For teams out of the playoff race, the end of the season can feel a bit underwhelming.
But there’s still plenty to be learned, and for the Washington Nationals, that means unearthing a potential diamond in the rough, Daylen Lile.
Lile has been one of the best players in baseball for the past month-and-a-half.
Since Aug. 1, the sweet-swinging lefty has a 165 Weight Runs Created Plus, which ranks 11th in Major League Baseball during that span. For the less analytically inclined, that basically means everything Lile is doing at the plate is contributing to scoring runs, which is the whole point of this game.
It comes despite Lile having never been a top prospect.
None of the major services ever ranked Lile as a top-100 guy.
Even in the last year or two, as he hit well in the minors, he was overshadowed by the Nats’ prospects who were on those flashy lists.
But it’s Lile who has hit .285 since his call-up with five homers, eight steals and a .784 OPS. He has a ridiculous nine triples (and 15 doubles) in 270 at bats.
It’s not like no one saw this potential. The 22-year old was a second-round pick in 2021 out of a Louisville-area high school.
He’s just decided to have his full-on breakout at the MLB level, and it’s been fun to watch.
The Nationals likely believe in both James Wood and Robert Hassell III as outfielders of the future. If Lile is in that group, too, then they’re pretty much all set.
This season was supposed to be the one when Washington moved toward a winning ballclub. Maybe this end of season development for Lile will mean that next year, the Nats and their new speedy outfielder can be the real deal.
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