Josh Naylor Bio
Joshua-Douglas James Naylor is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians/Guardians, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Naylor was selected 12th overall by the Miami Marlins in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2019. He has also represented Canada in international competitions, including multiple editions of the World Baseball Classic.
Early Life and Background
Joshua-Douglas James Naylor was born on June 22, 1997, in Mississauga, Ontario, a suburb immediately west of Toronto. He grew up as a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays, though he also followed the Boston Red Sox. Naylor attended St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School, where he graduated in 2015. In addition to baseball, Naylor and his brothers grew up playing ice hockey.
Naylor began his amateur career with the Ontario Blue Jays, an elite travel baseball team in the Canadian Premier Baseball League composed of top young players from the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario. He was the youngest player on the team, joining at age 12 while most teammates were 16 or older. In 2015, Perfect Game ranked Naylor among the top 50 prospects in that year’s MLB draft, and he was named to Baseball America’s High School All-American First Team.
Following his junior year, Naylor was one of ten high school players invited to the 2014 MLB Junior Select Home Run Derby during MLB All-Star Week at Target Field in Minneapolis, becoming the first Canadian to participate in the event and finishing second. The following month he played in the 2014 Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park, and days later appeared in the 2014 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field. Naylor had committed to play college baseball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders before turning professional.
Path to Professional Baseball
Naylor was selected 12th overall by the Miami Marlins in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft on June 8. He signed with the Marlins after his June 25 graduation from St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School for a $2.25 million signing bonus. He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level GCL Marlins, finishing 2015 batting .327/.352/.418 with one home run and 16 runs batted in (RBIs) across 25 games.
Naylor opened 2016 with the Single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers and was selected to participate in the 2016 All-Star Futures Game at Petco Park. On July 29, 2016, the Marlins traded him with Carter Capps, Jarred Cosart, and Luis Castillo to the San Diego Padres for Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea, Tayron Guerrero, and cash. He was assigned to the Advanced-A Lake Elsinore Storm and finished 2016 with a combined .264/.302/.407 line, 12 home runs, and 75 RBIs in 122 games.
In 2017, Naylor played for the Storm before a July promotion to the Double-A San Antonio Missions, earning a second Futures Game selection. He batted a combined .280/.346/.415 with 10 home runs and 64 RBIs. In 2018, he played the Missions while transitioning to the outfield, batting .297/.383/.447 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs. He opened 2019 with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, batting .314/.389/.547 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs, earning a call-up to the majors on May 24, 2019.
Josh Naylor Career
San Diego Padres (2019–2020)
Naylor made his MLB debut on May 24, 2019, against his hometown Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, and recorded his first career hit the next day, an RBI double off pitcher Edwin Jackson. He finished 2019 batting .249/.315/.403 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs in 94 games, though he committed six errors and posted the lowest fielding percentage of any outfielder. In 2020, he appeared in 18 games for the Padres, batting .278/.316/.417 with one home run and four RBIs while playing designated hitter, first base, outfield, and pinch hitter.
On August 31, 2020, the Padres traded Naylor, Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, and minor leaguers Gabriel Arias, Joey Cantillo, and Owen Miller to the Cleveland Indians for Greg Allen, Matt Waldron, and Mike Clevinger. Naylor played 22 games for Cleveland that season, batting .230/.277/.279 with two RBIs.
Cleveland Indians / Guardians (2020–2024)
Naylor made his first postseason appearance in the 2020 AL Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees, recording five hits in his first five career postseason plate appearances, the first player in MLB history to do so. The Indians were swept, and Naylor finished 5-for-7 with a 1.571 slugging percentage. On June 27, 2021, he collided with second baseman Ernie Clement and suffered a broken and dislocated ankle that required season-ending surgery; he finished 2021 batting .253/.301/.399 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs in 69 games.
In 2022, Naylor returned in April and on May 9 against the Chicago White Sox became the first player in MLB history to hit two home runs of three runs or more in the ninth inning or later of the same game, including a game-tying grand slam off Liam Hendriks and a go-ahead three-run shot off Ryan Burr in an 11-inning win. He finished 2022 batting .256/.319/.452 with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs, and added a second postseason appearance as the Guardians fell to the Yankees in the ALDS.
In 2023, Naylor signed a one-year, $3.35 million contract to avoid arbitration and batted .308/.354/.489 with 17 home runs and 97 RBIs, earning the 2023 Tip O’Neill Award as the best Canadian baseball player. In 2024, he was selected to his first MLB All-Star Game, finished the regular season batting .243/.320/.456 with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs, and helped Cleveland reach the ALCS, where the Guardians fell to the Yankees 4–1.
Arizona Diamondbacks (2025)
Cleveland traded Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks on December 21, 2024, for pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance draft pick later used on Canadian pitcher Will Hynes. In January 2025, Naylor agreed to a one-year, $10.9 million contract to avoid his final arbitration opportunity. On June 9, 2025, he hit a walk-off grand slam in the 11th inning off Carlos Vargas to beat the Seattle Mariners 8–4. He played 93 games for Arizona, batting .292/.360/.447 with 11 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases before being traded.
Seattle Mariners (2025–Present)
The Diamondbacks traded Naylor to the Mariners on July 24, 2025, for pitchers Ashton Izzi and Brandyn Garcia. On September 23, 2025, with Seattle trailing 3–1 in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies, Naylor delivered a bases-clearing double for a 4–3 lead that clinched a postseason berth. On September 26, he stole his 30th base against the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the fourth first baseman in MLB history with at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season, despite being one of the slowest runners in MLB. He batted .299/.341/.490 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 54 games for Seattle as the Mariners won the AL West.
In the 2025 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, Naylor went 0-for-13 in the first three games before collecting three hits in each of Games 4 and 5, helping Seattle win 3–2 and reach the ALCS for the first time since 2001. During Game 2 of the ALCS at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Naylor hit a two-run home run off Braydon Fisher to extend the Mariners’ lead to 9–3, becoming the first Canadian-born player to hit a postseason home run against the Blue Jays. Seattle lost the series in seven games, and Naylor finished the postseason batting .340/.392/.574 with three home runs and five RBIs in 12 games. On November 17, 2025, he re-signed with Seattle on a five-year, $92.5 million contract, and he received his second Tip O’Neill Award.
Notable Events and Milestones
Naylor’s 2022 game against the White Sox, the 2025 walk-off grand slam versus Seattle, and his ALCS homer in Toronto rank among his signature moments. He is the only Canadian to play in three U-18 Baseball World Cups (2012, 2013, 2015) and a two-time Tip O’Neill Award winner (2023, 2025).
Josh Naylor Career Wins
Joshua-Douglas James Naylor’s career highlights include a 2024 MLB All-Star selection, two Tip O’Neill Awards, and consistent run production across three MLB organizations. Through 2025, he has combined for 112 home runs and 468 RBIs, with a .268 career batting average.
MLB Highlights
Naylor set franchise and league records in 2022 with two late-inning three-run homers against the White Sox. He earned his first All-Star nod in 2024 and helped Cleveland reach the ALCS. In 2025, his 30 stolen bases made him the fourth first baseman in MLB history to record at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season, and he became the first Canadian to hit a postseason home run against the Blue Jays.
Other Wins & Performances
Internationally, Naylor captained Canada at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, helping the team advance out of pool play for the first time. He was the only Canadian to compete in three U-18 Baseball World Cups and was named to the All-World Team in 2015.
Josh Naylor Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Naylor is biracial, with a white Canadian father and a mother of Jamaican descent. He has two brothers who were also first-round MLB draft selections: Bo Naylor, a catcher for the Cleveland Guardians, and the youngest, Myles Naylor, who plays in the Athletics farm system. Naylor and his cousins are also related to Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke, whose mother, Donna Smellie, is a cousin of Naylor’s mother.
Personal Life
Naylor married his high school sweetheart, Chantel Collado, a Bachata singer from Mississauga who performs under the mononym Chantel, on January 4, 2025, in Vaughan, Ontario. The couple met at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School and attended their high school prom together in June 2015. Their first child, a daughter, was born in October 2025 while Naylor was playing in the 2025 ALDS.
2025 Season Performance
Joshua-Douglas James Naylor split 2025 between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners after a December 2024 trade. With Arizona, he hit .292/.360/.447 with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs in 93 games, highlighted by a walk-off grand slam on June 9. Traded to Seattle in late July, he adjusted quickly, batting .299/.341/.490 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 54 games while helping the Mariners clinch the AL West title.
In the postseason, Naylor’s bat came alive in the ALDS against Detroit, going 6-for-10 over the final two games to fuel Seattle’s first ALCS trip since 2001. In the ALCS, his two-run homer in Toronto set a historical Canadian milestone, even as Seattle fell in seven games. He finished the 2025 postseason batting .340/.392/.574 with three home runs and five RBIs in 12 games.
Following the season, Naylor re-signed with the Mariners on a five-year, $92.5 million contract and won his second Tip O’Neill Award. With established run production, improved baserunning, and a long-term deal in hand, Naylor enters 2026 as a cornerstone of the Seattle lineup.
