Somehow Josh Naylor Wasn't An All-Star, Continues To Lead Guardians' Offense
Josh Naylor talked about not making the All-Star team after the rosters were officially announced earlier in July. As cool of an experience it would've been, Naylor said he, "knew I wouldn't make it."
Flash forward a week after the activities and Naylor is showing not only that he was easily the biggest sub of all the voting, but he's also one of MLB's best hitters in 2023.
Naylor had an unlucky start to the season with the Cleveland Guardians as he hit .250 in the month of March and .208 in April. Josh was making hard contact with the ball, it just wasn't falling. A frustrating loop to be in, but Naylor never let it get to him too much.
Since those first two months, Josh has bumped his batting average up to a .311 and his OPS to a career-high .875. This includes a 10-week stretch in which he's slashed .380/.414/.650. His OPS of 1.064 is second in MLB during this span only trailing the one and only Shohei Ohtani (1.184).
He's single-handedly keeping pace with baseball's best player who could very well be traded for the biggest trade haul in baseball history in the following weeks.
These aren't empty, garbage time stats either. Josh is performing at the highest level when his team needs him the most.
Naylor has 75 RBI this season which was the fourth most in baseball and the highest on the Guardians entering Wednesday's action. He's hit 32 of those RBI in the seventh inning or later which is the most in the Majors.
Take Tuesday night's rout over the Pittsburg Pirates as an example. Naylor hit two home runs in the game and finished with six RBI. Ironically, one of these homers came off Mitch Keller, the National League's starting pitcher in the 2023 All-Star Game.
Simply put, Josh Naylor has been one of the best players in baseball this season. He may not have been an All-Star but his impact on the Guardians is what's helping them stay in the playoff hunt.
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