The Washington Nationals haven't been very competitive these past few seasons, but brighter days appear to be ahead.
After winning the World Series in 2019, Washington slowly entered rebuild mode. They suffered through last-place finishes, traded young superstar Juan Soto, and watched as the core of that title team slowly left, one by one. Now, the fruits of the rebuild are beginning to arrive.
It started with CJ Abrams, the 2024 All-Star shortstop the Nationals acquired in the Soto deal. Then, earlier this summer, star prospect James Wood crashed onto the scene in D.C. Then, Friday, news broke that one of the final pieces of the puzzle is set to fall in place.
According to Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan, outfielder Dylan Crews, MLB Pipeline's No. 3 overall prospect, will debut with the Nationals on Monday. Crews was the second overall pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft out of Louisiana State University.
Perhaps best of all? Crews will debut against Soto and the New York Yankees, at home in front of the Washington faithful.
A two-time All-American at LSU and 2023 recipient of the Golden Spikes Award, given to college baseball's best overall player, Crews has had mixed results in parts of two seasons in the Washington organization.
After a blazing start to his affiliated career, Crews slowed down in Double-A in the latter half of the 2023 season. He came back strong in 2024 in Double-A, struggled initially after his promotion to Triple-A, but found his stride in the last month.
Thus far in August, Crews has .306/.366/.542 in 17 games. He also has four home runs in the month, his best this season. Crews has been playing mostly center field in the minors, signaling that he may maintain the position moving forward with Wood beside him in left.
If Crews can fulfill the promise he has showed as a prospect, the Nationals will be a formidable team in the National League for many years to come. And there couldn't be a better stage for his debut, opposite the star-studded Yankees and a familiar face in Soto.
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