Dylan Crews' Debut For The Washington Nationals May Be The Most Anticipated Debut Since Bryce Harper

today is the day that we have all been waiting for for quite some time Dylan Cruz makes his debut against the New York Yankees and more importantly how big of a debut is this and is this supposed to anticipated a debut since Bryce Harper you are locked on Nationals your daily Washington Nationals podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and thank you all for making lock on Nationals your first listen every single day as we are free and available wherever you get your podcast and of course you can check us out over on Twitter at Brian clare1 and as well as the show page _ Nationals for all your latest nationals news and notes make sure to check us out over on Twitter and of course check us out on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast whether it's Apple podcast Spotify Google wherever it is you can look up locked on Nationals hit that subscriber button for your daily content of the Washington Nationals and of course today is the day that we have been waiting for for quite some time as Dylan Cruz makes his major league debut Yes you heard that right it is today at Nationals Park it's supposed to be a pretty beautiful day on this Monday on August 26th this will be a day that you remember for the rest of your life hopefully but later on in the show we will be getting into some debut predictions what will he do we'll discuss that a little bit later on in today's program but second segment there is also some big news not news but a former National threw out an idea that Juan SoDo could potentially return to the Nationals in free agency and there's a little bit of a connection here I don't think it's a coincidence that Dylan Cruz makes his debut against New York Yankees in tonight's game so we'll discuss that in that little conspiracy theory a little bit later on but it's Dylan Cruz day here on lockon Nationals and as we get into it today's episode is brought to you by supplyhouse.com supplyhouse.com is a reliable way to get parts fast shop for your next Plumbing HVAC or electrical job and get fast shipping from coast to coast at supply house . I think Dylan Cruz's debut today is the most anticipated debut in Nationals history since Bryce Harper it's not James Wood it's not CJ Abrams it isn't McKenzie Gore and yes is Dylan Cruz probably not even the best prospect that we have seen this year yeah I think James Wood is for us I think James Wood will be your best player for hopefully the next 7 to 10 years but I think the anticipation of Dylan Cruz is much bigger than James Wood Dylan Cruz is the bigger name he is the guy that you will see ESPN have on the front line in front of the Nationals logo he is the guy that down south in the bayou in Louisiana where he won a national championship won the golden spikes award for most valuable player in college baseball one of the best college hitters of all time Dylan Cruz in the anticipation I don't think it really matches a Bryce Harper but I do think this is the most anticipated debut in Nationals history since 2012 when Bryce Harper made his debut against the LA Dodgers that's how big of a deal this is and we can kind of get into the timing of the Nationals and why they did do this which we will but Dylan Cruz in the debut of him this is a huge day in Nationals history so let's kind of get into it Dylan Cruz may not have put up the numbers that you would have expected down in Triple A but that doesn't mean this guy doesn't have the talent and also that doesn't mean that it's not going to click up in the majors there have been some Rumblings of people saying are we sure about Dylan Cruz you have to stop that right now he is going to be a much better big leager than what he is down in the miners when you are Dylan Cruz a top five perennial top five Prospect in baseball over the last two seasons you're going to be circled in any lineup that you go against and yes he did kind of match up with Brady house and with James Wood as well but Dylan Cruz doesn't have the protection like a jameswood does now and also calling up Dylan Cruz now in this lineup where I see him kind of fitting in this lineup at we sit here today I think Dylan Cruz should be your two-hitter and the reason why I say that is because the way that I Envision this lineup going at this point you lead off with CJ Abrams you have Dylan Cruz as your number two and you have jameswood as your number three and the reason why I would line that up that way is because for many different re reasons number one you kind of get that mix of left right and left Yap bats but then also you protect your one of your BigTime prospects with Dylan Cruz that's something that Cruz did not really have down on the miners they kind of messed up with the not messed up but they did kind of Tinker with the lineup a little too much in Rochester even when James Wood was there for portions of this season Dylan Cruz was batting like first second he was kind of just all around the place James Wood did get injured as well Brady house came up but there really wasn't much consistency there in the lineup but with now you have three big guns up in The Bigs with Abrams Cruz and James Wood those three guys should be hitting in that order every single night starting tonight in my opinion you have to protect Dylan Cruz because if this guy can do what he can do you can't really just pitch around CJ Abrams he was an All-Star he's put up All-Star numbers while he's still is in a slump right now he's still overall pretty damn good James Wood as well James Wood has crazy 70 grade raw power and you can't just pitch around him either then you have someone like Dylan Cruz who can spray the ball all over the yard has a little bit of power and really won't strike out as much the those three guys in a lineup is a very dangerous one two3 combo very dangerous you should have them in in particular you should have Dylan Cruz in between your two lefties with Abrams and wood for all the reasons that we just stated protecting Dylan Cruz in tonight's matchup in particular will be a huge kind of draw for the Nationals in my opinion and also I think it could work out really well having that protection I think that is when you will see Dylan Cruz really take off because again the numbers were relatively kind of underwhelming he had a 792 Ops this season across double A and as well as Triple A and in Triple A he did do a little bit better finishing with a 795 Ops on the year he even stole 25 bags across both those levels this season but I expect more from Dylan Cruz I do he had 13 home runs 68 RB at games at both those levels I think you could see Dylan Cruz really take off in this Nationals lineup in between wood and Abrams so the anticipation though of this debut I do want to kind of get back into that this is an All-Star kind of player and also I think the ceiling of this could be an MVP kind of talent someday jameswood is in the same boat as well but Dylan Cruz is the bigger name you will probably see a lot more fans in the stadium what we saw for James Wood's debut he's just a bigger name he's more of a national name he was known well before we knew about James Wood Dylan Cruz could have been a first round pick back in 2020 he opted to go to LSU where he went on to be one of the better College hitters of all time Dylan Cruz is going to be just fine up in The Bigs but as we were kind of saying saying DAV Martinez I hope to God he doesn't like bat crew sixth tonight or seventh get the lineup of the future in there starting tonight Abrams leading it off then going to Dylan Cruz and then James Wood and we've seen Luis Garcia bat cleanup over the weekend against the Braves bat him cleanup because the way that he's been hitting that is a very good one two three4 punch right there and Andis chaparo whatever else there is after that we'll see but tonight you're going to be seeing a very fun Outfield between James Wood and Dylan Cruz and this is going to be the future of Nationals baseball and you should be excited because this is the day that we have all been waiting for but speaking of the future of the Nationals Outfield Juan stto he was in the past could he make a return to DC well there's one prominent pretty big-time analyst who didn't predict that but he said the Nationals could be a dark horse we've kind of known that so is it realistic because again Juan stto comes to Nationals Park for the first time this season could Juan stto be a Washington National yet again I want answer that after we tell you guys about some of our very good friends over at supply house and guys we talk about supply house you are already know the drill get supplies from the site that's made for the skill trades supplyhouse.com supplyhouse.com is a reliable way to order Plumbing HVAC and electrical products online their easy to use website is packed with helpful helpful resources and the latest product info to help you get the job done right shop a complete inventory of over 200,000 parts from over 400 top brands and get your order delivered right to your door with fast shipping from coast 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now for the reasons why I don't think it's possible may not be for what you think we all talk about the Learners the owners here in town they don't spend money they don't keep their star players why would they go trade away Juan stto and then just sign him back in free agency I think the Learners would spend on Juan SoDo people talk about the extension that they tried to give stto just two years ago and they laughed that off now for one things let's start this off Juan stto should have declined that contract but if you are upset with the offer that the learner made you're wrong he was going to be given at that time the biggest contract in MLB history I'm not going to complain about that that is not some silly offer in my opinion that is a very fair offer but why I don't think it is possible well the team you have in town tonight the New York Yankees and the team that plays about 5 10 miles away from Yankee Stadium the New York Mets with Steve Cohen as the owner those are the two reasons why I don't think it really is that possible for the Nationals to sign Juan SoDo you have these two big massive Market teams Steve Cohen that has shown that he does not care how much money he spends he wants to be a winner they didn't really go that crazy this last off season and if you look at this free agency market it ain't all that good but there is one guy and is number 22 who plays for the New York Yankees Juan SoDo I think the Mets and as well as the Yankees and also maybe another team as well hell it could be the Dodgers or even I think a Darkhorse team I don't think he does sign there because of where they are but the LA Angels teams like that that are very Ultra aggressive in getting free agents in the door that's where I think he will land but that doesn't say that the Nationals will not try and will not be a finalist because I still think there is a slight possibility and again with Cruz making his debut tonight don't you kind of think that is something there is it just a coincidence to you that Dylan Cruz makes his debut tonight against New York Yankees as Juan SoDo enters free agency you have James Wood roaming The Outfield you have Dylan Cruz out there as well you've got you got CJ Abrams over at shortstop you've got Luis Garcia Jr who Juan stto played with here for a few years breaking out at second base you've got a pretty solid starting rotation that consists of young pitchers I don't think it's that big of a coincidence I think this is kind of an organized little crime by by Mike Rizzo he knows what he's doing he wants people to talk about well look how much talent the Nationals have you've got Dylan Cruz who's making his debut you've got James Wood who's an established big Leaguer already and who's looking like an MVP candidate 21 years old he won't win MVP this year obviously but down the road very easily could be the cherry on top could be Juan SoDo and I don't think Juan stto really has that heart of feelings about this organization for trading him away he's talked real well about it he is very tight with Dave Martin very tight with Mike Rizzo and tight with some of the older guys on this team I don't think it would be crazy at all if Juan sto did want to see sign back here in Washington but for the two reasons that I listed Stein brener and Cohen the owner of the Yankees and the Mets they're going to go after him aggressively and I don't think we have the horsepower to go against teams like that at this point when you are talking about a generational Talent the way that Juan stto is he's not going to get sh money but he's going to get pretty damn close to that I think he gets 600 million maybe more that's the kind of talent that you are talking about with Juan stto now if the Learners do the Deferred money thing and really raise it up to 650 million maybe Wan sto does come back here but I just don't think we will do that I don't think Juan will do that because if you are just being honest you could talk about the Mets and the way that we are set up better in the future than they are but I don't think we are better than the Yankees at this point they're the Yankees you understand that they go out there and they'll pay anybody anytime anywhere they'll put a World Series Contender out there every single season and while the Nationals Juan stto did win a world series here you still have your manager there you still have the president of baseball operations here and you still have the same ownership intact maybe Juan does look at this and say this could be a good opportunity here Scott Boris does have a working relationship with Rizzo and as well as a learner family but I just don't think we can outbid a team like that at this point but Mark D Roa for MLB Network he did kind of throw this out there I'm not saying this guy is like some witch or whatever you want out there but he does have ties to the organization he played under Mike he played under Mike Rizzo here in DC you all remember him he was a fine player but this guy does have connections in the industry I don't think it's that big of a secret that if you are a team that can spend money you're going to go after Juan soda you're at least going to put your foot in that little circle there and I think the Nationals will do just that but don't get your hopes up just don't because in all likelihood it probably won't happen and that's just fine you should not be upset over that fact the fact of the matter is this Juan stto will be in New York but the bigger question will be is which New York team will he be at because in my honest opinion and I hate to say it I think he's a met because I think Steve Cohen goes in there and offers him hell he might even go 700 million I don't think the Yankees have that and I certainly know the Nats don't have the budget to give $700 million out it's going to be a crazy wild offseason season we'll be talking about wall and stto here all year but good for us because Mike Rizzo and the connections being made you've got Dylan Cruz making your debut tonight you have J James Wood taken off already as a 21-year-old who's just killing the baseball and just playing very well overall the Nationals they do have themselves a nice future and I don't think this is just a coincidence that Dylan Cruz makes his debut tonight against the Yankees and Juan sto's back in town Juan you could be roaming that Outfield and let's be honest if you have Juan stto Dylan Cruz and James Wood in the same Outfield there's not a better Outfield in all of baseball and I think Juan will know that as well so we'll see but now what will Dylan Cruz the man of the day do tonight Major League Baseball debut one of the most anticipated debuts for baseball this season as well as for the Nationals since Bryce Harper in my opinion what will he do will he get his first hit will he get an extra base hit will he go over will he just have a walk or will he just ball out completely and where will he bat I'll have all that 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now we get back into it with Dylan Cruz making his debut tonight against the New York Yankees and you might be wondering if you're an everyday or Ryan where's the MLB stock report where's the NAT stock report for today's it's a Dylan Cruz day man we're not doing a stock report but Dylan Cruz lucky for him he makes his debut against Nester Cortez nasty Nester you all know the name he's seven- 10 on the earth a four ER but what will Dylan Cruz do against that kid tonight well here's the thing about Dylan Cruz he's got some very weird splits this season we've talked a lot a lot about this on the show here we've talked a lot about all the different things kind of going on against him but when he is going up against left-handed pitching in 2024 he has a 628 Ops against left-handed pitching you look at that matchup and you're like well on paper you're like left-handed pitcher going against a very good right-handed bat Dylan Cruz is made gold that's not the case he's only got one home run out of his 13 across double A and tripa A this year against left-handed pitching he's batting 218 against lefties compared to 282 against righties his slugging is down consider ably from 295 against lefties compared to 489 against right-handed pitching he's got an 833 PS against righties and a 628 Ops against lefties I would like to think Cruz could do a little bit better but then also there's this he's got an 898 Ops on the road compared to 693 Ops at home for whatever reason Dylan crw Cruz does not perform in front of the home crowds at least down in the miners now I do think that will change as he kind of gets acclimated as he is an everyday player here in DC but the track record is is that number one he's a lot better against right-handed pitching and number two he's a lot better on the road I don't know if that's going to translate well up into the majors I don't think you will see him kind of just not be good at home anymore I don't know what the reason for that is but he has not been hitting well in Harrisburg and he did not hit well in Rochester when he was at home but ultimately these are things you kind of have to think about is it just something that's in his head I don't really know but let's kind of get back into it with Cruz making his debut again Cruz should be your number two hitter tonight he enters this lineup in tonight's game as in my opinion one of if not the best overall hitter in this lineup already you've got jameswood at the Forefront you could say Luis Garcia and CJ abs are in that conversation as well at this point but Dylan Cruz the ceiling for this guy is just right up there he is going to be the guy again that ESPN will be talking about tonight you'll see ESPN reporters down on the sideline for Dylan Cruz debut you'll see out of Market people coming to town to see Dylan Cruz this is a big name guy to make his debut against the New York Yankees is a very big deal in my opinion this is not a coincidence as I said you're going up against Juan stto who comes back to town into DC Cruz making his debut jameswood is redot there is a momentum of national coverage coming for the Nationals here and it's at the right time so overall do I think Dylan Cruz gets a hit tonight I do do I think he makes some crazy impact play if the balls hit his way I think he should but I don't really know where he's going to play at this point Are You Gonna Move off Jacob young in center field I don't think so but Cruz in right field maybe I see him as a center fielder down the road he hasn't really taken that many reps in right field he's always been center field so I'll be interested to see where he plays in the Outfield but down the road in the future he's a center fielder and I think James Wood is also a right fielder as well we've kind of talked about that and why I think that but it's just more of a natural fit jameswood in right field Dylan Cruz in Center Jacob young has been a gold glove caliber center fielder this year in fact he should win the Gold Glove this year so it's kind of hard to move off him at this point but he's not really part of the future he's not going to be in your lineup every single day he does have a great impact out there defensively and we've seen it every single game nearly but is he a part of this future I don't know and I'm GNA say probably not you could either go out and sign SoDo maybe Robert Hassel comes up and make an impact maybe Siver King in two three years is going to be in your Outfield roaman the out as well maybe Elijah green really turns it around and he's in the Outfield in a couple years Christian Vio there are a lot of outfielding prospects in this scenario Luke Dickerson as well who knows at this point but I can tell you this I'm not making sacrifices to keep Jacob young in center field if you think Cruz is going to be your center fielder of the future put him in Center Field tonight and figure out the rest simple as that that is my ask but I do think ultimately Dylan Cruz you will see his first hit tonight against Nester Cortez and it's going to be a fun night at the Ballpark it should be a beautiful day it's going to be warm it's going to be humid he's from Florida though he played in Louisiana that's nothing to him so this is gonna be a fun night of baseball a huge night for DC and what a day to be a Washington Nationals fan what a day we'll discuss his debut on tomorrow show but until then it's Dylan Cruz debut time the kid he is finally up in The Bigs have a good one enjoy the game tonight go NS