Daytona Tortugas
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Wikipedia - Daytona Tortugas
The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Opened in 1914, the park seats 4,200 people.
The club was previously known as the Daytona Cubs from 1993 to 2014 when they were an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team has won six Florida State League championships: in 1995, 2000, 2004 (co-champions with the Tampa Yankees), 2008, 2011, and 2013.
History
Daytona Beach Admirals
The last Florida State League (FSL) baseball team to play in Daytona Beach, was known as the Daytona Beach Admirals, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. In September 1987, the White Sox decided to move their Class A affiliate to Sarasota. This left Daytona without a major league player development contract, resulting in the Admirals' owner selling the team to the New York Mets. The Mets moved the team to Port St. Lucie to become the St. Lucie Mets. Daytona did not have professional baseball for five years after the move.
Chicago Cubs
Prior to 1993, the Chicago Cubs were affiliated with the Winston Salem Warthogs, a Class A team that played in the Carolina League. At the end of the 1992 season, the Cubs decided to move their Class A affiliate to Florida. The Florida State League originally assigned the transplanted Cubs team to play at Baseball City Stadium in Davenport. However, Jordan Kobritz, the new owner and general manager of the minor league franchise, wanted the team to play in Daytona Beach instead. Negotiations to bring the Cubs to Daytona Beach went on for a couple of months and were completed just in time to start the new season.
The Daytona Cubs opened their first season on the road, sweeping the Vero Beach Dodgers, two games to zero. The home opener was scheduled for April 12. Jackie Robinson Ballpark was sold out on opening night. Chelsea Clinton, President Clinton's daughter, was invited to Daytona to throw the opening pitch. The young Ms. Clinton could not attend due to a family medical emergency, and Daytona Beach Mayor Larry Kelly and FSL President Chuck Murphy threw the ceremonial opening pitches instead. The Cubs' public address announcer led fans to sing "Go, Cubs, Go", although with slightly altered lyrics (substituting "Daytona" for "Chicago"). The Daytona Cubs won their home opener 5–2 against the Sarasota White Sox, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox who left Daytona Beach five years earlier.
Cincinnati Reds
After the 2014 season, the Cubs ended their affiliation with Daytona, and signed a new contract with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League. Daytona reached an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds following the 2014 season, and announced the team would be rebranded with a new name with a "local angle" in 2015. They chose the name "Tortugas", Spanish for "turtles".
On June 3, 2015, Big Game Florida, LLC, headed by Andy Rayburn, sold the team to Tortugas Baseball Club, LLC, headed by Reese Smith III with partners Bob Fregolle and Rick French. Smith plans to keep the team in Daytona.
In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Tortugas were organized into the Low-A Southeast at the Low-A classification, though they remained affiliated with the Reds. In 2022, the Low-A Southeast became known as the Florida State League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit.
Season-by-season results
| Division and League Champions † |
Division Champions ‡ |
Post-season Berth * |
| Year | Record[a] | Win % | League[b] | Division[c] | GB[d] | Post-season record[e] |
Post-season win % |
Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 57–76 | .429 | 10th | 5th | 22½ | — | — | — |
| 1994 | 61–73 | .455 | 11th | 4th | 14½ | — | — | — |
| 1995 † |
87–48 | .644 | 1st | 1st | — | 3–2 | .600 | Clinched Eastern Division title Won FSL Championship vs Fort Myers Miracle, 3–2 |
| 1996 | 71–66 | .518 | 6th | 2nd | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1997 | 65–73 | .471 | 10th | 4th | 6½ | — | — | — |
| 1998 | 67–73 | .479 | 9th | 3rd | 13 | — | — | — |
| 1999 | 63–75 | .457 | 11th | 4th | 10 | — | — | — |
| 2000 † |
76–63 | .547 | 5th | 2nd | 5 | 5–0 | 1.000 | Won Eastern Division title vs St. Lucie Mets, 2–0 Won FSL Championship vs Dunedin Blue Jays, 3–0 |
| 2001 | 68–68 | .500 | 6th | 4th | 12½ | — | — | — |
| 2002 | 64–73 | .467 | 8th | 5th | 16½ | — | — | — |
| 2003 | 66–71 | .482 | 9th | 4th | 10 | — | — | — |
| 2004 † |
70–56 | .556 | 4th | 2nd | 3 | 2–0 | 1.000 | Won Eastern Division title vs Vero Beach Devil Rays, 2–0 Declared Co-FSL Champions with Tampa Yankees |
| 2005 | 69–65 | .515 | 5th | 2nd | 8½ | — | — | — |
| 2006 | 71–66 | .518 | 5th | 3rd | 5 | — | — | — |
| 2007 | 57–80 | .416 | 11th | 6th | 17½ | — | — | — |
| 2008 † |
73–59 | .553 | 3rd | 1st | — | 5–2 | .714 | Won Eastern Division title vs Palm Beach Cardinals, 2–1 Won FSL Championship vs Fort Myers Miracle, 3–1 |
| 2009 | 64–71 | .474 | 9th | 5th | 19 | — | — | — |
| 2010 | 75–64 | .540 | 4th | 2nd | 5 | — | — | — |
| 2011 † |
76–61 | .555 | — | 1st | — | 5–1 | .833 | Won North Division title vs Dunedin Blue Jays, 2–1 Won FSL Championship vs St. Lucie Mets, 3–0 |
| 2012 | 59–74 | .444 | 9th | 6th | 19 | — | — | — |
| 2013 † |
75–51 | .595 | 1st | 1st | — | 5–1 | .833 | Won North Division title vs Dunedin Blue Jays, 2–0 Won FSL Championship vs Charlotte Stone Crabs, 3–1 |
| 2014 ‡ |
67–69 | .493 | 2nd | 1st | — | 3–3 | .500 | Won North Division title vs Dunedin Blue Jays, 2–0 Lost FSL Championship vs Fort Myers Miracle, 3–1 |
| 2015 ‡ |
77–58 | .570 | 2nd | 1st | — | 3–3 | .500 | Won North Division title vs Clearwater Threshers, 2–0 Lost FSL Championship vs Charlotte Stone Crabs, 3–1 |
| 2016 | 76–61 | .555 | 3rd | 3rd | 6.5 | – | – | – |
| 2017 | 53–80 | .398 | 11th | 5th | 31.0 | – | – | – |
| 2018 ‡ |
69–66 | .511 | 6th | 3rd | 7.0 | 3–4 | .428 | Won North Division title vs Clearwater Threshers, 2–1 Lost FSL Championship vs Fort Myers Miracle, 3–1 |
| 2019 | 66–68 | .494 | 7th | 3rd | 13.5 | – | – | – |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic | |||||||
| 2021 | 60–60 | .500 | 6th | 3rd | 2.5 | – | – | – |
| 2022 | 54–74 | .422 | 10th | 4th | 18.5 | – | – | – |
| Totals | 1,956 – 1,940 | .502 | — | — | — | 34–16 | .680 | 9 Division titles, 6 FSL Championships |
The Daytona Tortugas play their home games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, a historic stadium that has been a staple in the community since 1914. The team's colors are red, black, and yellow, and their logo features a fierce-looking turtle with a baseball bat.
Known for their competitive spirit and dedication to the game, the Daytona Tortugas have a loyal fan base that cheers them on at every home game. With a talented roster of up-and-coming players, the team continues to showcase their skills and passion for baseball, making them a force to be reckoned with in the Florida State League.