Daytona Beach, FL – The fans have spoken.
Less than a year after shedding its Cubs identity, the Daytona Tortugas have the most popular hat and logo in the minor leagues.
The Florida State League team took home top prize in the 2015 edition of “Clash of the Caps”, a fan-based contest hosted by Minor League Baseball.
The Tortugas beat out 159 other franchises after a 3 week fan-only contest held on MiLB’s website, one that drew over a million votes.
Under the rules of the contest, the team had to select only one baseball cap that fans could vote on. The Tortugas – an Advanced-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds – went with their green caps (pictured above).
Another Cincinnati Reds affiliate – the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos – finished just behind the Tortugas. The Billings Mustangs – a short-season team also affiliated with the Reds – finished 10th.
It’s the second year in a row that a re-branded franchise has won the title. Last year’s champion – the El Paso Chihuahuas – finished 9th.
The Tortugas – which is Spanish for “turtle” – unveiled its new nickname before the season began after over 2 decades of being known as the Cubs.
The franchise wasn’t allowed to use the Cubs moniker after the 2014 season because the Chicago Cubs decided to move their Advanced-A affiliate from Daytona Beach to Myrtle Beach last September.
The Reds stepped into Chicago’s place a few days after Chicago announced its departure from Daytona, but team officials at the time insisted that the new nickname wouldn’t be tied to the parent club in case another affiliation change happened in the future.
Tortugas officials say merchandise sales have already hit a season high due in large part to the popularity of the new logo, which was created by Louisville-based Studio Simon.
The Tortugas are offering a $4 online discount for the winning hat on their website through August 2nd (click here).
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.