Even with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and the New York Yankees in town, Dylan Crews was the main draw at Nationals Park.
The 22-year-old rookie had an impressive debut series for Washington. He got his first two hits on Tuesday night and then hit a leadoff homer and an RBI double on Wednesday as the rebuilding Nationals won two out of three games against the best team in the AL.
“Growing up, I was a little bit of a Yankees fan. You know, loved (Derek) Jeter,” Crews said. “Playing against them and seeing Judge and Soto on the other side, it’s been awesome to compete against those guys and be on the same field as them. And, you know, take two out of three from them. So it’s been a great starting week for me, honestly.”
With school in session in the Washington area and the Nationals out of playoff contention, crowds of more than 30,000 came to the ballpark each night of the series to see Judge try to add to his major league-leading 51 homers and cheer for Soto, who was a standout on the Nationals’ 2019 World Series-winning team.
However, Soto went 0 for 12 in the series, and Judge had his first three-game stretch without a homer in over two weeks.
Crews, who won a College World Series title with LSU in 2023, stepped up with a performance that hints the Nationals might have a promising young core for the future.
“He’s got this kind of inner energy that he brings, you know, every day, and it’s fun to watch,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said.
The third-ranked prospect in baseball and the second overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, just after teammate Paul Skenes, Crews went 0 for 3 in his debut Monday night. The next day, he hit a line drive off the base of the wall in left field for a double in his first at-bat. He also added an infield single later in Washington’s 4-2 win.
On Wednesday, Crews batted leadoff for the first time as manager Dave Martinez gave All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams a rest. James Wood, another top Nationals prospect who debuted in July, was in the second spot.
Just two pitches into the game, Crews hit a home run to left-center off Carlos Rodón, becoming the second player in Nationals history to hit a leadoff homer in his debut, joining Steve Lombardozzi who did it on June 3, 2012.
In the fourth inning, Crews smacked a first-pitch fastball from Rodón at 105.8 mph to left field for an RBI double, while his father celebrated in the stands with his mother.
“They’ve been here all three games. Yeah, it’s been awesome. They’re having a great time, as they should,” Crews said. “I love the support and love the energy they bring every day, so I’m gonna cherish it.”
In his first three games, Crews is 4 for 11 with a homer, two doubles, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base.
“Luckily I was able to get some results out there, put a number up next to the average and get all that out of the way,” he said.
With Wood in left field, Crews in right, and rookie Jacob Young’s excellent speed and defense in center, the Nationals might have found their starting outfield for the future. The trio combined for six of Washington’s 10 hits on Wednesday night.
“We’ve added a bunch of sparkplugs into the lineup and it shows on the field,” Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan said. “Seeing what Crews has done out there, and obviously Woody. … Those new pieces are exciting and just give us momentum.”
