This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WASHINGTON – Daylen Lile swapped one 90’s chart-topper for another.
Born in 2002, Lile is a fan of throwback music. The 23-year-old changed his walk-up song this week from Mariah Carey’s 1995 classic “Fantasy” to the 1997 Mase hit “Feel So Good.”
“This is around the time when I changed it [last season], and everything just kind of just flipped for me,” Lile said. “Hopefully, I have a kind of like a repeat of last year and it works out pretty good.”
Lile is looking to channel the success he had in the second half of this rookie season. He was named NL Rookie and Player of the Month last September, and he finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Lile has had offensive bursts this season, including a stretch of four home runs in four games in May. He is batting .222 in 22 games played this month.
“I felt like it was time for something new,” Lile explained.
Lile found his musical muse in the Nationals' batting cage. On Sundays, they listen to an old school R&B playlist. Lile and James Wood take turns picking songs, and Wood recently cued up “Feel So Good.”
“I hadn’t heard it in years,” Lile said. “I like the vibe of it. It’s real upbeat.”
When picking which part of the song to play across Nationals Park, Lile went with the intro over the chorus. He likes the opening lyrics to spark the crowd.
“I definitely hear [the music] because I think it kind of relaxes me, calms me down walking up to the plate,” Lile said. “We already have so much adrenaline going up there.”
Lile had narrowed his new song choice down to two finalists. The other option was “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige. (This reporter gave that song an empathetic two thumbs up, and Lile said he still might use it next year.)
“I really like that one because it is talking about life and how things can be down, but just at the end of the day, everything's gonna be just fine,” Lile said. “I was thinking about that one because I know this year kind of has been up and down.”
Lile is a fan of the '90s era since his father, Danny, played that genre when he was growing up. Last season, Lile was inspired to swap out his Minor League song “Bandit” by Don Toliver to “Fantasy” in the Majors after he listened to it on his brother, Danny Jr.’s, wedding playlist.
“I feel like old school rap is kind of meaningful because it talks about day-to-day life and what they’ve seen,” Lile said. “So that's what I liked about it.”
So how does Lile hope the Nationals' home crowd feels when they hear “Feel So Good” during his at-bats?
“It’s something for them to vibe to.”