Daylen Lile Might Have Surpassed James Wood As Nationals' Best Offensive Player
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The Washington Nationals are a young team, and as such, things constantly change when it comes to the outlook of this group going forward.
For example, CJ Abrams was the unabashed best player on the roster in 2024 when he put together his first All-Star season and finished with a 20-homer, 30-steal campaign. That torch was passed to James Wood in the first part of this season, as he looked like a rising superstar in this sport based on the power numbers he had put up.
But the Major League Baseball season is a long one, and as the Nationals have crawled to the finish line of what has been a disappointing year, there are some people who no longer view Wood as the best offensive player on the team.
Daylen Lile Given Title of Nationals' Best Offensive Player
Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball gave his reasoning for why the torch has now been passed to Lile, highlighting the 22-year-old's ability to combine contact hitting with power, while also having an advanced approach at the plate by stepping into the batter's box with a plan each and every time.
It's hard not to be impressed with Lile. With just 82 major league games to his name entering play on Wednesday, he already surpassed Bryce Harper's franchise rookie record for triples and is going for the all-time mark by a Nationals player in a single season. That coincides with six home runs and 31 RBIs, while also owning a strikeout rate of 15.7% that is well below the league average.
"Since he has come to the big leagues, Daylen Lile has been the Nationals best hitter. He does things very differently from James Wood, but his hitting IQ and contact ability are so special. Those skills have made him one of the best hitters in baseball over the last 30 games," wrote Sallick.
Daylen Lile’s ranks among all MLB hitters in September
— Paul Cubbage (@PaulCubbage23) September 15, 2025
wRC+: 1st (239)
SLG: 1st (.776)
AVG: 5th (.408)
wOBA: 2nd (.516)
WAR: 7th (0.9)
Yeah, that’ll play pic.twitter.com/rojFqbjNIw
There's no doubt that Wood's ceiling is higher based on his power potential. And the speed-power combination of Abrams will always make him a standout if he can keep progressing as a player. However, what Lile has shown during his limited action in The Show has been nothing short of impressive, and it's easy to see why he is garnering rave reviews right now.
With that being said, it should also be pointed out that this is still a relatively small sample size. Lile will have to carry over this type of output into the early part of next season and continue it for the entirety of the campaign.
If that does happen, then the Nationals could have a truly special hitter on their hands. And someone who will only get better and better as he gets more experience in the big leagues.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai