After profitable NL Participant of the Month in September of 2025, hopes had been excessive for Daylen Lile getting into the 2026 season. He was anticipated to emerge as a key secondary piece alongside James Wooden and CJ Abrams. Lile did that in 2026, however solely type of. This season was a combined bag for the 23 yr outdated.
When the mud settled, Lile fell a bit wanting my expectations for him, however he didn’t have a foul season. He ended the yr h a .246 common, a .725 OPS with 22 homers and 89 RBIs. After hitting .299 with an .845 OPS in 91 video games as a rookie, he took a little bit of a step again on the plate. It might be unfair to label his season as a poor one although.
One of many causes for that’s his defensive enhancements in 2026. As a rookie, Lile d a -10 fielding run worth in left discipline. This season that quantity was +2. His reads had been quite a bit sharper and he made higher use of his elite pace within the outfield. Lile displayed a degree of consolation within the outfield this yr that was nowhere to be discovered prior to now.
This was an enchancment Lile knew he needed to make following his rookie yr and he received it performed. Lile would frequently publish movies of him engaged on his protection final offseason and we noticed the results of that arduous work. If something, Lile might have been too laser centered on bettering his protection final offseason.
Lile really retained most of what made him nice as a hitter in 2026. He was nonetheless an above common contact hitter and did a pleasant job hitting the ball at optimum angles. Lile does an incredible job elevating the ball.
Transferring ahead, I need to see extra line drives and barely fewer flyballs although. In 2025, Lile had a 32.3% e which is elite. This yr it was 23% which is sweet, however clearly not nearly as good. That’s a part of the explanation we noticed a dip in his batting common. He hit extra fly balls and fewer line drives, which resulted in additional homers, but in addition extra outs.
The largest concern for Lile on the plate was chasing pitches although. Even throughout Spring Coaching, I noticed a noticeable spike in chase from him. That continued into the season. His chase charge went from 26.7% in 2025 to 38.5% this season. For context, a 26.7% chase charge is barely higher than common, whereas a 38.5% charge is in Keibert Ruiz territory.
For Lile to be that properly above common bat, he must chase much less. He has proven a capability to do that previously, so I’ve religion he can pull this off. It’s not like Keibert Ruiz or Luis Garcia Jr., who’ve all the time been excessive chase gamers.
With that top chase, Lile grew to become a mediocre offensive participant this yr. He d a 94 wRC+ and a 97 OPS+. From a worth perspective, Lile had 1.5 R and 1.8 R. In 2026, Daylen Lile was just about a median starter. That isn’t dangerous, however I anticipated extra after what he confirmed as a rookie.
At simply 23 years outdated, I’m nonetheless bullish on Lile’s skill to enhance. All through this season, Lile confirmed flashes of elite play. The best way he took over that collection in opposition to the Reds early within the yr is one thing I cannot simply neglect. He has the expertise and mentality to be a very good participant for a very long time.
This was a extremely attention-grabbing season from Lile. On the one hand, he confirmed a lot improved protection and fairly a little bit of energy. Earlier than this season, I didn’t view Lile as a man who might be a 25 dwelling run hitter. Nonetheless, he received to 22 this season and he’s not at his ceiling but.
There have been occasions this yr the place you may inform Lile was pissed off and urgent. Blake Butera talked quite a bit about how onerous Lile is on himself. He’s a kind of guys whose play dictates his temper. I really like the hearth, however as he matures, I feel he’ll harness that aggressive edge in a more healthy approach.
I really feel like this season set the ground for Lile. It’s powerful for me to imagine he might be under this degree together with his instruments. Lile discovered quite a bit from this yr, and I feel he might be in for an enormous 2027 season. He has such a candy swing and is an thrilling participant to look at when he’s on his sport. Regardless of an up and down season, I’d nonetheless be joyful if he was prolonged.
Daylen Lile is a stable participant, however there’s nonetheless room for development. If he can nice tune his swing selections, Lile is usually a good starter for this staff within the coming years. I actually like how he performs the sport and the hearth he has. Hopefully he can totally get away in 2027.
Season Grade: C+/C