Dylan Crews of the LSU Tigers hits a single during the 11th inning against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Charles Schwab Field on June 22, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. LSU Tigers defeated Wake Forest Demon Deacons to advance to the NCAA College World Series Finals. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)
By Matthew Tallarini
World Baseball Network
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, Louisiana State University center fielder Dylan Crews, has signed a $9 million bonus deal with the Washington Nationals.
Crews and his former teammate at LSU starting pitcher Paul Skenes became the first set of teammates in the history of the Major League Baseball Draft to be picked as the first and second overall picks since the draft began in 1965.
The Washington Nationals received the second overall pick of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft in the first-ever MLB Draft Lottery during the 2022 Winter Meetings in San Diego.
The 18 teams that missed the playoffs in 2022 participated in the MLB Draft Lottery with the chance to receive the No. 1 pick. Their odds of getting the coveted selection are determined in reverse order of their records, with the worst team in the regular season having the best chance of getting the top pick.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Nationals were two of the three that had the best odds to get the No. 1 overall pick, along with the Oakland Athletics. Those three teams had the worst records during the 2022 regular season.
The second Major League Baseball Draft Lottery will happen during the 2023 Winter Meetings in Nashville, which will be held from December 4-7, 2023.
During his junior season, Crews played in 71 games with 344 plate appearances and batted .426, good for third in the country. He was second in the country with a .567 OBP and 110 hits, and clubbed 18 home runs, 16 doubles, 70 RBI, and walked 71 times for a 1.280 OPS en route to winning the 2023 Golden Spikes Award and leading LSU to its first NCAA Championship since 2009.
Crews also reached base in every game he played this season, and extended an on-base streak from the 2022 season that saw him reach base in 75 games consecutively.
In Crews’ three seasons at LSU, he played in 196 games with 938 plate appearances, recording a .380 average with 286 hits, 58 home runs, 43 doubles, eight triples, 184 RBI, and 152 walks.
Crews’ signing bonus is the second-largest in the bonus pool era which began in 2012, right behind his former college teammate Paul Skenes, who got a $9.2 million bonus from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
Largest Signing Bonuses In The Bonus Pool Era Since 2012
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates – $9.2 million in 2023*
Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals – $9 million in 2023
Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers – $8.42 million in 2020*
Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles – $8.19 million in 2022*
Druw Jones, Arizona Diamondbacks – $8.19 million in 2022
* No. 1 Overall Pick