Best Bet for Washington Nationals is Optioning Struggling Outfielder

While it is still far too early to call the Washington Nationals' former number one prospect a bust, that day is approaching quicker than ever.

The Nationals drafted Dylan Crews with the No. 2 pick of the 2023 MLB draft from the LSU Tigers. After quickly making his way through the minor league system, Crews became another member of the recent influx of prospects to make their Major League debut the season after they were drafted.

It has not gone well for Crews at the top level of the sport. Defensively, he has been as advertised: an above-average defender, more than capable of manning any of the three positions in the grass. Offensively, it has been abysmal, and the best course of action for Washington, at this point, would be to option the struggling outfielder to the Triple-A Harrisburg Senators.

Washington Nationals Need to Option Dylan Crews for Mental Reset

Crews is quickly approaching 100 games played at the Major League level, and is five plate appearances away from 300 for his career; it is no longer a small sample size thing.

While many expected the outfielder to be one of the brightest stars in the game, it has not happened to this point. It has been a stark contrast from teammate James Wood, who had far less recognition as a prospect, and is well on his way to being an All-Star in his first full season.

Top draft picks struggling at the Major League level is nothing new. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 MLB draft belonged to the Detroit Tigers, and they selected first baseman Spencer Torkelson from the Arizona State Sun Devils. While Torkelson has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career, he has still been an otherwise streaky hitter who has failed to find consistent success at the top level.

The Tigers have optioned Torkelson on more than one occasion, and that should be how the Nationals move forward with Crews.

Having Crews continue to struggle on a daily basis against top-tier pitching may be sharpening his skills, but it is doing nothing for him from a mental aspect. In fact, he has been worse in May than he was in March/April. For the first month+ of the year, Crews carried a .597 OPS. In May, it has fallen to .490. Neither mark is good, but one is clearly better than the other.

It is a precarious position Washington finds itself in for the young outfielder's development. But to this point, Crews has just not shown that he is ready to produce offensively at the Major League level.