The Washington Nationals farm system consists of six Minor League Baseball affiliates across the United States and in the Dominican Republic.
Geographically, Washington's closest domestic affiliate is the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals of the Carolina League, which are approximately 47 miles (76 km) away.
Washington's furthest domestic affiliate is the FCL Nationals of the Florida Complex League some 860 miles (1,380 km) away.
[1] Prior to the 1963 season, Major League Baseball (MLB) initiated a reorganization of Minor League Baseball that resulted in a reduction from six classes to four (Triple-A, Double-A, Class A, and Rookie) in response to the general decline of the minors throughout the 1950s and early-1960s when leagues and teams folded due to shrinking attendance caused by baseball fans' preference for staying at home to watch MLB games on television.
[2] The current structure of Minor League Baseball is the result of an overall contraction of the system beginning with the 2021 season.