"In the 2023 MLB Draft when the Washington Nationals selected LSU's Dylan Crews fresh off a National Championship, Golden Spikes Award, and SEC Player of the Year honors, vibes were at an all time high. What was supposed to be the safe bet, the most "big league ready" hitter in a draft filled with elite talent has not panned out the way anyone has hoped."
"The floor for Crews coming out of college was his biggest selling point. Unlike a player like Elijah Green for example, Crews was supposed to be the high OBP, polished, professional hitter that would cruise to an easy .800 OPS. Instead, what we have seen at the big league level has been a player that looks overmatched and even lost at times against major league breaking balls."
"Perhaps more alarming, the all-around stud through all of his years at powerhouse LSU fell off the face of a cliff. With Paul Skenes winning a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year and Wyatt Langford slotting right into the centerpiece of the Rangers lineup, Crews is struggling to stay above the Mendoza line. Taking a look around the league at the 2023 draft class, it is hard to not feel like the Nats might have taken the wrong guy."
The Washington Nationals selected Dylan Crews second overall in 2023 after a standout LSU career that included a National Championship, Golden Spikes Award, and SEC Player of the Year honors. Crews entered the majors as the perceived safest, most polished hitter in a talent-rich draft. The 2025 season produced a .208 batting average and the most errors among right fielders. Crews has looked overmatched at times, particularly versus major-league breaking balls. Across the 2023 draft class, peers like Paul Skenes and Wyatt Langford have excelled, while teammate Daylen Lile outperformed Crews, raising doubts about Crews' trajectory and the draft choice.
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