“I like to say that pressure is a privilege,” Dylan Cruz told reporters in the nation’s capital in July about performing in the spotlight while in college. LSUThe baseball world is taking notice and scouting him for the 2023 draft.
“It’s how you take it. I didn’t have high expectations because I’ve been playing ever since I was a kid and in 2020 I played in the class of 2019, and the transition once I got to LSU… It seemed pretty easy and I feel like the transition is going to be pretty easy. I’m going to go play for the Nationals.”
Washington selected the 21-year-old Cruz with the second overall pick in this year’s draft, adding one of the top hitters in this year’s class to an outfield already loaded up in the minor league system.
“I know a lot of the players, I know a lot of the players well,” Cruz said before first heading to West Palm Beach, Fla. (Play 1 game in the Florida Complex League) He then played first at Single-A Fredericksburg and eventually at Double-A Harrisburg, where he played for Brady House, Robert Hassell III, and James Wood (the last two being outfielders, of course). He played alongside other top prospects such as.
“It’s a really good start for us,” Cruz said of getting to know some of his teammates within the organization and reuniting with people he already knew. Personal relationships with some players make the process easier.
“We’ll skip the getting-to-know-each-other part and just get down to moving and working with everyone.”
Cruz didn’t bite when a reporter asked him at a press conference how quickly he expected to reach the majors.
“At the end of the day, you just play your game,” he said. “I’m going to do everything I can to do my best and give the best performance that I can. And that decision is up to the Nationals, and it’s up to them how quickly I get back on my feet, but… I’m going to play my game at the end of the day. ”
GM Mike Rizzo said the night of the 2023 draft will determine how quickly Cruz’s play moves through the system and they will allow him to develop at his own pace.
“There’s never a blueprint for when a player goes to the big leagues. They let us know when they’re ready for the big leagues,” he explained.
“[Crews is] An accomplished college player who played at the highest level possible in the college ranks. I think he’s a player you can evaluate once he gets to camp. He’s already played a long, strenuous and stressful season, and we’re not going to feed him too hard this year, but again, he’s going to play a key role in this group in the near future. This is a player we think will play the role. future. “
Rizzo provided a brief scouting report and said Cruz is a potential “impact type” player.
“[He’s] A guy who can help any type of lineup. He can bat at the top of the lineup, and he could also be a guy who makes the lineup in the middle of the lineup. He qualifies for on-base percentage. He has batting qualifications. He has power numbers. He can steal bases and is a two-way player. There are many players of that type. We have a lot of promising outfield prospects, but he was a guy we couldn’t pass on when the draft came around. ”
“He’s a really advanced hitter,” special assistant general manager Chris Klein said. “When Dylan is locked down, he’s very good at driving the ball to right-center and moving the middle of the diamond. I think we’ll see more of him as he progresses at the minor league and major league levels. I think if you start pulling the ball more, you’ll start to see more power. ”
Cruz hit 18 of his 58 home runs this season in college, adding five more during his time at Fredericksburg (He hit .355/.423/.645 with 62 at-bats and 22 at-bats in 14 games and 71 at-bats before being promoted to Double-A Harrisburg.).
“He swings the bat really well, sees the ball well and plays great on both sides of the ball,” Rizzo said when Cruz spent some time with the Senators in Double-A. Ta. -A, it didn’t matter to me what his stats were as long as it showed he was progressing. To get his at-bats to that level, it’s great to see batting average and things like that, but I’m more focused on how he’s adjusting to the league and things like that. ”
Crews finished the year 15-for-72 (.208/.318/.278) with five doubles for Harrisburg.
“He’s great. He’s great.” Lizzo told 106.7 The Fan on D.C.’s Sports Junkies In an interview in early September. “Both sides of the ball. He’s been playing great defense. He’s rotating outfielders. [Crews, Hassell III, and Wood] Left, center and right, they get their share of the work at all outfield positions.but [Crews is] He will be a good player for us, he will be a key figure in this rebuild and he will be one of the faces of the next championship-winning club. And like we said when we brought him to Double-A, this isn’t a litmus test that he has to hit X amount and this average and this many home runs, we just need his feet. We just want to get him wet and get him used to it, aiming for a higher level of baseball, he comes to spring training and performs and we see where we put him and see where he is in his development. Let’s see what stage we are at. Because every player develops on a different time schedule, and the day will come when he will grow. He will have a huge impact on the major league club. ”
