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Minor League Baseball Series Of The Week: Florida vs. Daytona

By Benjamin Chase

Feb 26, 2017; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds prospect Vladimir Gutierrez (83) unwittingly poses with bubble gum on his head for a photo with relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26) in the dugout during the bottom of the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/Cincinnati Enquirer via USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2017; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds prospect Vladimir Gutierrez (83) unwittingly poses with bubble gum on his head for a photo with relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias (26) in the dugout during the bottom of the third inning against the San Francisco Giants at Goodyear Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Sam Greene/Cincinnati Enquirer via USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Florida Roster

I covered both the Florida and Daytona rosters in my preview of minor league opening day.

The Florida Fire Frogs are technically new to minor league baseball. In 2016, this franchise was known as the Brevard County Manatees, but the Atlanta Braves entered into an agreement with the team and re-branded the team. There are other plans at work with the franchise, but that is the set up for now.

The roster for the Fire Frogs is primarily the offensive roster of the Rome Braves team that was selected as the Baseball America minor league team of the year for 2016.

The pitching features a mix of pitchers from that Rome squad, trade acquisitions, and aggressively promoted 2016 draft picks.

Daytona Roster

The big name that many will see on the Daytona roster is Nick Senzel, but while the #2 overall pick in the 2016 draft is a significant draw, there is plenty else to watch on this roster.

The Cincinnati Reds were aggressive with two Cuban signees, promoting them directly to high-A. Shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez and pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez will be very intriguing pieces to watch as the Reds have shown a very high success rate with Cuban players, specifically with Cuban pitchers.

The other major “name” to watch at the level will be catcher Chris Okey, who was a 2nd round pick for the Reds out of Clemson last season. He was a defensive-focused catcher in college, but there’s enough in his bat for the Reds to be aggressive with him, and there’s a path for him to move quickly to the majors if he can perform.

Lastly, the other guy of note is former first round selection Jonathon Crawford, a pitcher the Detroit Tigers selected out of Florida in the first round in 2013 before trading him to the Reds after the 2014 season. He has been injured for most of the two seasons he’s been in the Reds system, but he’s healthy now and could have a chance to finally show the talent he’s always possessed.

So how did the weekend go?

Next: Game Breakdowns

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