WASHINGTON -- Daylen Lile finished last season with Double-A Harrisburg. He concluded this season in the Major Leagues making a case for National League Rookie of the Year consideration.
“Special,” Lile said of his breakout performance following the Nationals’ 8-0 loss to the White Sox to wrap up the 2025 season on Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park. “Because, I did not think I was going to be able to do this.”
The 22-year-old Lile set himself apart in a Nats system deep with outfielders, including Dylan Crews and James Wood. In 91 games played, Lile led all rookies in triples (11), and he ranked first among qualified National League rookies in batting average (.299), slugging percentage (.498) and OPS (.845).
“The way he’s playing, hitting the ball, it’s been amazing,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said.
Across 25 games in the final month of the season, Lile slashed .391/.440/.772 with a 1.212 OPS and a notable seven triples and six homers.
Lile joined elite company as only the sixth player in the last 120 seasons to record seven-plus triples and six-plus home runs in a calendar month: Lile (September, 2025) joined Willie Mays (June, 1957), Babe Herman (July, 1929), Ty Cobb (May, 1921), Ed Lennox (May, 1914) and Frank Schulte (July, 1911).
“He's got super quick hands,” Wood said. “It just feels like you can't really get fastballs by him. I think if you try to sneak one inside, that's kind of when he snaps and puts one in the right-field seats. So he's a lot of fun to watch.”
Lile made his big league debut on May 23. He appeared in 11 games and was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on June 6. Ten days later, Washington called Lile up again. This time, he stayed for good.
“Coming up here at first and then going back down, my confidence wasn't the same,” Lile said. “Then coming back up here and just saying that I'm going to enjoy every moment and not put pressure on myself, it's worked out pretty good and my confidence just grows each and every day.”
Lile’s bat became counted on in the Nationals’ lineup. He made 52 starts in right field, 21 starts in left field and 15 as the designated hitter. With power and a sprint speed of 29.2 feet per second that ranks in the 93rd percentile, Lile racked up extra-base hits.
Lile’s 11 triples matched Denard Span for the Nationals record (2005-present) for most in a single season. Lile reached that total in just 84 games.
“I love his approach,” Cairo said. “I love how compact his swing is. He's short to the ball, but with extension -- and that’s what makes him who he is. ... At first, he was trying to be something else, trying to do too much. And when he came back here, he was just being himself. And he cannot change that.”
As Lile began to gain more Rookie of the Year buzz, he stayed focused on what he could control at the plate and in the field.
“Not much,” he said of thinking about the award. “Maybe with a full season, possibly. My family's been texting me that I've been getting votes and stuff, but I'm just like, ‘Oh, that's cool.’ I don’t think much of it.”
Lile already is thinking about the 2026 season. Four years after being selected No. 47 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Trinity High School in Louisville, Ky., and 91 games after making his debut, Lile has established himself as a key contributor to the Nationals’ future.
“I'm very excited,” Lile said. “We're a very young group, and I felt like we had a lot of positives, because we've shown a lot of people -- especially good teams -- that we’re just not going to lay down for you. Basically, we can work on everything -- the team camaraderie, us holding each other accountable, that can get better. But I'm very proud of this team ... so it's uphill from here.”