When the Seattle Mariners acquired Josh Naylor before this year’s trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks, his potential with the bat made him desirable. He was slashing .292/.360/.447 with a 122 OPS+ with Arizona and was a hot name leading up to July 31 as a rental who could solidify the lineup of a contender for the stretch run. Naylor hit 11 homers and drove in 59 runs with the Diamondbacks, providing value in the middle of the order. While he’s continued to produce since becoming a Mariner, posting a 120 OPS+ since the transaction, another stat has been even more eye-popping than what he’s done at the plate – his stolen bases.
Josh Naylor Has 11 Steals In Just 20 Games With Seattle Mariners
Naylor stole 11 bags in 93 games with Arizona. In just 20 games with Seattle, he has already matched that total. Since he was traded on July 24, Naylor is tied with Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the most steals in baseball with 11. The last thing you would assume about a 5-10, 235-pound first baseman is his ability on the basepaths. In fact, Naylor boasts just a sprint speed of 24.5 feet per second – a mark that is in the third percentile of MLB. If he’s not fleet of foot, how is Naylor racking up stolen bases?
The essence of stealing bases is an art in itself. No matter how fast you are, there isn’t a guarantee for getting bags. Even the fastest players in baseball have obstacles to overcome on their quest to take second or third base. Elly de la Cruz stole a league-leading 67 bases in 2024 and his new manager, Terry Francona, referenced what more he could do to be a smarter basestealer and baserunner. The players who are known for their speed don’t have the unpredictability of catching the defense off guard. Therefore, they must still study a pitcher’s delivery, be aware of the count, and get good secondary leads to be efficient and effective.
Josh Naylor Using Element Of Surprise & Aggression To Steal Bases
This is what Naylor seems to have gotten down to a tee. Obviously, with his physical attributes, opposing teams haven’t expected him to run. So he’s taken advantage of that by doing all he can before the catcher receives the pitch to maximize his chance of sliding into the next base safely. As a Diamondback, Naylor had an average lead distance of three feet on stolen base opportunities. Now in Seattle, that has jumped to 4.4 feet as pitchers still don’t pay much attention to Naylor as he creeps more and more off of the bag. On stolen base attempts, he has garnered 1.2 more feet worth of leads as a Mariner than a Diamondback.
Using these increased leads, he’s simply been more aggressive. Controlling the running game is just as much on the pitchers as it is the catchers and Naylor is frequently over halfway to the next base before a catcher can get out of his stance. In 100 steal opportunities so far with Seattle, Naylor has a nine percent stolen base rate – a substantial leap from his 1.6 percent clip in Arizona. He has already tallied eight more advanced bases than the average player as a Mariner, making his skill of stealing bases a game-changer.
Josh Naylor Capitalizing On MLB’s New Rules
Before last season, MLB implemented rules to create more action on the bases, with limited pickoff attempts and the pitch clock. Naylor has capitalized on these changes by being one of the smartest base stealers even as one of the slowest. Traded from the Cleveland Guardians to Arizona in the 2024 offseason, the 28-year-old is in a contract season. As the Mariners push for a playoff spot and maybe even a division title, Naylor is once again producing offensively while adding another tool to his bag as he awaits a big payday this winter.
