Guardians' Josh Naylor On Pace With MLB's Best Hitters

Josh Naylor has become the best hitters on the Cleveland Guardians and in MLB.

There's been a lot of disappointment for fans of the Cleveland Guardians during this season. This was supposed to be the year the young core made a deep playoff run and contended for the World Series. 

Instead, Cleveland is on the precipice of being eliminated with Minnesota's magic number at one heading into the action on Thursday night. One bright spot and saving grace in all of this misery has been the emergence of Josh Naylor as a legit Big League hitter who's deserving of respect from opposing pitchers.

Not only has Cleveland's first baseman evolved into the best hitter on the Guardians but he's also silently become one of the best hitters in MLB as well. 

Naylor is one of only two American League batters and one of six hitters in baseball with a .310 or better batting average and 90 or more RBI this season. The only other players in this elite group are Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and Ronald Acuna Jr. 

All of these players are considered MVP contenders, superstars, and are regarded as some of the best baseball players in the world. Naylz has established himself as a member of this company and is on pace even after missing almost a full month of the season while everyone else has stayed relatively healthy.

Sep 7, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) reacts after hitting a run-scoring single in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Naylor's full stats for the 2023 season include a slash line of .311/.351/.501, an OPS of .852, and 17 home runs. His BAbip has also skyrocketed to .330 compared to his .268 average in 2022. 

But somehow he couldn't even get the recognition of being an All-Star.