Stephen Vogt Weighs In On Josh Naylor's Recent Plate Struggles, Cleveland Guardians News

Stephen Vogt remains confident that Josh Naylor is "one swing away" from getting back to being an impact bat for the Cleveland Guardians.

Jun 23, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) talks to first baseman Josh Naylor (22) in the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Naylor has been the Cleveland Guardians’ clean-up hitter since last season. He finally provided Jose Ramirez with the protection he needed in the middle of the order and emerged as a key piece of Cleveland’s future.

Despite his first career All-Star appearance, Naylor has struggled since the middle of May. 

Stephen Vogt switched up the order ahead of Cleveland’s game against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday and had Naylor hitting fifth, one spot back from his typical four spot. The Guardians manager said the lineup shift was more about the Tigers’ pending bullpen game than player performance. 

Despite the change and Josh’s struggles, Vogt made it clear he is confident that Naylor will return to being the hitter we’ve seen him be.

“Josh is going through spurts where, you know, he’s red hot, and then he’ll go a couple of games where he’s not,” said Vogt. 

“But the thing about Josh is that he’s one of our elite hitters in our game, and we know what’s in there, and he’s always one click away of being right back where he needs to be. So, I don’t look at Naylor as struggling. It’s just been a couple of games without a hit. You know, he’s one swing away.”

Over his last 30 games, Naylor is hitting .245/.314/.445. 

Why is Vogt so confident that Naylor can quickly turn everything back around, even though the counting stats are those of a league-average hitter? Well, Josh continues to hit the ball hard and be one of the “unluckiest” hitters in baseball.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) watches his shot to right field for a double during the fifth inning of an MLB game against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Naylor currently has an xBA of .266 (71st percentile) and an XSLG of .478 (84th percentile) while sitting in the 69th percentile in average exit velocity. 

Perhaps these are the stats the Cleveland’s manager is focusing on more. As long as Naylor keeps hitting the ball hard, the hits will come.