DAYTON — Here’s what we know about the 2012 Dayton Dragons off the field: They fish, hunt, cook and play the guitar in their spare time. They love cake and cookies and, of course, video games, especially “Call of Duty.” They like dogs and cats — one Dragon even claims to train cats, believe it or not, and you shouldn’t.

One player has an identical twin brother. Another has a twin sister who plays volleyball at the University of Dayton.

The Dragons come from all over — from as close as Centerville and Fort Wayne, Ind., as far west as Los Angeles and the “Best Coast,” as one player described it, and as far south as Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The Dragons begin their season at 7 tonight against West Michigan at Fifth Third Field, but they kicked things off for the media Wednesday, introducing themselves and stating a fun fact about themselves, as prompted by Dragons broadcaster Tom Nichols.

If their responses are any indication, it should be a fun season.

Whether this season can top last season is another question. Second-year Manager Delino DeShields has a tough act to follow. Dayton posted a franchise-best 83-57 record in 2011, thanks mostly to a 48-22 record in the second half. That followed three losing seasons in a row.

DeShields set out right away to distance this team from comparisons to last year’s team. Only four players from that team return.

“That’s part of our job as coaches,” DeShields said. “We’ve got to put these guys in the best frame of mind as possible. If they’re hearing all this stuff about last year and being compared to last year’s team, that’s bound to put a lot of pressure on them. It’s a new year. They’re going to have their own identity by the end of the summer. My only goal for them is to go out and improve every day.”

Twenty of the 25 players on the roster spent some time with Billings (Mont.) in the Rookie League in 2011. The Mustangs finished 44-32, but that is no guarantee of success at the next level.

“This is a big jump,” DeShields said. “I’ve managed in that league as well. The talent level is a lot better moving forward. It should be a challenge, but I think we’ve got a good ballclub.”

Dayton’s talent begins with three players ranked among the top 30 Cincinnati Reds prospects by Baseball America: outfielder Kyle Waldrop (No. 22); second baseman Ryan Wright (No. 23) and infielder Sean Buckley (No. 24).

All three played in Billings last season. Waldrop hit .273 with 22 doubles, nine triples and five home runs. Buckley hit 14 home runs. Wright hit .298 with seven home runs in Billings.

“It’ll be a real offensive team,” said Wright, a Fort Wayne, Ind., native who was drafted in the fifth round last June out of the University of Louisville. “From top to bottom, we’ve got a little bit of everything: speed and power, and I think we’ll hit for average. The biggest thing is coming out to the ballpark and not worrying about how your day is going to go because somebody else in the lineup can pick you up if you don’t get the runner over or score the runner.”

Speed should again add another dimension to Dayton’s offense. The team led all of professional baseball with 228 stolen bases last season. That was in a large part because of the Reds’ second-ranked prospect, Billy Hamilton, who became the first minor leaguer in a decade to top 100 steals in a season with 103.

Outfielder Theo Bowe, who had 20 steals last season in Dayton, wants to pick up the slack. His goal is steal 50 bases this season.

“We’ll try to do half the job (Hamilton) did,” Bowe said. “We’ve got a lot of speed on this team, and we’ve got to use it to the best of our ability.”

On the mound, Dayton’s starting rotation consists of Justice French, Radhames Quezada, Tanner Robles, Stalin Gerson and Carlos Gonzalez. Gerson and Robles combined to win 13 games in Dayton last season when the Dragons posted the lowest team ERA in franchise history (3.39).

“I’m still getting to know these guys, but we’ve got some good arms,” DeShields said. “Last year’s staff was one of those staffs you’re blessed to get every now and then, but these guys are decent.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0351.