Dylan Crews’ Struggles Haven’t Stopped in the Minor Leagues
While it is still early in his professional career, the former top prospect's continued struggles are getting harder to ignore.
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When Dylan Crews was selected second overall in the 2023 MLB Draft behind LSU teammate Paul Skenes, he immediately garnered high expectations from not just the Washington Nationals organization, but the majority of people around the game.
Crews was considered one of the best hitting prospects in recent draft history. However, his early journey through the minor leagues has been anything but smooth. He has struggled to find consistency at the plate, battling adjustment to more advanced pitching.
Opposing pitchers have exploited holes in his approach, forcing him to adapt quicker than expected. While development is rarely linear, the growing pains and slowed development have raised questions about his ceiling.
For a player once viewed as one of the safest bets in his draft class, the immediate lack of production has been surprising. While it is still early in his professional career, the gap between expectations and performance is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore as Crews searches for answers.
Stats updated prior to games on May 1.
From College Phenom to Top Prospect
Shortly after his draft selection, Crews shot up prospect rankings, becoming Just Baseball’s No. 1 Nationals prospect and reaching the top 10 league-wide. He was regarded as one of the best college prospects seen in quite some time.
In three college seasons, the former LSU star absolutely dominated the game, crushing 58 homers while posting a .380 average, to go along with a remarkable 1.187 OPS.
Crews’ ridiculous college success ensured he would be a top selection and instantly become one of baseball’s best prospects. Considering he was so dominant in college, it was expected that he would quickly rise through the ranks of the Nationals’ farm system.
Washington briefly sent Crews to rookie ball and Single-A, where he dominated. Next, the Nationals wanted to see how their top prospect would perform against higher competition so quickly after he was drafted, so they had him finish the year at Double-A Harrisburg.
Finishing 2023 in Harrisburg, Crews struggled. He appeared in 20 games, slashing .208/.318/.278, striking out 19 times. However, the Nats were not deterred by his Double-A troubles, and hopes remained high entering the 2024 season.
Crews was productive in Double-A in 2024, posting a .789 OPS, once again showing the promise the Nationals were expecting from their young outfielder. He replicated those numbers after a call-up to Triple-A Rochester, slugging eight home runs to the tune of a .795 OPS.
Big League Opportunities, Limited Results
Washington believed the 5-foot-11 outfielder was ready for the big leagues. However, in 31 games with the big club in 2024, Crews underwhelmed with a slash line of .218/.288/.353.
In 2025, the Nationals decided they were going to play him more consistently at the big league level. Crews appeared in 85 games, but it was once again underwhelming with no signs of growth. He hit .208 with a .632 OPS and a 77 wRC+.
He also spent a couple of weeks with Rochester in 2025 on a rehab assignment following an oblique injury. In 13 games, he had an OPS of .726, which translated to a slightly-below-average 92 wRC+. While the Triple-A numbers were respectable, they were still not what was expected of the Nats’ former top prospect.
Both the organization and Crews were hoping 2026 would be a breakout year for the now-24-year-old. Coming into the spring, he was looking to prove he belonged with the big league club. However, an abysmal spring training showing – Crews hit .103 with a .309 OPS, tallying just three hits while striking out 11 times in 29 at-bats – told the Nationals he still was not ready.
Crews’ struggles from spring have rolled over into regular season play. The Nationals assigned him back to Triple-A Rochester, where he possesses a slash line of .240/.347/.380. He has just a 94 wRC+ while striking out in 263% of his trips to the plate.
Coming out of college, Crews had cut down on his chase rates and was teeing off on fastballs in the zone. In his time in professional ball, he has struggled mightily with off-speed stuff. Scouts raved about his ability to adjust at LSU, but that ability has yet to shine through as a member of the Nationals organization.
The Underlying Metrics Tell a Different Story
There have been some promising signs for Crews in his 2026 campaign. According to FanGraphs, he has a 45.7% hard hit percentage. That would mark the highest percentage of his career, tracking Triple-A and MLB numbers.
A big concern for Washington is Crews’ problem with chasing. This season in Rochester, Crews is striking out at around a 26% clip. If he could cut down on his strikeout numbers, his hard-hit rate could help him produce enough to earn another shot with the Nationals.
Comparing his strikeout percentage to his hard-hit numbers raises the question: Is Crews struggling mightily, or is he just getting really unlucky? The answer is a little bit of both.
It is important to note where Crews is hitting the ball. Washington is looking for him to be hitting the ball hard on a line. According to FanGraphs, Crews is sitting at just a 15.2% line drive percentage. The Nationals would definitely like to see that go up as his season progresses before they decide to bring him back up.
According to MLB.com, hard-hit balls (exit velocity of 95 mph or higher) have a .524 average, a 1.047 slugging percentage, and a .643 wOBA. Assuming Crews can continue to hit the ball hard, the results will follow. The standard numbers may be alarming to Nationals fans, but Crews is not finished just yet.
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Written by
Chris is an intern at Just Baseball, specializing in Phillies coverage. Chris is from Central Jersey and currently attends Rutgers University. You can follow him on…