Washington Nationals and former LSU outfielder Dylan Crews was honored on Thursday night as the recipient of the 2023 Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award (BBNCSA).

Crews was announced as the winner of the Bobby Bragan Award during the College World Series in June. The award, created by the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, was open to nominations from all Division I baseball programs in the country. The award is based on performance at the plate, academics, and personal integrity.

Crews, a junior from Longwood, Fla., was the No. 2 overall selection by the Washington Nationals in the 2023 MLB Draft and has embarked upon his professional career.

Player Profile: Outfielder Dylan Crews

Richard • Oct 19, 2023

Editors Note: This is the first in my player profile series for 2023 that I have started here at the Nats Report. I will be publishing more player profiles throughout the offseason.

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Crews led LSU to the 2023 College World Series title, batting .426 (110-for-258) for the National Champions with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 70 RBI, and 100 runs.

Crews, the 2023 Golden Spikes Award winner and the SEC Player of the Year, finished No. 1 in the nation in runs scored (100), No. 1 in walks (71), No. 2 in on-base percentage (.567), No. 2 in base hits (110) and No. 3 in batting average (.426). He completed the year with a reached base streak of 75 games, which included all 71 games of this season and the last four games of the 2022 season.

Crews is a two-time member of the SEC Community Service Team for his exemplary work in the Baton Rouge area with families affected by autism.

“This was the deepest and most talented group of players we have seen in the award's history. It was a very close race,” said Tracy Taylor, executive director of the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award and the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation. “I think the selection committee did a great job selecting Dylan Crews of LSU as the winner.

“He was the SEC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. But that is not the whole story of this student-athlete.  Dylan was also on the SEC Community Service Team as well as being an excellent student.  He has been recognized for his work with families with physical and mental disabilities in Baton Rouge and with Team of Dreams in the area.  Dylan Crews is a great example of what the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award is all about.”

The BBNCSA originally started out in 2017 as an honor going to the top college hitter in Texas.  In 2019, the BBNCSA expanded, becoming a regional award covering Division I programs in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The BBNCSA became a national award in 2020; however, no winner was announced due to the COVID-19 virus, which cut the 2020 college baseball season short.

Texas Tech’s Hunter Hargrove won the initial BBNCSA in 2017.  Dallas Baptist’s Devlin Granberg took home the honor in 2018, with Texas Tech’s Josh Jung winning the award in 2019. Connor Norby from East Carolina University won the BBNCSA in 2021. Last year’s winner was Ivan Melendez from the University of Texas.

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