Josh Naylor

Josh Naylor's Biography

Joshua-Douglas James Naylor (also known as Josh Naylor) is a Canadian-born professional baseball player who was on the 22nd day of June in 1997. He has built a reputable career as a first baseman and outfielder currently playing for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). His journey in the MLB started out with the San Diego Padres before he made his moving transitions.

Naylor’s potential was recognized early on and he was the 12th overall selected player in the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. Following his selection, he made his professional debut in the MLB with the San Diego Padres in 2019. His performance with the Padres was commendable, but in the 2020 MLB season, he was detracted to the Cleveland Guardians.

Prior to his professional debut, Naylor played amateur baseball for the Ontario Blue Jays, a member of the Premier Baseball League of Ontario (PBLO). This highly competitive travel baseball team competed in numerous tournaments across North America, comprising the top-ranking young players from Ontario.

Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario, he attended St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School. Naylor showed inborn athleticism at an early age and earned a position on the Canadian junior national baseball team at just 15 years old. During his tenure, he won silver and bronze medals at the Under-18 Baseball World Cup tournaments held in 2012 and 2014 respectively, in South Korea. In 2014, Naylor became the first Canadian ever invited to the MLB Junior Select Home Run Derby during the MLB All-Star Week at Target Field, securing a second-place finish.

On the education front, Naylor had committed to Texas Tech University to play college baseball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team. However, his burgeoning baseball career took precedence. In 2015, Naylor was ranked among the top 50 prospects available in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft by Perfect Game. He also secured his position in Baseball America’s High School All-American first team.

The Miami Marlins saw his potential, selecting Naylor in the first round, with the 12th overall selection, of the 2015 MLB draft. Upon completion of his schooling at St. Joan of Arc, he signed with the Marlins and began his professional career with a debut in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

He posted a commendable performance of a .327 batting average with one home run and 16 RBIs in his 25 games for the Marlins. For the 2016 season, he started with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the Class A South Atlantic League. The same year, he earned an invitation to the 2016 All-Star Futures Game despite briefly being suspended.

His journey led to another major shift in 2016 when the Marlins traded Naylor to the San Diego Padres. In his tenure with the Padres, accomplishments included participating in the 2017 World Baseball Classic for Team Canada, as well as promotion to the San Antonio Missions of the Class AA Texas League. By 2018, he returned to San Antonio and began playing as an outfielder.

As the 2020 season spun around, a major trade brought him to the Cleveland Guardians. During the American League Wild Card Series in the same season, Naylor achieved a historic milestone in the MLB by recording five hits in his first five career postseason plate appearances, a feat never before achieved.

However, his successful streak saw an unfortunate halt during a game against the Minnesota Twins on June 27, 2021, where an accidental collision resulted in a broken and dislocated ankle, leading to a season-ending surgery.

Not one to back down, Naylor emerged with a flourish in a 2022 game against the Chicago White Sox, creating history once again. He 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. Furthermore, he became the first player to have at least eight RBI in the eighth inning or later since RBI became an official statistic in 1920.

As of 2023, Naylor is engaged to singer-songwriter Chantel Collado and has agreed to a one-year, $3.35 million contract with the Guardians. Besides his noteworthy career, he is also known for his impressive physicality, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds. He is known for his power-hitting style, termed by the coach of the Canadian national junior team, Greg Hamilton, as “advanced”.

His talent for sports runs in the family with his younger brothers Bo and Myles, both athletes in their own right. Bo was also drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft by the Cleveland Indians, while the youngest brother, Myles, plays for the Oakland Athletics organization.