Julio Morillo is ready for an ‘adventure’ of being a first-year manager of Minor League Baseball’s Daytona Tortugas. The 30-year-old Venezuelan native was named the Tortugas’ manager in January, and he was in Daytona Beach for a few days shortly after spring training ended. The team opened its regular season with a 7-6 win and Morillo had his second run with the Tortugas.
Morillo has had a connection with baseball since his childhood and he grew up playing the game with his father Cesar. In 2010, at age 17, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds. He played in multiple minor-league teams for six seasons and appeared in one game at triple-A in 2015. Despite being a good defensive catcher, he hit only .212 for his career and he was set to be released by the Reds in the same year.
He was then offered a job as an interpreter and assistant in the Reds’ baseball operations and remained until 2019. After that, he pursued a coaching career and spent 2020 at the alternate training site in Mason, Ohio. The following year, he was a player development coach, and he got his first managerial position with the Reds’ team in the AZL in 2022.
Morillo is excited to have the chance to coach players and help them grow as individuals and athletes. With nine of the Reds organization’s top-30 prospects on the roster, he has plenty of talent to work with. He’s hopeful that his stay in Daytona Beach will be longer than the three weeks he was there before in 2015.
The Cincinnati Reds is a Major League Baseball team that was founded in 1882 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team currently plays in the National League Central Division and won five World Series championships and four National League pennants. The Reds have a rich history and they have been called the “First Great American Baseball Franchise”.
Julio Morillo was born in Barinas, Venezuela, and at age five his father bought him a wiffle ball and a plastic bat. His baseball career started at age 17 and he has been involved with the game since then. He is passionate about baseball and loves helping and seeing players grow. He understands the mindset of a big-leaguer, which gives him an advantage when coaching young players. Morillo is determined to make the most of his second Tortugas run and is living life as an adventure.
