There are players who just look good. Dylan Crews firmly falls into that category. Despite him not producing in his first year and the change in the MLB, I still have a lot of confidence in him. Some of that may be irrational, but Crews looks like he should be a really good player.
His time at LSU was absolutely legendary. Crews is one of the best college baseball players of the 21st century. He hit .426 in his senior year of college before being selected second overall in 2023. I find it hard to believe that the player who did that could end up being a failure.
Crews, who turns 24 this month, is at a pivotal point in his career. So far, he hasn’t come close to living up to expectations. However, he is still young enough to turn things around. Crews has to show something so that fans can continue to believe in his positive side. He looks good, but he also needs to produce.
His pedigree and tools give him plenty of opportunities, but eventually he has to stop sucking. Crews has shown strength, contact skills, speed and defense, but he hasn’t put it all together.
This new development team also gives me another excuse to believe in Crews. One of Dylan Crews’ biggest problems is that he puts the ball on the ground too much. Are GB rate there was 56% in his cup of coffee in 2024 and 50.2% last year. It’s hard to do damage if you don’t keep the ball up consistently. Crews will never be a pulled flyball guy, but hopefully the new regime can convert some of those ground balls into line drives.
I think the best version of Dylan Crews as a hitter is a line drive oriented guy. That’s what I think is the core of Crews. It doesn’t feel like it comes naturally to him to pose for power. He should become a gap-to-gap man with the power to punish mistakes.
Honestly, Crews should try to match Ryan Zimmerman as a hitter. Zimmerman always tried to fill that hole in right-center with doubles and home runs. However, he could turn on the infields. Although it is optimal to pull the ball into the air, this is not for everyone. It just doesn’t feel like this is Crews’ game, and it doesn’t have to be.
Brady House is the type of player that I think should be able to pull the ball into the air. He doesn’t have great offensive assets outside of power, so he needs to maximize that power. Crews have solid contact ability and a decent approach, even if it hasn’t fully translated to the MLB yet.
Even though it’s irrational, I’m confident Crews will be a solid starter. My biggest question is whether he still has that star potential. I still think it’s in there, but it’s a less likely outcome now compared to when he was drafted. While I’m still very optimistic about Crews, you can’t deny the reality either.
He may have hit .208 with a .632 OPS last year, but there is so much more in the tank for Crews. I think he can be a .255 hitter with a .750 OPS next season. At his peak, Crews has the talent to be a .270ish hitter with an .820ish OPS. With his defense in the outfield, that’s All-Star level.
Dylan Crews may never be the Andrew McCutchen-type MVP candidate we thought he would be when he was drafted. I can’t give up on him yet though, not even close. It just feels good to see him moving on the field. He looks like he should be really good. That may be completely unscientific, but some guys just have an it factor. Dylan Crews has it, and that’s why I can’t leave him.
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