Milb.com named their best teams for each level of the minor leagues this year. The P-Nats were selected for the Advanced A class. the Augusta Green Jackets (Giants), a Low A team, were named the top team overall.
This particular article was written by Lisa Winston (rather than the usual MLB.com writer Ladson). This week they will also be choosing the best single game performance, best hitter, best reliever, and best starter
The last time a team from Potomac won the Mills Cup, awarded annually to the champion of the Carolina League, was back in 1989.
But on Sept. 12, the Potomac Nationals ended that extended drought by capturing the elusive title, earning the MiLBY for Best Class A Advanced Team.
In a season that saw dozens of personnel changes but a consistent focus on team chemistry, the Washington Nationals' Class A Advanced affiliate won the Northern Division in both halves of the eight-team league's split season, swept through three low-scoring games in the divisional playoffs and then saw its offense break out in the finals as it upended Myrtle Beach for the title.
"It's unbelievable because we really had two teams there," said 2007 first-round pick Ross Detwiler, who went 8-8 with a 4.86 ERA in a team-high 26 starts for Potomac this season.
"We had the first-half team where most of them got moved up to Double-A, and the second-half team with a lot of guys who moved up from low-A, and were able to win both halves with two such different teams."
Overall, the Nationals combined to lead the Carolina League in batting (.265), runs scored (720), hits (1,234) and fielding percentage (.975) while finishing second in ERA (3.77).
Detwiler was one of just a handful of players who spent the entire season at Potomac and happened to be on the mound for three of its most important games. The left-hander allowed three runs in five innings when the P-Nats clinched the first-half title, one run in six innings to clinch the second-half crown and only two hits in 5 1/3 frames in the club's 1-0 victory over the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals) in the Northern Division playoff clincher.
The Nationals finished 79-61 overall, winning the first half at 42-28 (seven games ahead of Wilmington) and the second at 37-33 (three games better than the Blue Rocks).
The Nats used dominant pitching and timely hitting to sweep their best-of-5 series against Wilmington, 2-1, 3-2 and 1-0, en route to the finals.
Against South Division double-half champion Myrtle Beach, the Nats' bats really came to life, crushing the Pelicans, 15-0, in the opener, before winning the last two games, 8-7 and 8-2.
Detwiler was a perfect poster boy for the team. Taken out of Missouri with the sixth overall pick in '07, he was given a brief taste of the big leagues to close out that season. He returned to Potomac this year ready to work.
But as is often the case in the Minors, especially at lower levels where split-season schedules are more conducive to promotions, Detwiler saw many of his teammates sent to Double-A Harrisburg after Potomac clinched a playoff slot in early June.
Meanwhile, the Nats were just getting to know the replacements who came up from Class A Hagerstown.
Rather than sulk over the break-up of the winning combination, Detwiler said the remaining P-Nats understood the situation and were happy for their promoted friends.
"I think the guys that stayed there all season were the right guys to stay," said Detwiler. "They were the right guys to stay behind and be the team leaders. We had a lot of leadership in our bullpen with Clint Everts, who came up from low-A but had been with Potomac in 2007, and with hitters like Michael Martinez, who got the younger guys going."
Everts, the club's first-round pick in 2002, was a starter for the P-Nats in 2006 and 2007, but moved to the bullpen full-time in '08. He spent the first month at Class A Hagerstown before heading to Potomac, where he posted a 4.80 ERA.
Martinez hit .266 with three homers, 58 RBIs and 25 stolen bases during the regular season before batting .323 with a homer, six RBIs and four steals in seven playoff games. Also with Potomac all season was outfielder Dee Brown, who finished fourth in the league with a .296 average to go with eight homers and 64 RBIs.
Catcher Jhonatan Solano, who joined the team from Hagerstown in late April, hit just .258 for the P-Nats during the regular season, but got hot when it counted, batting .429 with two homers and four RBIs while scoring five runs to earn finals MVP honors.
There was one other important constant during Potomac's championship season. Manager Randy Knorr, who won World Series titles with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993, provided his players with inspiration throughout the summer.
"I don't think there could have been a better manager for our team than Randy Knorr," Detwiler said. "He loves being there with the younger guys and developing them. I just think he's the right guy for that team."
Knorr recently was rewarded for his efforts by being named bullpen coach for the big-league club.
The Mills Cup victory marked the first championship for a team playing at Pfitzner Stadium (formerly known as Prince William County Stadium) since the Prince William Cannons, a Yankees affiliate, upset favored Durham in 1989.
But the 2008 club did that team one better by claiming the title after winning both halves of the Northern Division.
Nationals players were especially happy to win the Cup at home in front of the small but dedicated Potomac fan base. The team finished fifth in the Carolina League in attendance with a 2,735 average and had a crowd of 1,314 on hand when it clinched the crown.
"The people that were there, though there weren't that many, were the people that were totally into it, the people that were there all year, day in and day out, day games and night games," Detwiler said. "It was good to win it at home in front of the people that supported us all year. A lot of them were down in Myrtle Beach, traveled seven or eight hours to see us there."
For Detwiler, who seems to be on a short path to the big leagues, the season in Potomac will always rank as one of his most cherished memories.
"It was unbelievable. We had fun no matter where we were, whether it was in the clubhouse or during the game, we made the most of it," he said. "We went out there and put it on the line every day, worked hard and really performed well. I think it's going to be one of the highlights of my career."
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