The Washington Nationals got a glimpse of its future Sunday. Some of the Nats 2023 draft class are already playing with Single-A affiliate, the Fredericksburg Nats, including No. 2 overall pick Dylan Crews.
Crews, playing in his second minor league game, sparked a run of first professional home runs for a trio of draft picks.
In the first inning, Crews crushed a pitch from Salem Red Sox pitcher Noah Dean for a solo home run to give the Nats an early 1-0 lead.
Then in the fifth inning, with the score tied at 2-2, Nats’ fourth-round pick Andrew Pinckney hit a two-run blast off Red Sox reliever Royman Blanco, scoring second-round draft pick Yohandy Morales. The homer was Pinckney’s first in the pros.
Later in the same inning, sixth-round pick Gavin Dugas tattooed Blanco for his first professional homer. Dugas was also Crews’ teammate in college at LSU.
Nats reliever Marquis Grissom Jr. blew the save in the top of the ninth. However, with Morales and Pinckney on base, last year’s draft pick Maxwell Romero Jr. sealed the win with a three-run walk-off home run.
Crews is considered a top-five prospect. He’s struggled through his first two games on the professional level, going 1-of-10 at the plate. Yet, his lone hit displayed the power he possesses.
While at Alabama, Pinckney went 3-for-3 with a homer against Crews’ LSU team and No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes this year. He’s been on a tear, hitting .500 with a 1.363 OPS through 24 at-bats. Sunday’s home run was probably the only hurdle he hadn’t cleared.
