| Tampa Tarpons | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Single-A (2021–present) | ||||
| Previous classes | Class A-Advanced (1994–2020) | ||||
| League | Florida State League (1994–present) | ||||
| Division | West Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | New York Yankees (1994–present) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(5) |
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| Division titles(7) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Tampa Tarpons (2018–present) | ||||
Previous names | Tampa Yankees (1994–2017) | ||||
| Colors | Legends navy, Tarpon silver, Gulf blue, white[1] | ||||
| Mascot | King Ripple | ||||
| Ballpark | George M. Steinbrenner Field (1996–present) Community Field (2025–present) | ||||
Previous parks | Red McEwen Field (1994–1995) | ||||
Owner/ Operator | New York Yankees | ||||
| General manager | Jeremy Ventura[3] | ||||
| Manager | Aaron Bossi[2] | ||||
| Website | milb.com/tampa | ||||
TheTampa Tarpons are aMinor League Baseball team of theFlorida State League (FSL) and theSingle-A affiliate ofMajor League Baseball'sNew York Yankees. Located inTampa, Florida, they play their home games atGeorge M. Steinbrenner Field, theSpring Training home of the New York Yankees that incorporates design elements fromold Yankee Stadium inthe Bronx, including identical field dimensions. In 2025, they played home games at an adjacent practice field, Community Field at GMS Field. The Tarpons franchise competed atClass A-Advanced level from 1994 to 2020 before being reclassified to Single-A in 2021. Since their inception, the club has won fiveleague championships, in 1994, 2001, 2004, 2009, and 2010.
The club was established in 1994 as theTampa Yankees and played for 24 seasons under that name. Before the 2018 season, the team was rebranded as the "Tampa Tarpons", reviving a name that had been used byan earlier franchise in the FSL for over 30 years.[4]
Tampa has a long history of amateur and professional baseball. The city was one of the first to hostspring training in 1913, and theTampa Smokers were charter members of the FSL when it was established in 1919. Theoriginal Tampa Tarpons played atAl Lopez Field from 1954 through 1988, mainly as an affiliate of theCincinnati Reds. The club relocated in 1989 and their ballpark was demolished soon thereafter in anticipation of Tampa being awarded a major league expansion team. However, theTampa Bay Devil Rays were instead awarded to nearbySt. Petersburg, leaving Tampa without a professional baseball team or venue.[5]
In 1994, theNew York Yankees established a newClass A-Advanced (renamed High-A in 2021) FSL team and placed them in Tampa, replacing their previous Class-A Advanced affiliate, thePrince William Cannons. After operating as the Tampa Yankees for 24 seasons, the club was rebranded as the Tampa Tarpons in 2018, reviving the name of Tampa's longest-lasting minor league ballclub.[6] For the 2021 season, the FSL was reconfigured as a Low-A circuit, and the Florida State League name was retired, with the circuit being called theLow-A Southeast.[7][8] 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.[9]
On January 9, 2022, the Yankees announced thatRachel Balkovec has been hired to manage the Tarpons. She is the first woman to manage a minor league team affiliated with Major League Baseball.[10]
Notable major league players to once play for the Tampa Yankees / Tarpons includeAaron Judge,Derek Jeter,Rubén Rivera,Mariano Rivera,David Robertson,Joba Chamberlain,Ian Kennedy,Phil Hughes,Ramiro Mendoza,Tim Raines,Eric Milton, andLuis Sojo.
As part of a deal with the city of Tampa, the Tampa Sports Authority agreed to publicly finance a new ballpark for the New York Yankees to use during spring training and the Tampa Yankees to use during the summer. Legends Field has the same dimensions asYankee Stadium and includes some design elements of the previous ballpark in the Bronx. The Tampa Yankees played their first two seasons (1994 and 1995) atRed McEwen Field on the campus of theUniversity of South Florida while their permanent home was under construction. In 1996, the New York Yankees held spring training at newly completed Legends Field, moving from their long-time spring facilities atFort Lauderdale, and the Tampa Yankees played at the new ballpark that summer. In 2008, Legends Field was renamed in honor of ailing long-time Yankees ownerGeorge Steinbrenner, who lived in Tampa.
Steinbrenner Field has a baseball capacity of about 11,000 and is located acrossDale Mabry Highway from theTampa Bay Buccaneers' home ofRaymond James Stadium. The facility has an adjacent parking lot that is sufficient for most minor league crowds, and apedestrian bridge allows for spring training attendees to park at the football stadium's much larger parking area and safely cross the busy highway to Steinbrenner Field.
In 2025, theTampa Bay Rays played at Steinbrenner Field due to damage toTropicana Field fromHurricane Milton. As a result, the Tarpons played their home games at Community Field at GMS Field, a smaller practice field adjacent to Steinbrenner Field, with a capacity of 1,000.[11][12]
| Players | Coaches/Other |
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Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
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Note:Years indicate service time with the Tampa Yankees / Tarpons, either as a minor leaguer or on an injury rehabilitation assignment
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