Despite his struggles in the postseason, the Cleveland Guardians still had high hopes for Bo Naylor this season.
Unfortunately, he has failed to live up to the hype.
His offense hasn’t been there, and his defense has been a talking point again, even costing the team a game last weekend.
With that in mind, Cleveland sports analyst Bruce Drennan has finally had enough.
In the latest edition of his show, he put Naylor on blast and claimed to be disappointed in him.
He went as far as to compare him with Cal Raleigh:
“I’d be a liar if I didn’t tell you that I’m disappointed in Naylor. I thought he’d be a lot better Major League hitter than what he has shown. Obviously, he has big-time underachieved. We’ve had a real problem with that catching situation. I mean, look at the differential between what the Mariners are getting out of [Cal] Raleigh compared to our combined catching offensive statistics. I mean, it’s a joke,” Drennan said.
Bruce is NOT happy with Bo Naylor as we approach the All-Star Break. #GuardsBall
"I mean look at the differential between what the Mariners are getting out of Raleigh compared to our combined catching."
Presented by #mentornissan https://t.co/ouNQklEmQD pic.twitter.com/iwnpGBZ4tl
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) July 8, 2025
To be fair, most catchers will look bad when compared to Raleigh this season, but he still has a valid point.
Naylor’s defense has been a major issue, and that dates back to last season.
To add insult to injury, he’s hit just .177 with nine home runs and 20 RBI.
The Guardians are getting nothing out of him, and that will lead to a tough decision.
Stephen Vogt, who has repeatedly referred to Austin Hedges as the best defensive catcher in the world, will have to decide whether to turn to the veteran backup or continue to stick with the youngster.
On paper, Naylor is the future of the team at the position, and with the season most likely down the drain, perhaps they will allow him to grow through his mistakes.
Demoting him could have a disastrous result, as it would only continue to hurt his already shattered confidence.
But if they want to try to make a postseason run this year, they might have no choice but to bench him.
NEXT: Guardians Offense Is Showing Marked Improvement In Last 2 Games
