"It's a kids' game at the end of the day": Guardians slugger Josh Naylor explains provocative ALDS celebration vs Yankees [Exclusive]

Two moments might capsulize Josh Naylor’s joy of playing baseball more than any others.

During the 2022 regular season, the Cleveland Guardians first baseman hit a walk-off home run to beat the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Naylor headbutted Terry Francona so hard that the veteran Guardians manager opted to wear a helmet for all future walk-off celebrations.

In the postseason that year, Josh Naylor hit a home run off New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in Game 1 of an American League Division Series. Naylor broke into a “rock the baby” celebration while rounding the bases, which incensed the Yankees.

Those scenes describe Naylor well. He has big-time power, a lot of energy and has fun playing baseball.

“You’ve got to understand that it’s a kids’ game at the end of the day and approach like we’re just young children playing with our friends and go out there and compete and enjoy the competition with our friends on the field,” Naylor told Sportskeeda. “You always looked forward to the weekend when you were a kid because you got to go out there and play with your friends.”

Naylor is looking forward to having more fun in 2024 as the Cleveland Guardians get set to enter a new era with Stephen Vogt taking over as manager for Francona, who retired to end what will almost certainly be a Hall of Fame career.

Josh Naylor - An emerging power threat

Naylor has emerged as the second-most dangerous hitter in the Guardians’ lineup behind five-time All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez.

In 2022, lefty Naylor helped the Guardians win the American League Central title by hitting .256/.319/.452 with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs in 122 games.

Josh Naylor was even better last season, though the Guardians slipped to third place in the division with a 76-86 record. He had a .308/.354/.489 slash line in 121 games while hitting 17 home runs, driving in 97 runs and even stealing 10 bases despite his 5-foot-11, 250-pound frame.

The Guardians were last in the major leagues in home runs in 2023 when they hit just 124. That was 27 less than the Washington Nationals, who were 29th among the 30 MLB teams.

Thus, it is no surprise that Guardians manager Stephen Vogt is counting on Josh Naylor to continue to supply the long ball.

“He’s our power guy,” Vogt said. “Obviously, the year that he had last year, the past couple of years power-wise, he can impact the baseball at any time, so he’s going to be a key piece in that for us.”

Naylor is ready to try to meet his new manager’s expectations.

“I was ready after the last game of the season to get started on a whole new season,” Josh Naylor said. “I love playing baseball, and I enjoy playing every single day. I love competing, and that’s just part of my nature. I can start playing another season right now.”

Battling back from injury

That Josh Naylor has reached the status of an emerging star is impressive for two reasons.

The first is that Naylor never got down on himself despite being traded twice by the time he was 23. The Miami Marlins made Naylor their first-round draft pick in 2015 after he graduated from high school in Mississauga, Ontario, and then dealt him to the San Diego Padres a year later. At the 2020 trade deadline, the Padres shipped Naylor to Cleveland.

Naylor also overcame a severe injury in 2021 that could have been career-threatening.

During a game against the Minnesota Twins, Naylor was playing right field when he collided with second baseman Ernie Clement while chasing a pop fly. The two knocked into each other with such force that Naylor shattered his right ankle so badly that there were questions about whether he could ever fully recover.

Yet Josh Naylor not only recovered in time to play almost the entire 2022 season but wound up being better than ever, both physically and from a production standpoint.

“I think it’s just a mindset, mental toughness, always wanting to do things for others rather than myself,” Naylor said of his comeback. “So, I rehabbed the best I could to get my leg right, so I’d be there for my teammates, my coaches and my organization.

“So that was kind of my biggest takeaway for getting healthy because it’s not about me. When you take things out of the equation, it makes things easier.”

All in the family

Josh Naylor is expected to be joined in the Guardians’ starting lineup this season by younger brother Bo Naylor, a catcher.

The younger Naylor made his major league debut by playing two games for Cleveland in 2021. Last season, the 23-year-old hit .237/.339/.470 with 11 homers in just 67 games.

The Naylors made history last July 14 when they became the first brothers in Major League Baseball history to hit multi-run home runs in the same inning. Josh and Bo connected for two-run shots against the Texas Rangers in Arlington.

Both Naylors are proud of that moment, and Bo says he greatly appreciates the opportunity to be teammates with his brother in the big leagues. Bo was Cleveland’s first-round draft pick in 2018, two years before Josh Naylor came over from the Padres.

“I don’t think it’ll ever not be a big deal,” Bo Naylor said. “You don’t really see that every day or really even through the years. For me to be one of the people to share that experience, I’ll always be grateful and try to make it a big deal because it’s super special to me.”

Now, three Naylor brothers are playing pro ball. Myles Naylor, a shortstop, was a first-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics last year following his senior year of high school.

The trio has been working out almost daily throughout the offseason, whether they are in Canada, Arizona or Florida. And you can bet the three are having fun.

“I try to look at it in that aspect where we’re going out there every day and playing a kids’ game and you want to enjoy baseball as teammates, one as brothers and two, win, lose or draw, we’re always together, we’re always with each other, always encouraging each other, always positive,” Josh Naylor said.

“There’s no room to be negative in this game because this game is hard enough, and it can beat down on you as a player. So, the more positive, the more energetic you can be, the more better outcomes you can have.”