SEATTLE -- Within moments of the news breaking of Josh Naylor’s trade to the Mariners in July, Seattle sports fans excitingly resurfaced one particular highlight of their new first baseman. The one from May 2022, when Naylor -- then with the Guardians -- drilled a three-run home run in the top of the 11th inning in Chicago, circled the bases, chucked his helmet into the dugout wall and screamed expletives at the top of his lungs.
In the 10 weeks since the trade, the Mariners have seen flashes of that Naylor, none more so than after his clutch, bases-clearing double that powered Seattle to the win that sealed its spot in the postseason last week. But the overarching theme to the 28-year-old first baseman’s time in the Pacific Northwest thus far hasn’t been fiery explosions of emotion -- far from it. It’s been the calm, calculating, complete player who has quickly become a fan favorite.
“That’s what you see from Josh right away,” manager Dan Wilson said Thursday before the second of Seattle’s scrimmages ahead of this weekend’s start to the ALDS against Detroit. “He’s here to work, he’s here to play hard, he’s here to win. That’s what you love to see from your guys, and that was apparent from Day 1. We had expected that having played against him, but seeing it up close and personal was something different. He’s just been a huge addition to our club.”
“Headsy” is the word Wilson has repeatedly used down the stretch to describe Naylor’s play, and his attention to the little details on the field. It might not actually be in the dictionary, but it works perfectly to describe him.
“Headsy” is how a player whose sprint speed ranks in the second percentile of MLB players has racked up 19 stolen bases since July 25, tied with Corbin Carroll and only trailing Juan Soto and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in that span -- and unlike those three, he hasn’t been thrown out on the bases once.
“Headsy” is Naylor going up to George Kirby on the day he made his Mariners debut to make a suggestion for his delivery to help keep runners close.
And “headsy” is a trait that Naylor has spent a lifetime building up, dating back to his childhood in Mississauga, Ontario.
“There were times when I was a little kid and me and my dad would sit on the couch and watch the game and pick little things apart,” Naylor said. “… Once I started playing baseball, I really wanted to just understand it on a different level. I’m still growing, I’m still learning too.
“It’s hard sometimes, but I think if you can pick one thing a game to lock in on and try to understand and try to read a little better, you’ll be ready for the next time the opportunity arises. And then the next time, you pick something else to work on.”
That detail-oriented approach helped Naylor produce on the field and mesh with his new club in what he described as “the most important” stretch of the season, through the end of August and into September. He’s made plenty of noise with his bat, slashing .299/.341/.490 since joining the Mariners on July 25.
In that stretch, his average trails only Dominic Canzone for Mariners starters and his 58 hits rank second on the team only behind Julio Rodríguez, while his 10 doubles and 33 RBIs both rank third.
“He’s come in and made a big impact,” Bryce Miller said. “Not only offensively, he’s been great at first base. And in the clubhouse. He’s always intense and ready to go. He’s a fun guy to have in the clubhouse.”
The stakes were a whole lot lower Thursday, but Naylor put together another solid day at the plate, singling and homering off of Logan Evans and adding a third knock against Austin Kitchen.
Now, though, those stakes will ratchet back up, starting Saturday. And when the ALDS begins, the Mariners will need all that production -- and all Naylor’s “headsiness” and that competitive fire, whether it’s blazing hot or cold and calculated.
“His ability to express that, his ability to spread that to his teammates, his ability to communicate with his teammates, all of that plays right into that,” Wilson said. “We’ve seen that time and time again throughout this stretch run. That’s going to loom large in the playoffs, when those conversations, those communications are very necessary during a ballgame. He’s the guy that’s willing to step up and do it.”