BY DAN GLICKMAN
Outfielder Dylan Crews capped his 2024 season with a Minor League Rawlings Gold Glove Award, Minor League Baseball and Rawlings announced on Monday, earning the 2024 Rochester Red Wings member honors as one of the best defensive players in the minor leagues this year.
The 22-year-old Floridian and No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft appeared in 49 games for the Rochester Red Wings this season after playing in 51 for the Washington Nationals’ AA affiliate, the Harrisburg Senators. During his time in Rochester, the LSU product played 39 games (340 innings) in center fielder, committing no errors and and notching three outfield assists as he recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. He also played eight games (69 innings) in right, finishing with a .929 percentage before getting the call to the majors. Crews is the first Red Wing to win the award since it was reintroduced in 2011.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.
“Dylan’s dedication and talent have truly shown this season, and we are incredibly proud of his recognition as a Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner,” said the Red Wings’ General Manager Dan Mason in a press release from the team. “His defensive prowess not only helps our team but also inspires his teammates. Our fans were so fortunate to have the chance to watch him on a nightly basis. His hustle, grit, and determination were on full display every time he took the field, and this award is so well deserved. In addition to being a great player, Dylan is a phenomenal person, and we were very proud to have him represent the Red Wings and Rochester.”
In a post to his Instagram story, Crews highlighted the award, saying he felt “Blessed.”
Monday also brought nominations for several former Red Wings as nominees for the Silver Slugger Award were announced, with Athletics’ slugger Brent Rooker (a member of the 2019 Rochester squad) earning a nomination for American League Designated Hitter while Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (2021-23) and Padres utility player Luis Arraez (2019) earned nominations at their positions in the National League.
The Silver Slugger winners will be announced on Nov. 12 at 6 P.M. on MLB Network.
Well done for the guys who won awards or were nominated. I did get a chuckle though…’utility’ player Arraez? You are talking about the current 3 time batting champion, right? He may have been a utility player when he was here, if thats what you meant to say.
I keep dreaming for the day when AAA baseball is restored to the high position it used to enjoy and that it richly deserves…but for MLB trying so hard to destroy it. Fans today have no idea how good it used to be. How relevant it was. What a true honor it was to wear the uniform and win championships.
Washington doesn’t have to try very hard to ‘sell’ baseball to the fans in Rochester. They know that anyone worth his contract won’t be here long enough to matter. They know the standings are meaningless. The post-season a clown show. Rochester will never embrace Washington like they did the Orioles, or even to a lesser extent Minnesota. And MLB has aided and abetted that lack of embrace by treating AAA baseball and its fans like it has leprosy. Our local media mostly ignores the Wings because honestly, its hard to generate any real excitement for a regular season that masquerades as nothing more than a few months of exhibitions and warm-ups for each MLB’s prospects.
Joey Meneses has been picked up by the Mets. Another veteran who performed well with the Wings now could end up in Syracuse. Ugh.
It is hoped that in 2025, the Gnats will take a hard look at their stable of pitchers. Last year, some decent hitting (until Gnats took them all away) was neutralized by one of the worst pitching staffs in team history. Plenty of room for improvement, if they choose or care to do so