The Washington Nationals have set their minor league affiliate lineup.
The Nationals invited four organizations Wednesday to become minor league affiliates as part of Major League Baseball’s new player development structure.
The Nationals’ new Triple-A affiliate will be the Rochester Red Wings. The Nationals’ Double-A affiliate will remain the Harrisburg Senators. The Wilmington (Delaware) Blue Rocks will be the new High-A affiliate, while the Fredericksburg (Virginia) Nationals will be the Low-A squad.
“We are very excited to extend the invitations to these four affiliates and their communities,” Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. “All four affiliates are located in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions, with Harrisburg, Wilmington and Fredericksburg located within 120 miles of Nationals Park. Wilmington and Fredericksburg are easily accessible via the I-95 corridor.”
The moves become official upon the affiliates accepting their invitations.
“Our four affiliates and their proximity to Washington, D.C., will be critical not only to player development and roster construction, but also to our injury rehabilitation process,” Rizzo said. “We are certain that each affiliate and the surrounding community will be assets to our player development and organization as a whole.”
The addition of Rochester was originally announced by the Nationals last month. The Red Wings had been the Minnesota Twins’ Triple-A squad for the past 18 seasons (2003-20). They were affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles for 42 years (1961-2002) and St. Louis Cardinals for 32 seasons (1929-60).
The Nationals will keep their Double-A affiliate in Harrisburg, where it has been since 2005.
Wilmington had spent 26 of the last 28 seasons (1993-2004, 2007-20) as the Kansas City Royals’ Single-A team in the Carolina League. The Blue Rocks served as an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for two seasons in 2005-06.
The Nationals have been partners with the Fredericksburg organization since 2005. The team was formerly known as the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge, Virginia, before moving to Fredericksburg after the 2019 season and serving as an alternative training site in 2020 for the big league squad. A new ballpark will open in Fredericksburg in 2021.
The Nationals ended their affiliation with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, Single-A Auburn Doubledays and Single-A Hagerstown Suns. The Nationals’ Triple-A team played in Fresno, California, for two seasons after moving from Syracuse, New York. The Nationals had been affiliated with Hagerstown since 2007 and Auburn since 2011.
• Kevin Leitzell can be reached at kleitzell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.