Bo Naylor's dominance of Royals draws comparison to Ruth

KANSAS CITY -- The Royals wish they didn’t know Bo.

In eight games against Kansas City this season, Bo Naylor is batting .458 (11-for-24) with four homers, three doubles and five walks. Almost half of his nine career homers have come against the Royals, and Naylor added another in the Guardians’ 7-6 loss Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.

The rookie catcher has simply scorched the Royals, but he was left in the on-deck circle in the ninth as Gabriel Arias flew out to left to seal the Guardians’ 30th one-run loss this season.

“I told [pitching coach] Brian [Sweeney], ‘This is a big out right here, because we don’t want to face Babe Ruth here on deck,’” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “[Bo Naylor] likes hitting against us. And from what I can tell, pretty much everyone he’s thrown out [on the bases] has been against us.

“Guys have teams. But he certainly does well against us. I like his swing. He looks like he has a good approach at the plate. He’s strong, and he’s a young player. So who knows? I bet he’s going to do that to a lot more teams.”

Naylor made his 2023 debut on May 21, but didn’t start playing regularly until June 18. Since then, 10 of his 26 career RBIs have come against the Royals. His only multihomer game? Against the Royals. His only three-RBI game? Against the Royals. Even three of his six career games with two or more RBIs have come against Kansas City.

But for Naylor, he hasn’t even noticed.

“I actually haven’t even thought about that at all,” Naylor said with a smile. “It’s kind of funny to think about. But every game, every team, every new pitcher I go up to bat against, it’s the same mindset. It’s me versus you and I’m just going to try my best to win.”

The 23-year-old is starting to win a lot more, too. Naylor didn’t break out at the plate at first. Up until the final series before the All-Star break, Naylor was slashing .136/.208/.205. He started turning things around in that series, though. Since then, he has slashed .268/.374/.529, which includes eight of his nine homers, bringing his slash line on the season to .236/.336/.451. What team did that stretch start against? The Royals.

Naylor's stretch in September, though, has been the best of his career.

Naylor has already drawn 11 walks in 13 games this month, more than any other month this season, and is slashing .325/.472/.575.

“I’ve always been someone who’s taken their walks whenever they’ve come, and I think that with every level I’ve arrived at, that’s been part of the adjustment period,” Naylor said. “Not trying to do too much or being too aggressive or getting out of myself.

"As time has gone on and I’ve reached each level, I’ve gotten back to that mindset of taking my walks when I can, only swing at pitches I can do damage on and really trying to get myself on base. As I’ve gotten comfortable here I’ve kind of gotten back to that, trying to keep making that my identity.”

It’s an approach the Guardians have been impressed with as Naylor continues to try to solidify himself as the every day catcher for the future. The arm is there, and he threw out Edward Olivares at second base after replay overturned the initial safe call in the first inning, but his gradual improvement at the plate has been noticeable.

“Even some at-bats where he is just fighting to stay in an at-bat to earn a walk or fight off some changeups [has been impressive],” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “When you see him come back next year [he has potential to be even better], but this is giving him a good springboard into that.”

Naylor scored two runs from the bottom of the order and helped Steven Kwan, who went 2-for-2 with three walks and two RBIs, cut a five-run deficit to one in the eighth, but that was as close as the Guardians could get.

However, as the club starts to look forward to the 2024 season, Naylor has already proven why he will be a major piece of it.

“I think that I’ve been making some huge strides,” Naylor said. “I’m very confident right now. … I came up here and had a little bit of an adjustment period, but in baseball, you just go with it. You continue to attack everyday with a good mindset and I feel like good things will happen.

“I feel like I’m at that point where the game is slowing down and I know what I’m trying to do at the plate.”

If Naylor continues to prove that’s the case, the Royals better start brainstorming how to get him out.