayton in 2018, he would be a potential all-star.
Next up: Relief pitchers
The Dragons will open the Midwest League season on Thursday, April 5th in Bowling Green, Kentucky against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The Dragons home opener is Saturday, April 7 when they host Bowling Green at Fifth Third Field at 7:00 p.m. 
Single-game ticket sales for 2018 Dragons games are underway. Go to daytondragons.com for details. For Dragons 2018 season ticket information, call (937) 228-2287. 
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