The Tampa Tarpons were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. Their home ballpark was

Al Lopez Field Al López Field was a spring training and Minor League baseball ballpark in West Tampa, Tampa, Florida, United States. It was named for Al López, the first Tampa native to play Major League Baseball (MLB), manage an MLB team, and be enshrined i ...

, and they were a member of the Class A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

(FSL) from 1957 until 1988, mostly as an affiliate of the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. In 1988, they were sold, relocated, and renamed the

Sarasota White Sox Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Ba ...

. During their run in Tampa, they won three FSL league championships, in 1957, 1959 and 1961. For the 2018 season, the FSL

Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...

revived the name when they were rebranded as the Tampa Tarpons.

History

Tampa has had a long history of minor league baseball, beginning in 1919, when the original

Tampa Smokers The Tampa Smokers was a name used between 1919 and 1954 by a series of minor league baseball, minor league baseball teams based in Tampa, Florida. The nickname was a nod to the History of Ybor City, local cigar industry, which was the most impor ...

began play as charter members of the

. The Smokers moved to the

Florida International League The Florida International League was a lower- to mid-level circuit in American and Cuban minor league baseball that existed from 1946 through July 27, 1954. It was designated Class C level league for its first three seasons, then upgraded to Clas ...

before both the league and the team folded in 1954, temporarily leaving Tampa without a professional baseball team. The city built

in 1954, and the Tampa Tarpons became the ballpark's first tenant when they began play there in 1955 as a new member of the Class D Florida State League. The Tarpons were an independent minor league team until 1957, when they became an affiliate of the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. In 1961, they began a long affiliation with the

. They won three league championships, in 1957, 1959 and 1961. In 1964 minor league baseball was realigned, and the Florida State League became a Class A league (now

Class A-Advanced High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

). During the 1980s talk spread of a major league team coming to the

Tampa Bay Area The Tampa Bay area is a major metropolitan area surrounding Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, Florida, Clea ...

, which would threaten the viability of the Tarpons and other minor league teams in the region. Prior to the 1988 season the Reds moved their

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

from Tampa to

Plant City, Florida Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. It is part of the Tampa Bay area. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census. Despite ma ...

, and moved their Class A franchise to

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

(the

Greensboro Hornets Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina, af ...

). The Chicago White Sox subsequently moved their Class A affiliation to Tampa for the 1988 season, amid rumors that the major league White Sox would be moving to the area soon thereafter. That season the club, renamed the Tampa White Sox, drew 55,900 fans, seventh in the 14-team FSL, and went 35–35 in the first half before they won the western division second-half title at 36–24. They fell in the second round of the playoffs to the

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

2 games to 0. The club was managed by Marv Foley and had one FSL All-Star, pitcher Jerry Kutzler. Foley won FSL Manager of the Year honors. After the 1988 season, owner Mitchell Mick sold his franchise to the Chicago White Sox, who relocated the club to

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

as the

. The franchise exchanged major league affiliates and nicknames several times before 2010, when they became an affiliate of the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

and were moved and renamed the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the ...

. Meanwhile, Tampa was without professional baseball until the

re-joined the Florida State League in 1994. After the 2017 season, that team rebranded itself as the Tarpons.

Notable Tarpon alumni

Many former Tarpons went on to play in the major leagues, including important members of Cincinnati's

Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division t ...

of the 1970s. In 1961

Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...

led the Tarpons to a FSL championship with a .331 batting average and 30 triples – still a FSL record. Other Reds players from that era who started with the Tarpons include Ken Griffey, Sr.,

Johnny Bench Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from to , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of the ...

Dan Driessen Daniel Driessen (born July 29, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1973 to 1987, most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three National L ...

Rawly Eastwick Rawlins Jackson "Rawly" Eastwick (born October 24, 1950) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillie ...

, and

Dave Concepcion Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...

. When the Reds won their next world series in 1990 with manager (and Tampa native)

Lou Piniella Louis Victor Piniella ( usually ; born August 28, 1943) is a former professional baseball player and manager. An outfielder, he played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals a ...

, they again had several former Tarpons on the roster, including

Tom Browning Thomas Leo Browning (April 28, 1960 – December 19, 2022) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1984 to 1995, spending almost his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds. In his rookie season in 1985, ...

Rob Dibble Robert Keith Dibble (born January 24, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and television analyst. Between 1988 and 1995, Dibble played for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. He was a two-time ...

, and Paul O'Neill. Another notable Tarpon was Randy Poffo, whose brief minor league baseball career ended in 1974 after batting .232 as a 21-year-old outfielder. Poffo would later have much more success as a

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

after adopting the ring name Randy "The Macho Man" Savage.

Notable Tarpon players and coaches

(1965) 14 x MLB All-Star, 2 x NL MVP,

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

Bill Bonham William Gordon Bonham (born October 1, 1948) is an American former pitcher for the Chicago Cubs (1971–77) and Cincinnati Reds (1978–80). He played for the Jackie Robinson Stadium (UCLA baseball), UCLA Bruins and was a member of the 1969 Colle ...

(1980) *

(1983) MLB All-Star * Ben Chapman (1951, MGR) 4 x MLB All-Star *

(1968) 9 x MLB All-Star * Doug Corbett (1975–1976) MLB All-Star *

(1984) 2 x MLB All-Star *

(1970–1971) *

(1970) 2 x NL Saves Leader *

Doug Flynn Robert Douglas Flynn Jr. (born April 18, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1975 to 1985 as an infielder for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos ...

(1972) *

Tom Foley Thomas Stephen Foley (March 6, 1929 – October 18, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Foley represente ...

(1979) * Ken Griffey, Sr. (1971) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Chris Hammond Christopher Andrew Hammond (born January 21, 1966) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Hammond was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the amateur draft. Hammond had not sustained considerable ...

(1986) * Lenny Harris (1985) * Steve Henderson (1975) *

Jay Howell Jay Canfield Howell (born November 26, 1955) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1980), Chicago Cubs (1981), New York Yankees (1982–1984), Oakland Athletics (1985–1987), Los Angeles Dodgers (19 ...

(1977) 3 x MLB All-Star * Tom Hume (1972) MLB All-Star *

Mike LaCoss Michael James LaCoss (born May 30, 1956) is an American former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Baseball career Minor Leagues LaCoss was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round of the 1974 amateur draft. Cincinnati Reds L ...

(1975) MLB All-Star *

Charlie Leibrandt Charles Louis Leibrandt Jr. (; born October 4, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1979 to 1993 for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, and Texas Rangers. Leibrandt was a member of the ...

(1978) *

Hal McRae Harold Abraham McRae (; born July 10, 1945) is an American former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1968, 1970–72) and Kansas City Royals (1973–87). Utilized as a designated hitter for most of his care ...

(1965) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Lee May Lee Andrew May (March 23, 1943 – July 29, 2017) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and designated hitter from to for the Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Bal ...

(1961–1962) 3 x MLB All-Star * Jeff Montgomery (1984) 3 x MLB All-Star * Paul O'Neill (1983) 5 x MLB All-Star; 1994 AL Batting Title * Ron Oester (1975) * Joe Oliver (1985) *

Camilo Pascual Camilo Alberto Pascual Lus (born January 20, 1934) is a Cuban former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During an 18-year baseball career (1954–71), he played for the original modern Washington Senators franchise (which became the Mi ...

(1952) 7 x MLB All-Star * Joe Price (1978) *

Gary Redus Gary Eugene Redus (born November 1, 1956) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers. ...

(1980) *

(1961) 17 x MLB All-Star; 3 x NL Batting Title (1968, 1969, 1973); 1963 NL Rookie of the Year; 1973 NL MVP *

Jeff Russell Jeffrey Lee Russell (born September 2, 1961) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played 14 years from 1983 to 1996. Russell played for the Cincinnati Reds of the National League and the Texas Rangers, Oakland A's, Boston R ...

(1981) 2 x MLB All-Star *

Randy Savage Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and professional baseball player, best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation ( ...

(1974) Professional wrestler * Mario Soto (1976) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Danny Tartabull Danilo Tartabull Mora (born October 30, 1962) is a Cuban– Puerto Rican former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners (1984–1986), Kansas City R ...

(1981) MLB All-Star *

Dave Tomlin David Allen Tomlin (born June 22, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. During his 13-season career in Major League Baseball, he was a relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1972–73 and 1978–80), San Diego Padres (1974� ...

(1968–1969) *

Johnny Vander Meer John Samuel Vander Meer (November 2, 1914 – October 6, 1997) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where he became the on ...

(1961–1962, MGR) 4 x MLB All-Star * Milt Wilcox (1968–1969) *

Jim Wynn James Sherman Wynn (March 12, 1942March 26, 2020), nicknamed "the Toy Cannon", was an American professional baseball player. He played 15 seasons as a center fielder; he spent ten of his fifteen seasons with the Houston Colt .45s / Astros befor ...

(1962) 3 x MLB All-Star * Joel Youngblood (1970) MLB All-Star

Tampa Bay Rays connections

In 2006 the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...

, embarked on a rebranding effort that would include a name change; they considered adopting the Tampa Bay Tarpons name in honor of the minor league team before making the less radical step of shortening their nickname to simply the Rays in 2008. The (Devil)-Rays have worn Tampa Tarpons uniforms for several "Turn Back the Clock" games: *On July 17, 1999, the Devil Rays wore 1960 Tarpons uniforms against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

, who wore uniforms reminiscent of those worn by their 1969 championship team. *On June 24, 2006, the Devil Rays wore 1975 Tarpon uniforms against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

, who wore their

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

road uniforms. Coincidentally, two Rays coaches, third-base coach

and hitting coach Steve Henderson, had both played for the Tarpons in the mid-1970s. *On August 13, 2010, the Rays wore 1970 Tarpons uniforms against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, who wore all-orange road uniforms used occasionally by their 1971 pennant-winning squad."Rays will turn back the clock on Aug. 13" - St. Pete Times, July 1, 2010
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tampa Tarpons (1957-1988) Defunct Florida State League teams Sports clubs and teams in Tampa, Florida Philadelphia Phillies minor league affiliates Cincinnati Reds minor league affiliates Chicago White Sox minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 1957 Baseball teams disestablished in 1988 Defunct baseball teams in Florida 1957 establishments in Florida 1988 disestablishments in Florida

History

Notable Tarpon alumni

Notable Tarpon players and coaches

Tampa Bay Rays connections

See also

References