Blue Rocks Officially Accept Washington Nationals' Affiliation Invitation

Wilmington, DE – The Wilmington Blue Rocks have officially become the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals after signing a 10-year Professional Development License (PDL). This agreement will keep Washington Nationals baseball in Wilmington through 2030.

The Washington Nationals officially welcome these four organizations to our Player Development system.#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/OvFrzwWAVi

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) February 12, 2021

"The Wilmington Blue Rocks are delighted to announce that we are the new High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals,” said Blue Rocks Owner Dave Heller. “We look forward to working with President of Baseball Operations Mike Rizzo and his team to provide a first-rate environment to develop the next generation of Nationals World Series Champions. Our staff is working hard to provide our fans a safe, fun, family-friendly environment so they can fully enjoy Nationals baseball in Wilmington, and I can't wait for everyone to come back to Frawley Stadium this May to see our first pitch as a Nationals High-A affiliate!"

An affiliation change was expected throughout the off-season as Major League Baseball re-worked the minor leagues to be more geographically appropriate to their affiliates. In early December, each MLB club issued four minor league invitations to join their farm systems at the Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Low-A levels.

As part of the realignment, the Blue Rocks will play in a new 12-team High-A league. Joining Wilmington in the Northern Division of the new High-A East league will be Aberdeen, MD (BAL), Lakewood, NJ (PHI), Brooklyn, NY (NYM) and Hudson Valley, NY (NYY). The Southern Division will be home to the rest of the league, comprising Asheville, NC (HOU), Bowling Green, KY (TB), Greensboro, NC (PIT), Greenville, SC (BOS), Hickory, NC (TEX), Rome, GA (ATL) and Winston-Salem, NC (CWS).

The Nationals’ farm system is completed by the Rochester Red Wings (AAA), Harrisburg Senators (AA), and Fredericksburg Nationals (Low-A).

MLB will announce the 2021 Minor League Baseball schedule in the coming days. Information pertaining to the upcoming season, including ticket policies and procedures, will be available in the near future.