Could top prospect Bo Naylor be a realistic prospect to call up for the Cleveland Guardians?

The Cleveland Guardians may be months away from calling up Bo Naylor.

Bo Naylor is a catching for the Guardians minor league teams and seems to be making some impressive headroom in the minors after a very bumpy 2021 in Double-A. After struggling at the plate in 2021, hitting just .189 for the season with the Rubber Ducks, Naylor has bounced back hard with a solid 2022. He’s hitting .271 this season while having a .427 on-base percentage and a .471 slugging. So far through 2022 in Double-A, Naylor has a .898 OPS.

He also has six home runs, 11 stolen bases, and 21 RBI in 52 games. He also has a nice 20.9% walk rate with the Rubber Ducks so far this season. Once considered to be a long shot to make it to the Majors in 2022, that may have changed with his call-up to Triple-A Columbus.

Naylor is of course the brother of Guardians first basemen Josh Naylor, and there is a lot of desire to see the pair in the same lineup. That’s expected to happen eventually but it may not be this year.

Could Bo Naylor be a Guardian by the end of the season?

Bo Naylor is among the best prospects in the Guardians system and depending on who you ask, may be the best all-around player. His defensive skills are praised routinely and his offense does have some pop, but what will it take to get called up?

Well, at this point the catcher position is really the only everyday position that needs some offensive goosing but as it’s so dependent on chemistry with the pitchers on the field, a bad bat at the position is often accepted if the pitchers like their catcher.

Right now, Austin Hedges is the worst hitter on the team but the pitching staff is very productive on days he starts. That’s not a coincidence. Pitchers trust him and have a good report. He’s able to get the most out of the guys on the mound and that’s often overlooked by a lot of people.

Naylor is still an along-shot to get to the major league level, however. His stats are good enough to see how does against increased competition, yet there’s usually a drop-off when you move up. It’s very likely that Naylor has a solid Triple-A season this year, but may not be ready to be called up just yet.