This Season Considered 'Make-or-Break' for Nationals Outfielder Dylan Crews

Washington Nationals youngster Dylan Crews is facing an important season.

Dylan Crews of the Washington Nationals | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

On paper, the strongest unit for the Washington Nationals is their outfield.

James Wood is a budding star. So is Daylen Lile after the second half he put together. Jacob Young is one of the best defenders in Major League Baseball, regardless of position. And Dylan Crews has one of the highest ceilings out of anyone in his age group.

But when it comes to Crews, things are more of a projection right now because of his struggles. The second overall pick of the 2023 draft has not had a good professional career thus far. And that's why Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report named him as one of the seven former top prospects who are entering a "make-or-break" season.

Poor Performance in 2026 Could Cost Dylan Crews Playing Time

Dylan Crews of the Washington Nationals | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"... he began last season as one of the NL Rookie of the Year favorites. Instead, it was more of the same in 2025, and middling batted-ball metrics provide little reason for objective optimism. His 38.7 percent hard-hit rate would have ranked in the 29th percentile among qualified hitters. ... That said, another season of limited impact will place him squarely on the hot seat for playing time," he wrote.

Nobody would say it hasn't been a rough early part of Crews' career. However, nobody is ready to give up on the 23-year-old who won the 2023 Golden Spikes Award -- over phenom Paul Skenes -- after he slashed .426/.567/.713 with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs in 71 games at LSU that season.

But it's clear something needs to change for Crews if he's ever going to live up to the hype as the No. 2 overall pick and a potential franchise cornerstone for the Nationals. And the hope is that will come during the 2026 campaign.

DYLAN CREWS HITS A LEADOFF BOMB FOR HIS FIRST CAREER HOMER! pic.twitter.com/S1gPn0zXq1

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 28, 2024

Staying healthy is the most important thing for Crews this year. He was limited to just 85 games last season because he dealt with a left oblique strain. So remaining on the field and getting much needed reps against big league pitching will help his development.

When it comes to the areas he needs to improve with his game, though, the obvious thing that stands out is increasing his power. Crews hit double-digit home runs in limited action last year, but his slugging percentage was just .352. Much of that comes from a low hard hit and barrel rate, which is something that has to be remedied during the upcoming campaign.

The good news is that he seems to have gotten unlucky in his career thus far. Crews' batting average across 116 games in the bigs is .211, while his slugging percentage is .352. However, the advanced metrics are much kinder to the youngster, with his expected batting average being .239 and his expected slugging percentage being .401.

If things can even out a bit in the luck category while he also improves other aspects of his game, then Crews has a real chance to breakout this season. But if not, then there will be real questions about his role in Washington going forward.