The Cleveland Guardians overcame a lackluster offense to make the playoffs for a second straight season. It looked like it would doom them, but they were able to overcome it to repeat as AL Central winners.
The Guardians likely cannot afford another stagnant attack this season, and having failed to acquire an upgrade so far this offseason, they will have to rely on internal improvement and the development of some of their prospects. One position they could get more production from is catcher.
With that in mind, analyst Justin Lada is calling for Bo Naylor to step up on offense.
“The last thing I had on my list for what has to happen in 2026 for the Guardians to be a better team than 2025 — I don’t think there’s a way around this — but I think the other piece is Bo Naylor has got to be close to a league-average hitter. I think he’s got to be somewhere around 90 wRC+. I don’t think they can afford another year where their catcher gives them absolutely nothing offensively. I just don’t think that can happen,” Lada said.
Naylor is part of a catching tandem with Austin Hedges, who is seen as the defensive specialist among the two players. That means Naylor is counted on for offense, but he has not delivered consistently in that area.
In 123 games played last season, Naylor batted just .195. He did have 14 home runs, but his OPS was .661, and his wRC+ was 85.
In the same number of games in 2024, he batted .201 with 13 homers but had 122 strikeouts. His wRC+ was 74.
The potential is there, as in 2023, his second MLB season, Naylor had a batting average of .237 with a wRC+ of 123. But that came in just 67 games, so perhaps the additional workload behind the plate takes a toll on his offense.
Naylor is projected to be the No. 8 hitter in Cleveland’s Opening Day lineup, so he isn’t being asked to carry the offense. The Guardians just need a bit more from him than he’s given lately.
With Steven Kwan still around despite persistent trade rumors, and Jose Ramirez showing no sign of a decline, the Guardians have a strong foundation to build on. If rookies George Valera, Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana can live up to expectations, and Kyle Manzardo can continue to develop, the offense should be more productive this season.
If Naylor can contribute as well, Cleveland will have a good chance to win its third straight division crown.
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