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Washington Nationals Outfielder Named Gold Glove Finalist
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- Washington Nationals Outfielder Named Gold Glove Finalist
(Jeff Le-Imagn Images)
The Washington Nationals could feature an award winner after finalists were revealed for a prestigious award following the 2026 regular season.
Left fielder Daylen Lile joined Cubs' Ian Happ and Brewers' Jackson Chourio as the three Gold Glove finalists at the position in the National League, the MLB announced this week. This comes after the 23 year old put together an encouraging 2026 season, his second professional season. Lile will hope to become the third Gold Glove winner in franchise history after third baseman Ryan Zimmerman in 2009 and first baseman Adam LaRoche in 2012.
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Lile started in 124 games in left field and appeared in all but two regular season games in 2026 after proving himself among the most improved defenders at his position. Lile ended the season with eight defensive runs saved, a plus-22 improvement from 2025 which marked the fifth-largest jump across baseball over the last two seasons.
Lile ranked third among NL left fielders with 3.8 runs saved, per SABR Defensive Index (SDI), while recording four outfield assists in 2026. His move to left field in 2026 sparked that defensive jump after ranking in the 73rd percentile with one out above average, an impressive feat after finishing in the fifth percentile with eight outs below average in 2025.
Lile's also posted a .246 batting average, .725 OPS and 1.8 WAR while belting 22 home runs and 89 RBIs in year two with the Nationals. His 148 hits ranked narrowly behind CJ Abrams for the team lead, though his eight triples ranked tied for fifth across MLB. Lile also led the team in triples, in addition to multi-hit games after amassing 40 in 2026.
While a deserving honor for the rising star, Lile faces an uphill battle to win the annual award with both Happ and Chourio offering better metrics in defensive runs saved, outs above average and fielding run value during the 2026 regular season. Yet for a young piece who made improving defensively a focus in 2026, Lile cashed in on that goal to ascend into part of the Nationals' foundation alongside CJ Abrams, James Wood and Cade Cavalli.
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Both center fielder Jacob Young and second baseman Nasim Nunez were excluded from the finalists at their positions, making Lile the team's lone selection in the 2026 postseason awards.
The Gold Glover winners will officially be announced on Sunday, Nov. 1 with the award show set to begin at 9 PM ET on ESPN.
