Dylan Crews' Promotion to AA Gives Harrisburg A STACKED Lineup

Just a few hours after I wrote an article declaring it was time for Dylan Crews to be promoted, the Nationals happily obliged.

Thanks for listening to me, Nats!

It is also worth mentioning both Yohandy "YoYo" Morales and Andrew Pinckney getting promoted as well, which I meant to include in my initial Crews article. They will head to the pitcher-friendly park at High A Wilmington, but they performed very well in their time at Fredericksburg and are very deserving of the promotion.

Pinckney was the Nationals' 4th Round pick out of the University of Alabama this past year and got off to a scorching start in Fredericksburg. In 18 games, he hit .347/.417/.560 which was good for a .977 OPS with 7 doubles, 3 home runs and 16 RBIs.

Funny enough, Morales has an argument to have had an even better time in Fredericksburg than Pinckney despite not hitting a homerun as he still managed to slash .390/.446/.591 in his 20 games which was good for a 1.007 OPS due to his 10 doubles and 2 triples. Morales has a ton of pop in his bat and the home runs will definitely follow shortly.

Dylan Crews joins James Wood, Robert Hassell III in Outfield for AA Harrisburg.

Back to Crews, it is kind of crazy how quickly the Senators' team up in Harrisburg has put together a deadly lineup. They will be adding Dylan Crews to a lineup that already featured James Wood, Robert Hassell II, Brady House and the red-hot Trey Lipscomb. They will be losing Jacob Young, who received a promotion himself to AAA Rochester, but I'd say Crews is a more than ideal replacement.

Here's what the Harrisburg Senators lineup could look like for their next game:

1. Dylan Crews - Centerfield
2. Robert Hassell III - Left Field
3. Trey Lipscomb - Second Base
4. James Wood - Right Field
5. Brady House - Third Base
6. Terone Harris - Designated Hitter
7. Frankie Tostado - First Base
8. Israel Pineda - Catcher
9. Jackson Cluff - Shortstop

Wow. Absolutely wild.

Obviously your goal is to have every prospect contribute at the major league level, even though it is a foregone conclusion that more than half won't ever reach the majors, but there is a legitimate chance that at least 5 of those players play together on the Nationals at some point in the not too far off future, if not more than that.

We will see how Crews adjusts to life and competition in AA, but I have a feeling he will be just fine. Honestly the one to watch might just be Trey Lipscomb, who is leading the team with his .884 OPS. The Nationals almost assuredly want Luis Garcia to play everyday at second base in AAA, but when rosters expand in September and the Nationals potential recall Garcia, that could open up second base for Lipscomb to be promoted as well.

I normally try not to get too invested into the minor league system as a whole since it is such a crapshoot on who develops and who doesn't and who develops then gets traded and so forth, but it is hard not to get excited when you look at this potential. A lot still has to go right for the player development before these guys reach the major leagues, but a potential Nationals lineup before any free agent signings or trades could be:

1. CJ Abrams - Shortstop
2. Dylan Crews - Centerfield
3. Trey Lipscomb - Second Base
4. James Wood - Right Field
5. Brady House - Third Base
6. Keibert Ruiz - Catcher
7. Riley Adams - Designated Hitter
8. Yohandy Morales - First Base
9. Robert Hassell III - Left Field

Try not to get excited challenge - Level: impossible.