Numbers and work ethic point to a bright future for Josh Naylor
Josh Naylor is one of the more intriguing Padres.
In some ways, I compare the native Canadian to Tony Gwynn.
I’m not talking offense. It’s extremely doubtful that Naylor will finish his career with 3,000 hits. Few do.
But Naylor arrived in the Major Leagues last May 24 while a month shy of his 22nd birthday, and anyone who saw Naylor in the outfield as a rookie knows he is far from an accomplished outfielder.
Neither was Gwynn when he arrived in the Major Leagues. And he had played in the outfield going back to his pre-high school days. But through hard work, Gwynn not only entered the Hall of Fame as an eight-time National League batting champion . . . he was a five-time Gold Glove winner for his defense.
There were clear indications this spring that Naylor is intent on growing defensively as well as offensively. He reported to camp much trimmer than his listed weight of 250 pounds. And he was seen after practices taking extra work in the outfield.
Although Naylor did play in the outfield for the Canadian Under-18 National Team, professionally he was a first baseman until he was shifted to the outfield while with Double-A San Antonio in 2018 — or in the wake of the Padres signing Eric Hosmer to an eight-year contract.
He was drafted as a first baseman by the Marlins as a first-round pick in 2015 (12th overall). And he came to the Padres as a first baseman in the July 29, 2016, trade that sent pitchers Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea and Tayron Guerrero to the Marlins. The Padres also acquired pitchers Luis Castillo, Carter Capps and Jarred Cosart in the trade.
Even at 250 pounds, Naylor was deceptively fast. And the Padres love the potential of his left-handed bat. Naylor hit .249 in 63 games in 2019 in his rookie season. He had 15 doubles, eight homers and 32 RBIs in 279 plate appearances with a .315 on-base percentage, a .403 slugging percentage and a .719 OPS.
Remember, Naylor doesn’t turn 23 until June 22. Even Gwynn didn’t debut until he was 22. Among more recent Padres, Hunter Renfroe debuted more than halfway through his 24th year. Franmil Reyes was almost 23. Naylor, again, was 21 — 6 ¼ years below the average age of a Major League player when the Padres promoted him from Triple-a El Paso last May.
At the time, Naylor was hitting .314 with the Chihuahuas with 20 doubles, 10 homers and 42 RBIs in 54 games. He had a .389 on-base percentage and a .547 slugging percentage for a .936 OPS. The previous season, Naylor had 17 homers and 74 RBIs for Double-A San Antonio with a .297/.383/.447/.830 slash line. Over his final 826 minor league plate appearances, Naylor drew 92 walks to 99 strikeouts.
Padres manager Jayce Tingler, who first caught a glimpse of Naylor late last fall in the Dominican Republic, has praised Naylor’s plate discipline — including his ability to drive the ball to left to beat the shift.
He also likes the small sample size that hints at Naylor’s potential as a production hitter. Naylor hit .333 with a .935 OPS in 57 plate appearances with runners in scoring position last season with two homers and 24 RBIs. He also hit .265 with a .820 OPS in 68 at-bats with two outs with four homers and 18 RBIs.
