Marlins Love Naylor’s Hitting Potential

MIAMI—Long bus rides are a common complaint for most minor leaguers—but not for 18-year-old first baseman Josh Naylor.

The 2015 first-rounder, selected 12th overall, hails from high school in Ontario. As an amateur, he and his travel team went the Greyhound route to find competition in New York, Tennessee, Texas and Florida.

---

“I love bus rides,” said Naylor, the highest-drafted player ever out of Canada, surpassing Brett Lawrie, who went 16th overall in 2008. “I play cards, listen to music, watch movies and hang out with my teammates.”

Once he gets off the bus, Naylor is ready to go. He hit .327/.352/.418 last season in 25 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

This season, the lefthanded hitter got off to a slow start at low Class A Greensboro, batting .190 for the first two weeks before ripping off a trio of three-hit games to boost his line to .288/.333/.521 through 18 games.

Naylor said he’s making progress, especially physically.

“I dropped about 25 pounds this winter,” said Naylor, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds. “I was working out with a trainer in the morning, doing yoga in the afternoon and working out again at night.”

Such dedication is good news for the Marlins, who already love Naylor’s power bat.  Greensboro manager Kevin Randel marvels at the hard contact Naylor makes consistently.

Such was the case on Opening Day, when Naylor hit the game-tying RBI off a lefthander, stroking a double to right field.

“The ball kept rising and went over the right fielder, short-hopping the wall,” Randel said.

Naylor showed good instincts and took third base on the throw home, scoring the game-winning run on the next play.

Randel said Naylor’s stroke is short and quick, with no shortage of bat speed. But the manager wants to see Naylor control his weight throughout his swing.

Because of his size, Naylor has been compared with Prince Fielder, but Naylor said his idol is David Ortiz because of his “game-changing power.”

FISH BITES

• Randel said the Marlins have refined the arm stroke of 20-year-old Greensboro shortstop Anfernee Seymour. “The ball comes out really good now, a lot cleaner,” Randel said.

• Triple-A New Orleans outfielder Destin Hood, a 26-year-old outfielder signed as a minor league free agent, ranked among the Pacific Coast League leaders with six home runs and 21 RBIs through 18 games.