The 2025 season may finally be over for the Washington Nationals, but even after the conclusion of the regular season, things are already beginning to look better. Despite being one of the worst teams in baseball since their World Series title in 2019, the Nationals are hopefully headed in a new direction under new leadership.
Paul Toboni was appointed as the new President of Baseball Operations for the Nationals, and he already has made a positive impression. His job will certainly be a tough one, as the previous regime under former General Manager Mike Rizzo and Manager Dave Martinez left things in a pretty rough spot before they were fired.
Luckily for Toboni, he has a core group of young players that he is hoping to get even more out of in order to help them reach their true potential, and in theory he should have his outfield of the future secured. In that outfield is James Wood, Dylan Crews, and young rookie star Daylen Lile, who is the new shiny toy in the Nationals organization.
Lile struggled in his first stint in the big leagues, but came back a brand new player after being recalled, and he is now being recognized for his rookie season. He ended up being one of the best rookies in all of baseball this year, and is likely going to finish high in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
In 91 games, Lile posted a .299/.347/.498 slash line, good for an .845 OPS to go along with 9 homers, 41 RBIs, 8 stolen bases, and an absurd 11 triples. Lile profiles as a valuable big leaguer for years to come, and his hot finish to the season in September ended up earning him his most impressive accolades yet.
He was named as the National League Rookie of the Month and the National League Player of the Month for his amazing September efforts, and became the first Nationals player to win the award since Kyle Schwarber back in June 2021. Lile had an absurd .391/.440/.772 slash line, good for a 1.212 OPS to go along with a ridiculous 6 homers, 19 RBIs, and 7 triples.
Lile was one of the lone bright spots this past season for the Nationals, and his emergence as an everyday player after being a slightly underrated prospect in the organization for multiple years is a very welcome sight for a fanbase that hasn't had much reason to hope since 2019. Hopefully, Lile can continue to build on this and become a true cornerstone player for this franchise moving forward.
What did you think of Daylen Lile's final month? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.