Washington Nationals Outfielder Ranks as Best Power-Speed Propspect
As the Washington Nationals look to gain valuable experience down the stretch, it has been really exciting to watch their young prospects.
Coming into the year, it was clear that the Nationals were still going to be rebuilding in 2024. However, the team has exceeded expectations this season, and a lot of the growth for the organization has been due to their young players developing.
Washington seems to have a prioritized drafting and acquiring prospects that have speed, as the Nationals have been the best team in the league at stolen bases this year. While stealing bases was a dying art for quite some time, recent rule changes have once again brought it back.
Of the top young players and prospects for Washington, they have all shown the ability to run the bases well. C.J. Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr, James Wood, Jacob Young, and Dylan Crews are all very athletic and appear to be building blocks for the team for years to come.
While the ability to run the bases is great, it is also nice to have some pop in the bat. Recently, MLB.com ranked Crews as the best power-speed prospect in baseball.
“Washington fans have already gotten a taste of Crews’ power-speed combo as the 2023 second overall pick has clubbed three homers and stolen nine bags in his first 22 MLB games. The data backs up the numbers. His 29.4 ft/sec Sprint Speed ranks in the 94th percentile for the Majors, and his barrel percentage would be plus if he had enough at-bats to qualify. Crews stood out more for his pop in college, with 58 homers in three seasons at LSU, but he’s been more aggressive on the basepaths in the pros too. Should that trend continue to align with his impressive tools, he has at least 30-30 upside as a key member of the Nationals’ core.”
In just 90 at-bats this season, Crews has flashed some of that ability in the big leagues, as he has totaled three home runs, four doubles, and nine stolen bases. While the sample size for the slugger is small on the Nationals, Crews in the minor leagues hit 18 home runs and stole 29 bases in 135 games.
The potential for the talented prospect to be a 30-30 player is certainly there, and it might not take him too long to reach that number. As Crews wraps up the final week and a half of the campaign, he very well could hit double-digit stolen bases before the end of the season. This would be a nice accomplishment for the young outfielder, as he looks to solidify himself as a starting outfielder in 2025.
