Dylan Crews helped the Nationals beat the Mariners 8-3 with a wild dash from first to home and clean, high-energy plays in the field. But behind the highlight reels, his big-league hitting numbers—.192 with a .562 OPS and a career slash of .208 average with .6
The slide was clean, the dash was reckless, and for a night it felt like Dylan Crews was everywhere the Nationals needed him.
In the Nationals’ 8-3 win over the Mariners. Crews went 1 for 4—just one hit. but the impact carried the game anyway. On one swing up the middle. he turned it into a mad dash from first to home that pretty much sealed the win. Fans didn’t just watch him run. They watched him make decisions at full speed, then pop up safe as he slid in. It’s the kind of baseball that makes people keep rooting for the “Dylan Crews thing” to finally work out.
The problem is what comes next, once the excitement settles. Crews is still struggling at the plate. He is hitting .192 with a .562 OPS.
When he came out of LSU. Crews was viewed as one of the safest. most polished hitting prospects in a long time. Draft talk focused on a 70 grade hit tool. So far, that profile hasn’t translated the way people hoped—especially not with nearly 500 at-bats in the big leagues. At this point, the sample size is big enough to flatten the expectations. Crews has a .208 career average and a .623 OPS in nearly 500 at-bats.
That doesn’t mean he’s stuck. It does mean the original picture is fading. Crews “still has time to figure it out,” but the clock is not limitless.
Even his underlying numbers make the hit question louder. His xwOBA is .333, more than 80 points higher than his wOBA of .252. Over his career, Crews has underperformed his xwOBA by 40 points. The disconnect suggests there’s something about his approach or batted-ball profile that the expected stats aren’t catching.
Part of it could be simple and brutal: he hits a lot of ground balls and doesn’t pull balls in the air. When he does connect, though, the ball can still come off the bat with real authority. He’s not the kind of massive power type like James Wood, but he generates force. The other night. the difference showed up—he elevated. celebrated in the dugout. and reminded everyone he’s still capable of more than low liners and grounders.
There are also signs his swing path and batted-ball mix may be shifting. His average launch angle has risen from 8.5 degrees to 12.1 degrees. His ground ball rate has also dropped from over 50% to 42.6%—a meaningful improvement if it sticks.
But there are still holes that haven’t been patched. Crews has been chasing pitches more than ever, with a 37.2% chase rate that is higher than Keibert Ruiz. And for the at-bats that don’t start off well. there’s a pattern: it “feels like” he gets down 0-2 in about half his at-bats. For him to start generating more offense. he has to keep the ball in the air. swing at the right pitches. and get into count leverage instead of living in early counts against him.
It’s easy to see why the bases and the field keep stealing the spotlight. Crews’ hustle is the constant. He is one of the best base runners in the sport. not because he plays it safe. but because he takes chances—swiping bags and always looking for the extra base. Out there, he looks “man possessed,” and yesterday was another example.
Even defensively, he brings real value. He is a good but not elite defensive outfielder—there’s a reason Jacob Young is the center fielder when the two are playing together. Still, Crews is very good in the role. Against the Mariners, he showed it with a catch at the wall that robbed Victor Robles of extra bases.
When you stack what Crews does—running hard, taking chances, cutting down extra bases, making the “little things” feel loud—the picture is clear. He can do that stuff consistently. He’s already proving the game-changing habits on the diamond.
The one question that won’t go away is the same one that framed his arrival: can Dylan Crews hit? So far, the answer has been no. He still has time to correct it, but the margin for error keeps shrinking.
Dylan Crews Nationals Mariners Victor Robles Jacob Young LSU baseball highlights base running launch angle xwOBA chase rate