Nationals Hire Their New Director of Pitching Away From Rival Mets

The Washington Nationals continue to bolster their staff.

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The Washington Nationals have a clear focus during the early portion of this offseason.

Following the decision to hire Paul Toboni to run this baseball operations department, it's been a nonstop hiring cycle of front office members and the Nationals' new coaching staff. And with many key members already in place, it's allowed Toboni to go after some high-profile targets.

The latest was Grayson Crawford. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, Washington hired him away from the New York Mets and have made him the team's new director of pitching. That is a huge get for the Nationals, as Crawford is someone who has a great background with organizations who have been able to develop pitching at a high level.

Might be my favorite hire so far. Crawford has gotten to work under the very best in the industry, Sam Briend, when he was with the Yankees. Mets as well are in the upper echelon of pitcher development. This is huge for the farm. https://t.co/uhxqn47aj8

— Aaron Lichstrahl (@AJ_Lich) December 4, 2025

Crawford is the latest hire on the player development side of things. This follows Washington's decision to hire Phillip Cebuhar away from the college ranks to have him become the team's new hitting coordinator.

Toboni comes from a player development background, so it's not a surprise to see him focus on building up that part of the organization. But to add two up-and-coming and well-respected figures like Crawford and Cebuhar, that is a huge get for the Nationals.

What Is Grayson Crawford's Background?

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The two things that stand out are his experiences with the Mets and New York Yankees, as he's been working for one of the New York teams as a pitching coach or assistant pitching coordinator since 2021. However, his background is extensive in the college ranks, and it's one that should bode well for what he'll bring to Washington.

Following his career as a baseball player for Stillman College in 2010, he immediately became their assistant coach. He then jumped to Pensacola State College after seven months at his alma mater to become their assistant. He then became the head coach of Christian County High School from 2011-14 before he jumped back into the college ranks as an assistant at Lindsey Wilson College.

Crawford kept climbing up the ladder, joining Murray State's staff as an assistant in 2015 before getting hired as the assistant with UL Monroe in 2018 and then an assistant with Austin Peay in 2019. He then became the pitching coach for Lipscomb University from 2020-21 before he was hired away by the Yankees to become their pitching coach in December 2021.

That is a ton of experience for Crawford, and it led to him getting looks at the professional level by two organizations who value and excel at pitching development, which he played a part in during his time with both the Yankees and Mets.

Now, he'll look to bring that with him to the Nationals. And with multiple intriguing arms throughout the pipeline, the hope is he can get the most out of the talent that's already in place and the future arms that will be coming into the organization.