SEATTLE -- Josh Naylor has only been with the Mariners for 13 days, and his presence in the batter’s box has been, perhaps shockingly, not quite as imposing as when he’s on the basepaths.
Naylor put the Mariners on the board with a seismic, two-run homer in the first inning of Wednesday night’s 8-6 win over the White Sox at T-Mobile Park, which was the first blow in a night full of them. At a Statcast-projected 450 feet, it was the longest of his 98 career blasts.
Yet it was his pair of steals in the seventh that further underscored just how complete of a player Seattle acquired in one of the sport’s splashiest Trade Deadline deals on July 25, as Naylor is now 10-for-10 in steals since joining the Mariners -- in only 11 games.
“He looks at the game in a different light and takes advantage of the things he sees,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
Julio Rodríguez also crushed a tape-measure two-run homer that went 434 feet, and just prior, Cal Raleigh dumped a two-run single that left his bat at 109 mph and rolled all the way to the right-field fence.
With the win, Seattle (62-53) advanced to a season-high nine games above .500, and coupled with losses from Houston and Boston, the Mariners pulled to within two games of both first place in the American League West and the top AL Wild Card spot.
The lineup’s length has been a huge reason why the Mariners are 5-1 since the Trade Deadline, and Naylor settling into the cleanup spot and at first base has, so far, been their biggest boon.
The baserunning
What no one saw coming before the trade was Naylor’s wheels -- if you can call them that.
Naylor’s average sprint speed of 24.5 feet-per-second ranks 516th among 530 qualified players, yet he leads all MLB first basemen with 21 steals. With six more homers, he’ll join Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena with a 20/20 season -- who are the first Mariners teammates since Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez to reach those marks in the same year (1998, 1999).
Naylor had two steals in the seventh inning on Wednesday to piggyback a pair of even more critical steals on Tuesday, the second of which he doubled-up with Eugenio Suárez to force the infield in and set up Jorge Polanco for an up-the-middle, two-run single with one out, a play that might’ve been made in a standard defensive alignment.
Essentially, Naylor is picking his spots to run.
“He does not look that fast,” Suárez said. “But he’s always smart. He knows when to go. He reads the pitcher. He knows what kind of pitch he might be throwing in that situation right there, and he [gets] a really good jump every time.”
The bat-to-ball skills
Naylor also went yard on Tuesday and now has three home runs since the trade, and 14 on the season. When he clears the fence, they’re no cheapies and all to the pull side, suggesting that he’s selling out on those swings.
Wednesday’s hack on a first-pitch cutter middle and up vs. White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon, who was struggling with command, was a prime example.
“Take the risk,” Naylor said. “You've got to be willing to take your chance and be OK with the result, whether it's good or bad, as long as the effort level is there, the intent is there.”
Naylor ranks in the 37th percentile or lower in hard-hit rate, barrels, exit velocity and bat speed, per Statcast, which doesn’t scream power hitter, yet he hit a career-high 31 homers last year. The disparity speaks to his overall approach, as he’s quietly much more of a contact specialist, as his .290 batting average and 13.9% strikeout rate are each the best within the Mariners’ lineup.
Basically, he’s a guy who can do elite damage -- but without being boom-or-bust.
The ‘edge’
Naylor brings a blend of stoic intensity (he hesitated the first time when hoisting the Mariners’ celebratory home-run trident) and emotional flair in the highest-stakes moments (he pantomimed rocking a baby during a playoff homer vs. the Yankees in 2022).
Fundamentally, he’s the antithesis of Suárez’s “Good Vibes Only” persona -- which could be a perfect blend for a clubhouse full of personality.
“I really like being locked in the moment,” Naylor said. “People ask me, ‘Do you have conversations with guys at first base?’ and honestly, I don't really, and it's not in a disrespectful way or a mean way, or something I don't want to talk to you, because I'm just so focused.”