Josh Naylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josh Naylor
Naylor with the Cleveland Guardians in 2023
Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 22
First baseman
Born: (1997-06-22) June 22, 1997 (age 27) Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Bats: Left Throws: Left
debut
May 24, 2019, for the San Diego Padres
MLB statistics (through 2024 season)
Batting average	.262
Home runs	84
Runs batted in	343
Teams
San Diego Padres (2019–2020) Cleveland Indians / Guardians (2020–2024)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (2024)
Medals Men's baseball Representing CAN 18U Baseball World Championship Silver 2012 Seoul Team

Joshua-Douglas James Naylor (born June 22, 1997) is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Guardians.

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 during the 2020 season. He was an MLB All-Star in 2024 and the Guardians traded him to the Diamondbacks after the 2024 season.

Amateur career

Throughout his amateur career, he played for the Ontario Blue Jays of the Premier Baseball League of Ontario (PBLO). This elite travel baseball team regularly competed in tournaments across North America, and was composed of the top young players in all of Ontario.

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. He won the bronze medal at the 2014 Under-18 Baseball World Cup, and competed in the 2015 Under-18 Baseball World Cup.

Naylor in 2014

In 2014, Naylor was chosen as 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. He finished in second place. 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.

Naylor was committed to enroll at Texas Tech University to play college baseball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team. In 2015, Perfect Game ranked Naylor among the top 50 available prospects available in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft, and he made Baseball America's High School All-American first team.

Professional career

Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins selected Naylor in the first round, with the 12th overall selection, of the 2015 MLB draft. He signed with the Marlins after his June 25 graduation from St. Joan of Arc for a reported signing bonus of $2.25 million, and was assigned to the Gulf Coast Marlins of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League for his professional debut. Naylor played in 25 total games for the Marlins 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. In June he was suspended without pay after injuring teammate Stone Garrett with a knife as part of a prank. He was selected to appear in the 2016 All-Star Futures Game.

San Diego Padres

On July 29, 2016, the Marlins traded Naylor, Carter Capps, Jarred Cosart, and Luis Castillo to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea, Tayron Guerrero, and cash considerations. Naylor was assigned to the Lake Elsinore Storm of the High–A California League. In 122 games between the Grasshoppers and the Storm, Naylor batted .264 with 12 home runs and 75 runs batted in.

Naylor with the San Diego Padres

Naylor played for Team Canada in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He began the 2017 season with Lake Elsinore. The Padres promoted him to the San Antonio Missions of the Double–A Texas League in July. Naylor finished 2017 with a combined .280 average with ten home runs and 64 RBIs between both clubs. He returned to San Antonio in 2018, and began playing as an outfielder.

Naylor opened the 2019 season with the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League. On May 24, 2019, Naylor was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut that night versus the Toronto Blue Jays. In 94 games during his rookie campaign, Naylor slashed .249/.315/.403 with eight home runs and 32 RBI.

Naylor made appearances for San Diego in 2020, batting .278/.316/.417 with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base.

Cleveland Indians / Guardians

On August 31, 2020, the Padres traded Naylor, along with Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, and minor league players Gabriel Arias, Owen Miller, and Joey Cantillo, to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen, and Matt Waldron. In the 2020 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.

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. In 69 appearances, Naylor had hit .253/.301/.399 with seven home runs and 22 RBI.

On May 9, 2022, 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 of 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 of Ryan Burr which would win the game 12–9. Naylor played in 122 games for the Guardians, slashing .256/.319/.452 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI.

On January 13, 2023, Naylor agreed to a one-year, $3.35 million contract with the Guardians, avoiding salary arbitration. In 121 games for Cleveland, he batted .308/.354/.489 with 17 home runs, 97 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. Naylor made 152 appearances for the Guardians during the 2024 campaign, hitting .243/.320/.456 with career-highs in home runs (31) and RBI (108).

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 21, 2024, the Guardians traded Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance draft pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft.

Player profile

Naylor is 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighs 257 pounds (117 kg). He profiles as a power hitter, and Greg Hamilton, the coach of the Canadian national junior team, described Naylor's hitting approach as "advanced".

Personal life

Naylor is the eldest of three brothers — himself, Bo and Myles — born to Chris and Jenice Naylor in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. His brother, Bo Naylor, was drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft by the Cleveland Guardians, The youngest brother, Myles Naylor, plays for the Oakland Athletics organization. Naylor has been married to singer-songwriter Chantel Collado since January 2025.