Washington Nationals Future Incredibly Bright With Future Star Outfielder
It is easy to find bright spots for the Washington Nationals in what can be seen as a disappointing 2024 season.
The team won as many games this year as they did last with 71. But, that blew away some preseason expectations, as an exciting young core has emerged for the front office to build around.
Loaded with incredible prospects, we got a sneak peek at what the future could look like for the franchise. If the young continues continue on the path they began, this team will be back in the playoff mix in no time.
One of those youngsters that people are so excited about is outfielder Dylan Crews.
The No. 2 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, behind only Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the electrifying outfielder made his professional debut on August 26th, 2024, just over a year after he was selected.
His first taste of the Major Leagues had its hiccups. In 31 games and 132 plate appearances, he produced an underwhelming .218/.288/.353 slash line with three home runs, five doubles and one triple.
Encouragingly, his hard hit percentage of 45.2 percent was above league average. His issue was getting the ball in the air, as his groundball rate of 56.4 percent was well above the average of 41.9. Once he finds his swing and gets more lift, production will follow.
His athleticism was on full display with 12 stolen bases, as he has the look of someone who will be above average in the outfield as well. His numbers in centerfield, albeit in a smaller sample size with the Nationals, were elite.
The sky is the limit for Crews given the upside that he possesses. It might take a little while to find his groove at the Major League level, but it is clear he has nothing left to prove in the Minor Leagues.
He was named Washington’s Pipeline Prospect of the Year amongst the organization’s position players by Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com.
“Crews ranked second among Nationals full-season qualifiers with his 115 wRC+ and placed among the top four in average (.270), slugging (.451) and OPS (.792) over 100 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He was also one of only two players in the organization with double-digit homers (13) and 20-plus steals (25),” they wrote.
The Nationals have arguably the best young outfield in baseball with James Wood in left, Jacob Young in center and Crews in right. That is a talented trio who are only scratching the surface of their potential.
