Potomac Nationals | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
Minor league affiliations | |||||
Previous classes | Class A-Advanced | ||||
Previous leagues | Carolina League | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Previous teams |
| ||||
Minor league titles | |||||
League titles (4) |
| ||||
Division titles (9) |
| ||||
Team data | |||||
Previous names |
| ||||
Colors | Red, white, blue | ||||
Mascot | Uncle Slam (2005–2019) Big Shot (1995–2004) Prince Willie (1987–1997) Boomer (1992-1995) | ||||
Previous parks | Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium (1984–2019) |
The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were located in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to Fredericksburg, Virginia, becoming the Fredericksburg Nationals.
The Alexandria Dukes moved from Alexandria, Virginia, to Woodbridge for the 1984 season and were renamed the Prince William Pirates. Subsequently, the team was named the Prince William Yankees, Prince William Cannons, Potomac Cannons, and the Potomac Nationals.
The team was affiliated with the Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and lastly the Washington Nationals. The franchise played all its home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium, with an announced seating capacity of 6,000 people. [1] The team mascot was Uncle Slam, a blue creature resembling Uncle Sam in hair and attire. [2]
The team sought a better ballpark for at least twenty years. When Prince William County officials rejected a 1998 proposal for a $150 million sports and entertainment complex on the Cherry Hill Peninsula by the Potomac River, team owner Art Silber changed the team name from Prince William Cannons to Potomac Cannons and announced an effort to move to Fairfax County. [3] In 2000, the team proposed a $250 million stadium and apartment complex next to Fairfax County's Dunn Loring Metro station, [4] but county officials rejected it in 2001. In 2002, the team and Prince William County officials reached an agreement to build a new $10 million stadium tentatively sited next to Pfitzner Stadium. [5] In 2005, the team announced preliminary details about construction of the stadium, due to open in 2007, but with the site undecided. [6]
Another ballpark proposal began as early as 2010. [7] In 2011, Silber said he was looking for a site along I-95 in Prince William and that a stadium would be privately funded. [8] By 2012 the proposal was focused on a site on I-95 in Woodbridge. The team and the county were reported to be close to a deal in 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 stadium and commuter parking. The county sought state funding for the garage starting in 2012, but the extent and status of funding was never clear, nor was the final cost of the garage. [9] Silber said that Minor League Baseball required the team to be out of Pfitzner Stadium by the end of the 2018 season. [10] [11] The team opposed attempts to put the deal on the November 2017 general election ballot, saying that would delay the deal for too long. [12]
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. [13] Silber indicated that the team could be sold to buyers outside the Northern Virginia area, but that he preferred to keep it local if possible. Potential locations included the cities of Alexandria (former home of the team when they were the Alexandria Dukes) and Fredericksburg, as well as Loudoun, Spotsylvania, [14] and Fairfax counties. [15] Maryland and Arlington County were ruled out as possibilities, and Silber indicated it was unlikely the team would find another site in Prince William, either. [14] Alexandria indicated it wasn't interested in February 2018. [16]
In January 2018, Silber announced an extension of the team's lease at Pfitzner Stadium through 2020, still needing Minor League Baseball to approve playing there past the end of the 2018 season. [17] [18] Silber remained interested in moving the team and building a new stadium, in Northern Virginia—including Prince William County—or another nearby locality, [17] [18] but said he was not pursuing a sale. [17]
Silber announced in June 2018 that he had signed a letter of intent to build a new stadium in Fredericksburg, Virginia, that would open in April 2020. [19] The 5,000-seat multi-purpose stadium will include a 300-seat club facility and 13 suites. [20] In November 2018 the Fredericksburg city council unanimously gave final approval for the Silber family to finance, build and maintain the $35 million stadium with the city as an "anchor tenant" making an annual payment to the club of $1.05 million for 30 years. [21]
The Potomac Nationals played their last regular season game at Pfitzner Stadium on August 29, 2019. [22] [23] On October 5, 2019, the team announced that it had changed its name to the Fredericksburg Nationals for the 2020 season and that its marketing nickname for the team – "P-Nats" when the team was the Potomac Nationals – would change to "FredNats." [24] [25] [26] Because minor league baseball for 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, [27] the Fredericksburg Nationals played their first game on May 4, 2021. [28]
Notable alumni of the Mariners/Pirates/Yankees/Cannons/Nationals include:
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the Low-A East before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.
Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town. Located in the far northeast of the state, in the War of 1812 it was a refuge for important federal documents evacuated from Washington, DC, and in the Civil War, it changed hands several times.
Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located 20 miles (32 km) south of Washington, D.C. Bounded by the Occoquan and Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the 2020 census.
The Tampa Tarpons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Tampa, Florida. The Tarpons play their home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is also the spring training home of the New York Yankees and incorporates design elements from old Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, including identical field dimensions. They competed at the Class A-Advanced level from 1994 to 2020 before being reclassified Low Single-A in 2021. Since their inception, the club has won five league championships, in 1994, 2001, 2004, 2009, and 2010.
The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for the "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team mascot "Frank Key", short for Francis Scott Key, joined the current mascot, a coyote named Keyote, at the beginning of the 2011 baseball season. The Keys were purchased from Maryland Baseball Holding, LLC by Attain Sports and Entertainment in January 2022. Home games are played at Harry Grove Stadium.
The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949.
The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinnati Reds in 2010, and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1995 to 2009. The Hillcats play home games at Bank of the James Stadium; refurbished and renamed in 2004, the stadium seats 4,291 fans.
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at Pelicans Ballpark, which opened in 1999 and seats up to 6,599 people.
Bank of the James Stadium, formerly Calvin Falwell Field at City Stadium and originally named "City Stadium", is a ballpark located in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, and the current home of the minor league Lynchburg Hillcats team.
Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium, nicknamed "The Pfitz", is a stadium in the Coles Magisterial District of Prince William County, Virginia. It is primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the Potomac Nationals before they relocated to Fredericksburg in 2020. Built in 1984, the stadium is near the McCoart Government Center, the offices of the Prince William County Service Authority, and the Sean Connaughton Community Plaza. It seats 6,000 people.
The Alexandria Dukes were a Minor League Baseball team of the Class A Carolina League from 1978 to 1983. Alexandria was unable to secure a Major League Baseball affiliate for their inaugural season, and again in 1980, forcing the team to operate as a co-op franchise for those two seasons. They were affiliated with the Seattle Mariners in 1979 and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1981 to 1983. The Dukes won their sole Carolina League championship in 1982.
County Center is a census-designated place in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 3,270. In 2021, the United States Census Bureau estimated it to be 4,045. It is notable for including the county's McCoart Government Center off Prince William Parkway, along with adjoining Pfitzner Stadium, former home field of the Potomac Nationals, now the Fredericksburg Nationals.
Virginia Credit Union Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The stadium has 5,000 seats, a 300-seat club facility, and 13 suites. The estimated cost of the stadium is $35 million. It is home to the Fredericksburg Nationals, a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and an affiliate of the Washington Nationals, since 2021. The stadium will also host a variety of community athletic and social events. In 2020 and 2021, it served as the alternate training site for the Washington Nationals.
The Fredericksburg Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team that is the Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and play their home games at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, with a capacity of 5,000 people.
Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, also commonly referred to as Stonebridge PTC or simply Stonebridge, is a lifestyle center in Woodbridge, Virginia, United States. It features a mix of retail, office buildings, and apartments. was developed by Roadside Developments and construction beginning in 2007. Stonebridge is located along Interstate 95 just east of the freeway, with Opitz Boulevard to the north, Dale Boulevard to the south, and Potomac Center Boulevard to the east. Continuous expansions to the center are made, with recent additions such as the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Potomac Town Center condominiums.
The Covington Papermakers were a minor league baseball team based in Covington, Virginia. In 1914, the Papermakers played as charter members of the short–lived Class D level Virginia Mountain League, winning the league championship in a shortened season. The Papermakers were succeeded in Covington minor league baseball by the 1966 Covington Red Sox.
The Charlottesville Tuckahoes were a minor league baseball team based in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1914, the Tuckahoes played as charter members of the short–lived Class D level Virginia Mountain League, winning the second–half title in the league.
After making several runs at a new ballpark in several years, [...] yet another new ballpark plan.