Nationals Prospects: Daylen Lile is a pure hitter

It is still very early, but I really like what I am seeing from Daylen Lile at the plate

Daylen Lile hit .337 in the Minor Leagues this season, and it is easy to see why. He started the season in Double-A, where he hit an impressive .319. However, after a promotion to Triple-A, he took things to a whole new level. At Rochester. he hit .361 with a .946 OPS.

He has only been in he Big Leagues for two games, but he looks so in control at he plate. Robert Hassell came up just a day before him, and he has had some of the ups and downs you would expect from a hitter just getting started. Hassell has had some great at bats, but also some where he looked a little lost. We have not seen that from Lile. Even when he gets out, he is making solid contact.

A lot of this has to do with his low maintenance swing. He is so quiet in the box and has so few moving parts. It is interesting to compare that to a guy like Dylan Crews. I still think Crews has more long term upside, but it is easy to see why he struggled while Lile in a much smaller sample size looks comfortable. There are a lot more moving parts in Crews’ swing that need to be firing on all cylinders. With Lile, it is just so free and easy.

While there are some differences, I have seen people compare his swing to Daniel Murphy’s and I like that comparison. Murphy was in a deeper crouch and was further in his legs, but a lot of the upper body movement is similar. Both have the swings of a .300 hitter.

That is why I am so bullish on Lile right now. Before the season, he was interesting, but a bit of a tweener. He had a good hit tool, but it was not elite. Lile didn’t have the power of a traditional corner outfielder either. However, that hit tool looks like it could be elite. He only struck out 13.1% of the time in the minors and his contact rates were well above average.

Lile is unlikely to ever be much of a power guy, but he will rack up doubles and triples. He has a knack for getting triples, with 25 in his minor league career. Lile already had five this year before his promotion.

Daylen Lile has the look of a guy who has really leveled up this season. The talent has always been there, but he has finally taken the next step. In previous years, there was some sort of injury in the shadows for him. He had Tommy John Surgery which cost him his first pro season. Lile came back in 2023 and was very good, but he was just re-establishing himself. In 2024, his season was delayed after a scary collision in Spring Training. Again, he came back and had a solid season, but he still missed time.

Now, he is 100% and is showing off his skills. I am so excited about his future, and have a feeling that he is going to force his way into staying on the team. His swings are just too good. I know it is still super early, but he is a player that really excites me.

He has unlocked something, and I think he has a chance to be that third outfielder going forward with Wood and Crews. In the outfield, he also showed his athleticism, making a diving catch to end the game yesterday.

Some guys are just pure hitters. It does not matter who is on the mound. Starter or reliever, lefty or righty, they just rake. It is early days, but Daylen Lile has the look of one of those guys. His swing is just so smooth and his confidence is there for all to see. He is just a pure hitter.