'You wouldn't know it': How Lile is turning heads with his poise

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.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Daylen Lile went from high school graduation to the 2021 MLB Draft. Four years later, in what could have been his senior year of college, Lile is in his first Major League Spring Training.

¡°This is just what I love to do,¡± Lile said. ¡°I mean, this is the only thing I want to do. I knew I was ready for it, and I knew that the development here is basically the same thing I would get in college. So I just knew that I wanted to take the next step in my journey and just go right into pro ball.¡±

At 22, Lile is the second-youngest position player in Nationals camp to only Brady House. The athletic outfielder is making an impression beyond his age.

¡°You wouldn't know it,¡± said manager Dave Martinez. ¡°He's quiet, but yet, he gets along with everybody. His teammates love him. When the game starts, he's ready. No matter what situation, he's ready to go.¡±

Lile is ranked as the Nationals¡¯ No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He already has overcome missing the entire 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery and sustaining a scary back injury last Spring Training.

In 2024, Lile advanced from High-A Wilmington to Double-A Harrisburg with a cumulative .262 batting average, 45 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 130 games. In a crowded outfield group, an organizational strength for Washington, MLB Pipeline projects his Major League ETA for 2026.

¡°Being young, I definitely had to grow and mature real fast,¡± Lile said. ¡°I had to learn a lot, especially on the mental side of the game, like taking the good with the bad and not being too hard on myself, giving myself grace.¡±

With Dylan Crews (Nationals¡¯ No. 1 prospect, No. 4 overall) and James Wood already in the Majors, Lile is part of the future wave of outfielders that includes Robert Hassell III (No. 12) and Andrew Pinckney (No. 26). His next step would be Triple-A, where Hassell and Pinckney finished last season.

¡°He's ahead of the curve, he really is,¡± said Martinez. ¡°He comes to play every day. He's a guy that really knows who he is. He's not going to try to do something that he's not capable of doing. He stays in the middle of the field, he plays good defense, he runs the bases really, really well.

¡°Now, it's just about getting his reps. He's a big part of our future moving forward. I know we¡¯ve got some really good young outfielders, but he's another outfielder that¡¯s coming, that'll be here shortly.¡±

A search for ¡°Daylen Lile catch¡± combined with a myriad of impressive adjectives generates numerous videos. Martinez actually wants Lile to be more aggressive in the outfield, but in the sense of his first step.

¡°There's times where I see the ball hit and in my mind, I'm already gone, and I watch him hesitate. Once he gets rid of that hesitation -- he's way faster than I ever was. I was fast, but he's fast,¡± Martinez, a former outfielder, said. ¡°He's got closing speed, as we know, but just continue to work on his outfield play.¡±

One player that Lile has picked the brain of his Gold Glove Award finalist Jacob Young. They were in the same Draft class, and the 25-year-old Young has been a resource for Lile to learn about outfield routes and in-game communication.

¡°I can appreciate, coming in from high school, how mature he was,¡± Young said. ¡°... I think his defense has gotten a lot better. Obviously, recovering from TJ is not easy. His arm is starting to get back to where it was, so it's been fun to watch him play.¡±

This spring, Lile could have been one of the most experienced players on a collegiate team. Instead, he is in the opposite role in big league camp. And that¡¯s right where he¡¯s happy to be.

¡°[The best part is] being around all these guys and picking their brains and learning from them,¡± Lile said. ¡°Playing with guys that I've been playing with since I got drafted and just feeling comfortable out there; being loose, staying relaxed and being around a good group of guys who loves to compete and brings the best out of me.¡±