Washington Nationals Top Prospect Having Some Growing Pains

Washington Nationals prospect Dylan Crews is having some growing pains to start his career.

Sep 5, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews (3) attempts to make a catch on a hit by Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo (not pictured) during the second inning at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

As the Washington Nationals try to finish up the season on a positive note, they have put a lot of faith in their young prospects. 

With the playoffs not being a possibility this year for the Nationals, all of their focus has been on developing this talented young core of players they have. This season, we have seen players like C.J. Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr., Jacob Young, and James Wood making an impact as everyday players. 

Recently, we saw Washington call up one of the top overall prospects in baseball in outfielder Dylan Crews. While some of the young talent for the Nationals has been acquired in trades, Crews was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft by Washington. 

Crews was part of a dominant LSU team and was one of the best players in college baseball. In 2023 at LSU, Crews had a .426 batting average, 18 home runs, and 70 RBIs in 71 games. 

The Nationals selecting Crews second overall was a fairly easy choice after his excellent collegiate career.  

Crews was called up at the end of August and made his debut against the New York Yankees. The young outfielder had an excellent first series in the big leagues against the Yankees, as he went 4-for-11 at the plate with one home run, two doubles and a RBI. 

While things started out well for Crews, he is now having some growing pains in the big leagues. In the last seven days, he is batting just .136 with an on-base percentage just over the .200 mark. 

Even though it has been a tough stretch for Crews, these types of struggles are to be expected for young players getting their first taste of the majors. As we saw with Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles at the beginning of the season, coming to the majors is a big adjustment. 

Holliday is considered to be a can’t miss prospect and the Orioles sent him down after a slow start to his MLB career. For Crews and the Nationals, they don’t have the same type of pressure to win that the Orioles do, as they can let Crews work through his growing pains for the rest of the season. 

Ideally, Washington would like to see Crews have a solid September, so coming into next season, they know their outfield is set with Crews, Young, and Wood. Even though things have been tough of late for Crews, there is no need to panic just yet.