The Show Notes #24: Is Bo Naylor Finally Turning the Corner?
Canadian-Jamaican catcher Bo Naylor has batted .230/.324/.426(110 wRC+) since the All-Star Break’s conclusion. Is this a real breakout or is is just another hot stretch of hitting?
One of only two active Black position players in MLB who don the Tools of Ignorance, Noah G. “Bo” Naylor has been overlooked during a surge of catching talent because of limited offensive production. He is the middle child in a trio of Canadian-Jamaican brothers who were first-round draft picks and a cousin of Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke. In contrast to his older brother Josh’s renowned bat-to-ball skills, Bo has struggled with a grooved swing since his days in the minors. Opposing MLB pitchers have exploited this fatal flaw, leading to a .201 batting average and a 27% strikeout rate for his career thus far. An improved ability to make contact would bring him much closer to realizing his potential as a five-tool catcher. JT Realmuto and Russell Martin are the latest examples of this rare archetype and serve as the baseline for the modern five-tool catcher.
The backstop from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada has posted a .199/.285/.379 (79 wRC+) slashline in his second full season as Cleveland’s primary catcher, but there is light at the end of this very dark tunnel. After logging a .171/.272/.351(75 wRC+) slash line during the first half of the current season, he has gone .230/.324/.426(110 wRC+) since the All-Star Break’s conclusion in mid-July. It is not hyperbole to say that he has been a completely different hitter during the second half of the 2025 season. In fact, there’s a bevy of statistical and visual evidence to support the idea that Naylor is finally establishing himself as an above-average hitter.
The Proof Is In The Pudding
The first major change Naylor has implemented is centered around his swing decisions. For most of his career, he has only swung at pitches in the bottom third of the strike zone because of his aforementioned grooved swing. This preference has led to a habit of not swinging at hittable offerings over the heart of the plate. He has directly solved this problem by altering his approach to swing at more middle-middle pitches. The two heat maps below illustrate the shift Naylor has made.
The differences between the two graphs are clear, and Naylor was able to make such a change only because he “ungrooved” his swing. He has moved the starting position of his hands further back and shortened the depth of his bat load. The hand placement and deep bat wrap he utilized in the first half often prevented him from putting a good swing on hittable offerings in the heart of the strike zone. These changes have allowed him to be more fluid and more athletic in the batter’s box. The one-minute video below shows the swing and setup Naylor was using in the first half.
This ungrooved swing has enabled Naylor to shrink his strikeout rate (K%) from 27% in the first half of the season to 15.2% in the second half. His 18.6% whiff rate for July 2025 was his first full month with a whiff rate below 20% since July 2023, during his rookie season. If he maintains his 12.7% whiff rate for the rest of August, he will have set a new career low. It would also be his first time logging a whiff rate below 20% in consecutive months.
Naylor has been able to make all of these adjustments without sacrificing his ability to draw walks. His 11.5% walk rate and 0.73 BB/K ratio that he has recorded during the second half are both sustainable if he is able to maintain his refined contact ability. His new swing and approach pass the eye test with flying colors as well. He looks far more comfortable swinging at pitches in the upper two-thirds of the strike zone. Some of the swings he has taken have an uncanny resemblance to his older brother Josh’s actions in the batter’s box. The video below shows some of the picturesque hacks taken by Bo during the second half.
In addition to enhancing his batted ball skills, the modifications made by Naylor have allowed him to make hard contact more frequently. The graph below shows he has gradually improved his hard hit rate (Hard%) and overall contact percentage (Contact%) while chipping away at his swing strike rate (SwStr%). While it is a small sample size, this newly found ability to make hard contact at a high rate is another green flag for his offensive development.
The Bigger Picture
Naylor’s prior history and makeup play a huge part in why I think this is more than just a hot one-month stretch. He learned how to speak fluent Spanish while being fast-tracked through the minors as a cold-weather catcher drafted out of high school. After an abysmal showing during the 2021 season with Cleveland’s Double-A affiliate, his standing as a prospect was at its nadir. A swing overhaul led to his breakout 2022 season with Cleveland’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, where he went .263/.392/.496 with 21 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
If this one-month span of above-average productivity turns out to be a legit offensive emergence for Naylor, there will be ripple effects felt throughout the realms of baseball. His bat could be the difference maker as Cleveland attempts to chase down the New York Yankees for the American League’s third Wild Card Slot. For the first time in more than ten years, MLB would have two active above-average Black catchers: Bo Naylor and Drake Baldwin, with Mariners prospect Harry Ford close behind.
Interesting and encouraging for this Guardians fan. If he hits in the .190s, it isn't obvious Naylor provides more value than Austin Hedges, given Hedges' defensive skills. But with another 30 or 40 points of batting average and the slug that goes with it, Naylor has a greater advantage (especially in Cleveland's lineup).