PITTSBURGH — Friday was a good day for Bo and Josh Naylor. They used to be teammates, but that ended when the Guardians traded Josh Naylor to Arizona just before Christmas.
Bo Naylor had his best game of the season in a 10-7 win over the Pirates. He went 3 for 5 with three hits including a homer, double and three RBI.
Josh Naylor went 2 for 4 with two RBI in Arizona’ 13-11 loss to the Cubs on Friday.
Bo Naylor’s season has started slowly from an offensive point of view. He’s hitting .214 (9 for 42) with two homers, six RBI and a .687 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage).
Josh Naylor has been on fire. He’s hitting .333 (25 for 75) with four homers, 13 RBI and a .987 OPS.
In his last five games, he’s 8 for 21 with three homers and four RBI. The three homers came in consecutive games. That’s nothing new to Josh Naylor watchers among Guardians fans. In 2023, they watched him hit three go-ahead homers in as many games against the Angels.
The after effects of the Naylor trade could linger all season with the Guardians because they didn’t have to do it. In fact, some in the front office felt that they would indeed open this season with Naylor at first base.
They would have then had the option of trading him at the deadline or riding his bat for another possible run to the postseason before watching him leave through free agency.
Instead they traded him to the Diamondbacks for right-hander Slade Cecconi and a Competitive Round B pick in this year’s draft. Cecconi opened the year on the injured list with a strained left oblique muscle.
To replace Naylor at first base, they signed Carlos Santana, 39. They gave Santana a one-year deal worth $12 million. The Diamondbacks signed Naylor for $10.9 million.
Santana, no surprise, has been solid. He’s played good defense and provided consistent at-bats in the middle of the lineup. The switch-hitter is batting .260 (19 for 73) with two homers and six RBI in his third go-around with Cleveland.
On Friday, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo was interviewed on SiriusXM’s MLB Network. When asked about the influence Naylor has had on the 12-8 Diamondbacks, he said, “Josh Naylor is a lion on the field and a leader in the clubhouse.”
There’s no argument about Naylor being a lion on the field. Guardians fans have heard his roar.
Who else head butts their manager after hitting a game-winning home run?
Who else cracks himself in the head with a bat after hitting a homer?
Who else destroys his batting helmet while driving in eight runs in his last three at-bats in a 12-9 victory in 11 innings over the White Sox on May 9, 2022?
Who else would anger Yankee players and fans, by doing the “rock the baby” motion while circling the bases after hitting a homer against ace Gerrit Cole in the 2022 ALDS? That would be “rock the baby” as in putting Cole to sleep.
Naylor put together a career season last year when he hit 31 homers, drove in 108 runs and made the All-Star team. He faded in the second half, hitting .240 (55 for 229) with nine homers and 38 RBI.
There was speculation, denied by the Guardians, that Naylor’s lack of conditioning may have led to his second half slide. Last year he was listed at 250 pounds. This year he’s listed at 235.
Whatever Naylor’s weight, it seems to suit him and the Diamondbacks just fine.
Bo Naylor, meanwhile, is trying to stay in a good frame of mind when it comes to hitting the baseball.
He started the third inning Friday night with a homer to center field. In the fourth, he doubled home two runs with a drive to the wall in right center. In the five-run seventh, he added a single.
The Guardians’ catcher has spent the first month of the season hitting the ball hard without many good results. Friday night was a pleasant change.
“Tonight happened and it was awesome,” said Naylor. “I’ll take it for that. For tomorrow I’ll come with a new mindset to try and do the same thing.”
For Naylor, and all hitters, hitting is about convincing oneself that every lineout to short was really a base hit. That every bullet that is caught in the gap with runners on second and third with two out was actually a two-run double.
If you have to trick your mind to stay positive, who cares?
“For Bo to get some results had to feel good,” said manager Stephen Vogt after Friday’s game. “To see that ball go over the wall, and cap that off with two more hits, had to feel good. It was great night for Bo and the offense overall.”
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