Josh Naylor

Josh Naylor

28-Year-Old First Baseman1B
Seattle Mariners
2026 Stats
AVG
.254
HR
6
RBI
25
R
22
SB
12
Rest-of-Season Projections
AVG
HR
RBI
R
SB
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2026 Fantasy Outlook
Naylor showed last season that stolen bases are more about instincts and reading the opposing pitcher than anything else, swiping 30 bags in 32 attempts despite ranking near the very bottom of the sprint speed leaderboard. It was a surprising surge in the SB category to say the least for a first baseman that had never previously exceeded 10 steals in a season. Stolen bases aside, Naylor also smacked 20 homers in 147 regular-season games between Arizona and Seattle, hitting above .290 at both stops. The lefty slugger added three homers and a .967 OPS in the playoffs, recording four three-hit games between the ALDS and ALCS. Naylor quickly re-upped with the Mariners, inking a five-year deal to remain in Seattle. The home park is a big negative on paper, but Naylor is clearly comfortable there, and they let him run to his heart's content. At 28 years old, he has surpassed 90 RBI each of the last three years and remains in a great position to produce runs hitting behind the likes of Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
Rest of Season
#Subscriber-Only
Overall Rank
#Subscriber-Only
Dynasty
From Preseason
#62
ADP
League Majors
Bats L
Throws L
40 Man Yes
Height 5'11"
Weight 222
DOB 6/22/1997
Born Mississauga, Canada
College None
Drafted 1st Rd 2015 MIA
Signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract with the Mariners in November of 2025. Contract includes $50,000 bonuses for All-Star Game appearances and $50,000 bonuses for Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards.
Back in lineup Wednesday
1BSeattle Mariners
June 3, 2026
Naylor (back) will start at first base and bat third in Wednesday's game against the Mets.
Analysis
Naylor will make his return to the starting nine after he exited with back spasms in Monday's series opener and then sat out Tuesday's 8-3 win. The Mariners will hope that the brief absence won't disrupt Naylor's rhythm at the plate; over his last eight games, the 28-year-old has gone 10-for-33 (.303 average).
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Batting Stats
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2026 MLB Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
19
24
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
15
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+10%
OPS vs RHP
2026
 
 
+8%
OPS vs RHP
2025
 
 
+11%
OPS vs RHP
2024
 
 
+12%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024vs Left .722 439 46 13 65 20 .259 .312 .410
Since 2024vs Right .797 1048 141 44 160 28 .269 .342 .456
2026vs Left .640 73 6 1 7 4 .265 .301 .338
2026vs Right .690 182 16 5 18 8 .250 .324 .366
2025vs Left .759 192 17 6 29 15 .287 .323 .436
2025vs Right .843 408 64 14 63 15 .298 .368 .475
2024vs Left .715 174 23 6 29 1 .224 .305 .410
2024vs Right .800 458 61 25 79 5 .251 .325 .474
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Minor League Splits→ View Minor League Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2024
 
 
+18%
OPS at Home
2026
 
 
+7%
OPS on Road
2025
 
 
+26%
OPS at Home
2024
 
 
+22%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2024Home .838 761 106 30 136 26 .291 .357 .481
Since 2024Away .709 726 81 27 89 22 .241 .307 .402
2026Home .655 139 10 3 13 8 .242 .317 .339
2026Away .699 116 12 3 12 4 .269 .319 .380
2025Home .908 302 43 10 58 16 .336 .387 .520
2025Away .723 298 38 10 34 14 .254 .319 .404
2024Home .852 320 53 17 65 2 .269 .347 .505
2024Away .699 312 31 14 43 4 .218 .292 .407
More Splits→ View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Josh Naylor compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.62
 
BB Rate
8.2%
 
K Rate
13.3%
 
BABIP
.275
 
ISO
.103
 
AVG
.254
 
OBP
.318
 
SLG
.358
 
OPS
.675
 
wOBA
.300
 
Exit Velocity
87.7 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
32.2%
 
Barrels/PA
3.9%
 
Expected BA
.282
 
Expected SLG
.426
 
Sprint Speed
20.1 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
42.6%
 
Line Drive %
20.8%
 
Fly Ball %
36.5%
 
Prospect Rankings History
View Complete Josh Naylor Prospect Ranking History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Naylor had a wonderful season of volume as he has embraced the role of hitting cleanup for the Guardians behind the likes of Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez. Naylor rarely took a day off and remained in the lineup against righties and lefties to set career highs in the run production categories. The overexposure to lefties was part of the reason for his batting average tumble, as he hit .224 against lefties in 174 plate appearances, but the 70-point tumble in his batting average against righties hurt Naylor more. Naylor's contact rate remains one of the better ones for a slugging first baseman, and repeating 30-plus homers could be tough for him, given his historical HR/FB rates, but another season of 600-plus plate appearances will make it possible. He has big shoes to fill after being acquired by the Diamondbacks following the departure of Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker.
Naylor had a career season at the plate despite missing over a month with an oblique injury. The career year was fueled by a few things Naylor had never done, such as hitting .363 with runners in scoring position and hitting .299 against left-handed pitching. He also fully leaned into the roster trend of better contact as Naylor lowered his strikeout rate for a fourth consecutive full season. He also murdered fastballs hitting .352 (.317 xBA.) The amalgamation of those skills is what allowed him to drive in 90+ runs with fewer than 20 homers, something only Naylor, Abreu, Heim, and Bohm did in 2023 and something last done by Asdrubel Cabrera in 2019. In all, Naylor plated 22% of his baserunners, which was only bested by Heim, Mullins, and Seager last season. All of this is to say this big step forward needs to have that first 500+ plate appearance offseason to offset the regression which is likely coming to his run production.
Naylor was limited to 69 games in 2021 after he underwent surgery to address a broken ankle, which briefly delayed his start to 2022. He appeared in 122 games and served as a platoon option at first base and designated hitter, and he had significant struggles against left-handed pitching with a .512 OPS in 127 plate appearances. Naylor clubbed 20 home runs total and crushed righties with a .283/.334/.522 slash line, which should at least keep him on the strong side of a platoon to open 2023. He also had solid strikeout and walk rates (16.1 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively), which provides a solid floor for his 2023 outlook, especially if he's able to improve when facing southpaws.
Naylor's 2021 season was cut short after a broken ankle in late June required season-ending surgery. Naylor is reportedly making good progress in his recovery from July 3 surgery to address fractures and ligament damage in his right leg, but he's not expected to be cleared for Opening Day. Once he completes his rehab program and is able to play a few games in the minor leagues, Naylor should eventually settle into a strong-side platoon role for the Guardians at either corner-outfield spot, first base or designated hitter. Before sustaining the season-ending leg injury, Naylor supplied a .700 OPS in 249 plate appearances for Cleveland in 2021.
Naylor broke summer camp with the Padres, but he played sparingly and almost exclusively against right-handers. He was sent to the alternate site for 10 days in August before returning. Naylor was slashing .278/.316/.417 when he was dealt to Cleveland on Aug. 31. He played more with Cleveland, but still only against righties, slashing just .230/.277/.279. While it's encouraging Naylor's season-long contact rate was 86.4%, it was mostly weak and on the ground, not conducive for a 70 raw power grade. Naylor's average exit velocity on flyballs was well below average, again not good for homers. Naylor is another case in which it's better to trust the reports and results prior to 2020 over a two-month sample in trying conditions. Cleveland's outfield is in flux, though Naylor should be given a shot at the busier side of a platoon.
Naylor made his debut May 24 and was up and down a few times before settling in for good after the deadline. Some scouts have put a 70 on Naylor's raw power, but he's still working to get to that in games. His ISO with the major-league team was .154, so about league average. He walked at a useful clip but his strikeout rate nearly doubled with the jump from Triple-A to the majors, and in total, Naylor graded out as 11% worse than league average by wRC+. As expected, the lumbering Naylor was a negative on defense, and he was below replacement level by fWAR in his 279 plate appearances. The body is a problem -- he was listed at 5-foot-11, 250 pounds at age 21 -- and that figures to only get worse with age. San Diego would like to trade Wil Myers, but that seems unlikely. There will only be room for two starters between Trent Grisham, Myers and Naylor, with Tommy Pham in the same outfield.
The biggest development for Naylor in 2018 was that most of his starts came in left field. He had previously only played first base. His stats through 170 career games at Double-A (.286/.368/.423, 19 HR, 14.0 K%, 10.7 BB%) are solid for a player who won't turn 22 until June. However, the fact he won't be a good defender anywhere, particularly in the outfield, means he will have to do a ton of damage at the plate to get playing time in the National League. The 70-grade raw power that led to him getting selected in the first round in 2015 has not consistently shown up in games, but he has been a better pure hitter than originally anticipated. Eric Hosmer signed an eight-year deal last offseason and the Padres already have a couple bat-first, below-average defenders competing for time in the outfield corners (Franmil Reyes and Hunter Renfroe), so Naylor feels like a spare piece who may not make his big-league debut as a member of this organization.
For each of Naylor's intriguing fantasy-relevant qualities, he does something else that subtracts from his potential value. He has huge raw power, but doesn't make much of an effort to get to it consistently in games. One of pro sports' modern marvels is how well Naylor runs, given his pear-shaped physique. But he won't remain this nimble as he gets into his mid-20s. Prior to 2017, he hardly walked -- a red flag for a bad-body first baseman. However, his career-best 9.1 percent walk rate at Double-A helped lessen those concerns. At the same time, he pulled the ball a career-low 31.4 percent, which was the second lowest rate in the Texas League. For a player who is already not capitalizing on his top physical tool, this new passivity is quite troubling. Naylor could be a high-average 15-to-20 homer hitter, or a low-average 30-plus homer threat, but it's hard to see both skills converging. He has been promoted aggressively since being drafted 12th overall in 2015, and could be pushed to Triple-A before he turns 21 in late June.
Naylor was one of the more desired pieces in the infamous Andrew Cashner-Jarred Cosart deal, which nearly fell through due to alleged misinformation provided by the Padres. The Padres were able to keep Naylor, though, and he more than held his own during his first season of full-season ball. In 122 games between Low-A Greensboro and High-A Lake Elsinore, the left-handed hitting Naylor batted .264/.302/.407 with 12 home runs, 75 RBI and 11 steals. Naylor needs to work on his patience at the dish, as he only drew 25 walks in 481 at-bats. However, he also does not strike a ton, as evidenced by his 84 strikeouts over the above-referenced 122-game span in 2016. The Padres are banking on Naylor's home run totals eventually catching up to his massive raw power. He may only be starting to scratch the surface of his enormous power potential.
After being selected with the 12th pick in the 2015 draft, Naylor injected a modicum of hope into perhaps the worst farm system in baseball. The Canadian slugger slashed .327/.352/.418 with one home run in 25 games in his first taste of professional baseball. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this small sample is the 10.5-percent K rate that he posted after just turning 18 years old in June. He was drafted because of the plus power he offers from the left side, and to show those contact skills at such an early age has to really excite fantasy owners. While a case could easily be made that Naylor is the best fantasy asset in the Marlins’ system, it is also worth noting that he is at least four or five years away from the show, so drafting him in dynasty leagues will require extreme patience.
More Fantasy News
Sitting due to back spasms
1BSeattle Mariners
Back
June 2, 2026
Naylor (back) is not in the lineup Tuesday versus the Mets.
Analysis
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Dealing with back spasms
1BSeattle Mariners
Back
June 1, 2026
Naylor was removed from Monday's game against the Mets in the eighth inning due to back spasms, Tim Booth of The Seattle Times reports.
Analysis
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Idle Friday
1BSeattle Mariners
May 22, 2026
Naylor is not in the Mariners' starting lineup against the Royals on Friday.
Analysis
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Trio of hits in win
1BSeattle Mariners
May 18, 2026
Naylor went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored and two steals in Monday's 6-1 win over the White Sox.
Analysis
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Extends hit streak in loss
1BSeattle Mariners
May 11, 2026
Naylor went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the White Sox.
Analysis
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Pirates were interested
1BSeattle Mariners
November 19, 2025
Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Pirates had interest in Naylor before he re-signed with the Mariners.
Analysis
The first baseman is back with Seattle on a five-year, $92.5 million contract, which is more than double the largest free-agent contract ever doled out by Pittsburgh. Naylor was traded by the Guardians to the Diamondbacks last winter before being flipped to the Mariners in July, and he enjoyed a productive regular season in 2025 with 20 homers, 30 steals and a .295/.353/.462 slash line in 147 regular-season games. He'll be a key lineup piece for the Mariners going forward and likely won't be going anywhere given that the contract includes a no-trade clause.
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