March 9, 2018 - Dragons Past, Present, and Future Party at The Chop House at Suntrust Park. 35 Current and former Dragons showed up to honor the 2017 Champs and Hall of Fame ceremony.
The Dragons Hall of Fame is as much about being a good teammate as it is production on the field and longevity. The storied Dragons tradition started by Robert Frazier in the 90's was built on a "just have fun" mentality and the wins have come with it along the way. Once a Dragon, always a Dragon lives on today with many deep seeded relationships that were formed on the diamond and will last a lifetime.
The HOF is a prestigious club, however, there are many great Dragons over the years, reflected in the record books and the pictured history of the team.
Many retired Dragons still support the team and are very proud of what they started and what we represent to the MSBL still today.
10/1/2016 - Dragons playoff game 1 at Osborne 2016 - Tailgate and reunion
From Left to Right: Jeremy Duffy, Charlie Nugent, Brian Dermond, Ken Taylor, Marc Glickman,Brett Washburn, Cade McIntyre, Billy Whitfield, Clay Mead, Mitch Jolley, James Cooper, Todd Edwards, Brian Reece, Robert Frazier, Aaron Bickhart.
9-22-18 between Championship games vs Cherokees. HOF's coming out to support.
From left to right:
David Zanaty, Brett Washburn, Billy Whitfield, Robert Frazier
HALL OF FAME
Robert Frazier – 5 years - #6
Frazier started the Dragons in 1996 but prior to that, he ran the 92 Cubs, 93 & 94 Indians, and 95 Hooters before settling on the Dragons name that would stick for decades.
Frazier managed the Dragons to 54-48-1 record over his 5 seasons but more importantly he set the tone for how the team would be managed. He was very well organized with little sheets of notes everywhere, with names, phone numbers, etc., however, he rarely missed a managers meeting and became one of the most reliable and respected managers in the MABL. He stressed being a good teammate and assembled the original group of Dragons in the mid to late 90’s, many of which are still friends to this day thanks to him.
When he left for Japan in 2000, he turned to the team over to Brett Washburn, saying, “The Dragons will never last if you don’t take over.”
Robert followed the Dragons from Japan for over a decade with bi-weekly phone calls to check in. Today, he still checks in on the team from Minneapolis, where he is employed at Amazon. Robert was able to be in attendance for the 2017 Championship series vs the Cherokees and witnessed the first championship with a great deal of pride for what he had started 22+ years previous.
Mitch Jolley – 7 years - #3
Jolley played 7 seasons with the Dragons from 96-02 before retiring. Mitch was the all time catcher, all around good guy, and never say die attitude. A Marine at heart, he gave everything he had oftentimes catching both ends of the doubleheader in 100 degree weather. Mitch was instrumental in growing the Dragons as well as he was the rock behind Robert for many years. Today, Mitch works in construction and lives in Cumming with his wife Amy.
Billy Whitfield – 14 years - #14
Whitfield played for 14 seasons before retiring after the 2012 season. Billy infamously came up with the kangaroo court fine system and made sure it was documented in the book weekly so we could recap at the end of the year at the team party. That was always good for a lot of entertainment.
On the field, Billy was a workhorse on the mound for many years of undocumented success. Billy should be far and away the career leader in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts however pitching stats got the short end of the stick in the early years.
Billy is the career leader in Home Runs with 55 and 3rd all time in RBI with 224. Billy started his own renovation and handyman business around 2021 and lives in Kennesaw with his wife Kelly and they have 3 kids. Later, the pitching MVP trophy would be called the "Whitfield Award" giving yearly to the pitcher of the year.
Todd Edwards – 14 years - #9
Edwards played 14 seasons with the Dragons but would have been 19 had he not moved away from 2005-2008. Edwards was a stalwart at 3rd for the Dragons for years and usually hit 3rd. He is the Dragons career leader in RBI, 2nd in Runs scored, and 3rd in Home Runs. He career batting average of .354 places him just outside the top 10 but his high was .453 in 1997. He is the career leader in doubles with 69.
Todd, aka Hollywood, was known for having the latest trends on the baseball field and was a leader in the dugout and off the field. Todd’s last season was 2014 but he keeps in close touch with the Dragons and their successes. Off the field today, Todd is a real estate agent for RedFin in Dunedin, FL. He lives there with his wife Daphne. The Edwards trophy was created to award the offensive player of the year, named after his accolades with the bat and his longtime dedication to Dragons baseball.
Mike Hanelin (Doc) – 12 years - #32
Doc played 12 seasons and was a key cog in the lineup, on the mound, and in the field, manning CF for years. Doc’s career on base percentage was .468 with ranks 7th all time. He is in the top 10 in many career categories including 1st in triples, 3rd in runs scored, 4th in doubles and hits, 6th in RBI, and his .360 career batting average is 10th. Doc would be in the top 5 in career pitching if those stats had been kept better in the early years as he won some big playoff games over his time wearing #32.
Doc was known for his intensity and a strikeout was sure to produce a helmet bounding against a wall near you in the dugout. He raised the level of everyone’s game around though and he is probably the career leader in fines as well. Today, Doc is a retired radiologist now living in Los Angeles and has taken up acting over the last decade. You’ve probably seen in some commercials and short films. In 2024, Doc married his longtime girlfriend, Ashlieya in Hawaii.
David Zanaty – 10 years - #22
Z played 10 seasons with the Dragons and once said prior to retiring, “I’m not sure what to do, I’m a baseball player.” He was a constant in the lineup with his best year hitting .400 in 2002 and racking up double digit RBI’s for 6 consecutive seasons. He’s 7th in Dragons history in career hits and RBI and 8th in runs. He ranks 2nd in career SAC fly’s and was always a quick witted personality, making everyone laugh on a regular basis. He once won in poker on a team trip and carried a little sheet of paper with an “I owe you” on it for several years. He never had a problem finding what to do after baseball. He’s been very successful in Real Estate Investment, Development, and Operations over the last couple decades. David and his wife Katie still live in Atlanta and have 2 daughters.
Rusty Umphenour – 6 years - #5
Rusty will go down as the funniest Dragon of all time and one of the best teammates anyone could ever have. Always smiling, he made coming to the ballpark as fun as it could be. On the field, he’s one of the best hitters in Dragons history compiling a career .416 batting average with ranks #4 and .568 on base percentage which is #1 all-time. He hit .400 or better in 4 of his 6 seasons. Fun fact about Rusty, he played on the 1985, ’86, ’87 and ’88 (Pony, Babe Ruth, Colt & Babe Ruth) World Champions w/ the East Cobb Astros. He lives in Atlanta and has 2 kids.
Wayne Hauenstein – 6 years - #15
Wayne never met a call he agreed with or an umpire he liked. He was famously ejected in the 2002 playoffs vs the White Sox declaring, “I couldn’t hit that with a step ladder” on a called strike 3. Wayne was a heck of a hitter though coming in 7th all-time with a . 379 career average. He places 10th in hits and 9th in RBI over his 6 years. He played a solid SS for many years and was a true competitor. Wayne was once fined for bringing the book, “What to Expect When Your Expecting” into the dugout to give to Ken. In his personal life, Wayne is an avid follower of Georgia Tech football, basketball, and Atlanta Braves baseball. He has his own consulting company, called Learning Curve Consulting that he started in 2012. He lives in Roswell with his wife and 3 kids and coaches his son’s travel team.
Ken Taylor – 5 years - #39
Ken played 5 seasons with the Dragons before moving up to the 28+ Dragons for several years later. He was brought on in 1999 by Wayne and found out he made the team when Edwards handed him a Dragons t’shirt after the 1st practice. Ken quickly fit in and became one of the proudest Dragon players in a short time and even wrote a book called “Dragonball” that may be published in 2018. The book chronicles his work life and Dragons baseball in regards to how baseball saved him and allowed him to be himself. It’s a fascinating look into a young career and Dragons baseball in the early days. On the field, Ken would famously throw his bat upon being hit by a pitch and is 8th all time in just 5 years for hit by pitches. Many Dragons players would privately root for him to be hit so we could see the show. He is also 8th all time in stolen bases and was a great bunter. In his first season, he used to bunt a lot until one day, Washburn told him to swing the damn bat and don’t be a p****y. Ken hit his first career home run the next game and would finish with 3 on the year. Ken never hit below .300 and finished with a .346 career average. He now runs his own consulting firm called 39 Consulting and has published a book called “Persuaded” that you should check out. Ken lives in Sandy Springs with his girlfriend Christi and has 2 kids in college.
Paul Brooks – 6 years - #1
Paul came to the Dragons in 1999 from the league commissioner and fit in immediately. Fresh out of school from the U. of Virginia, he moved to Atlanta to go to grad school at Georgia Tech. His young legs were a welcome addition and he always had a solid bat and pitched in some big games. In the 1999 playoffs he pitched one of the best games in Dragons history and led just 1-0 going to the 9th. The Dragons had no pitching left and with 2 outs the season ended on a walk off by the opponent in the bottom of the 9th but Paul pitched his heart out. He finished with a .311 career average and very respectable .423 on base percentage. Today, Paul is back in Virginia where he is a professor at Viriginia Commonwealth in Richmond and lives with his wife Courtney and have one son.
Inducted March 9, 2018
Cade McIntyre, 13 seasons, #42
A stoic On-Field General known as a brick wall behind the dish for 13 seasons. His tireless work and durability behind the dish led to Top 10 in Career Hits, Doubles, Runs Scored, and Saves on the mound. The ultimate teammate. These days, Cade coaches in East Atlanta and runs the Coyotes youth baseball team.
Aaron Bickhart, 10 seasons, #6
A fiery two-way star who was a fierce competitor and competed with the moto “Wait till you see what I do today”. Career benchmarks include 318 IP, 25 Wins, 9 Saves, 292 Strike Outs which leads the Dragons All-Time. Post Season excellence and guts pitching 20 Innings in 2 days with 2 Wins to propel Dragons into the 2011 Championship. Second All-Time in Career HR’s (45) and Top 10 in numerous Hitting categories All-Time. Dragons Offensive Player of the Year 2006 & 2009. Dragons Pitcher of the Year 2009, 2010, 2012, & 2015. Currenty, Aaron lives in South Atlanta with his longtime girlfriend, Crystal.
