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Josh Naylor
Canadian baseball player (born 1997) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Joshua-Douglas James Naylor (born June 22, 1997) is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, and Arizona Diamondbacks.
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The Miami Marlins selected Naylor with the 12th overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft and traded him to the Padres in 2016. He made his MLB debut in 2019. The Padres traded Naylor to Cleveland in August 2020. He was named an MLB All-Star in 2024. The Guardians traded him after the 2024 season to the Diamondbacks, who then dealt him to the Mariners in July 2025.
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Amateur career
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As an amateur, Naylor played for the Ontario Blue Jays of the Canadian Premier Baseball League, a travel baseball team composed of the top young players in the Greater Toronto Area.
Naylor attended St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario. He made the Canadian junior national baseball team at the age of 15, winning the silver medal at the Under-18 Baseball World Cup held in South Korea in 2012.[1][2] He won the bronze medal at the 2014 Under-18 Baseball World Cup,[3] and competed in the 2015 Under-18 Baseball World Cup.[4]
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In 2014, Naylor was one of the ten high school invitees to the MLB Junior Select Home Run Derby during the MLB All-Star Week at Target Field, becoming the first Canadian to participate in the event.[5] He finished in second place.[2] Later in 2014, he appeared in the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park and the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field.[6]
Naylor committed to play college baseball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.[7] In 2015, Perfect Game ranked Naylor among the top 50 best prospects in that year's Major League Baseball Draft, and he made Baseball America's High School All-American first team.[8]
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Professional career
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Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins selected Naylor in the first round, with the 12th overall selection of the 2015 MLB draft.[9][10] He signed with the Marlins after his June 25 graduation from St. Joan of Arc for a $2.25 million signing bonus and was assigned to the Gulf Coast Marlins of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League for his professional debut.[11][12] He played in 25 games in 2015, posting a .327 batting average with one home run and 16 RBIs.
Naylor began the 2016 season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the Single-A South Atlantic League.[13] In June, he was suspended without pay after injuring teammate and roommate Stone Garrett with a knife as part of a prank. After the incident, Marlins general manager Michael Hill said "I don't think you'll see Josh Naylor goofing around with knives anymore".[14][15] He was selected to appear in the All-Star Futures Game.[16]
San Diego Padres
On July 29, 2016, the Marlins traded Naylor, Carter Capps, Jarred Cosart, and Luis Castillo to the San Diego Padres for pitchers Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea, Tayron Guerrero, and cash considerations.[17] Naylor was assigned to the Lake Elsinore Storm of the High-A California League. In 122 games between the Grasshoppers and the Storm, he batted .264 with 12 home runs and 75 runs batted in.[18]
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Naylor played for Team Canada in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.[19] He began the 2017 minor league season with Lake Elsinore.[20] The Padres promoted him to the San Antonio Missions of the Double-A Texas League in July.[21] Naylor finished 2017 with a combined .280 average with ten home runs and 64 RBIs between both clubs.[22] He returned to San Antonio in 2018 and began playing as an outfielder.[23]
Naylor opened the 2019 season with the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.[24] On May 24, 2019, Naylor was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[25] He made his MLB debut that night, facing the Toronto Blue Jays. His first major league hit was an RBI double off Toronto's Edwin Jackson on May 25.[26] In 94 games during his rookie campaign, Naylor slashed .249/.315/.403 with eight home runs and 32 RBI. In the outfield, he committed six errors and had the lowest fielding percentage of any outfielder.[27][28][29]
Naylor played in 18 games for San Diego in 2020, batting .278/.316/.417 with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base. He split time between designated hitter, first base, the outfield, and a pinch hitting role.[30]
Cleveland Indians / Guardians
On August 31, 2020, the Padres traded Naylor, along with Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, and minor leaguers Gabriel Arias, Owen Miller, and Joey Cantillo, to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen, and Matt Waldron.[31] In the American League Wild Card Series, Naylor recorded five hits in his first five career postseason plate appearances, the first player in MLB history to do so. He batted 5-for-7 with 1 home run and 3 RBI as Cleveland was swept by the New York Yankees.[32][33][34]
During a game against the Minnesota Twins on June 27, 2021, Naylor collided with second baseman Ernie Clement while trying to catch a pop up in shallow right field. He broke and dislocated his ankle, which required season-ending surgery.[35] In 69 appearances, Naylor had hit .253/.301/.399 with seven home runs and 22 RBI.[36]
Naylor returned from his injury in April 2022, missing the first week of the season.[37] On May 9, in a game against the Chicago White Sox, Naylor became the first player in major league history to hit two three-run home runs or grand slams in the ninth inning or later of the same game. He also became the first player to have at least eight RBI in the eighth inning or later since RBI became an official statistic in 1920. After an RBI double in the 8th inning, his first home run was a game-tying grand slam in the top of the 9th off Liam Hendriks to tie the game at eight runs apiece, then his second home run was a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the 11th off Ryan Burr, which would win the game 12–9.[38] Naylor played in 122 games for the Guardians, slashing .256/.319/.452 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI.[39] He played poorly in his second trip to the postseason, batting .194 with one double and one home run as the Yankees again eliminated Cleveland, this year in the American League Division Series.[33][40]
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On January 13, 2023, Naylor agreed to a one-year, $3.35 million contract with the Guardians, avoiding salary arbitration.[41] In 121 games for Cleveland, he batted .308/.354/.489 with 17 home runs, 97 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.[42] He received one tenth place vote for American League Most Valuable Player and won the Tip O'Neill Award, given to the best Canadian baseball player.[43]
Naylor was named to the All-Star Game in 2024. However, he fared worse after the All-Star break, batting .220 with a .717 on-base plus slugging (OPS).[44] In 152 games in 2024, he hit .243/.320/.456 with career-highs in home runs (31) and RBI (108).[45] In the postseason, Naylor batted .225 with two doubles and 5 RBIs as the Yankees beat the Guardians in the American League Championship Series.[33]
Arizona Diamondbacks
On December 21, 2024, the Guardians traded Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance draft pick in the 2025 MLB draft, later used to select Canadian pitcher Will Hynes.[46][47][48] In January 2025, Naylor agreed to a one-year, $10.9 million contract, avoiding his final opportunity for arbitration.[49] On June 9, 2025, Naylor hit a walk-off 11th inning grand slam off Carlos Vargas of the Seattle Mariners.[50][51] He made 93 appearances for the Diamondbacks, batting .292/.360/.447 with 11 home runs, 59 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.[52]
Seattle Mariners
On July 24, 2025, the Diamondbacks traded Naylor to the Seattle Mariners for pitchers Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi.[52][53][54] On September 19, Naylor hit his 20th home run of the season, becoming the 14th first baseman in major league history with at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season.[55] On September 23, Naylor hit a bases loaded, two-out double in the eighth inning to put the Mariners ahead of the Colorado Rockies, 4–3, subsequently the game's final score. The win clinched the Mariners a spot in the postseason.[56] On September 26, Naylor stole his 30th base, making him the fourth major league first baseman with a 20 home run, 30 stolen base season.[57] Naylor's successful base stealing came despite being one of the slowest runners in baseball. He was only caught stealing twice in 2025, both before the trade to Seattle.[58][59][60] With the Diamondbacks and Mariners in 2025, Naylor hit .295/.353/.462 with 20 home runs, 92 RBI, and 30 stolen bases.[61]
Naylor was hitless in the first three ALDS games against the Detroit Tigers. His first child was born before Game 3.[62] Then, he scored the team's first run and had three hits in both Games 4 and 5, as the Mariners won the series.[33][63]
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International career
Naylor has played for the Canada national baseball team in international tournaments, beginning in youth tournaments in 2015.[1][4][64] He played for Canada in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, batting 0-for-2 in two games.[19][65][66] Naylor declined to play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, citing an ankle injury.[67][68]
Player profile
Naylor is 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighs 235 pounds (107 kg).[2] As a prospect, he profiled as a power hitter,[4] and Greg Hamilton, the coach of the Canadian national junior team, described Naylor's hitting approach as "advanced" in 2013.[69] In his first three MLB seasons, Naylor was a below average hitter, hitting lots of ground balls but not swinging at many pitches. He also was a poor defensive outfielder. Starting in 2022, he became a full-time first baseman, lowered his strikeout rate, and improved his batting average and power.[70]
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Personal life
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Naylor is of Jamaican descent through his mother.[71] He is the eldest of three brothers[72] in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. His brother, Bo Naylor, is a catcher for the Cleveland Guardians,[73] Their younger brother Myles Naylor plays for the Athletics organization.[74] All three were first round MLB draft picks.[75] Their cousin is baseball player Denzel Clarke.[76] Naylor and his brothers grew up playing hopscotch.[61]
Naylor is married to Canadian singer Chantel Collado.[61][77] Their first child was born in October 2025.[62]
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References
External links
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