The biggest riser from the weekend is obviously Dylan Crews, who we learned Friday would join the Nationals for his major-league debut Monday. Generally, I focus on on-the-field performance in this article, but seeing as Crews was the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft and remains a consensus top-five prospect, I’d be remiss not to give my take on him.
The difficulty curve is especially steep for hitters breaking into the majors right now, and I don’t see why Crews would be any different. Other first-time call-ups have failed to gain a foothold even with far better minor-league numbers than him.
But upside is upside, and Crews’ is apparent both from his pedigree and the data underlying his performance, specifically with regard to exit velocity and plate discipline. Crews making an immediate splash in the majors is hardly outside the realm of possibility, so even if I’m inclined to bet against it, there’s value to adding him in Fantasy. In fact, I’d consider it a must in five-outfielder leagues, where there really aren’t enough to go around at the position. It’s more of a judgment call in three-outfielder leagues, where you’ll have to assess your needs and willingness to gamble on upside.
To start out, I’m ranking Crews 46th among outfielders, but I’d say that rostering him over anyone ranked 39th or lower is defensible.
Of course, there’s another recent call-up who I’d be even more eager to roster based on what he showed this weekend …
