The Cleveland Guardians are finally reaping what they sowed.
Stephen Vogt’s team has put a lot of work into getting to this point.
Sometimes, the work doesn’t show.
But in Bo Naylor’s case, it’s pretty evident.
As shown by the MLB Network on X, the young catcher had to make a minor adjustment to his swing.
“He’s having a huge September. He’s hitting over .300 in September. I don’t know where this came from because, let’s face it, he was bad the whole year. On August 15th, he finally made an adjustment at the plate that is paying off in September. He went through so many different changes. If you go back to early in the year, you’re going to see he had so much going on at the plate. Now, he’s staying behind the baseball where the head doesn’t move nearly as much. That’s all because he’s quieted the lower half with the little toe tap. This guy was underwater for five months. Kept working hard at finding a solution—he did,” Verducci said.
Bo Naylor began incorporating a toe tap in his swing back in August and things started to click at the plate.
Tom Verducci takes a look at the @CleGuardians catcher and his offensive turnaround this season 🧐 pic.twitter.com/jToqqwizMA
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) September 24, 2025
Not so long ago, Naylor was a liability for this team.
His defense left a lot to be desired, and he wasn’t making up for that at the plate, either.
Fast forward to today, and he’s one of the hottest sluggers in the league right now.
Not only has he been instrumental to the team’s late-season run, but he’s also proven why he’s worth keeping around for the long run.
There was a point when people asked whether Stephen Vogt would finally bench him and roll with the defensive-oriented Austin Hedges.
Hedges is a proven veteran and an elite defender, but he’s nowhere near the hitter Naylor has shown the potential of being.
Props to Vogt for sticking with his young player through thick and thin, and Naylor also deserves all the credit in the world for working on his swing and fixing what needed to be fixed.
The Guardians are trending in the right direction at the right time.
And even though there’s still plenty of baseball to be played, it’s easy to feel excited about this team and its potential.
NEXT: George Valera Opens Up About Journey To MLB
