Guardians Opinion: Josh Naylor Deserves More Recognition

MLB fans need to see Josh Naylor for the All-Star player he is.

Everyone in Cleveland knows just how important Josh Naylor is to the Guardians. He's demonstrated time and time again that he's one of MLB's top players, but is still not getting the national recognition that he deserves.

Let's start this by looking at Naylor's 2024 stats. The 26-year-old finished last year with a slash line of .308/.354/.489, a .843 OPS, and 97 RBI. He was easily the best hitter in the Guardians' lineup, and arguably one the best in baseball.

Jul 13, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) catches a throw in the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Naylor is more than an offensive player, though. He's made many strides to be a reliable defensive first baseman, too. Naylor ranked in the 88th percentile in outs above average, which was the third-highest OAA in MLB, and second-highest in the American League.

Considering all of these impressive stats, Naylor still isn't being recognized as a top player in the game.

Naylor was omitted from the 2023 All-Star team after putting together better numbers than some of the other players who did make it, such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Naylor even admitted after all of the teams were finalized that he "knew he wouldn't make it," which is not the mentality MLB should want its best players to have.

Then, MLB Network ranked their "top 10 first basemen right now" on Thursday evening, and Naylor was nowhere to be found on their list. There's no way an argument can be made that he doesn't deserve to be on that list, even by looking at just his stats alone.

Naylor has the stats to be considered one of baseball's best, however, he's not currently viewed as one throughout the country.

Hopefully, throughout 2024 fans outside of Cleveland will start to notice Naylor for the All-Star player he is.