“Hey, Jorge, you want to be a star in the outfield?” Balcazar, the shortstop, said to Jorge, the second baseman.
“I’d love to play center field,” Jorge said.
For two more seasons, Jorge played second base.
“I always tried to catch some fly balls during practice just for fun,” he said. “But now that’s my job to go out there and catch all those balls and make all those plays.”
Early in the 2024 season, the Reds granted Jorge his wish and put him center field for the Dayton Dragons.
“I think he’s the best center fielder we have,” Balcazar said.
Jorge, 21, roamed center for the Dragons like he had been playing there for years, running down fly balls and line drives in the gaps and to the wall, diving headlong to steal hits, making strong throws.
“When I play shortstop and somebody hits it to center field and we have two outs, I’m running back to the dugout because I know he’s going to catch it,” Balcazar said.
Jorge and Balcazar will be at their same positions when the Dragons play their home opener at 7:05 Tuesday night at Day Air Ballpark against Fort Wayne. The Dragons opened the season with three losses over the weekend at West Michigan.
Jorge was doing a lot for the Dragons in the field and with the bat last summer before his season ended. He broke his left thumb on a head-first slide trying to steal second base on August 11. Jorge was batting .220 with a .291 on-base percentage to go with 12 home runs, 43 RBIs and 28 stolen bases.
Dragons manager Vince Harrison expects a lot from Jorge this season. When he managed 2023 National League Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and coached Elly De La Cruz with Louisville, Harrison said both were always the best player on the field. He says Jorge could be that player this year.
“What Carlos can bring to a team, he could easily be that same guy where he’s just doing everything,” Harrison said. “He’s stealing bases, he’s robbing home runs, he’s hitting home runs. He can be just such a vital part of a winning team.”
Balcazar started last season trying to get back into shape and rhythm after his 2023 season ended early because of a leg injury. He got off to a slow start in the field and at the plate. He finally felt all the way back when he hit his first homer on July 28. He finished with six homers, 47 RBIs and batted .264.
Balcazar said Harrison kept telling him to keep working and success would come. This season he is healthy and ready to help Jorge lead the team.
“I’m going to give 100% every game because I want to be a leader on this team and doing little things like being early, putting in hard work, trying to help the youngest guys coming,” he said. “V-Hay (Harrison) said, ‘I’m going to put a lot of trust in you.‘”
Last year the Dragons won the second-half division title and made the playoffs. With a strong cast of starting pitchers, returning players like Jorge and Balcazar, and some new young prospects, Jorge expects another strong season.
“We have a really good thing, new players, new pitchers,” he said. “If we work as a family, like last year, we’re going to be in a good spot.”
Today’s Game
Dragons vs. Fort Wayne, 7:05 p.m., 980
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