Daytona Tortugas Announce 2025 Coaching Staff
World Series champion Willie Harris takes over as manager for ‘Tugas tenth season
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—In conjunction with the Cincinnati Reds, the Daytona Tortugas announced their coaching and support staff for the 2025 season on Monday afternoon.
Manager Willie Harris joins the Tortugas for his first season in Daytona and his first season back in the Reds organization. The 46-year-old most recently served as the third base coach for the Chicago Cubs from 2021-24 after serving as the Cincinnati Reds’ outfield and baserunning coordinator in 2020. He previously managed High-A Winston-Salem (Chi. White Sox) in 2017 and Double-A Richmond (San Francisco) in 2018-19, posting a total record of 173-244 (.415). He began his coaching career as a hitting coach in the Chicago White Sox minor league system in 2016.
Harris was originally selected by Baltimore in the 24th round of the 1999 MLB Draft out of Kennesaw State University and played 14 seasons of professional baseball, including 12 seasons (2001-12) in the major leagues for seven teams, finishing his career with the Cincinnati Reds in 2012. An outfielder and pinch-hitter, he most notably was a member of the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox, scoring the winning run in the decisive Game 4 of the World Series. He was born and raised in Cairo, Georgia, the same town where Jackie Robinson was born.
Pitching coach Jason Immekus comes to The Beach for his first season with the Tortugas and his first in the Reds organization. The 49-year-old worked previously as a pitching trainer at Premier Pitching Performance in St. Louis, Missouri from 2021-24 after 20 years as a pitching coach for four different colleges in Kansas and Missouri. Immekus also scouted for the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Rays for seven years. A native of Carthage, Missouri, he played baseball at Independence Community College and Washburn University before playing three years (2000-02) of independent professional baseball.
Hitting coach Jose Leon heads to Daytona for 2025 after serving as the hitting coach for the Dayton Dragons in 2024. In Dayton, the 48-year-old was instrumental in the Dragons reaching the Midwest League playoffs, guiding an offense that led the MWL in home runs and scored the third-most runs. This is Leon’s fourth season in Reds’ organization after also instructing hitters for the DSL Reds in 2022 and ACL Reds in 2023. Leon previously spent five seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization, including managing stints with the State College Spikes in 2019 and in the Florida State League with the Palm Beach Cardinals in 2021. A native of Cayey, Puerto Rico, he was originally selected in the 22nd round of the 1994 MLB Draft by St. Louis and played professionally for 16 years (1994-09) for four different MLB organizations and in four different countries, including parts of three seasons (2002-04) in the major leagues with Baltimore. He spent part of the 2005 season in the Reds organization.
Coach Lenny Harris is back for his fifth season on the Tortugas staff and his ninth season coaching in the Cincinnati Reds system. The 60-year-old native of Miami, Florida has coached at the MLB level for the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins, in addition to working in the Los Angeles Dodgers system before joining the Reds in 2016. As a player, Harris was originally selected in the 4th round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1983 MLB Draft and played all over the diamond for eight MLB teams over 18 seasons from 1988-05, setting the all-time MLB record with 212 career pinch-hits along the way and earning a World Series ring for the 2003 Florida Marlins.
Coach Osmin Melendez returns for his first season in Daytona and third season in the Cincinnati Reds organization. A 49-year-old native of Venezuela, Melendez joined the Reds in 2023 as a coach for the Class A-Advanced Dayton Dragons. Previously, Melendez worked in the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs systems, including seven seasons as a manager in the Venezuelan Summer League with the VSL Pirates (2006-11) and VSL Cubs (2013), posting a 308-174 (.639) record, reaching the league finals five times and winning the VSL title in 2008. Melendez played two professional seasons as an infielder in the Baltimore Orioles system in 1993-94.
Athletic Trainer Sam Tedtman returns for his second season on The Beach. A 29-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky, Tedtman worked with the Tortugas last season after serving with the ACL Reds in 2023 and the DSL Reds in 2022. Tedtman first joined the Cincinnati Reds as an athletic training intern in 2017 after graduating from Wilmington College, where he also played football.
Strength and Conditioning Coach Simone Bonaccorso joins the Tortugas for his first season in Daytona and first season in the Reds organization. A 28-year-old native of Paterno, Italy, Bonaccorso has worked on the training and strength and conditioning staffs for Italy’s national baseball teams and as a strength and conditioning consultant for MLB Europe. He also played in Italy’s Serie A professional baseball league in 2021. Bonaccorso graduated from Università Telematica San Raffaele in Rome.
Video and Technology Associate Will Kuypers will join the Tortugas for his first season on The Beach and his second in the Reds organization. The 25-year-old previously held single-season roles in video and technology for the Kansas City Royals in 2022 and Milwaukee Brewers in 2023. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Kuypers graduated from Stetson University, where he was a student manager for the Hatters baseball program.
The new staff will debut on April 4 when the Tortugas open up the season at Jackie Robinson Ballpark against the Bradenton Marauders. Season and group tickets are available now with single-game tickets scheduled to go on sale in the near future.
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 Historic Landmark. 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.
