RHP Crowe quickly could contribute
Started games for Nationals near end of ’20 season
The year was 2014 or 2015, during one of Wil Crowe’s first two seasons of pitching for the University of South Carolina. At the Southeastern Confence tournament, someone asked Crowe, a right-handed starter, to name the hitter who was the toughest to get out.
His answer? Some Vanderbilt kid named Bryan Reynolds.
“He was always a competitor,” Crowe said of Reynolds. “He’s a gritty guy. He always knew how to put the bat on the ball.”
A half-dozen years later, Crowe and Reynolds are teammates after a trade Thursday that sent Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals. In addition to Crowe, a 26-year-old who made his MLB debut in 2020, the Pirates also picked up Dominican right-hander Eddy Yean.
In a phone interview a few hours later with the Post-Gazette, Crowe said he and Reynolds have maintained some contact over the years, and he looks forward to their relationship growing now that they play for the same franchise.
Crowe also hopes to bring a similar type of guile and competitiveness, as he finds himself in a battle to win a job with the major league team out of spring training.
“I think I can compete for a spot,” Crowe said. “I think I can help the team. I think I’m ready to be in the big leagues. I’m ready for that rotation spot or whatever may come from it and help the Pirates win.”
There’s certainly a lot to like about Crowe, who was considered the Nationals’ third-best prospect by MLB Pipeline but has slid down to 17th in the Pirates system. Baseball America had Crowe rated No. 10 in Washington’s system.
After playing three years at South Carolina, where Tommy John surgery dashed his 2016 season, Crowe signed with the Nationals in 2017 after they drafted him in the second round (65th overall).
His first year of full-season ball was really good, with Crowe going 11-0 at high Class A with a 2.69 ERA in 87 innings, striking out 78 and walking 30. The numbers dipped a little the following season, though Crowe also jumped all the way to Class AAA.
While making a career-high 26 starts for Class AA Harrisburg and Class AAA Fresno in 2019, Crowe was 7-10 with a 4.70 ERA. He led all Nationals minor leaguers with 149⅓ innings and finished second in strikeouts (130).
“I’m going to go out there and compete and give you innings,” Crowe said. “I’m going to give you efficiency. I’m going to go after guys. I don’t really care about who it is, what it is. I love to win. That’s what I want to do.”
Crowe has a diverse mix of weapons that should give the Pirates pitching coaches plenty of toys with which to play. He has two fastballs, including a fourseamer with a solid spin rate and a sinker that dives and produces ground balls. His fastball velocity is regularly in the low-to-mid 90s mph.
Most young pitchers struggle to gain a feel for their changeup, but Crowe seems to have that, the pitch carrying a reputation for generating swing-and-miss. Crowe throws a curveball and a slider, though neither profiles as a true out pitch, which could be a focal point with the Pirates.
While making his MLB debut last season, Crowe said he was putting entirely too much pressure on himself, which was evidenced by his 11 earned runs allowed over 8⅓ innings. That total also included five home runs given up and eight walks.
“I was trying to do too much, and it didn’t really show the real me,” Crowe said. “You kind of get your feet wet, and that’s kind of where you got to get started. I got to experience it three times. That really keeps pushing you to get more and come back. It just keeps you hungry.”
Aside from Reynolds, Crowe said he grew up with Pirates minor leaguer Will Craig, the two competing against one another since they were 7 or 8, and Crowe also knows reliever Carson Fulmer a little bit.
The news Thursday shocked Crowe. He said his wife, Hilary, was taking their new puppy outside when Crowe got a call from the Nationals, alerting him of the trade.
“I came out and told her, and she was like, ‘What? Are you kidding me?’ ” Crowe said. “She’s excited, and we’re excited for the opportunity to meet some new people, see a new city and really make an impact in Pittsburgh.”
It certainly seems like Crowe will get a chance to do that right away. With what general manager Ben Cherington said Thursday — he’s listening on everyone, getting a lot of calls, and he feels that Crowe is close — chances are you will hear the Kingston, Tenn., native’s name more.
After all, if they’re willing to trade Bell, who knows how many others could be gone by spring training.
“I think he’s certainly at a point in his career where he can be a factor in 2021 and earn more opportunity over time,” Cherington said. “He’s got the pitches, the knowhow, the physical characteristics and the history that suggests he can be a starting pitcher in the major leagues, and we still see some improvement opportunities for him. We’re looking forward to getting him in our system and working with him.”
Those sentiments certainly were echoed by Crowe. Because while the last thing he was thinking about Thursday was a trade, after it happened, he also seemed to realize that this might be a quicker path back to the major leagues.
“I’m excited for the opportunity,” Crowe said. “I know the Nats were an awesome organization. It was a great place to be. They’re a bunch of great people, but it’s a business. I’m excited for the opportunity to be a Pirate and to get to work and get moving forward.”