Josh Naylor
What they are saying: "Might have an 80 for raw power" ... Dominican tour vs. rookie-class teams: His five home runs much like Brett Lawrie’s eight home run trip in 2008 (he had five home runs in a doubleheader against the Mariners) ... Pair of singles vs. Tigers ... Singled up the middle against Royals ...Facing the Mariners, belted a two run opposite field home run that landed over the fence, inside the foul pole in left ... Against the Mets, homered and doubled, knocking in a pair ... Facing Yankees hit a 2-0 fastball over the wall in right field for a two-run homer, for one of his two hits ... Facing Cubs, drilled a fastball over the fence in right before ... Two hits against the Brewers ... Homer and single, HR landed well beyond the right field wall almost hitting hit the building that houses the Twins’ players .... Facing MLB Prospects who are eligible to sign as free agents July 2, knocked in a run .... Red Sox GM Ben Cherrington showed for two days in FLA ... much like Jack Zduriencik went to see Gareth Morgan last May ... Had quickest exit speed off bat (107.9 MPH) in Jupiter ... Jr HR derby finalist at Target Field during AS ... Compared to Prince Fielder ... Concluded 2014 DSL tour turning around a 93 MPH fastball off of future Twins’ prospect Huascar Ynoa for a mammoth home run at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo..
On other lists:
33rd on PG's top 500 HS prospects (up from 31st)
59th on MLB.com Prospect Watch
61st on Baseball America's top 500 HS combined list (down from 52nd on BA's top 100 HS list
65th on Perfect Game's top 500 combined list of HSers and collegians (up from 68th)
Ranked 3rd best power HS hitter in North America (behind 1B Luken Baker, Oak Ridge (Tex) and SS Brendan Rodgers (Lake Mary (Fla.).
Baseball America's 2nd ranked HS Canadian.
Perfect Game USA's 2nd ranked HS Canadian
Baseball America, 61
Scouting Report:
The value of power in today's game is higher than it has been in quite some time, allowing players like Josh Naylor to really stick out. Like Demi Orimoloye, Naylor has a long track record as a member of both the Canadian Junior National Team and the Ontario Blue Jays. He erupted onto the national scouting scene at a very early age and has been famous since his early high school days, as he often played with older prospects. He has elite bat speed and power, but with a thick body that lacks projection, Naylor is a first-base only prospect, putting a lot of pressure on his lefthanded bat. His best tool is his plus-plus raw power, which allows him to shine in a batting practice session, though he showed some swing-and-miss last summer. He can get pull happy, as he often extends early and punishes baseballs before they get deep into the hitting zone. While Naylor has an above-average arm, his lack of foot speed limits him first base. There are some questions about his maturity, but Naylor is a likeable kid who gets along with teammates well. He is committed to Texas Tech.
Perfect Game ranking:
65. Josh Naylor, 1b, St. Joan of Arc SS
L/L, 6-0/225, Mississauga, Ont.
College Commitment: Texas Tech
Teams love power and no one has more of it than the big Canadian lefthanded slugger. Naylor compares closely to Chicago Cubs prospect Dan Vogelbach, their second round pick in 2011, except that Naylor is a better all-around athlete.
MLB Prospect Watch
Josh Naylor | Rank: 59
School: St. Joan of Arc HS (Ont.)Year: SeniorPosition: 1BAge: 17 DOB: 6/22/1997Bats: L Throws: LHeight: 6'1" Weight: 225 lb.
Commitment: Texas Tech
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 65 | Run: 20 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50
In 2014, Canadian slugger Gareth Morgan was taken in the second round, No. 74 overall. In 2015, there are two Canadian position players who could best Morgan. Demi Orimoloye is the toolsier one, with Naylor the safer bet to hit at the next level.
It will be his bat that will be his calling card. The Texas Tech commit makes hard, consistent contact from the left side of the plate, something that should improve even more as he refines his approach. There is a ton of power in the bat as well, with the potential to be a serious home run threat in the future. The other parts of Naylor's game lag behind as he is a well below-average runner and doesn't really have a true defensive position, though first base is likely to be his home.
The team taking Naylor in the top few rounds will be buying his power potential, even if his best position will always be "batter's box."