Guardians fans, get ready to Bolieve
This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. Jesús Cano is filling in for Bell for this story.
Bo Naylor is back in the Majors, and there’s a good shot he’ll be here for longer than a cup of coffee.
Naylor, the Guardians' No. 3 prospect and No. 45 overall by MLB Pipeline, finished catching a bullpen session on Friday in Omaha, Neb. when Triple-A Columbus manager Andy Tracy pulled him to the side and let him know he’d be joining the big league team in Phoenix. There was one issue. With the Guardians on the West Coast, Naylor wouldn’t make it in time for the series opener against the D-backs. Instead, he arrived at the ballpark on Saturday with a smile that never disappeared.
But the moment news went out of Naylor’s return to the Majors, the excitement was felt online by Guardians fans. The enthusiasm is well warranted, as the 23-year-old Canadian catcher has the chance to resurrect the team's production behind the plate, and Naylor knows that. The support throughout his entire career has already made him feel at home.
“It’s amazing. This is a very special and great fan base that we have here,” Naylor said. “They’ve been supporting me for a very long time and I’m eternally grateful for all of them. I love the support they continuously have for me, and I’m excited to show what I can do for them.”
Naylor has shown he can produce in the Minors. He has a .253/.393/.498 slash line (.891 OPS) in Triple-A this season, with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs. He got a taste of the Majors last October and on May 21, when he met the Guardians in New York for a game. Those brief stints provided lessons for the young catcher.
“Just with every little trip, being around these guys in this environment, I’ve kind of just gotten a little more comfortable each time,” Naylor said. “Being around these guys feels really good. I'm ready, I'm pumped and just excited to get to work.”
It also helps that being a professional baseball player runs in the family. His cousin Denzel Clarke is ranked the A’s No. 9 prospect by MLB Pipeline. His younger brother, Myles, is ranked the No. 59 prospect in this year's draft. And, of course, his older brother Josh Naylor is the starting first baseman for the Guardians. Josh has given Bo plenty of advice, but there’s one piece that stands out: Play like you belong here, it’s still the same game.
“I think that that's something that he has been preaching for a very long time,” Bo said. “Each time I hear it, I believe in it more and more. He's really supportive. He's done a really good job throughout the years just kind of building the confidence in not only myself and my little brother as well as coming up in this game.”
Guardians manager Terry Francona said Naylor will start on Sunday, pairing him with batterymate Tanner Bibee, whom Naylor has experience working with during their time together in the Minors. Beyond that, Francona doesn’t have a blueprint for how to use Naylor yet, but one thing is certain.
“We'd like him to stay,” Francona said. “Nobody has a crystal ball, but that's the idea. I think there's probably a way to immerse him into what he's doing. We'll have to see how it goes because … when you're a catcher, it's a little different ask than somebody else coming up. I mean, the game for young catchers can be going so fast, and we're trying to simplify it for him, but also have him stay ahead of what he needs to so it doesn't speed up.”