Washington Nationals Rising Star Has Game-Defining Potential Next Season
The young talent the Washington Nationals have accumulated the past few years has reached a critical mass.
Shortstop CJ Abrams was an All-Star last year. Outfielder James Wood had an impressive 60 games once he was called up in July. MacKenzie Gore heads a young rotation and catcher Keibert Ruiz is already locked up for several years.
It’s easy for young talent to get lost amid all of these stars, but one may shine above them all this coming season.
MLB.com’s Will Leitch wrote about 10 players that he believes have the chance to define the 2025 Major League Baseball season. Among his selections are stars known to everyone, including Mookie Betts and Elly De La Cruz.
One of his selections was Nationals rookie Dylan Crews.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft is expected to be the Nationals’ opening-day right fielder. He played 31 games last season and has retained his prospect status, meaning he is eligible for rookie of the year honors next season. He also remains, for now, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, though he should graduate from those rankings soon.
He had a pretty typical cup of coffee in his first Major League debut. He batted .218 with three home runs. But, Leitch wrote that’s just a taste of what’s to come, thanks to Crews’ balanced make-up as a player.
“But you don’t have to squint to see Crews' otherworldly talent,” he wrote. “Crews basically does everything well, and now that his plate discipline is coming along, he and fellow Nats outfielder James Wood might be ready to help lead this team back toward serious contention.”
Crews didn’t need long to get through the minor leagues after leading LSU to the 2023 College World Series title. He played just 135 games as he slashed .275/.351/.455/.806 with 30 doubles, six triples, 18 home runs and 97 RBI. He is also an underrated fielder and has an above-average arm.
It’s no wonder Leitch, and many others, are high on what Crews can do with a full season in the Majors.
The Nationals won 71 games in 2024, marking the second straight season they finished with 71 victories. It also marked Washington's fifth straight losing season since it won the 2019 World Series, which was the first championship in franchise history.
Along with the young talent, the Nationals re-signed pitcher Trevor Williams, signed pitcher Michael Soroka to a one-year deal, re-signed slugger Josh Bell to a one-year deal and traded for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.
