Brothers Ballin’ | Bo Naylor Is On The MLB Fast Track To Join Brother Josh In Cleveland

Catcher Bo Naylor was hotter than fish grease over the weekend as he drove in six runs to help Double-A Akron put away the Erie SeaWolves.

 

 

Naylor drilled a 96 mile per hour fastball over the right-field wall for a grand slam to put the Akron RubberDucks up 6-1 in the top of the sixth inning. The long ball was his fifth of the season and his 23rd RBI of the year.

 

But if some are good, more is better.

Then, the 21-year-old connected on a two-run moon shot that cleared the scoreboard in the seventh inning for the first multi-home run game of his young career; Naylor tied his career-high in RBI to put the RubberDucks up 11-4.

 

 

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Naylor’s older brother Josh is a first baseman/outfielder for the Cleveland Gaurdians. 

The Canadian MLBbro set an example of how to be the consummate pro. Through 233 at-bats this season, he was hitting .253 with 59 hits which accounted for 28 runs, 21 RBI, 14 bases on balls, 13 doubles, and seven home runs. 

But a gruesome leg injury ended his season prematurely, which left little bro carrying the torch to keep the family name lit.

 

 

Bo, whose first name is Noah, played for the Canadian junior national team, where he took home the MVP award in 2017 and 2018 while also finishing second in the ’17 high school home run derby during All-Star festivities.

 

 

Bo is the number three prospect inside the Guardians’ farm system and the only representative at the Futures Game held last month in Denver, Colorado, during the MLB All-Star break.

 

Noah received the news while  caring for his recovering brother, as they are roommates. He received a call from James Harrison, the Guardians Vice President of player development.

Bo told MLB.com:

“He just asked me about Josh, how the day’s going and how he’s recovering,”

Bo went on to say, “I was just talking to him about the situation, where we were at, and then he said, ‘Well, you know, it’s not all bad news.’”

He went on to congratulate Bo on the selection and how he would be representing the organization.

That honor brings the bros one step closer to achieving the goal of one day taking the field together for the same organization.

 

 

Noah was selected 29th overall by Cleveland in the 2018 MLB Draft, which is the same team who acquired Josh (selected 12th overall by the Miami Marlins in 2015) in a trade with the San Diego Padres last summer.

The brothers became the first Canadian siblings to be drafted in the first round.

 

 

Bo accumulated 34 hits on the season, scored 27 runs, banged home 26 RBI and even swiped four bases.

With a 48-28 record, those numbers have the RubberDucks (winners of four of their last five) on an existing three-game winning streak.

 

Look for Noah to return to the pond as the RubberDucks host the Altoona Curve before a packed crowd as Union Home Mortgage welcome fans back home to Canal Park on August 3, with the first pitch at 6:35 p.m.