TORONTO -- Dylan Crews does not have a hit in his first five games of the season. That isn¡¯t stopping him from taking away the offense from his opponents, though.
The rookie outfielder made back-to-back notable plays in center field on Wednesday in the Nationals¡¯ 4-2 loss in the finale to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
¡°You can¡¯t let the at-bats carry over to defense,¡± Crews, 23, said. ¡°It¡¯s very important that you just flip the page, forget about it and keep going. Keep moving forward.¡±
Crews¡¯ standout moments came in the second inning with Opening Day ace MacKenzie Gore on the mound.
¡°Dylan¡¯s really good out there,¡± Gore said.
With one out, Myles Straw sent a deep fly ball a Statcast-projected 363 feet to right-center field. Crews took off and chased the ball down at a 26.7 feet per second sprint speed, the highest for a Nationals player this season. Crews momentarily caught it as he crashed into the wall, but the ball bounced out of his glove and onto the warning track.
Crews quickly regained control of the ball and fired it off to second baseman Amed Rosario in shallow right field.
¡°I think I snowconed it, hit the wall and it came out,¡± Crews said. ¡°I was able to hit Rosario for the cut. ¡ We¡¯ve been working on those since Spring Training, the double cuts and all that.¡±
The veteran Rosario then hurled it to home plate, where catcher Keibert Ruiz applied the tag to a sliding Ernie Clement, who attempted to score from second base. The out call was upheld following an official review.
¡°He can play some defense, he really can,¡± manager Dave Martinez said.
Crews didn¡¯t have a break; he was tested in the next at-bat.
Bo Bichette jumped on the first pitch from Gore. Bichette lined the cutter 314 feet to center field at 102.6 mph with a catch probability of 40 percent. Crews needed to cover 54 feet to his left to make the play, and he ran 57 feet to make the inning-ending diving play.
¡°His range is pretty spectacular,¡± said designated hitter Josh Bell. ¡°I saw some plays like that in spring. That was the play of the game on our behalf, keeping us close there.¡±
Martinez has lauded Crews, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, for his defense in right field -- his everyday starting position. With starting center fielder Jacob Young getting the day off, Crews shifted to the middle of the outfield and Alex Call manned right field. Crews played center field at LSU where he was named to the 2023 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove Team.
¡°I feel comfortable [at] all three positions out there,¡± Crews said. ¡°I¡¯ve been working hard with G.P., [Gerardo] Parra, our outfield coach. It¡¯s not just me, though, it¡¯s all of us. We¡¯ve got four center fielders out there. You can put anybody anywhere, and we¡¯re going to be confident in our abilities.¡±
Crews went 0-for-3 on the day, still searching for his first hit of 2025 (0-for-18). He has struck out 10 times -- including five times on Saturday against the Phillies -- to one walk. Of his at-bats in Toronto, he made hard contact on a 103.4 mph flyout on Monday and an 111.1 mph lineout on Wednesday.
¡°His at-bats are getting better,¡± said Martinez. ¡°He can¡¯t chase hits. That¡¯s the biggest thing right now. He¡¯s just got to see the ball, get ready early and stay in the middle of the field. I thought today, it was a good example that he¡¯s trying to hit the ball in the middle of the field. He hit a couple balls hard.¡±
Although only in his first full season in the Major Leagues, Crews understands and embraces his role in the Nationals' future. He doesn¡¯t let his two jobs -- offense and defense -- interfere.
¡°It¡¯s just maturity,¡± said Bell. ¡°Obviously, it¡¯s easier said than done. Sometimes, that has to be coached into somebody. Sometimes, you have to have reminders here and there -- like, ¡®Leave your bat in the dugout.¡¯ But that doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s the case for him. Obviously, he¡¯s a winner. He¡¯s won at some of the highest levels of our sport, so it¡¯s definitely carrying over to our game.¡±