After the Pittsburgh Pirates took LSU ace Paul Skenes with the first overall pick, the Washington Nationals made the obvious choice by selecting Skenes’ teammate LSU slugger Dylan Crews second overall in the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft.
Crews is considered arguably the best prospect in this year’s draft class. He was a starter for the Tigers as a freshman after bypassing the 2020 MLB Draft. He was named National Freshman of the Year and was an All-American in 2021. This year, he bloomed while helping the Tigers to the program’s seventh national title.
This past season Crews had a .426 batting average with 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 71 games. He also posted a 1.280 OPS. He was named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award this season.
There has been a lot of speculation about Crews and his slot bonus. Reports suggest he wanted $10 million, just over the $9.7 million slot value for the first overall pick. Could his demand have been just a way to persuade the Pirates to pass on him?
One thing is for sure Crews previously expressed his desire to play for the Nationals.
“It would be awesome [to be drafted by the Nationals]… If that were to happen, if that were to be where I end up in the future — that would be awesome. I think it’s a great organization,” Crews told Talk Nats in June.
Crews projects to be a centerfielder in the majors. That projection creates a log jam in the outfield for the Nationals. Washington is loaded with top outfield prospects.
Last year, the Nationals selected Elijah Green, an outfielder, in the first round. Additionally, the club acquired outfield prospects Robert Hassell III and James Wood from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade last August. Wood was one of two players to represent the Nats in the All-Stars Futures Game this weekend.
But Crews was a can’t-miss selection. He is already one of the Nationals’ top prospects and could fast-track to the majors sooner than those taken before him. The Nats have an enviable problem sorting out its talented outfield. That group could steer the Nats into the blissful future.
