Josh Naylor Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

AB	49
AVG	.347
OBP	.443
SLG	.673
HR	4

Full name Joshua-Douglas James Naylor
Born 06/22/1997 in Mississauga, ON, Canada
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 250 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Saint Joan Of Arc
Debut 05/24/2019
Drafted in the 1st round (12th overall) by the Miami Marlins in 2015 (signed for $2,200,000).

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The value of power in today's game is higher than it has been in quite some time, allowing players like Josh Naylor to really stick out. Like Demi Orimoloye, Naylor has a long track record as a member of both the Canadian Junior National Team and the Ontario Blue Jays. He erupted onto the national scouting scene at a very early age and has been famous since his early high school days, as he often played with older prospects. He has elite bat speed and power, but with a thick body that lacks projection, Naylor is a first-base only prospect, putting a lot of pressure on his lefthanded bat. His best tool is his plus-plus raw power, which allows him to shine in a batting practice session, though he showed some swing-and-miss last summer. He can get pull happy, as he often extends early and punishes baseballs before they get deep into the hitting zone. While Naylor has an above-average arm, his lack of foot speed limits him first base. There are some questions about his maturity, but Naylor is a likeable kid who gets along with teammates well. He is committed to Texas Tech.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: Naylor became the highest-drafted Canadian position player ever when the Marlins took him 12th overall in 2015. One year later, they traded him to the Padres in the deal for Andrew Cashner. After teasing with uncanny hand-eye coordination and huge raw power, Naylor turned his tools into production in 2018. He set career-highs in batting average (.297), home runs (17), RBIs (74) and OPS (.830) at Double-A San Antonio, overcoming challenging hitting conditions.

Scouting Report: Naylor has heavyset frame at 5-foot-11, 250 pounds with a protruding belly, but he crushes baseballs. Naylor uses his powerful legs and thick trunk to generate huge torque and bat speed, turning around elite velocity with thunderous collisions on contact. While Naylor always had strong strike-zone discipline, he began picking out better pitches to drive in 2018 and saw career-highs in every power category while maintaining nearly as many walks (63) as strikeouts (69). Evaluators see a potential plus hitter with plus power, but no one is sure where Naylor will play. He's decent at his natural first base, but with Eric Hosmer there, the Padres began playing Naylor in left field in 2018. While Naylor is sneaky athletic with short-area quickness and surprising speed, he's still a below-average defender learning to play under control.

The Future: Naylor spent the offseason doing intense beach workouts in California. Like Kyle Schwarber, Naylor will have to slim down to make left field work.
The Marlins made Naylor the highest-drafted Canadian position player ever when they selected him 12th overall in 2015 and signed him for $2.2 million. One year later the Padres acquired him in the five-player trade that sent Andrew Cashner to Miami. Naylor started 2017 hot before a pickoff throw broke his right cheekbone and sapped his production after he returned, but he still made his second straight Futures Game and reached Double-A. Naylor is stocky with a protruding belly, closer to 260 pounds than his listed 225, and limited to first base. He shows enormous raw power in batting practice but doesn't get to it in games, largely because he struggles picking out pitches he can drive and collapses hard on his front side. He has the bat speed and hand-eye coordination to project as an average hitter with above-average power if he improves in those areas. Naylor is a surprisingly good athlete for his girth, flashing average run times and good short-area quickness and hands defensively at first base. Naylor needs to monitor his weight and make the adjustments to get to his power to reach his potential as a solid-average everyday first baseman. He'll start back at Double-A in 2018.
The Marlins drafted Naylor 12th overall in 2015, making him the highest-drafted Canadian position player ever, and Miami signed him for $2.2 million. He wowed during Futures Game batting practice in 2016 with long home runs deep to right-center field at Petco Park, and three weeks later the Padres acquired him and two others from the Marlins for Andrew Cashner. Plus raw power is Naylor's carrying tool and will have to be because he is a thick-bodied lefthanded batter limited to first base. He generates his power using a strong lower half and quick hands, creating elite bat speed to drive the ball with authority. Naylor is presently able to tap into his power on fastballs but has trouble with offspeed pitches, especially against lefthanders, limiting his ability to get to his power in games. Defensively he is below-average and prone to errors because his focus wavers, but in short bursts will show unexpected athleticism. He is an average runner who is faster than his body might indicate but projects to slow down as he ages. Naylor faced questions about his maturity when he was drafted, and questions still linger after he injured Marlins minor league teammate Stone Garrett with a knife in what team officials described as a "prank gone bad." Naylor will begin 2017 at high Class A Lake Elsinore as he tries to live up to his middle-of-the order potential.
The 12th overall pick in 2015, Naylor became the highest-drafted Canadian batter ever, going four spots higher than Brett Lawrie did in 2008. He shot up several draft boards after he hit five home runs in 12 games during the Canadian Junior National Team's trip to the Dominican Republic in May. The Marlins signed him for a below-slot $2.2 million bonus. Naylor has double-plus raw power, and that is the tool that sold the Marlins, who compared him with Prince Fielder for bat speed and strength. Naylor also has Fielder's thick build and was said to have packed on 20 pounds since the summer to his already ample frame. While power is his calling card, he has special hands, makes consistent hard contact to all fields and has plenty of polish to his approach. The Marlins consider him a hit-first-rather than power-over-hit-player with looseness in his swing. He's a decent athlete with an above-average arm, but his below-average speed precludes outfield as a plausible option. Naylor has advanced hitting ability and has seen high-level pitching thanks to his Team Canada experience, which included an August/September tour in the 18U World Cup in Japan. He led the event with 15 hits (in 31 at-bats) and three home runs. That should allow him to begin his first full season at low Class A Greensboro.

Draft Prospects

The value of power in today's game is higher than it has been in quite some time, allowing players like Josh Naylor to really stick out. Like Demi Orimoloye, Naylor has a long track record as a member of both the Canadian Junior National Team and the Ontario Blue Jays. He erupted onto the national scouting scene at a very early age and has been famous since his early high school days, as he often played with older prospects. He has elite bat speed and power, but with a thick body that lacks projection, Naylor is a first-base only prospect, putting a lot of pressure on his lefthanded bat. His best tool is his plus-plus raw power, which allows him to shine in a batting practice session, though he showed some swing-and-miss last summer. He can get pull happy, as he often extends early and punishes baseballs before they get deep into the hitting zone. While Naylor has an above-average arm, his lack of foot speed limits him first base. There are some questions about his maturity, but Naylor is a likeable kid who gets along with teammates well. He is committed to Texas Tech.

Minor League Top Prospects

The burly Naylor hit .314 with 31 extra-base hits in 54 games at El Paso and was in the majors for good by August. He posted the highest slugging percentage of his career (.547) while recording nearly as many walks (28) as strikeouts (30). Naylor projects as a middle-of-the-order hitter with his excellent hand-eye coordination and plus-plus raw power. He makes frequent contact, uses the whole field and turns around velocity. A converted first baseman, Naylor has improved in the outfield but remains below-average defensively. He is better in right field than left.
Naylor showed marked improvement offensively in his second taste of Double-A. After struggling with San Antonio last season, he ranked fifth in the league in both batting average (.297) and OPS (.830), while hitting 17 home runs and posting more walks (72) than strikeouts (69). Naylor was often described as being able to “flat-out hit,” with an ability to handle both lefthanders (.307/.405/.467) and righthanders (.294/.375/.440). The 5-foot-11, 250-pound Naylor faces defensive concerns. He played exclusively first base before starting 89 games in left field this season. The Padres seem open to the idea that Naylor could potentially be a bat-first, below-average defender in left field, but he also has ample experience at first base, where his limited athleticism would seem better suited.
Naylor got off to a fast start with five home runs in April before an Eric Lauer pickoff throw struck him in the face and broke his right cheekbone. While Naylor never quite rediscovered his power stroke after that, he hit well enough to earn a promotion to Double-A and showed respectably there against older competition. The hefty Naylor is still learning to translate his big raw power into game power, but he showed the bat speed to get to any fastball, strong strike-zone discipline and a knack for contact most believe are a strong foundation for him to eventually get to his power. Managers also singled him out as the Cal League's best defensive first baseman for his above-average arm, good hands picking balls out of the dirt and improving footwork. "He's a good player," Lancaster manager Fred Ocasio said. "He's got some power and is a pretty good hitter. Eventually the more at-bats he gets the better he's going to get. He's very smooth at first base. You can tell he feels very comfortable playing the position."
One of the youngest players to make his TL debut this season, Naylor was promoted to San Antonio on July 11 and hit just .250/.320/.346 in 42 games. A large, physical first baseman, Naylor has plus-plus raw power that has not yet translated into game power. He hit just two home runs in Double-A after collecting nine at high Class A. Despite excellent hand-eye coordination, Naylor still needs to shrink his strike zone to hit for a high average. He struck out a career-worst 21 percent of the time at Double-A and must improve his power production to sustain a rate that high. A well below-average runner, Naylor showed enough flashes to be an at-least-average defensive first baseman.
Teams weren't expecting Naylor to go in the first round, but the Marlins drafted him 12th overall and signed him to a below-slot deal of $2.2 million. Known for his massive power, Naylor didn't show his extra-base pop in games once he signed, but he hit well without striking out excessively in the GCL. He left the league a week early to join Canada at the 18U World Cup in Japan, where he made led the tournament with three home runs and made the all-star team by hitting .484/.556/.903 in 36 plate appearances Naylor's combination of strength and high-end bat speed enable him to generate double-plus raw power. While there were some questions before the draft about Naylor's contact rate, he showed good bat control after signing. He is an aggressive hitter, especially early in the count, and while he swings hard and can get long at times, he showed a good two-strike approach and the ability to use the opposite field. Naylor's heavy body is a red flag for many scouts, who worry about his mobility at first base. Others think he handles himself well enough around the bag with soft hands and an above-average arm.

Top 100 Rankings

Scouting Reports

The burly Naylor hit .314 with 31 extra-base hits in 54 games at El Paso and was in the majors for good by August. He posted the highest slugging percentage of his career (.547) while recording nearly as many walks (28) as strikeouts (30). Naylor projects as a middle-of-the-order hitter with his excellent hand-eye coordination and plus-plus raw power. He makes frequent contact, uses the whole field and turns around velocity. A converted first baseman, Naylor has improved in the outfield but remains below-average defensively. He is better in right field than left.
The Padres emphasized being "stubborn” in the strike zone with Naylor—meaning wait for a pitch he can drive rather than swing at anything in the strike zone—and he’s made the adjustment. With the new approach, Naylor has already surpassed his career-high for home runs by and posted an .881 OPS in the Texas League. Naylor’s transition to left field has gone less smooth. He moves decently well for his 250-pound size, but his reads and routes need significant work and he frequently uncorks wild throws.
Background: The Marlins drafted Naylor 12th overall in 2015, making him the highest-drafted Canadian position player ever. He wowed during Futures Game batting practice in 2016 with long home runs at Petco Park, and three weeks later the Padres acquired him from the Marlins in a deal for Andrew Cashner. Scouting Report: Plus raw power is Naylor's carrying tool and will have to be because he is a thick-bodied lefthanded batter limited to first base. He generates his power using a strong lower half and quick hands, creating elite bat speed to drive the ball with authority. Naylor is presently able to tap into his power on fastballs but has trouble with offspeed pitches, especially against lefthanders. He also makes contact at an above-average rate for a power hitter. Defensively he is prone to errors because his focus wavers, but in short bursts will show unexpected athleticism. Naylor faced questions about his maturity when he was drafted, and questions still linger after he injured Marlins minor league teammate Stone Garrett with a knife in what team officials described as a "prank gone bad."

The Future: Naylor will begin 2017 at high Class A Lake Elsinore as he tries to live up to his middle-of-the order potential.