Dylan Crews and James Wood will be forever linked together, two outfielders who started 2024 as the Nationals’ top two prospects and, by August, were in the same outfield in DC.
So who better, on the day Crews made his MLB debut, to talk about his meteoric rise and the pressures of a heralded debut than Wood, the last person this kind of night was reserved for?
“It was special, I mean, it felt a lot like tonight – first time here, just kind of getting the lay of the land and just kind of taking it all in,” Wood remembered when he joined Grant & Danny on the field just after batting practice. ““I think he’s more than suited for this. He played on the big stage in college so I know he's kind of been exposed to it a little bit, so I think he's gonna come up here and be the same guy he was in high school and college and in the minor leagues.”
It’s not going to happen for the Nationals this season barring something huge, but over the next five weeks, fans in DC can get a taste of what the future just might hold.
“A lot of people here and a lot of excitement, and this is what we're hoping to bring them to DC the next few years,” Wood said. “Dylan can do a little bit of everything: hit for average, hit for power, steal bases, play defense…he does it all, so we're glad to have him our lineup and I'm looking forward to watching him. We just talk approach a lot; it’s always something he could pick up or I could just pick up that we could learn from each other in that sense. He’s able to stay on the ball and just drive the ball opposite field and then stay back on off-speed. It's impressive.”
So about that linking, like, say, in our Crews/Wood shirts on the 106.7 The Fan merch shop?
“I mean, we just hope to be playing together for a long time, and just hope we're playing really good baseball and winning baseball together,” Wood said.
The new era is underway, and only time will tell.