Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 45 | Arm: 50 | Overall: 50

One of the best pure hitters in the high school class, Lile performed well on the showcase circuit throughout the summer, highlighted by a five-hit day at the Area Code Games. That effort included a single and triple against arguably the top prep left-hander in Josh Hartle, who usually chews up lefty hitters, and Lile beat the platoon disadvantage again to tag him for a double in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. He helped Trinity High (Louisville) win the Kentucky state tournament and earned his second straight Gatorade state high school player of the year award in 2021, and his bat may be good enough to land him in the top two rounds. 

Lile has a mature approach and a quick, compact left-handed stroke that produces repeated contact to all fields. He has shown the ability to make adjustments at the plate and control the strike zone. His swing presently is geared for line drives from gap to gap, though he has the hitting ability, bat speed and projectable strength for at least average power if not more. 

Some teams struggle with Lile's profile because they aren't sure how much pop he'll develop. The Louisville recruit is an average runner and athlete but his fringy arm limits him to left field. If he doesn't provide 20 or more homers per year, he might be more of a fourth outfielder than a regular. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Lile was a two-time Gatorade Kentucky High School Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021, and he showed enough of an advanced hit tool in the showcase circuit as well to force the Nationals to take him in the second round in 2021. He signed for above slot at $1.75 million. Lile’s first full season was wiped out by Tommy John surgery, but he didn’t look rusty after hitting .291/.381/.510 with seven homers and a 148 WRC+ over 66 games at Single-A Fredericksburg to begin 2023. His .234/.310/.357 at pitcher-friendly High-A Wilmington humbled him a bit, but it was notable he got through the season with no IL time.

The left-handed slugger has a quiet setup in the box and relies on his quick hands, rather than his lower half, to generate impressive bat speed. He’s also willing to take his walks when pitchers stay out of the zone and can manipulate the barrel when he needs to fight off pitches too. Because of the fast swing, there was a pre-Draft belief he could get to average power, but right now, it’s trending toward slightly below-average with more stung line drives and grounders than lifted homers, especially against breaking pitches.

With 23 steals last season and good home-to-first times, Lile proved to be an above-average runner, and in another organization, he might get a longer look in center field. However with Dylan Crews, James Wood and Robert Hassell III ahead of him and Elijah Green and Cristhian Vaquero coming up behind, Lile is best served getting looks at left field, where his below-average arm strength plays best.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 50

A back-to-back selection as the Gatorade Kentucky High School Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021, Lile had shown an advanced hit tool back home and on the showcase circuit, including a five-hit day at the Area Code Games, heading into the 2021 Draft. The Nationals selected him in the second round and went above slot to sign him for $1.75 million. After the Louisville native got 19 games under his belt in the Florida Complex League, he underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2022, knocking him out for all of what would have been his first full season.

It's always a shame when any young player loses a crucial year of development, but that’s especially true of Lile, who had the offensive skill set to hit the ground running at the lower levels. The left-handed slugger brings plenty of bat speed to the box, and his 18.8 percent walk rate in the FCL proved he was willing to be patient and not expand the zone in the pros. He projects for average power as he enters his 20s, stemming again from that bat speed, but he was more of a line-drive hitter in high school. Healthy again in 2023, Lile looked the amateur version of himself with a solid line-drive approach at Single-A Fredericksburg and was promoted to High-A Wilmington in mid-July.

An average runner at best with just a fringy arm before Tommy John, Lile looks like the prototypical bat-first left fielder. Thanks to trades and the 2022 Draft, the Nats system has become more loaded with outfield prospects since he joined it in July 2021, so Lile will likely need to reach his considerable offensive ceiling to lock down one of the three future spots on the Washington grass.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

Lile won the Gatorade Kentucky High School Player of the Year back to back in 2020 and 2021. He put his acclaimed hit tool to good use on both the showcase circuit (he had five knocks in one day at the Area Code Games) and against high school competition. After leading Louisville’s Trinity High School to a state title, Lile, who was ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 80 Draft prospect, went to the Nationals in the second round. He signed for an above-slot $1.75 million bonus and got his feet wet with 19 games in the Florida Complex League later in the summer. That will remain his professional experience for a while after he underwent Tommy John surgery in March before what would have been his first full Minor League season.

Lile’s bat put him on the map, thanks to a quick left-handed stroke. He has a more mature approach than many his age and showed that briefly in the FCL by walking in 18.8 percent of his plate appearances. He did fan 25 percent of the time as well, but a long history of controlling the strike zone makes that less of a concern. Lile looked like more of a spray hitter in his prep days and put the ball on the ground a bit too much in the Minors, but he has enough bat speed to project for average power. For Lile to generate real pop, his strength will need to develop as he matures in the pro game.

The 6-foot outfielder is an average runner at best. With a fringy arm as well, he seems destined for left field. He’ll need to squeeze out every bit of his offensive potential to be an impactful player at that specific position. Otherwise, a future as a bat-first fourth outfielder awaits.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 45 | Arm: 50 | Overall: 45

One of the best pure hitters in the 2021 high school class, Lile performed well on the showcase circuit throughout the summer, highlighted by a five-hit day at the Area Code Games. That effort included a single and triple against arguably the top prep left-hander in Josh Hartle, who usually chews up lefty hitters, and Lile beat the platoon disadvantage again to tag him for a double in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. He helped Trinity High (Louisville) win the Kentucky state tournament and earned his second straight Gatorade state high school player of the year award in 2021. The Nationals were aggressive in taking the outfielder -- ranked No. 80 among 2021 prospects by MLB Pipeline -- with their second-round pick and signed him for an above-slot $1.75 million bonus.

Lile has a mature approach and a quick, compact left-handed stroke that produces repeated contact to all fields. He has shown the ability to make adjustments at the plate and control the strike zone. His swing presently is geared for line drives from gap to gap, though he has the hitting ability, bat speed and projectable strength for at least average power if not more. 

It remains an open question how much power Lile will develop in the pro game. The former Louisville recruit is an average runner and athlete, but his fringy arm limits him to left field, where the offensive bar is even higher than it would be in center. If he doesn't provide 20 or more homers per year, he might be more of a fourth outfielder than a regular.

Awards

CAR Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2023

CAR Player of the Week

Week	Team
07/09/2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	06/18/2024	OF Daylen Lile assigned to Harrisburg Senators from Wilmington Blue Rocks.
	03/07/2024	Washington Nationals Prospects activated OF Daylen Lile.
	03/07/2024	Washington Nationals Prospects activated OF Daylen Lile.
	02/28/2024	OF Daylen Lile assigned to Washington Nationals.
	07/18/2023	OF Daylen Lile assigned to Wilmington Blue Rocks from Fredericksburg Nationals.
	07/18/2023	Wilmington Blue Rocks activated OF Daylen Lile.
	04/06/2023	OF Daylen Lile assigned to Fredericksburg Nationals from FCL Nationals.
	03/01/2023	OF Daylen Lile assigned to Washington Nationals.
	03/01/2023	OF Daylen Lile roster status changed by Washington Nationals.
	11/10/2022	FCL Nationals activated OF Daylen Lile from the 7-day injured list.
	06/05/2022	FCL Nationals placed OF Daylen Lile on the 7-day injured list.
	08/23/2021	OF Daylen Lile assigned to FCL Nationals from Nationals Organization.
	08/17/2021	OF Daylen Lile assigned to Nationals Organization.
	07/23/2021	Washington Nationals signed OF Daylen Lile.
	06/18/2020	OF Daylen Lile assigned to PG National 11 - Royal.
	06/18/2020	OF Daylen Lile assigned to PG National 11 - Royal.