Potomac Nationals
Potomac Nationals Founded in 1984 Woodbridge, Virginia | |||||
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Class-level | |||||
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Current | A-Advanced | ||||
Minor league affiliations | |||||
League | Carolina League | ||||
Division | Northern Division | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Current | Washington Nationals (2005–present) | ||||
Previous |
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Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (5) |
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Division titles (9) |
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Team data | |||||
Nickname |
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Mascot | Uncle Slam | ||||
Ballpark | G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium | ||||
Previous parks | Municipal Stadium at Four Mile Run Park | ||||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Art Silber | ||||
Manager | Tripp Keister | ||||
General Manager | Bryan Holland & Aaron Johnson |
The Potomac Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Nationals play in the Class A Advanced Carolina League, and are an affiliate of the Washington Nationals.
History
The Alexandria Dukes moved from Alexandria, Virginia, for the 1984 season and were renamed the Prince William Pirates. Since then, the team has been named the Prince William Yankees, Prince William Cannons, Potomac Cannons, and now the Potomac Nationals.
The team has been affiliated with the Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and now the Washington Nationals. Since moving to Woodbridge, the franchise has played all its home games at G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium, with an announced seating capacity of 6,000 people.[1] The team mascot is Uncle Slam.[2]
Ballpark proposal
The team and Prince William County have been discussing a new ballpark since before 2010.[3] Since 2012 they have been focused on a site on I-95 in Woodbridge. They have been reported close to a deal since December 2016. The county would raise $35 million in municipal bonds, lease the site, pay for site preparation, construct the stadium, and lease it to the team for thirty years. The team would cover the county's annual debt service and site lease costs. The county also would build a 1,400-space parking garage next to the stadium for commuter parking. The county has been seeking state funding for the garage since 2012, but the extent and status of funding is unclear, as is the final cost of the garage.[4] Team owner Art Silber has said Minor League Baseball requires the team to be out of Pfitzner Stadium by the end of the 2018 season.[5][6] The team opposed putting the deal on the November 2017 general election ballot, saying that would delay the deal for too long.[7]
On July 13, 2017, the Nationals withdrew the proposal for the new stadium in Woodbridge after it was clear it did not have the votes to pass.[8] Silber indicated that the team may be sold to buyers outside the Northern Virginia area, but he would prefer to keep it local if possible. Potential locations include the cities of Alexandria (former home of the team when they were the Alexandria Dukes) and Fredericksburg as well as Loudoun, Spotsylvania,[9] and Fairfax counties.[10] Maryland and Arlington County have been ruled out as possibilities, and Silber indicated it is unlikely the team will find another site in Prince William, either.
Playoffs
- 1982 season: Defeated Lynchburg, 1–0, in semifinals; defeated Durham, 3–1 to win championship.
- 1989 season: Defeated Lynchburg, 2–1, in semifinals; defeated Durham, 3–1 to win championship.
- 1991 season: Lost to Lynchburg, 2–0, in semifinals.
- 1995 season: Lost to Wilmington, 2–0, in semifinals.
- 2004 season: Lost to Wilmington, 2–1, in semifinals.
- 2008 season: Defeated Wilmington, 3–0, in semifinals; defeated Myrtle Beach, 3–1 to win championship.
- 2010 season: Defeated Frederick, 3–1, in semifinals; defeated Winston-Salem, 3–1 to win championship.
- 2011 season: Lost to Frederick, 3–2, in semifinals.
- 2013 season: Defeated Lynchburg, 2–0, in semifinals; lost to Salem, 3-0 in finals.
- 2014 season: Defeated Lynchburg, 2–0, in semifinals; defeated Myrtle Beach, 3–1 to win championship.
- 2016 season: Lost to Lynchburg 2-1 in semifinals.
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of the Mariners/Pirates/Yankees/Cannons/Nationals include:
- Rick Ankiel
- Magglio Ordóñez
- Barry Bonds
- Bernie Williams
- Andy Pettitte
- Albert Pujols
- Coco Crisp
- Braden Looper
- Brad Ausmus
- Jorge Posada
- Kevin Maas
- Hensley Meulens
- R. C. Orlan
- Gerald Williams
- Alan Mills
- Edwin Encarnación
- Jack Wilson
- Dmitri Young
- Dan Haren
- Carmen Cali
- John Smiley
- Scott Kamieniecki
- José Lind
- Jeff King
- Félix Fermín
- Mike Cameron
- Sterling Hitchcock
- Joey Votto
- John Lannan
- Justin Maxwell
- Josh Whitesell
- Jordan Zimmermann
- Ian Desmond
- Danny Espinosa
- Ross Detwiler
Roster
Potomac Nationals roster | ||||
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Players | Coaches/Other | |||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
7-day disabled list |
References
- ↑ Pahigian, Josh (2007). The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip: A Fan's Guide to AAA, AA, A, and Independent League Stadiums. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press. pp. 88–90. ISBN 978-1-59921-024-7 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Meet Uncle Slam | Potomac Nationals Fans". Potomac Nationals. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
- ↑ Reichard, Kevin (September 27, 2010). "P-Nats, Prince William County working on new ballpark plan". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
After making several runs at a new ballpark in several years, [...] yet another new ballpark plan.
- ↑ Koma, Alex (December 14, 2016). "Potomac Nationals, Prince William County nearing stadium agreement". InsideNoVa.com. Leesburg, Virginia: Northern Virginia Media Services. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- ↑ Koma, Alex (December 30, 2016). "New Potomac Nationals stadium construction may face hurdles". InsideNoVa.com. Leesburg, Virginia: Northern Virginia Media Services. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- ↑ Rist, Hugh (February 16, 2016). "Potomac Nationals face 2018 deadline for new stadium". InsideNoVa.com. Leesburg, Virginia: Northern Virginia Media Services. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ↑ Koma, Alex (June 21, 2016). "Prince William's $35M stadium deal avoids referendum". InsideNoVa.com. Leesburg, Virginia: Northern Virginia Media Services. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ↑ Potomac Nationals No Deal With Prince William For New Stadium
- ↑ Possible new homes for Potomac Nationals being considered WTOP.com
- ↑ Potomac Nationals say they might leave Woodbridge after stadium deal falls through Washington Post
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Potomac Nationals. |