Has the hype gotten too loud around Bo Naylor’s eventual main roster run

Bo Naylor is coming to the main roster but have fans over-hyped the young prospects’ eventual impact?

Bo Naylor should be a very good major league player. The Cleveland Guardians are hoping for that, having called him up to the main roster once again this season. The first time, it was just for one game, in which he didn’t make an impact. Now, it’ll be against the Arizona Diamondbacks. While we don’t know for sure how long the younger Naylor brother is going to be on the main roster, the hope is that he’s here to stay.

Barring any struggles at the plate or behind it.

I think Naylor’s numbers aren’t going to be as impressive in the majors as they have been in Triple-A Columbus, but he’ll be a massive upgrade at the plate over Mike Zunino. I think he’ll hit around .220-.240, and will probably be able to deliver some power as well. I don’t think he’s going to be the next Yadier Molina or Joe Mauer, but he’ll be a solid upgrade over Zunino on a regular basis.

I just don’t think he’s going to be hitting near .300. I think he can, and I think it’s too early to call him up, but I don’t think he’s going to fall flat on his face. The concern is that we’re going to see yet another version of Bradley Zimmer, Michael Aubrey, and Matt LaPorta; a top-tier prospect rushed through to help the club.

That’s the worry, that’s not what I’m hoping for. I hope Naylor is ready.  I hope he goes yard every game. I hope he wins the MVP in just four months of action. I also just hope that he’s a passable big-league hitter.

But I’m afraid some fans have lost sight of that.

Are the expectations around Bo Naylor fair?

I don’t think the fans are being fair to Naylor. They cherry-pick his best moments and act like they’re a regular occurrence. That he can do that on a nightly basis. I don’t think he can, mostly because no baseball player can, and I think fans are going to turn on him quickly.

He hasn’t been a guy who hits for a high average in his career, nor is he someone who is known for his patience at the plate. He’s wildly inconsistent. Against bad pitchers, he can work a count and get a walk at least, but he’s also shown to be way too comfortable chasing junk.

That’s only going to happen far more in the major league. I don’t think he’s going to keep the same walk: strikeout ratio he had in the minors, and I think he’s going to look very pedestrian. But that’s ok, because honestly, as long as he can play better than Zunino as a rookie, people will give him a pass.

But rookies often struggle and it’s possible, if not likely, that Naylor does too. After all, look at Gabriel Arias. He’s yet to find his swing at the major league level.

• Published on 06/18/2023 at 01:31 AM
• Last updated at 06/19/2023 at 00:47 AM