DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Some of the Reds’ biggest stars started out in a Dayton Dragons uniform. Some were top picks. Others had to climb their way to the top.
Justice Thompson, an outfielder for the Dragons entering his second season, is ready to build off last year’s budding success and make a name for himself as one of the top prospects here in Dayton.
Thompson, a Tampa Florida native, was drafted by the Reds in 2021 as a 6th round pick out of the University of North Carolina.
He joined the Dragons April 22 of 2022 from Daytona after appearing in nine games with the Tortugas.
“When I first got up here, I mean, the atmosphere of Day Air Ballpark caught me by surprise. The amount of people who come out to watch our games. And the amount of support we have here is unmatched,” said Thompson.
Thompson finished strong at the end of the summer, batting .293 with four home runs in 75 at-bats.
But, Thompson is most notably known for his historic at-bat on May 20 against Quad Cities here in Dayton. With just two outs left in the final inning and the Dragons trailing by one run, Thompson belted a three-run homer.
“It’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done,” laughed Thompson.
The game-winning bomb to left field marked the first walk-off homer for the Dragons since Aristides Aquino in 2015.
The best part was that he was mic’d up for the whole thing.
2 Sports’ Joey DeBerardino sat down with Thompson for an exclusive interview to talk about his magical walk-off win and how he hopes to become a leader on the Dragon this season.
