The Washington Nationals brought home a championship! Well, not exactly, but the organization did bring home some hardware yesterday. The Rochester Red Wings, the Nats AAA affiliate, won their first International League title since 1997 last night. They won a winner take all game 3 over the Memphis Red Birds to be crowned champions.
When Paul Toboni became the Nationals President of Baseball Operations last year, he talked extensively about building a player development monster. You can see that monster roaring in the minor leagues, where Nats affiliates have had a lot of success. However, no team has had a bigger turnaround than the Red Wings.
Last season, Rochester was the worst team in the International League, with a 59-88 record. Since becoming a Nationals affiliate in 2021, the Red Wings only finished above .500 once before this season. Obviously minor league records are not everything, but with Triple-A being one step away from the big leagues, I think it does show something.
In the past, the Nats simply did not have the depth. There were not capable bodies ready to answer the call when needed. This season that has changed and the record is not the only way to see that. Andrew Alvarez, Andres Chaparro, Dylan Crews, Brady House, Erik Tolman, Jack Sinclair and Yohandy Morales all spent time in AAA this year, but when they came up, those guys have been largely ready for the moment.
Obviously, not everyone that has come up from Rochester has been great, but we have seen the fruits of Rochester’s great season in some ways. This season, the Red Wings went 90-58 and capped things off with a dramatic title win. The Wings came back from 2-1 down with an 8th inning rally spearheaded by Andrew Pinckney. Eddy Yean closed things out in the 9th, and the Red Wings became champions.
However, the job is not quite finished for Matt LeCroy’s bunch. The Red Wings head to Las Vegas for a chance to become Triple-A champions on Sunday. They square off with the Oklahoma City Comets, the Dodgers affiliate in a winner take all contest. The game is at 10 PM, but it will be something to monitor.
There have been a lot of stars on the Red Wings team, some of which could be big names for the Nats. Since his promotion to Rochester in May, Seaver King has been one of the team’s star players. He hit .289 with an .858 OPS in 77 games for the Red Wings. King also played a key role in the series win over the Red Birds which included a home run in game one of the series.
The Wings also have familiar faces who are looking for a second chance in the big leagues. Riley Adams and Trey Lipscomb have both been huge parts of Rochester’s success this year. We will see if that translates to the big leagues, but it is nice to see them doing well.
Back in August, I actually went up to Rochester to take a closer look at this team and speak to some of the key figures. I came away very impressed with the culture that manager Matt LeCroy has built up there. It is also clear that the AAA team and the big league club are more aligned than ever before. Here is that piece if you want to take a look.
LeCroy has played a massive role in shaping this ball club. He is a charismatic leader who his players absolutely adore. The longtime Red Wings manager has a combination of charm and coaching skill that is hard to find.
However, you also have to credit the new regime. LeCroy has been around for a long time, but he has never had this kind of success before. Paul Toboni has placed an emphasis on development and winning at all levels. That is shining through in Rochester.
As we move forward, hopefully this Minor League success can translate to winning at the big league level. An International League title is one thing, but the main goal is a World Series title. To be fair, we have seen more success in the big leagues this year as well.
The Nats have their most wins since 2019 and with one more victory, they will avoid last place. At all levels of the organization, it seems like things are trending in the right direction. That is the first time you can say that in a long time.
Paul Toboni and the new regime have not had a perfect year one, but you can see the vision. Between the offensive success in the big leagues and the wins on the farm, the Nats are now upwardly mobile. Now it is time to see if the Red Wings can finish the job and win the Triple-A World Series.
