Josh Naylor is looking to bring leadership to the Arizona Diamondbacks after being traded from the Cleveland Guardians in December. Although he is replacing Christian Walker, he is not looking to take his place. He is bringing his own style of play and leadership both on and off the field to the team and his new teammates.
Baseball Trades are Business
Baseball is a business, and we know trades happen. It is what has happened with Naylor. After being selected by Miami Marlins in the 2015 MLB draft, he was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2016. The Padres then traded him to Cleveland during the 2020 season. After the 2024 season, the Guardians had only one year of control left on him and made a deal with Arizona.
Popular with Players and Fans
Naylor became a clubhouse leader during his four years in Cleveland. We know moving to a new team isn’t easy for any big leaguer, but he is leaving behind a lot. The Guardians organization believed in him and allowed him to grow not just as a player, but into that leadership role as well. Players came to him with issues both on and off the field. On top of that, he is leaving behind the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother Bo. They had been together for the past year and a half. Naylor was popular with everyone, the organization, players, and fans alike. When he left, he posted a heartwarming message thanking the coaches, fans, teammates, and everybody who assisted and lent him a hand to him during his time in Cleveland.
Settling in
Josh Naylor is looking to bring leadership to the Diamondbacks now and has settled in well with his new teammates. He mentioned that he is focused on bringing his guidance and vision to the team’s clubhouse. He wants to continue growing and being the guy players talk to if things are going rough. He even looks to contribute a good collaborator.
New Atmosphere and Staff
Being in Arizona is a new atmosphere. He has a whole new set of coaches to learn from. Nonetheless, Naylor is ready for the challenge. In fact, this spring he has been working with hitting coach Joe Mather and assistant hitting coach Damion Easley. They are working on his mentality at the plate and on his patience—he only drew 25 walks in 481 at-bats. They are figuring out the best way to get him to be a complete hitter.
Favorable Timing
The Diamondbacks are getting Naylor at the right time. Last season happened to be one of his best hitting seasons. He had 31 home runs and 108 RBIs, both career highs. Along with that, he had 27 doubles. He joins a Diamondbacks team that hit the fifth most home runs in the league during 2024.
Working on his Defense
Defense is the area of weakness for Naylor, and he has been putting in time there, too. There has already been a noticeable difference at first base. There is no doubt that Walker was one of the best. No one in the league helped his infielders at first base like he did. However, Naylor wants to continue that. In order to do so, he has been working at improving his footing. Early comments have been solid. Although there has been only a handful of games, Naylor has been communicating with teammates on executing plays and ensuring proper positioning throughout the games.
Excited to Join
Josh Naylor is looking to bring leadership to his new teammates. He has already talked about how excited he is to join the Diamondbacks and contribute. If he can put up numbers similar to those of his 2024 season, he should be able to help this team get back into the playoffs with his play. His plans are to continue growing as a leader and bringing optimistic energy to the clubhouse will be a bonus as the team moves forward.
Main Photo Credits: Rob SchumacherThe Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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