Washington Nationals' Hottest Prospect Off to Great Spring Training Start

The Washington Nationals' top prospect impressed in his spring training debut on Saturday and he gets another shot near the top of the lineup on Sunday.

Sep 27, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews (3) draws a walk during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. | James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals are loaded with young, talented hitters who look poised to lead the franchise back to playoff status in the years to come, if they are not already a dark horse to do so this year.

Shortstop C.J. Abrams and outfielder James Wood provide a combination of hit and power tools and speed that have them positioned to lead the lineup for the foreseeable future, and their presence has relieved the team's No. 2 overall pick from the 2023 MLB draft Dylan Crews to be the sole force that carries the franchise down the line.

But even if the Nationals are not counting on Crews to fill the voids left by the departures of Bryce Harper and Juan Soto over the years as a face-of-the-franchise, mashing outfielder, he still has the potential to do exactly that.

Crews flashed that potential in the team's first game of spring training against the Houston Astros on Saturday. Sitting in the leadoff spot that will belong to Abrams in regular season games, Crews hit an RBI single to center field off Major League veteran reliever Miguel Castro that gave the Nationals an early 1-0 lead on their way to a 6-3 win over Houston.

The two teams are set to face off again on Sunday in Grapefruit League action, and Crews once again has an opportunity to make his presence felt near the top of the batting order.

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Washington is rolling out something that could be close to its Opening Day lineup, as Crews is sandwiched between Abrams and new acquisition Nathaniel Lowe with designated hitter Josh Bell in the cleanup spot.

The caveat here is that Wood is currently out of game action as he nurses an injury, but Crews profiles as the exact sort of well-rounded hitter who could do a whole lot to lengthen Washington's already fairly threatening lineup if he breaks out.

In limited MLB action in 2024, Crews produced a triple slash line of .219/.288/.353 across 31 games, hitting three home runs, driving in eight more and swiping 12 bases.

According to Fangraphs' Steamer projections, Crews is estimated to a .246/.306/.400 level in the 2025 campaign, and there is obvious potential in his skill set for even more upside.

The 22-year-old already profiles as an everyday caliber outfielder even if his bat sticks in that projected range, as according to Baseball Savant, his sprint speed sits in the 93rd percentile while has arm strength occupies the 83rd.

If the power and hit tools progress as expected this year, Crews will not be far away from performing near an All-Star level, and his performance as spring training rolls on will be well worth keeping an eye on to set a baseline for expectations in the regular season.