The Auburn Doubledays (Short Season A; NY-Penn League) and Washington Nationals are continuing their affiliation, as the clubs have announced an extension of their player development contract (PDC). The two-year extension runs through the 2020 season.
Auburn Team President & City Manager Jeff Dygert along with General Manager Adam Winslow made the joint announcement along with Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals Vice President and Senior Advisor to the General Manager Bob Boone, Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Harris and Director of Player Development Mark Scialabba.
“The Auburn Doubledays are pleased to announce that we have extended our Player Development Contract with the Washington Nationals,” Dygert said. “The Nationals have supported our local operations since 2011 and we look forward to two more years working with them. This extension will benefit both organizations and will help us to continue to improve our local operations.”
The Nationals and Doubledays have been partners since 2011, making the upcoming 2018 season their eighth together. On Washington’s 40-man roster, players such as Wilmer Difo, Erick Fedde, Koda Glover, Spencer Kieboom, Anthony Rendon, Victor Robles, Jefry Rodriguez, Pedro Severino, Juan Soto, Andrew Stevenson, and Austin Voth saw their respective paths to the Major Leagues go through Auburn.
“The Auburn Doubledays have been a quality partner in our player development process for many years now,” Rizzo said. “We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with both the organization and the community.”
“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the Auburn Doubledays,” Harris said. “Auburn is often one of the first places our young players compete professionally, and their experiences with the club provide a foundation as they continue to move through our Minor League system.”
You can read more about the current state of affiliations on our Affiliate Dance page. We expect a number of affiliations to be renewed in coming weeks, but there are always intriguing openings at every level of baseball. As you can see on the Affiliate Dance page, MLB and MiLB teams can renew their existing affiliations at any point. At the end of the 2018 season, teams can file to search new affiliation options, so there’s always a shuffle of sorts at the end of the year.