West Palm Beach, FL - Nationals manager Dave Martinez believes Dylan Crews is ready to make a significant impact this season, a sentiment he shared today as the team officially began full-squad workouts.

Last year, Crews's questions hinted at his eagerness to understand his role and contribute. Martinez addressed this directly: "Yeah, look, I told him right now, he's the right fielder,? for this season." This clarity seems to have fueled Crews's offseason preparation. Martinez noted, "He did some things this winter to work on his swing. He also understands that he needs to get them all in the zone too, except his walks. He's really good. He was unbelievable in college, taking his walks. There's no reason why he shouldn't do that here."

Martinez's confidence in Crews is evident: "So, accept his walks, and when he gets the ball in the strike zone, he's going to hit the ball hard. So, he's going to play exceptional defense and run the base as well. So, looking forward to, like I said, getting him here for hopefully the whole year and seeing what he can do." He added emphatically, "But he's definitely going to help us win games."

Beyond his physical skills, Crews's dedication to learning the game stands out. Martinez highlighted his meticulous approach: "And he’s the one, the one kid that we have that pays attention to detail. I mean, day in, day out. I saw him. He doesn't come in after you can run to the iPad; he comes in and watches the game. And I love that." Specifically, Crews's focus is on understanding the nuances of each at-bat. "He watches everybody's at bat. I can hear him say, you don't want a guy who takes a really good pitch. He's saying, “Good, good, good.” So he's really learning." This detailed observation extends to studying opposing pitchers. "He's watching all the pitchers that he faces because he knows these guys are going to be in the league, and they're going to; he's going to face him again this year. So now he's got a good grasp of what they want to do, what guys are trying to do against right-handed pitching, not right-handed hitting, and then he has an idea of what they want, they're going to do to him. So, he learned a lot last year and wants to improve this year." This combination of talent, work ethic, and a thirst for knowledge makes Crews a player to watch this season.

Dylan Crews's 2024 major league stats provide a glimpse into his early performance. Through 119 at-bats, he's scored 12 runs and tallied 26 hits, including three home runs. He's driven in 8 runs and showcased his speed with 12 stolen bases, a .218 batting average, a .641 OPS, and a .288 OBP after getting called to the majors.