Bo Naylor’s terrible, horrible, very bad, no good, first day on the job for the Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians have called up Bo Naylor but patience is the key.

As of press time, the Cleveland Guardians have dropped their first of a doubleheader against the New York Mets. Bo Naylor saw his first action against Major League pitching and went 0-2, being brought in to replace Mike Zunino, who was 1-2 on the day. Naylor’s 0-2 outing was not how fans wanted to see him start things off, and the fact that Trevor Stephan blew a one-run lead in the 8th is not going to sit well with those who said Naylor wasn’t ready.

Naylor’s first outing as a defensive catcher, the first inning he played defense in the majors, he caught and called Stephan. A usually very good pitcher. Now, did Stephan give the Mets an easy pitch to hit, or was it Naylor’s call that ended up being wrong that allowed the Mets to take the lead?

If you blame one or the other, just hang on, because Naylor’s day isn’t over. See, with a runner on first, and with two outs, Naylor came up to the plate with the chance to either tie up the game or give the Guardians the win.

So what did the uber-prospect do when the game was on the line? An infield liner to first for an easy game-ending out.

Cleveland Guardians fans need to be patient with Bo Naylor

I don’t think Bo Naylor is ready for major league action. His .260 average is very pedestrian for your average Triple-A prospect, but for someone as vaunted as he is, it’s even more disconcerting. Averages drop the more you get called up, and the better pitching you face. It’s very rare that someone is very average in the minors and explodes in the majors.

Even more concerning is Naylor’s defense, which has been objectively bad all year long, including but not limited to his inability to throw out runners. Teams steal on Naylor like it’s a 24/7 Walmart with no security or metal detectors.

He was saved with his pitch selections thanks to the talent he was calling games for, Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee, so we don’t really know if he’s an elite game caller.

Guardians fans are going to need to give him time and be prepared if he struggles or even fails at the Major League level. He’s not ready yet to be a major contributor to the team and may take a few weeks, even a few months, for us to know if he can be ready or will ever be ready to do just that.

So while Naylor had a bad first outing for the Guards, patience is imperative.