Pirates should shell out what Crews wants
I had just paid for a sharp Pittsburgh Pirates alternate jersey recently at the team’s stadium store. The man at the register grabbed a small sheet of paper, clicked his pen, and asked me what name and number I wanted pressed onto the back.
“Crews,” I said. “C-R-E-W-S. No. 3.”
He jotted down the first letter and paused, possibly wondering if I had trouble spelling the surname of someone he’d probably written down plenty times before. He looked at me, confused, and asked once again to make sure.
“Cruz?” He asked. “Like, O’Neil Cruz?”
Behind me, my brother and friend laughed as I repeated what I’d said before.
I wanted to get ahead of the curve, to be different, to walk around PNC Park in a one-of-a-kind version of the LSU outfielder’s threads.
I snapped a picture and sent it to my best friend. Ever the voice of reason and an eternal Pirates optimist, I was hoping he’d think it was funny. Instead, he introduced me to a pang of doubt.
It’s bold to think the Pirates will do the obvious, he reminded me.
Surely, I didn’t make a mistake, right? Right?
You’ll never see them flaunting their checkbooks with the likes of the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers — that much we know — but as much as the Pirates hate to hear it, great players cost a lot of money.
And that’s what’s going to muddle things for the team with its first overall pick in Sunday’s MLB Draft.
Dylan Crews is a possible future superstar. He was arguably the best college baseball player in the nation this season, slashing an eye-popping .426/.567/.713 with 18 home runs for the College World Series champion Tigers.
The Athletic has described him as being a nearly perfect baseball prospect. He plays with a sort of fluidity and confidence that suggests he’ll play at an elite level, even against the best in the world.
Crews should be a no-brainer with that top choice.
Things aren’t so simple, however. Reports say Crews is looking for a historically handsome signing bonus of $10 million, and it doesn’t really sound like the Pirates to set any records in terms of dishing out money.
Crews’ major league arrival, which probably wouldn’t take too long, would line up with the team’s window to make some noise.
In the past year and some change, the Pirates have locked up third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds through the turn of the decade. Add Crews to a lineup that includes fellow young guys Oneil Cruz, Jack Suwinski, Henry Davis, and Endy Rodriguez, and suddenly Pittsburgh might be able to rise to the top of the NL Central.
Why take a high schooler that wouldn’t be able to contribute at the big-league level for at least a few years? Max Clark is an intriguing prospect, but who knows if he would even want to sign with the Pirates? He’s committed to Vanderbilt and could choose to go play in college instead.
There are guys like Crews’ teammate, hard-throwing hurler Paul Skenes, and five-tool Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford that are also worth a look.
Skenes paced the country in punchouts (209), was second in ERA (1.69), and was in the top five in wins (12) and hits allowed per nine innings (5.28). If there’s a guy that Pirates fans should be okay with passing Crews up for, it’s him.
In that case, though, the fresh jersey would have to stay on a hanger in my closet. Please don’t make me look stupid, Pirates. Pay Crews what he wants and watch it pay off.
