Guardians All-Star First Baseman Reaches New Milestone As Postseason Approaches

Josh Naylor hit his 30th home run of the season for the Cleveland Guardians.

Jun 6, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) hits an RBI ground out during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have made tremendous strides in the power department compared to last season. A year ago, they were the worst home run hitting team in baseball, and now they sit in the middle of the pack.

One key reason for this dramatic turnaround has been the contributions of first baseman and designated hitter Josh Naylor.

Naylor has been one of the best power-hitters in Cleveland's lineup all season, and the first-time All-Star set a new single-season milestone in the slugging stat on Wednesday night.

We may struggle to spell ‘prodigious,’ but we sure know it when we see it. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/yO0ya9mFsl

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 18, 2024

In the second inning of the Guardians matchup with the Minnesota Twins, Naylor blasted a solo home run to right-center field. This was his 30th homer of the season, which is the first time he's hit this many home runs in the regular season. His previous career-high was 20 homers which came in 2022.

Naylor joins eight other first basemen in Cleveland's franchise history to accomplish this feat. Some of the players on this list include all-time greats such as Jim Thome, Hal Trosky, and Carlos Santana.

Sep 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) celebrates his solo home run in the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

As impressive as this accomplishment is, Naylor has been struggling at the plate over the last month, hitting just .232/.301/.402 over his previous 30 games. This includes just four home runs, which is abnormal for the power-hitter.

Hopefully, this home run will get the older Naylor brother going at the plate. The Guardians are closing in on clinching a spot in the postseason, but they will need their clean-up hitter to be performing at a high level if they make a true run at the World Series in October.