Three games into his career, Dylan Crews looks like a star for the Nationals

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the New York Yankees in town, Dylan Crews was the main attraction at Nationals Park.

The 22-year-old rookie had a fantastic debut series for Washington, getting his first two hits Tuesday night and then bashing a leadoff homer and an RBI double on Wednesday as the rebuilding Nationals took two of three from the AL-best Yankees.

“Growing up, I was a little bit of a Yankees fan. You know, loved (Derek) Jeter,” Crews said. “Playing against them and seeing Judge and Soto on the other side, it’s been awesome to compete against those guys and be on the same field as them. And, you know, take two out of three from them. So it’s been a great starting week for me, honestly.”

With school in session in the Washington area and the Nationals out of playoff contention, crowds of more than 30,000 filled the ballpark each night of the series to watch Judge try to add to his major league-leading 51 homers and give warm cheers to Soto, who starred as a 20-year-old on the Nationals’ 2019 World Series-winning team.

But Soto went 0 for 12 in the series and Judge had his first three-game stretch without a homer in more than two weeks.

Crews, who won a College World Series title in 2023 with LSU, filled the void with a performance that suggested the Nationals have a young core that could contend in the near future.

“He’s got this kind of inner energy that he brings, you know, every day, and it’s fun to watch,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said.

The third-ranked prospect in baseball and the second overall pick in last year’s amateur draft — just after teammate Paul Skenes — Crews went 0 for 3 in his debut Monday night. A day later, he hit a loud line drive off the base of the wall in left field for a double in his first at-bat. He added an infield single later in Washington’s 4-2 win.

On Wednesday, he batted leadoff for the first time as Martinez gave All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams the night off. James Wood, another top Nats prospect who debuted in July, was second.

Two pitches into the game, he took Carlos Rodón deep to left-center and became the second player in Nationals history to hit a leadoff homer for the first of his career, joining Steve Lombardozzi on June 3, 2012.

In the fourth inning, Crews lined a first-pitch fastball from Rodón 105.8 mph to left for an RBI double as his father danced in the stands next to his mother.

“They’ve been here all three games. Yeah, it’s been awesome. They’re having a great time, as they should,” Crews said. “I love the support and love the energy they bring every day, so I’m gonna cherish it.”

Three games into his career, Crews is 4 for 11 with a homer, two doubles, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base.

“Luckily I was able to get some results out there, put a number up next to the average and get all that out of the way,” he said.

With Wood in left field, Crews in right and the elite speed and defense of fellow rookie Jacob Young in center, the Nats may have found their starting outfield for years to come. The trio combined for six of Washington’s 10 hits on Wednesday night.

“We’ve added a bunch of sparkplugs into the lineup and it shows on the field,” Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan said. “Seeing what Crews has done out there, and obviously Woody. ... Those new pieces are exciting and just give us momentum.”