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Tampa Tarpons (1957–1988)

January 01, 1970

For the current Florida State League team, see Tampa Tarpons.

The Tampa Tarpons were a minor league baseball team based in Tampa, Florida. Their home ballpark was Al Lopez Field, and they were a member of the Class A Florida State League (FSL) from 1957 until 1988, mostly as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. In 1988, they were sold, relocated, and renamed the Sarasota White Sox. During their run in Tampa, they won three FSL league championships, in 1957, 1959 and 1961.

Tampa Tarpons
Minor league affiliations
Previous classes
LeagueFlorida State League
Major league affiliations
Previous teams
Minor league titles
League titles 3 (1957, 1959, 1961)
Team data
Previous names
  • Tampa White Sox (1988)
Previous parks
Al Lopez Field

For the 2018 season, the FSL Tampa Yankees revived the name when they were rebranded as the Tampa Tarpons.

History edit

See also: Baseball in the Tampa Bay area

Tampa has had a long history of minor league baseball, beginning in 1919, when the original Tampa Smokers began play as charter members of the Florida State League. The Smokers moved to the Florida International League before both the league and the team folded in 1954, temporarily leaving Tampa without a professional baseball team. The city built Al Lopez Field 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.[1]

The Tarpons were an independent minor league team until 1957, when they became an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1961, they began a long affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds. They won three league championships, in 1957, 1959 and 1961.[2] In 1964 minor league baseball was realigned, and the Florida State League became a Class A league (now Class A-Advanced).

During the 1980s talk spread of a major league team coming to the Tampa Bay Area, which would threaten the viability of the Tarpons and other minor league teams in the region.[3] Prior to the 1988 season the Reds moved their spring training from Tampa to Plant City, Florida, and moved their Class A franchise to Greensboro, North Carolina (the Greensboro Hornets). 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 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.[4]

After the 1988 season, owner Mitchell Mick sold his franchise to the Chicago White Sox, who relocated the club to Sarasota, Florida as the Sarasota White Sox.[5] The franchise exchanged major league affiliates and nicknames several times before 2010, when they became an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and were moved and renamed the Bradenton Marauders.

Meanwhile, Tampa was without professional baseball until the Tampa Yankees re-joined the Florida State League in 1994. After the 2017 season, that team rebranded itself as the Tarpons.[6]

Notable Tarpon alumni edit

Many former Tarpons went on to play in the major leagues, including important members of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine of the 1970s. In 1961 Pete Rose led the Tarpons to a FSL championship with a .331 batting average and 30 triples – still a FSL record.[7] Other Reds players from that era who started with the Tarpons include Ken Griffey, Sr., Johnny Bench, Dan Driessen, Rawly Eastwick, and Dave Concepcion. When the Reds won their next world series in 1990 with manager (and Tampa native) Lou Piniella, they again had several former Tarpons on the roster, including Tom Browning, Rob Dibble, 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.[8] Poffo would later have much more success as a professional wrestler after adopting the stage name Randy "The Macho Man" Savage.

Notable Tarpon players and coaches edit

Tampa Bay Rays connections edit

In 2006 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 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.[9][10] The (Devil)-Rays have worn Tampa Tarpons uniforms for several "Turn Back the Clock" games:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Tampa Tarpons Move Into First". The Evening Independent. May 6, 1968. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  2. ^ "Past Champions: Florida State League Champions". www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=l123. milb.com. 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  3. ^ Fry, Darrell (July 2, 1988). "Tarpons, Cards react differently to White Sox Series: fsl". St. Petersburg Times.
  4. ^
  5. ^ "Tampa Tarpons sold, moving to Sarasota". St. Petersburg Times. November 19, 1988. p. 5.C. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  6. ^ Hill, Benjamin (December 11, 2017). "With Tarpons, Tampa throws back to the future". milb.com. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Putterbaugh, Travis (May 10, 2010). "Remembering the Tampa Tarpons". Tampa Sports History. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  8. ^ "Randy Poffo career minor league statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  9. ^ "Name Could Be Big Change" - St. Pete Times, Jan 15, 2006
  10. ^ Rays usher in new era with new identity | MLB.com: News
  11. ^ "Lots of fun at the ballpark" - Ocala Star-Banner, July 20, 1999
  12. ^ Bill Chastain (2006-06-24). "Notes: Rays sport throwback duds: Club dons unis of '75 Tarpons for Turn Back the Clock Night". MLB.com.
  13. ^ "Rays will turn back the clock on Aug. 13" - St. Pete Times, July 1, 2010

January 01, 1970
tampa, tarpons, 1957, 1988, current, florida, state, league, team, tampa, tarpons, tampa, tarpons, were, minor, league, baseball, team, based, tampa, florida, their, home, ballpark, lopez, field, they, were, member, class, florida, state, league, from, 1957, u. For the current Florida State League team see Tampa Tarpons The Tampa Tarpons were a minor league baseball team based in Tampa Florida Their home ballpark was Al Lopez Field and they were a member of the Class A Florida State League FSL from 1957 until 1988 mostly as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds In 1988 they were sold relocated and renamed the Sarasota White Sox During their run in Tampa they won three FSL league championships in 1957 1959 and 1961 Tampa Tarpons1957 1988Tampa FloridaMinor league affiliationsPrevious classesClass A 1963 1988 Class D 1957 1962 LeagueFlorida State LeagueMajor league affiliationsPrevious teamsChicago White Sox 1988 Cincinnati Reds 1961 1987 Philadelphia Phillies 1957 1960 Minor league titlesLeague titles3 1957 1959 1961 Team dataPrevious namesTampa White Sox 1988 Previous parksAl Lopez Field For the 2018 season the FSL Tampa Yankees revived the name when they were rebranded as the Tampa Tarpons Contents 1 History 2 Notable Tarpon alumni 2 1 Notable Tarpon players and coaches 3 Tampa Bay Rays connections 4 See also 5 ReferencesHistory editSee also Baseball in the Tampa Bay area Tampa has had a long history of minor league baseball beginning in 1919 when the original Tampa Smokers began play as charter members of the Florida State League The Smokers moved to the Florida International League before both the league and the team folded in 1954 temporarily leaving Tampa without a professional baseball team The city built Al Lopez Field 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 1 The Tarpons were an independent minor league team until 1957 when they became an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies In 1961 they began a long affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds They won three league championships in 1957 1959 and 1961 2 In 1964 minor league baseball was realigned and the Florida State League became a Class A league now Class A Advanced During the 1980s talk spread of a major league team coming to the Tampa Bay Area which would threaten the viability of the Tarpons and other minor league teams in the region 3 Prior to the 1988 season the Reds moved their spring training from Tampa to Plant City Florida and moved their Class A franchise to Greensboro North Carolina the Greensboro Hornets 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 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 4 After the 1988 season owner Mitchell Mick sold his franchise to the Chicago White Sox who relocated the club to Sarasota Florida as the Sarasota White Sox 5 The franchise exchanged major league affiliates and nicknames several times before 2010 when they became an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates and were moved and renamed the Bradenton Marauders Meanwhile Tampa was without professional baseball until the Tampa Yankees re joined the Florida State League in 1994 After the 2017 season that team rebranded itself as the Tarpons 6 Notable Tarpon alumni editMany former Tarpons went on to play in the major leagues including important members of Cincinnati s Big Red Machine of the 1970s In 1961 Pete Rose led the Tarpons to a FSL championship with a 331 batting average and 30 triples still a FSL record 7 Other Reds players from that era who started with the Tarpons include Ken Griffey Sr Johnny Bench Dan Driessen Rawly Eastwick and Dave Concepcion When the Reds won their next world series in 1990 with manager and Tampa native Lou Piniella they again had several former Tarpons on the roster including Tom Browning Rob Dibble 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 8 Poffo would later have much more success as a professional wrestler after adopting the stage name Randy The Macho Man Savage Notable Tarpon players and coaches edit Johnny Bench 1965 14 x MLB All Star 2 x NL MVP Baseball Hall of Fame Bill Bonham 1980 Tom Browning 1983 MLB All Star Ben Chapman 1951 MGR 4 x MLB All Star Dave Concepcion 1968 9 x MLB All Star Doug Corbett 1975 1976 MLB All Star Rob Dibble 1984 2 x MLB All Star Dan Driessen 1970 1971 Rawly Eastwick 1970 2 x NL Saves Leader Doug Flynn 1972 Tom Foley 1979 Ken Griffey Sr 1971 3 x MLB All Star Chris Hammond 1986 Lenny Harris 1985 Steve Henderson 1975 Jay Howell 1977 3 x MLB All Star Tom Hume 1972 MLB All Star Mike LaCoss 1975 MLB All Star Charlie Leibrandt 1978 Hal McRae 1965 3 x MLB All Star Lee May 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 1952 7 x MLB All Star Joe Price 1978 Gary Redus 1980 Pete Rose 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 1981 2 x MLB All Star Randy Savage 1974 Professional wrestler Mario Soto 1976 3 x MLB All Star Danny Tartabull 1981 MLB All Star Dave Tomlin 1968 1969 Johnny Vander Meer 1961 1962 MGR 4 x MLB All Star Milt Wilcox 1968 1969 Jim Wynn 1962 3 x MLB All Star Joel Youngblood 1970 MLB All StarTampa Bay Rays connections editIn 2006 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 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 9 10 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 who wore uniforms reminiscent of those worn by their 1969 championship team 11 On June 24 2006 the Devil Rays wore 1975 Tarpon uniforms against the Atlanta Braves who wore their 1975 road uniforms Coincidentally two Rays coaches third base coach Tom Foley and hitting coach Steve Henderson had both played for the Tarpons in the mid 1970s 12 On August 13 2010 the Rays wore 1970 Tarpons uniforms against the Baltimore Orioles who wore all orange road uniforms used occasionally by their 1971 pennant winning squad 13 See also editBaseball in the Tampa Bay area Former Tarpon playersReferences edit Tampa Tarpons Move Into First The Evening Independent May 6 1968 Retrieved August 27 2012 Past Champions Florida State League Champions www milb com index jsp sid l123 milb com 2012 Retrieved August 27 2012 Fry Darrell July 2 1988 Tarpons Cards react differently to White Sox Series fsl St Petersburg Times https web archive org web 20040530045032 http www mlb com pressbox downloads y2004 media guides col minors pdf Tampa Tarpons sold moving to Sarasota St Petersburg Times November 19 1988 p 5 C Retrieved February 21 2012 Hill Benjamin December 11 2017 With Tarpons Tampa throws back to the future milb com Retrieved December 11 2017 Putterbaugh Travis May 10 2010 Remembering the Tampa Tarpons Tampa Sports History Retrieved February 21 2012 Randy Poffo career minor league statistics Baseball Reference com Retrieved February 21 2012 Name Could Be Big Change St Pete Times Jan 15 2006 Rays usher in new era with new identity MLB com News Lots of fun at the ballpark Ocala Star Banner July 20 1999 Bill Chastain 2006 06 24 Notes Rays sport throwback duds Club dons unis of 75 Tarpons for Turn Back the Clock Night MLB com Rays will turn back the clock on Aug 13 St Pete Times July 1 2010 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tampa Tarpons 1957 1988 amp oldid 1179100239, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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