Naylor Brothers Set To Play a Big Part in Guardians’ Future

Currently, 15 players suiting up across the major leagues call Canada home, with the Cleveland Guardians hosting three of those players. Reliever Cade Smith made his MLB debut this season after a strong spring, and he joins the Naylor brothers, Bo and Josh, to round out the Canucks on the squad.

Hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, Bo and Josh had similar paths to professional baseball.

Both brothers suited up for the Ontario Blue Jays travel ball team, played for the Junior National Team, and planned to attend a post-secondary program in Texas (Bo at Texas A&M, Josh at Texas Tech) before they were selected in the first round of their respective draft years and turned pro.

The Marlins took Josh 12th overall in 2015, while Cleveland drafted Bo 29th overall three years later.

Although the brothers were drafted by separate teams, two different trades saw Josh make his way to the Guardians in 2020. Bo worked his way up the minor league ladder and joined his brother in Cleveland in 2022, enjoying a cup of coffee at the end of the year. He earned his permanent spot on the big league team the following season.

The Naylors aren’t the first brothers to play for the same team at the big league level, but they could be one of the most exciting fraternal pairings in a long time. Looking ahead to the Guardians’ future, it is safe to say both are likely to play a big part for the small market club.

Josh Naylor, the elder sibling, has become a key member of the Guardians lineup over the past few years. Since he was traded from San Diego to Cleveland at the 2020 trade deadline, the left-handed batter owns a .271/.329/.456 slash line with 56 home runs through 379 games.

A nasty ankle fracture limited him to just 69 games in 2021, but since the 2022 campaign, he owns a 130 OPS+ and a .478 slugging percentage while putting forth 5.6 fWAR.

On the field, the elder Naylor spent some of his early Guardians tenure in right field but has become the club’s go-to first baseman since 2022. He has also sprinkled in some starts in the DH role as well.

Over the past three years, Josh ranks fourth on the squad in fWAR, and for his efforts last season, he earned the Tip O’Neill Award as the top Canadian baseball player of the year, as awarded by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

A power hitter by trade, he currently sits above the 85th percentile in xSLG (.529), xBA (.292), and xwOBA (.376). His average exit velocity ranks in the 82nd percentile at 91.3 MPH.

The Canuck also possesses a keen eye at the plate, sitting in the 95th percentile with his 13.5% strikeout rate, with 20 walks on the season compared to just 26 punchouts. He currently leads the Guardians in home runs (12) and is tied with Andrés Giménez for the lead in doubles (8). Naylor ranks in the top five across nearly every statistical category, alongside Gimenez, Jose Ramírez, and Steven Kwan.