ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Opening day at ESL Ballpark is six days away, and the Rochester Red Wings are preparing for a new season under fresh leadership in the Washington Nationals organization.
Manager Matt LeCroy returns to Rochester for his sixth straight season.
“Any nerves?” manager Matt LeCroy was asked. “No,” LeCroy responded while chuckling.
At the major league level, Blake Butera takes over as the Nationals manager while Ani Kilambi serves as general manager.
“It’s been great. Spring training, they did a really good job of running spring training. Set the tone of how they’re going to approach things,” LeCroy said.
That tone? Competitive.
“Definitely challenging. They wanted us to fail over there in spring training. You know what I mean? They wanted to push us to the limit,” Crews said.
Dylan Crews is Washington’s second overall pick in 2023. He and newcomer, catcher Harry Ford, say this newfound intensity has come from competition too.
“It’s been intense because I think everyone’s hungry,” Ford said. “Like, everyone knows, they have a shot [at making the team].”
For the timebeing, these two, a pair of former first round picks will get their shot at Triple-A, the odd-men out at the Major League level.
“This is definitely not the end of my story, for sure. You know, it’s all part of my journey. This is where I’m heading, and I’m going to attack it and get to work every single day,” Crews said.
For Crews, that work includes changing his approach at the plate after striking out 76 times and walking just 24 times in 2025. He said his new focus is simple: “If the pitch is not there, don’t swing, but if it is there, let it rip,” Crews said.
For Ford, at age 23, it’s about getting more reps.
“Treat each game like it’s the big leagues, like I’m going to give it the best of my abilities,” Ford said.
Ford, Crews, LeCroy and the rest of the Red Wings, embracing some change in the hopes of some wins.
“I know I say this a lot, but for me, I would like to try to bring a championship back to to Rochester,” LeCroy said.
The Red Wings home opener against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders is set for Tuesday at 4:05 p.m. at ESL Ballpark. Rochester will open up their season on the road in Jacksonville on Friday. First pitch against the Jumbo Shrimp is set for 7 pm.
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