In 2023, 21-year-old Dylan Cruz batted .426/.567/.713 with 16 doubles, 2 triples, 18 homers, 71 walks and just 46 kicks in 71 games played as a National Champion. left a mark. LSU Tigers. Cruise’s third season at school, “Was the 2023 Golden Spikes Award Winner,” he, “He was named the 2023 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year for the second year in a row, becoming the first player to win the award in consecutive seasons and a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team for the second year in a row. Row (2022-23),” The Washington Nationals focused on it as a new ballpark after picking an outfielder with the 2023 No. 2 overall pick. MLB Draft.
As an MLB Pipeline scout pointed out in a pre-draft article about the No. 2 overall player, Crewe said:… made headlines in the first round as a Florida high school student in 2020, but eventually pulled out of the draft to go on to a stellar career at Louisiana State University.‘” he told reporters last night after being named second in line to LSU teammate Paul Skenes, who finished first overall. Pittsburgh Piratesthe decision to go to college is the best decision he ever made in his life.
“Looking back, it was definitely the best decision of my life,” Cruz said in a Zoom call with DC reporters.and Louisiana-based writers).
“There was a lot of gambling there [decision],” he said. “This was a difficult decision for an 18-year-old. Certainly, looking back, it was the best decision I ever made. I tell my kids to do it.” I encourage you and definitely want to trust your intuition.”
Going to college gave the Nationals three more years to scout for a crew to play at the college’s highest level.
“He’s a player we’ve always had our eye on since high school. We have a really good history with him,” Nats general manager Mike Rizzo said in a Zoom call with reporters after the Nationals secured the top pick. Told.
“He’s been a great consistent player throughout his career, and he’s the type of player we want here in Washington. He’s a great guy. He’s got a great personality. He’s very competitive. He’s a winner, has a great skill set, and I think he fits right in here and will be one of the leaders in the core group of potential next players. [group] of [champions] We have that here and I couldn’t be happier to have him join the Nationals. ”
“Dylan was very consistent,” assistant general manager and vice president of scouting operations Chris Klein said at the end of Day 1 of the draft. Crewe appeared in a total of 96 games and 938 plate appearances in his three years with Tiger, posting a combined average of .380/.498/.689.
“He was the man there [at LSU]. He was a good player in high school, and he took himself out of the draft candidate, [he] He decided to go to LSU, took a bet on himself, and it worked out for him. ”
“Cruz led the SEC and ranked among the NCAA Division I hitters in scoring (1cent100),His new club emphasized:… walking (1cent71), hits (2nd110), on-base percentage (2nd.567), batting average (3rd.426).”
“Dylan is a really good player, he has good equipment and he does good makeup,” Klein said.
“He’s a center fielder, he runs well, he has strong shoulders, he’s like a senior collegiate hitter. He’s got the hardware to match it, and he’s a two-time SEC Player of the Year.”
When the Nationals scouted the outfielder, which of his tools stood out?
“His tools are everything,” said Lizzo. “He’s got a bag full of tools. He does everything well. His baseball IQ is great. He’s a great runner. He’s a fast runner, but he’s also a great runner. Playing on both the defensive and offensive sides of baseball, he has a tendency to accelerate baseball.He is an on-base machine, with power, hitting, defense, running power, and pitching, as well as the attitude of a winner and a champion. He was very attractive to any team and we were lucky to get him.”
“Bat,” said Klein.
“He’s a really advanced hitter. When Dylan is pinned down, he’s very skilled at driving the ball to right-center and working the center of the diamond, something he’s done at the minor-league and major-league levels. I think as we progress we’re going to see him start to do things like pull the ball more and I think the power will start to come from there.”
Cruz was asked how he would describe himself as a player and how he would introduce himself to fans in the capital who had never seen him play.
“I’m just going to be a hard working guy who loves playing games and wants to win more than anything else,” Cruz said.
“I think these are my three traits that everyone knows, and that will continue as I grow and continue to play in the future.”
“Dylan is potentially a relatively quick guy, and he’ll get there, and he’ll be right here in Washington DC,” Klein said.
Of course, the Nationals had to wait until the Pirates knew what to do with the No. 1 overall pick and where it would go after that, but as Lizzo said, they had the opportunity to draft a player who: I was excited. Talented as a crew… but of course they would have liked the chance to pick first place overall.
“It hurts enough to pluck [at No. 2] Because how did we have to choose between the two,” Lizzo explained. It removes all uncertainty about what the team in front of us is going to do, but we are thrilled to have Dylan Cruz on board. Again, he will be one of the key players in the next wave of championship-level players here and we look forward to him wearing a Nationals uniform. I’m here. ”
