Welcome to the Spring Training edition of the Nationals Beat newsletter! This is your stop for the latest on and off the field, from news to exclusive player interviews and insights, brought to you by MLB.com club reporter Jessica Camerato. |
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- In 2023, Dylan Crews won the College Baseball World Series, earned the Golden Spikes Award and was drafted No. 2 overall. In the offseason, he bought a house. Enough excitement for one year? Not quite. Crews and his now-fiancée, Jane Carson, got a dog. They named the bernedoodle puppy Dude. Then, they adopted Dude’s brother, Socks. “First we got Dude,” said Crews, who has their names embroidered on his baseball glove. “A couple weeks went by, and Jane asked me if we can get a second one because nobody ended up getting Socks at the time. It took me a little bit to decide on that, but then I ended up saying we can get both. They're great dogs.” |
Photo credit: Dylan Crews Instagram |
Dude Name: “Dude is just a dude. He’s the man.” Vibe check: “More chill. I would say he's more like a James Wood.” Likes: “He loves playing fetch. He loves this orange ball that he has. He'll do anything for that ball.” Dislikes: “Dude does not like fireworks. He hates them, actually.” Socks Name: “Socks looks like he's got socks on.” Vibe check: “I would say he's more like a Yeppy [Juan Yepez], almost. He’s got a good energy to him.” Likes: “He loves food, just treats and stuff.” Dislikes: “He hates shoes for some reason. I don’t know what it is.” |
Photo credit: Jane Carson Instagram |
Dude and Socks are Bernese mountain dog and poodle mixes. Although they have different personalities, they rarely leave one another’s side. “They're attached to the hip,” said Crews, MLB Pipeline's No. 4 overall prospect. “They do everything together. They can eat together, they sleep together. … They can't do anything without each other.” Dude and Socks will be spending this season in Washington, D.C. Crews has brought the dogs to the baseball fields at LSU, and he looks forward to them attending Pups at the Park at Nationals Park. “It will definitely help [having them in D.C.], for sure,” Crews said. “It's like kids: you show up to the house after a game and you see them, everything kind of goes out the window. So it's awesome having them there.” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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After their Nationals set their starting rotation for the first five games, that order is likely to change throughout the season.
“We have so many days off early on that that’s going to change,” manager Dave Martinez said. “MacKenzie [Gore] is our Opening Day starter, so technically he’s our No. 1 guy. But in the course of the year, that all changes.
“We have five really reliable starters, which is nice, and then some. I think this is the first year where I feel like we have some depth that can help us throughout the year.”
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ICYMI: SOTO BROTHERS’ SPECIAL GAME |
On Thursday night, the Soto brothers -- 26-year-old Mets star Juan Soto and 19-year-old Nationals Minor Leaguer Elian Soto -- played in the same Major League Spring Training game for the first time. “I’ve been looking forward to this moment since I was a kid,” said Elian, who signed with the Nats in 2023. Click here to read more about their momentous night and listen to Elian describe the evening in this Spanish language interview. |
KING JOINS MLB PIPELINE PODCAST |
MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra caught up with Nationals No. 5 prospect shortstop Seaver King for the The Show Before the Show podcast. Listen here to their discussion about King’s first Spring Training, his move to shortstop and his collegiate career at Wake Forest. |
Hungry? Thirsty? Eleven DMV restaurants and local suppliers were selected to be in Nationals Park this season from the “Pitch Your Product” culinary competition. Here is where you can find the new concessions throughout the stadium: - Cotton & Reed (cocktails): Section 109
- Dog Tag Bakery (baked goods): Suites and select Marketplace locations
- Electric Cool-Aid (Boozy slushies): Sections 102 and 147
- Kam & 46 (Hawaiian and Filipino recipes with a modern twist): Section 105
- Lucky Danger (American-Chinese food): Section 238
- Maracas Ice Pops (handcrafted Mexican ice pops): Mobile bicycle; 1 per level
- Moore Crunch (Seasoned mini crunchy pretzels): Marketplaces at Sections 110, 129, 141, 205, 229, 306 and 314
- Mush (Plant-based sandwiches, bowls, sides): Section 137
- Party Of (Thai chili lime popcorn, pad Thai popcorn): Marketplaces at Sections 110, 129, 141, 205, 229, 306 and 314
- Phowheels (Vietnamese street food): Section 140
- Taqueria Picoso (tacos and tortas): Section 117
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