The Cleveland Guardians have had a roller coaster of a 2025 MLB season that has featured long stretches of offensive ineptitude, the trade of a former Cy Young winner, two key members of the pitching staff being away from the team due to gambling investigations, and a disastrous 10-game losing streak that saw the team get shut out five times.
Despite it all, Cleveland sits just three games back in the American League Wild Card race, with catcher Bo Naylor at the heart of it all, still working to generate the consistency this lineup and pitching staff needs from him.
Naylor recently revealed an adjustment he made in his approach at the plate in an article from Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes, saying he is getting comfortable with the implementation of a toe tap.
“Our hitting group, looking at video from a different angle, they figured my loading pattern was better suited for a toe tap — foot on the ground — as opposed to a leg kick,” said Naylor. “I was a little inconsistent in getting to the same position with the kick, so they felt the toe tap would allow me to get to the ground earlier and let my body sequence the way it’s meant to. It’s been a good progression. There are some things to clean up and work on, but it’s been going well so far.”
You wouldn’t know it by the results, as Naylor is still hitting just .179 on the season with a .634 OPS (including a .523 OPS in August), but sustainable long-term results don’t always take effect right away.
He did have four hits on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, so it’s possible the changes are starting to pay off, and he could get hot over the next few weeks.
The most notable change of late has been the lack of strikeouts, as Naylor has only been punched out six times in his last 52 plate appearances.
That is usually a sign of good things to come, and if Naylor can put it all together, he has the talent to be one of the best catchers in the league and a true foundational piece for this team for years to come.
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