Dylan Crews is back with the Nationals and looking to stay: 'It's very special being here'
This spring, the 24-year-old outfielder had to swallow his pride, embrace change and accept help in order to become a new and improved version of himself.
WASHINGTON, D. C. — Dylan Crews had never been so cold on a baseball field.
It was April 1, 2026, the home opener for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, and the 2023 No. 2 pick was clearly struggling with the elements. Crews, a Florida Man who played his college ball in Louisiana, wore a balaclava to shield his neck, chin and ears from the biting chill.
A handful of Crews’ teammates layered hooded sweatshirts beneath their white home jerseys. A thermometer at first pitch claimed 41 degrees, but between the grayscale sky and the relentless breeze shooting off Lake Erie, it surely felt a good deal colder. Most of the 2,000 or so fans in attendance were wrapped in parkas, bundled under blankets, enduring rather than enjoying.
In other words: This was not the Opening Day of Crews’ childhood dreams. The one-time future of the Washington Nationals was 300-some miles and a few degrees from where he was supposed to be: in Philadelphia with the big-league club. For a player who always seemed destined for greatness, these surroundings were a wake-up call, a reality check harsher than the southbound wind.
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