The Nationals media released their 2025 awards yesterday. MacKenzie Gore was the pitcher of the year and Josh Bell was the good guy of the year. However, I want to focus on the player of the year. James
Wood received the distinction over Daylen Lile. It is an understandable decision, but one I disagree with.
If you want to look at raw WAR numbers, Wood has the edge. He has 3.3 fWAR to Lile’s 1.4. Wood has also been with the team for the whole season and has played 156 games to Lile’s 90. So the writer’s logic here is sound. However, my vote would still go to Lile based on how special he has been in the second half.
While James Wood has tapered off, Daylen Lile has reached new heights. Since the All-Star break, Lile has been one of the best hitters in the sport. He is hitting .338 with a .970 OPS. Lile has 7 homers, 10 doubles and 10 triples in that time.
Lile’s September has legitimately been one of the best months I have ever seen a National ever have. It is up there with anything Bryce Harper, Juan Soto or Daniel Murphy ever did in a single month. In September, Lile is hitting .404 with a 1.252 OPS. He also has 6 homers, 7 triples and 3 doubles. Every night, Lile is doing something special.
Sure, Wood was doing plenty of special stuff in the first half, but he never reached September Lile levels. Daylen Lile will probably win NL player of the month unless I am missing something here. This insane finish has led many fans to agree that Lile deserves the title of Nats player of the year.
The Lile vs Wood debate is also very fun as well. It is great to have two elite young talents in the same outfield. Lile is taking the role that Dylan Crews was supposed to take as Wood’s running mate in the outfield. If Crews can live up to his potential in 2026, this could be one of the best trios in the sport.
They all have such differing skillsets that compliment each other as well. Wood is the big power hitter of the group. He has 31 homers this year and it is easy to see him hitting 40 plus bombs at his peak. Sure, he strikes out a lot, but he makes so much hard contact that his average is still at a respectable level.
Lile is the pure hitter. Fangraphs wrote about his line drive hitting profile and how unique of a hitter he is. The article actually drew parallels between Lile and Freddie Freeman. Not necessarily on ability because Freeman is a future Hall of Famer, but just on their batted ball data and their style of hitting. Lile is an elite contact hitter who doesn’t fall into the trap of being a pure slap hitter.
If Crews really pops, he can be the all-rounder of the bunch. For all of Lile and Wood’s gifts, neither are great defenders right now. Crews has shown he can be a very good defender in right field. I think that can translate over to center field as well.
However, Crews still needs a lot of work with the bat. He has shown flashes, but the consistency has not been there. Lile and Wood have spots locked down, while Crews still needs to show more. However, if Crews gets going, he can be the perfect compliment to those two.
There are cases for both James Wood or Daylen Lile to be players of the year. If you are looking at the WAR numbers and value being around for the whole 162 game slate, Wood is your guy. He has been a mainstay from Opening Day to game 162.
However, if you value finishing strong and watching an artist at the plate, Lile is your man. For me, it is hard to watch Daylen Lile play and not think that is your Washington Nationals player of the year.
I totally understand why Wood got the award. The analytical part of me agrees with that. However, as someone who has watched the games, it is hard to ignore what Daylen Lile has done. He has provided so much juice and excitement in the second half. Lile also closed out the season like a house on fire. That is why I would give Dayen Lile the honor of Nationals player of the year.
