Three Red Wings Honored with Washington Nationals 2024 Minor League Awards
September 26, 2024 - International League (IL)
Rochester Red Wings News Release
ROCHESTER, NY - The Rochester Red Wings proudly announce that three standout players have been honored with three prestigious 2024 Washington Nationals Minor League Awards. DYLAN CREWS has been named Hitter of the Year, DARREN BAKER takes home Baserunner of the Year, and BRAD LORD has earned the Nationals Way Award.
Dylan Crews, 22, is recognized as the top prospect in all of baseball by MLBPipeline.com and ranks third according to Baseball America. Throughout the Minor League season, he excelled in multiple categories. Among Nationals Minor Leaguers, he finished second in extra-base hits (40) and triples (6), third in slugging percentage (.451), OPS (.793), and RBI (68), and fourth in doubles (21), home runs (13), batting average (.270), and stolen bases (25). His remarkable performance earned him a spot in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game, where he represented Washington.
While with Rochester, the Louisiana State University product hit .265 (56-for-211) with eight home runs, three triples, 10 doubles, 30 RBI, 10 stolen bases, and 20 walks. Crews hit .309 (21-for-68) with a .385 on-base percentage (5 BB, 4 HBP) and a .529 slugging percentage (2B, 3B, 4 HR) in 16 games from Aug. 3-23 before joining Washington.
Darren Baker, 25, led Washington's Minor League system in stolen bases with a total of 38 before making his Major League debut on September 1. His 38 steals ranked third in the International League in 2024. Additionally, he was second among Nationals farmhands in runs scored (70) tied for 12th in the International League. Baker also achieved personal bests in hits (124), RBI (49), and runs scored while ranking among the top ten in the system for batting average (2nd, .285), on-base percentage (3rd, .348), total bases (8th, 148), OPS (9th, .688), and doubles (10th, 20). He showcased his hitting prowess with a career-high 17-game hitting streak from August 7 to 28.
Brad Lord stood out on the mound, leading Washington's Minor League system with an impressive 2.43 ERA and a .224 opponent batting average. He ranked second in wins (10) and WHIP (1.20), and was also among the top pitchers in strikeouts (135) and innings pitched (129.2). Lord started the season strong, tied for the Minor League lead in wins through his first 15 starts. His performance earned him the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month award twice (June and July) and one Eastern League Pitcher of the Week accolade in June. Notably, between May 3 and June 18, he went 8-0 with a staggering 0.79 ERA, allowing two or fewer earned runs in nine consecutive starts.
The University of South Florida product during his time in Rochester made 12 starts, posting a 3.93 ERA through 55.0 innings pitched. He had a 1.38 WHIP, with 57 strikeouts, and only 20 walks. Between July 6 and August 17, he recorded seven straight starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed while playing for the Red Wings. During this stretch, he posted a 1-2 record with a 2.41 ERA (9 earned runs over 33.2 innings), tallying nine walks, 31 strikeouts, and limiting opponents to a batting average of .218 (27 hits in 124 at-bats).
The hard work and dedication of these three players have distinguished them within the Nationals organization. Each made a significant impact on the Rochester Red Wings this year and will continue to do so in the future. Their contributions were vital to the success of the 2024 season, and the entire organization looks forward to supporting their continued growth and achievements.
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