The Daytona Tortugas and the Cincinnati Reds have announced the 2026 coaching staff for the Tortugas. The club will be led by manager Ricky Gutierrez. Pitching coach Jason Immekus will help the pitching staff in 2026. They will be joined by hitting coach Jose Leon. Two other coaches are on the staff and are currently just listed as “coach” – Lenny Harris and Sebastian Almonte.
Ricky Gutierrez is back with the Reds organization after several years working with the Washington Nationals. In 2021 he was the manager of the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts and had been managing Daytona in 2018 and 2019. He was also the Tortugas bench coach in 2017. Following his 2021 season he joined the Nationals where he initially worked in scouting and development before joining the big league coaching staff in 2023. With Washington at the MLB level he was their run prevention coordinator in 2023 and then their 3rd base coach in both 2024 and 2025.
Jason Immekus is in his 2nd year with the Reds organization and in his 2nd season as the pitching coach in Daytona with the Tortugas. He previously worked as a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays. He was also a pitching coach at Crowder College, Jefferson College, Missouri Southern State University, and Pittsburgh State University before becoming an assistant coach at Crowder College. Immekus pitched in college for Independence Community College and Washburn University before pitching in three Frontier League seasons from 2000-2002.
Jose Leon is now in his 5th season as a coach in the Reds organization. In 2025 he served in the same role as the hitting coach for the Tortugas for the early part of the season, but he moved up to Chattanooga in May to take over as the hitting coach with the Lookouts. Two years ago he served as the hitting coach with the Dayton Dragons and prior to that spent a year in the Dominican Summer League and the Arizona Complex League. Before joining the Reds he worked in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
As a player he spent parts of three years in the big leagues with the Baltimore Orioles from 2002-2004. He played from 1994-2005 in affiliated minor league baseball, including a stint with the Louisville Bats in his final season. He would play professional in Mexico and China, as well as independent leagues and winter leagues through 2009.
Lenny Harris is returning to Daytona for the 5th year in a row, and his 5th year overall. He will be entering year 10 with the Reds organization. Prior to joining Cincinnati as a coach he worked for the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Washington Nationals in a variety of coaching roles. As a player he spent parts of 18 seasons in Major League Baseball – including seven years with the Reds.
Sebastian Almonte is now in his 4th season with the Reds as a coach. He began his coaching career in 2023 with the DSL Reds before spending 2024 and 2025 with the Arizona Complex League staff as an infield coach. Almonte played in the Cincinnati farm system from 2018-2022. In his final season as a player he played in 26 games for Daytona.
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