Minor League Baseball Teams in Virginia

Looking for a Minor League Baseball team to cheer for in Virginia? Check out our list of the top teams in the state!

Introduction

Virginia minor league baseball teams provide family-friendly entertainment for baseball fans of all ages. There are currently four teams in Virginia: the Norfolk Tides the Richmond Flying Squirrels the Potomac Nationals, and the Lynchburg Hillcats.

The Norfolk Tides are a Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles The team plays its home games at Harbor Park, located in downtown Norfolk. Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants The team plays its home games at The Diamond, located in Richmond’s historic Shockoe Bottom district.

The Potomac Nationals are a Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals The team plays its home games at Pfitzner Stadium, located in Woodbridge, Virginia. The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Cleveland Indians The team plays its home games at Calvin Falwell Field, located in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Virginia Minor League Baseball teams offer affordable, family-friendly entertainment for baseball fans of all ages.

The Norfolk Tides

The Norfolk Tides are a professional minor league baseball team in the National League They play at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles and is currently managed by Ron Johnson.

History
The Tides were established in 1961 as the Richmond Virginians, an expansion franchise of the National League The Virginians were affiliated with the New York Yankees In 1963, the team moved to Tidewater, Virginia, and became known as the Tidewater Tides. The team played at Metropolitan Stadium until 1969, moved to Norfolk Scope in 1970, and have been playing at Harbor Park since 1992.

Roster
The Norfolk Tides roster includes both Major League veterans and prospects from the Orioles organization. Among the notable alumni who have played for the Tides are Cal Ripken Jr., Ripken’s brother Billy Ripken Kevin Brown Bernie Williams Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Orlando Hernández, Mariano Rivera Robinson Canó, Alfonso Soriano and CC Sabathia.

The Richmond Flying Squirrels

The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a minor league baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which plays in the Eastern League is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants squirrels They are owned by Peter Kirk, who also owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats and the Class A Augusta Greenjackets

The Lynchburg Hillcats

The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball Team in Lynchburg, Virginia. They are members of the Carolina League and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Cleveland Indians The Hillcats play their Home Games at Calvin Falwell Field on the campus of Lynchburg College.

The Hillcats began life in 1978 as the Mountain Cats of Bristol, Virginia, playing in the Appalachian League. In 1986, they moved to Dublin, Georgia, and became known as the Dublin Braves. In 1987, they became known as the Sumter Braves, and then in 1995 they became known as the Capital City Bombers before moving to Charleston, West Virginia in 2005.

In 2001 and 2002, the team won back-to-back Carolina League championships. In 2009, they again won the Carolina League championship

The Potomac Nationals

The Potomac Nationals are a minor league baseball team in the Carolina League and the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals The team is based in Woodbridge, Virginia, and plays its home games at Pfitzner Stadium in nearby Pfafftown, North Carolina The P-Nats began play in 1978 as the Alexandria Dukes.

The Salem Red Sox

The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League baseball team in Salem, Virginia. They are members of the Carolina League and play their home games at Haley Toyota Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark. The team began play in 1968 as the Salem Rebels and have been known by their current name since 1995. They have won five Carolina League championships, most recently in 2017.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks

The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a minor League Baseball team based in Wilmington, Delaware. The team plays in the Carolina League and is the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Kansas City Royals They are named for the state bird of Delaware, the blue hen chicken. The team plays their home games at Frawley Stadium, which opened in 1993 and seats 6,532 fans.

The Blue Rocks were founded in 1946 as an expansion team in the Inter-State League. The team was known as the Wilmington Rockets until 1987, when they were renamed the Blue Rocks. They have won eight league championships, most recently in 2019. The Blue Rocks have also been the home of two Major League Baseball Hall of Famers George Kell played for the team in 1947 and Cal Ripken Jr. played for the team in 1981.

The Carolina Mudcats

The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball Team based in Zebulon, North Carolina The Mudcats play in the Southern League and are the Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs

The team was founded in 1991, and has won seven league championships: three in the Southern League (1995, 2002, 2005) and four in the Carolina League (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008). The team’s home field is Five County Stadium.

The Frederick Keys

The Frederick Keys are a Minor League Baseball team located in Frederick, Maryland. The Keys compete in the Carolina League and are the Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates along the East Coast of the United States mostly in the Southeastern United States

The Bowie Baysox

The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team based in Bowie, Maryland. The team, which plays in the Eastern League is the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles They are currently managed by reliever Richard Bleier.

The Baysox began play in 1993 as the Hagerstown Suns. In 1994, the team was renamed the Sun Sox and became an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins After one year as the Sun Sox, they became known as the Cougars from 1995 to 2000, when they became an affiliate of the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals After five years as the Cougars, they reverted to the Suns name from 2001 to 2002 and were affiliated with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox during that time