Slugging catcher’s heavy hitting leads August upswing for Tortugas
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla—Daytona Tortugas catcher Alfredo Duno has earned Florida State League Player of the Month honors after a dominant month of August to lead a resurgent Tortugas offense that powered Daytona to the playoffs.
The 19-year-old Venezuelan played in 25 of Daytona’s 27 games last month and slashed .338/.490/.700 with 8 doubles, 7 home runs, 25 RBI, while drawing 24 walks against just 11 strikeouts and scoring 21 runs. He led Daytona to a 17-10 August that matched the Tortugas record for most wins in a month and included a franchise record-tying eight-game winning streak from August 9-17.
His month was highlighted by a series at Bradenton from August 19-24 when was 6-for-12 with a pair of doubles and homered in three consecutive games, earning his second FSL Player of the Week award of the season.
The third-year professional has enjoyed a banner season, slashing .281/.423/.501 with 107 hits, 76 runs, 32 doubles, 16 home runs, and 78 RBI. He has also drawn 91 walks. Duno leads the Florida State League in runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS (.924), walks, extra-base hits (50), and total bases (191), while second in batting average and ranking third in hits.
Duno has set a Tortugas single-season record in walks (91) and is one RBI (79) from matching the franchise mark, while he is currently on pace to set Tortugas records for highest OBP (.423) and OPS (.924) in a season.
He also was one of two Reds prospects to play in the All-Star Futures Game as part of MLB’s All-Star Weekend festivities in Atlanta last month. He also has soared up several prospect lists and is now a top-5 Cincinnati Reds prospect and a top-100 prospect in all of MLB by nearly every publication.
Duno is the fourth hitter in Tortugas history to be named FSL Player of the Month, joining Ethan O’Donnell (September 2023), Hector Rodriguez (May 2023) and Shed Long Jr. (May 2023). He is the first Tortuga to earn an FSL monthly honor since Nestor Lorant was named FSL Pitcher of the Month in June 2024.
Duno and the Tortugas will finish the regular season with four more games at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium against the Palm Beach Cardinals through Sunday. They will then begin the Florida State League postseason on Tuesday, September 9 at 6:35 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Ballpark against the St. Lucie Mets. Tickets for Tuesday’s game are on sale now and can be purchased here, by calling 386-257-3172, or visiting the Tortugas box office at 110 E. Orange Avenue.
ABOUT THE DAYTONA TORTUGAS
The Daytona Tortugas are in their tenth season as the Single-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of Minor League Baseball’s Florida State League. The Tortugas play at historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida that was recently designated a National Commemorative Site. Jackie Robinson Ballpark also plays host to Bethune-Cookman University, the Jackie Robinson Ballpark Museum, and many community events and initiatives of all sizes throughout the year.
