“Dylan [Crews] “He’s a really good player, a kid with good tools and great qualities,” Chris Klein, then the Nationals’ assistant general manager and vice president of scouting operations and now a special assistant to general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, told reporters after Washington selected Cruz with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft. LSU From the University victory World Series.
“[He] “He’s a good runner, he’s got a strong arm and he’s a college-caliber hitter. He’s got the stats to back it up, being a two-time SEC Player of the Year,” Klein added.
“He’s a really advanced hitter. When Dylan focuses, he can hit the ball to right-center field and is really good at attacking the middle of the diamond. As he develops in the minor leagues and major leagues, I think he’ll start to pull the ball a lot more. That’s where I think his power will start to show.”
Cruz, the organization’s top prospect and the No. 3 player overall on MLB Pipeline’s list of the game’s top prospects, batted .270 with 21 doubles, six triples, 13 home runs and 68 RBIs.[s]In a press release announcing Cruz’s promotion to the majors, the Nationals noted that “this season, he played in 100 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester, recording 100 hits, 36 walks, 25 stolen bases and 60 runs.”
The opportunity came after the 22-year-old outfielder posted impressive numbers over his last 16 games, hitting .309/.385/.529 with two doubles, one triple and four home runs, while reaching base in 13 of the 16 games for a 13% on-base percentage in all 16 games.
“I thought Cruz lived up to the hype,” Rizzo said in an interview on MLB Network Radio last week, before news of Cruz’s promotion broke.
“He’s a very skilled, polished player who is still honing his skills. I think he was a better offensive player at the Triple-A level than he was at the Double-A level, and I think as he gets to the higher levels, he’ll continue to develop and be an impact player offensively, defensively and on the bases. He’s a really well-rounded player that you can build around.”
Nationals captain Davey Martinez told reporters before last night’s game that Cruz will handle the excitement of his debut like a pro.
“He’s a ballplayer,” Martinez said. “I’ve watched him play in college, where they won some championships, he’s come through the minor leagues and he’s gotten some good at-bats and played really well in the outfield. So he’s got a chance to play here and we’ll play against him every day and see what he can do.”
“I think the Nationals have the potential to be the most talented team in the NL East in a couple of years.”
Former GM Dan O’Dowd talks about the Nationals’ bright future ahead of Dylan Cruz’s MLB debut.#MLBCCentral pic.twitter.com/tJb4HIu5Fn
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 26, 2024
Cruz stressed he’s earned this opportunity and will test himself over the next five weeks against major league rivals.
“He did well in Double-A, moved up to Triple-A and was hitting really well,” the manager said. “The biggest thing about hitting here is accepting walks and chasing them, so that’s what we’re going to focus on. Other than that, we want him to be aggressive and play baseball.”
His advice for Cruise heading into his debut and the series opening: New York Yankees?
“I told him, ‘Hey, nothing’s going to change here,'” Martinez said.
“‘You have a routine, you just stick to it and play baseball.’ When the game starts, you’re one of eight guys in the lineup and you just play.”
“There’s always four bases and two foul poles,” Cruz said of his approach ahead of his debut.
“I’m going to go out there and play my game, swing for strikes, get the ball, compete out there and control what I can control.”
Although Cruz appeared calm and collected while speaking to reporters, he said there was a moment when the seriousness of the situation hit him.
“It’s weird,” he said. “This is going to be my everyday job. I’m going to walk out here, I’m going to a major league stadium, and this is going to be my job. It’s kind of hard to wrap my head around, but it’s going to be awesome.”
It’s been a quick rise for Cruz, from the College World Series in June 2023 to the draft in July 2023 to Double-A and Triple-A this season to now the major leagues. He said he wants to continue doing what he did from Louisiana State University to Washington, D.C.
What was his approach?
“You can’t make any moment seem bigger than it is, but just try to go out there and compete and play like every day, every game is the same. Today, nothing’s going to change,” he said.
Cruz, playing No. 3, batting second and playing in right field last night, called the first inside pitch he saw in the majors a ball, then hit a high fastball from Yankees lefty Nestor Cortez with a line drive to right field for the out in his first at-bat.
He reached base on his second walk and then came to bat four straight times after starting 0-1 with a strikeout.
CJ Abrams and Cruz each struck out swinging with no hits and one out in their first two at-bats in the top of the sixth after putting runners on second and third base. Cruz was hitless in two at-bats and walked.
In the game at Nationals Park, Cruz grounded out to right-handed relief pitcher Jake Cousins on a 2-2 high sinker, then gave up three bases and one walk in a scoreless inning in a 5-2 loss.
“Playing against the Yankees, [Aaron] Judge and [Juan] “When Soto went out there for the first time, it was a very surreal moment,” Cruz said. Quote from MASN’s Mark Zuckerman After the series kicks off in DC
“And of course, it feels great to be playing for my new team, the Nationals. I’m going to go out there tomorrow and do it again.”
