But reporters weren’t flocking to Kreis about what he was doing on the field on Saturday. Instead, many wanted to ask what former LSU teammate Paul Skeens would do at Globe Life Field on Tuesday night. Skenes, last year’s first round pick and Rookie of the Year candidate for the Pittsburgh Pirates, will make his All-Star Game start for the National League, the first starter in 30 years to do so.
“I’m very happy with it. He deserves everything,” Crews said. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started.
Crews and skeletons have long been intertwined in the fascinating threads of baseball history. Crews’ first collegiate home run came off Skenes, when the big righty was at Air Force One. When Skenes transferred to LSU for the Tigers’ 2023 championship run, Crews proved to be one of the most accomplished college quarterbacks in recent memory. Last year at this time, the pair seemed certain to go first and second in the draft, the only question being which one would go first.
The pirates took Skenes. The citizens took the crew. The staff is hurt in the minor leagues and it is Hitting .253 with a .713 OPS In his first 20 games at Class AAA Rochester, a resume that makes him one of the fastest movers in the regular draft class.
But the Crews and Skins were the top picks in the class with Florida standout Wyatt Langford at No. 4. 1.90 ERA in his first 11 starts. Langford made the Texas Rangers out of spring training and is hitting .254 with a .702 OPS in his first 72 big league games. One can’t blame Crews, who watched James Wood’s first co-star in recent weeks, for feeling a bit left behind. If the 22-year-old felt any extra weight, he certainly didn’t show it on Saturday.
“There is no pressure on him. Whenever it’s my time, it’s my time,” Crews said. “This is not my decision. I just have to keep doing what I have to do, and I have to do what I have to do where my legs are every day and be at my peak that day.”
Crews carries himself with quiet assurance, ease under pressure and an air of confidence that stands out among players his age. Although even a whisper of comparison to Bryce Harper is a whisper, in some ways, a little Harperian feels familiar in its intensity. Because of his gigantic power or the youthfulness of his teenage years, Staff couldn’t be Baseball America’s No. 4 prospect. He became a man known for his quickness and intelligence, the power to bridge gaps, and the ability to make amends. And he did just that, after letting the pressure and expectations weigh him down in high school, and spent his college years learning how to handle both.
“Going to college has helped me be there every day,” Crews said. “… Going back to high school, I always thought about the draft, not about what was happening at the time. I went to college to kind of reset myself a little bit, so going through the minor league system, I could just focus on what I needed to do.
Class AA Harrisburg has had a slow start to the season. As of May 14, he was hitting .234 with a .676 OPS. By mid-June, he was hitting .274 with a .789 OPS, five home runs and 15 stolen bases, a quick rebound that saw him promoted to Class AAA on June 18.
Since then, with the speed-heavy plays prevalent in Class AAA these days, Crews has gained more power, hitting three homers in 20 games against Rochester and going 5-for-51 against Harrisburg. And the strike rate dropped from 24 percent in Harrisburg to 19 percent in Rochester, albeit in a much smaller sample.
“As you go up, I think men dress better. They know how to throw their third, fourth, fifth pitch for a strike,” Crews said. “You have to take this as a shooter and teach yourself how to hit your pitch. I’ve learned a lot moving up.”
According to people familiar with the Washington mindset, Crews is not far behind Wood in terms of big-league readiness in the Nationals’ eyes. Whether that means starting this year or coming into spring training in 2025 with a clear shot at the big leagues remains to be seen. When Crews debuts, he’s probably ahead of any other top draft pick’s regular development schedule. He said he was right on time with him.
“[Wood] It’s awesome. He’s an incredible talent — someone who has a different voice right off the bat,” Crews said. “He’s doing his own thing there. And whenever my time is there, I will be ready for it.