Nationals Should Seriously Consider Starting Dylan Crews in Triple-A This Season
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At the time of writing, there are 10 days until the Washington Nationals hit the road to face the Chicago Cubs on March 26 for Opening Day.
Much of the roster looks set, as the Nationals have already established who their starter is going to be for that game with virtually the entire rotation set beyond that. The infield seems to have taken shape, as well, while the outfield has plenty of options for new manager Blake Butera to choose from. However, there is one thing that stands out when it comes to a major decision Washington has to make, and that's what to do with Dylan Crews.
Dylan Crews Is Putting Together Horrific Spring Showing
As the standard disclaimer goes, take everything that happens during spring training with a grain of salt. Players who have unbelievable showings during these exhibition games can flounder during the regular season , and those who look lost at the plate can rebound to produce high-end campaigns. But the issue with Crews is that he hasn't been good on offense in The Show.
After being rushed through the minors by the previous regime, the 24-year-old has a career slash line of .211/.282/.352 across 116 games with 13 home runs, 29 extra-base hits, 35 RBIs and 102 strikeouts compared to 32 walks. His wRC+ is 22 points below the league average of 100 and his OPS+ is 21 points below the league average.
The hope was he would show some signs of life during the spring, with the aim being to develop a rhythm that would carry over into the 2026 season. But unfortunately, he has not had a good showing thus far, as he's gone an abysmal 3-for-24 across 10 games with three walks to nine strikeouts, no extra-base hits and just two RBIs.
Crews still has time to turn things around, and there's a good chance he's going to be on the Opening Day roster when it comes time to make that decision. However, the Nationals should seriously consider starting the former No. 2 overall pick in Triple-A if he can't get things going.
A Reset With Triple-A Could Serve Dylan Crews Well
It would be a huge shock if Washington did make that decision, but it could be the best thing for his career. Right now, it's clear Crews isn't ready to face major league pitching. While the sample size this spring is small, the fact he really hasn't popped in 116 MLB games is a cause for concern.
So sending him back down to reset and work on things could help him find his confidence and swing. And considering he really only has 49 true Triple-A games of experience under his belt since the 13 he played in last year were on a rehab assignment, spending extra time working on development might help him become the player he was expected to be coming out of college.
Again, the likelihood of this happening seems slim. Crews is a major piece of the puzzle for the Nationals when it comes to their rebuild, so it would be surprising to see him not be part of the MLB roster to start the season. But if he never reaches his ceiling because he was unable to find himself at the plate early on during his career, then that doesn't help Washington in the slightest. Which is why the Nationals should seriously consider starting Crews in Triple-A if he can't turn things around during the final stages of spring training.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai