Let's Geaux: Dylan Crews

[IanRubbish]

That's beyond stupid. MLB needs to change that.

It's unfortunate, but benefits the Nats, and I'm happy this rule is there.  No matter what happens in '25, this team can't pick higher than 10th in '26, so that removes some of the incentive for tanking.

[Senatorswin]

It's unfortunate, but benefits the Nats, and I'm happy this rule is there.  No matter what happens in '25, this team can't pick higher than 10th in '26, so that removes some of the incentive for tanking.

i think 10th is extreme. Often there might be one top amateur that teams want to go after like a Harper, Strasburg etc. A team like the White Sox should be assured of at least a top three or five at the outside.

[imref]

#1

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/updated-top-100-prospects-list-for-october-2024?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

[Senatorswin]

#1

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/updated-top-100-prospects-list-for-october-2024?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Sykora now at 79 ahead of House 84. Susana in at 90. House has fallen back.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Cavalli dropped?

[nobleisthyname]

Cavalli dropped?

Yep. He's still my vote for most disappointing outcome of the season.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Still, 4 top 100 is respectable, and I think King could move up quickly

[Smithian]

I think Crews as #1 is defensible.

A .641 OPS isn’t a disaster at 22, and he had a great series against the Phillies to end the season.

It’s not hard to see a future where he is a middle of the order bat while playing a so good CF. That’s an MVP contender profile.

The ceiling is super high. Let’s hope he taps it.

[imref]

Crews got engaged over the weekend

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Crews got engaged over the weekend

to the number 2 gymnast at LSU?

[aspenbubba]

to the number 2 gymnast at LSU?

A tough audience

[imref]

Crews wins the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his OF performance at AA and AAA this past year.

[nobleisthyname]

#3 prospect on Longenhagen's top-100 prospect list on Fangraphs. Seems to be high on him again after some concerns on how he would handle inside fastballs.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2025-top-100-prospects/

TL;DR summary:

Crews has big power and speed, and altered his position in the batter’s box last year to better deal with fastballs around his hands.

Full summary:

Crews went wire-to-wire as one of the best 2023 draft prospects, if not the best. He was the top unsigned high schooler from the 2020 class, a toolshed who swung and missed on the summer showcase circuit more than teams felt comfortable with. He ended up at LSU rather than in pro ball, and from day one was among the toolsiest and most productive college hitters for three straight years. He slashed .380/.498/.689 and had more walks than strikeouts during his tenure at LSU. Crews’ first full pro season also went well. He slashed .270/.342/.451 split between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester, then was called up at the end of August to get his feet wet without exhausting rookie eligibility. His underlying data was much better than his surface-level stats during that stretch.

Crews can punish you to all fields. He’ll get extended on fastballs away from him and crush them the opposite way, and he can also turn on slower pitches on the middle two-thirds of the plate and hit some titanic blasts to left. His best swings feature unbelievable verve and explosion, with Crews’ lower body usage evoking Mike Trout. At times, the depth of Crews’ load will leave him late on fastballs. Early in 2024, he was really struggling with fastballs tailing in on his hands, but by the time he was in the big leagues at the end of the year, Crews had begun to move off the plate against righties (we won’t know how this impacts his plate coverage against sliders until we see more). He also cuts his stride with two strikes, but can still generate power because of how explosive the rest of his operation is. All of this is very similar to Jackson Chourio, and Crews will might need a similar adjustment period before he really takes off.

Some of the Chourio similarities extend to Crews’ defense. He can absolutely fly and will show you jailbreak-y, sub-4.1 run times. He easily has the speed to play center field, but his reads, routes, and ball skills aren’t great. His pure speed should enable him to remain in center field, but he’s probably going to underperform out there relative to his pure speed. The opposite is true on the bases, where Crews’ speed arguably plays up because of his feel and acumen. Even if he’s relegated to a corner due to the presence of superior on-roster options in center, he’s going to hit for enough power and make a big enough impact on the bases to be a star.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

FG more or less has Sasaki ahead of him, then it's Anthony, Crews, and 7 others filling out the top 10 as 60 grades. What I like about the review is the observations on how he's closing the hole in his swing to get to an average hit tool to go with the all-fields plus power.

[imref]

Hot start so far. 1.458ops with 2 SBs already.

[imref]

Dude can field: https://www.instagram.com/stories/nationals_network/3581057460129542614?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MXA0aGhlam1iNzl5Zg==

[Smithian]

If he shows a consistent glove in CF, his ceiling is ridiculous.

[OfftheBat]

Awesome catch, shades of.... Andruw Jones? lol

[Slumpbuster]

Seven strikeouts in a row with a walk thrown in for Dylan Crews…….It’s way early but he looks lost.
If it persists Hassle is waiting in AAA, as long as he is producing down there.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

He's pressing. I think a road series may help him.

Hassell needs to play well for a couple of months before he's in the conversation. He really didn't play well for 2+ years after the trade. Wasn't until the AFL and this spring did he start to show anything.

But yes, Crews has looked bad. I just think this team can afford to give him a long leash.

[Natsinpwc]

Seven strikeouts in a row with a walk thrown in for Dylan Crews…….It’s way early but he looks lost.
If it persists Hassle is waiting in AAA, as long as he is producing down there.

So far Hassell has an OPS of .522. Of course really for both guys but oje has been facing some of the best MLB pitchers. 

[IanRubbish]

He has looked painfully lost the last two games.  That said, sometimes you need to play through these things.  Rafael Devers is off to a similarly miserable start.  The issue for Crews is when it does snap, are we back to a 30% K rate with a .300 OBP.  He still might need to go back to AAA to work on things, but I wouldn't send him yet.

[Slateman]

This was to be expected. The scouting report was he struggled with breaking stuff and spin.

Dude is a bust. Move on.

[BigMeech]

He's horrible.

[imref]

A few better ABs tonight including the drive to deep center. He’ ll be fine.