Washington Nationals New Outfield Star Player to Watch in Spring Training

The Washington Nationals have plenty of young talent, but all eyes are likely to be on this young outfielder during spring training.

Sep 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Dylan Crews (3) rounds second base after hitting a triple against the Philadelphia Phillies during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

With pitchers and catchers reporting for the Washington Nationals, the team will be getting set to hopefully begin the end of their rebuild.

It has been a tough five years for the Nationals since winning the World Series in 2019. After winning 71 games in each of the last two seasons, the team is hopeful that this will be the year they make a significant improvement in the win column.

This offseason, Washington didn’t go crazy with spending, but they did make some nice improvements to their lineup with the additions of Nathaniel Lowe, Josh Bell, and Amed Rosario.

The lineup for the Nationals is without a doubt going to be the most exciting part of the team. There is a lot of young talent that is not only improving but looking to reach star status.

Last season, CJ Abrams was the first of the young core to make that leap. With the great first half of the season, he was named to his first All-Star Game. Now, young players will be looking to follow in his footsteps in 2025.

Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com recently wrote about Dylan Crews being the top player to watch for the Nationals in Spring Training.

“He'll play at just 23 years old this season and is expected to spend the season in the majors, joining James Wood to form an exciting young outfield," he wrote.

As one of the top prospects in baseball, expectations are high for Crews. He was pretty much a unanimous Top 5 prospect last year and he got called up late in the summer.

The results were mixed for Crews, with him slashing 218/.288/.353 with three home runs after being called up. However, he performed very well in the minor leagues and with a lot of speed has the potential to be a 30/30 player for Washington.

Even though the talented young outfielder received a good amount of playing time, he was able to retain his rookie status for 2025. Heading into the new campaign, he will certainly be a player to watch for the National League Rookie of the Year.

As the Nationals progress through Spring Training, it will be important for Crews to have a good camp. The results from the regular season likely weren’t up to his standard and he will surely want to be better than he was in September.

Crews is going to be one of the players that Washington will hope takes a significant step forward in his development in 2025. He certainly has all of the tools to be a great player in the league, but he will need to put it together in the Majors.