Round 1 | Josh Naylor | 1B | St. Joan of Arc HS Canada

[emkayseven]

Discuss

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honestly, love that he went with the raw power

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says he models his game after David Ortiz at the bat and Mark Teixeira in the field. lefty hitter

says he could play in RF with his arm

committed to Texas Tech

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Gammons says it's a surprise just because of the position but everyone who's seen him says he's a great pure hitter and if he played RF he'd have been a first half pick for sure

[marlinsfan24]

I don't love the pick, but it could grow on me.

[MiamiHomer]

He was rated the 59th best prospect coming in for whatever that's worth.

[Ralph]

He looked kinda fat in one of the higlights. Huggles gon love him. And I'm game with the power.

[MiamiHomer]

He looked kinda fat in one of the higlights. Huggles gon love him. And I'm game with the power.

He's listed at 6'1" 225.

[tjfla]

Tons of power but gonna be limited to 1B and is very raw. Not a great pick especially since ALL 10 guys they liked were still on the board however if they save cash with the pick(Say 1.75-2 mil to sign) and then reinvest the million later it is a good pick. If we give the kid 3 million it a meh pick

The big reason he was ranked so low is because not 5 tools. Good bat/tons of power but limited in the field

[fauowls44]

Maybe a bit of a reach, but there was buzz about him going as high as 7th earlier. Besides, I was excited when we drafted Colin Moran, so what do I know.

[emkayseven]

He was a player not everyone wanted at his first Ontario Blue Jays practice.

Not because of lack of talent, but because of his age.


And now every major-league team wants Josh Naylor.


Naylor, then 12, and his pop Chris Naylor’s Mississauga North Tigers were working out at a Mississauga facility. Meanwhile, Ontario Blue Jays coach Sean Travers had been giving hitting lessons to Josh’s talented younger brother, Noah, and his North Tigers team of nine-year-olds at the Jays’ clubhouse in Mississauga. Suspecting that baseball talent might run in the Naylor family, Travers invited young Josh to attend the Ontario Blue Jays evaluation camp.


Dan Bleiwas, who had run the amateur Jays program with Travers for the previous 12 seasons, was not thrilled.


“It was maybe the biggest argument Dan and I ever had in all those years,” Travers was saying this week. “Josh registers, Dan sees he’s only 12 and says: ‘Too young, we can’t let him on the field, he might get hurt.’ Josh’s first at-bat, he’s facing an 18-year-old.


“First pitch is a swinging strike, Dan is calling balls and strikes, so he calls strike two on a check swing — basically to get him off the field quickly. Josh isn’t happy. He lines the next pitch past the ear of the 18-year-old pitcher, stole second, stole third. That’s how confident he was.


“Dan said: ‘OK, you’re right, he’s a fit.’”


Heading into Monday night and the start of the annual June draft of high-schoolers and collegians, Naylor is projected to be the first in a parade of Canucks to go in the three-day event. The first 75 picks will be televised on MLB Network, while the remainder of the 40 rounds take place via conference call.


“It’s my 20th year coaching and he’s the best power hitter I’ve ever seen in Canada ... period,” Bleiwas said after a recent game at Millcroft Park in Burlington. “There really is no comparison during that time.”


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How long has Josh Naylor been waiting for Monday night, draft night?


“Since forever,” Naylor, a first baseman, said four sleeps before the big day. “Well, maybe since I was 15.”


After a customer came up and shook his hand, he is sitting in a booth at a Mississauga donut shop without so much as a Timbit or a coffee. He’d just arrived from the 41st annual Mississauga Sports Dinner where he’d been named amateur athlete of the year.


He speaks of his mom, Jenice, who has the best home cooking in Mississauga (chicken fajitas her specialty) after her day is done as a probation officer for Brampton Youth Justice Services.


Of his former coach and full-time dad, Chris, who works in purchasing for Dynamic Tire Corp.


And his younger brothers Noah, now 15 and playing both catcher and shortstop, and Myles, 10, who plays every position at the mosquito level.


The worst part of the pre-draft process for Naylor, in which he has been contacted by all 30 major-league teams, was once being asked by a scout: “If you were an animal, what kind would you be?” Naylor’s answer: “A lion or a tiger.” (A Mississauga North Tiger).


And the best?


“Going through this whole experience with my family and friends — teammates like Darren Shred, Myles Gordon, Troy Daring and Conner Morro. We’re all close, all pulling for each other, a big family ... both teams.”


Besides the Ontario Blue Jays, Naylor — like Brett Lawrie, Phillippe Aumont, Scott Thorman and Kellin Deglan before him — also spends a lot of time with Greg Hamilton’s Canadian junior team.


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In August of 2012, Naylor had finished Grade 9 when he was asked by Walt Burrows, Canadian director of the Major League Scouting Bureau, to play for a futures team against the junior nats at Connorvale Park in Etobicoke.


Facing Cal Quantrill, now in his second year at Stanford, the left-handed hitter flew out to right, then doubled off the top of the fence facing Logan Seifrit, home from playing with the rookie-class Arizona League Mariners, and pulled a ground ball to first facing lefty Travis Seabrooke, who had been drafted by the Baltimore Orioles.


And when the game was over the two teams shook hands.


“Good game. Good luck.”


On and on it went until Hamilton came to Naylor and it went like this:


Hamilton: “What are you doing tomorrow?”


Naylor: “Working out with Brampton. They added me for the bantam nationals.”


Hamilton: “How’d you like to come with us?”


Naylor “Where are you playing?”


Hamilton: “Italy.”


Mom Jenice was off and running in the morning to obtain a same-day passport for her son and then it was off to the airport and Italy.


Three or four games into the trip, Naylor was hitting cleanup.


With the junior team he has been to Korea, Australia, Mexico, Taiwan, Cuba and Italy as well as Lake Buena Vista, Fla., (six times), the Dominican Republic (three trips) and St. Petersburg, Fla. (twice).

Those trips produced 50 at-bats facing drafted players on the two trips to St. Pete, 50 at-bats against pro pitching on all six visits to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports and another 50 from the three treks to the Dominican, where he hit five homers last month.

No wonder scouts say about Naylor: “We have a pretty good history on him ... against some tough pitching.”


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Asked if he could name some of his longest home runs, Naylor shrugs.


Mention teammates from that first trip and away he goes, rhyming them off first by position and then batting order:


Jacob Robson, Brett Siddall, Danny Pinero, Owen Spiwak, Chris Shaw, Kyle Hann and Ryan Kellogg, (who all went to school and are also eligible for this year’s draft as well), plus Gareth Morgan, Jesse Hodges, Nathan De Souza, Dayton Dawe, Seifrit and Seabrooke (who all signed) and Quantrill (who isn’t eligible until next June), plus Mitchell Triolo and Myles Vincent.


The best pitcher he ever faced is an easy one: Shohei Otani of Japan.

“He was 95-98 mph with a plus split, a two-seamer, a change and a curve. I had three strikeouts that day.”

He was 14 at the time.


Growing up, Naylor was a Boston Red Sox fan and still is. His favourite player was then, and remains, David Ortiz.


Ortiz and Naylor are similar in that both are left-handed hitters. Both have big-time power to hit tape-measure homers and cast large shadows in the batter’s box.


Dad and son, two Red Sox fans, would lie on the couch together, pop admiring Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling and his son wearing his Jason Varitek shirt rooting for Ortiz.


Scouts have compared him to 5-foot-11, 275-pound Prince Fielder now of the Texas Rangers and a first-round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002, as well as six-foot, 250-pound Dan Vogelbach, a second-round choice of the Chicago Cubs in 2011.

Naylor is listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds.


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In January of 2013, Naylor was helping out at a Toronto Blue Jays Academy clinic at the Rogers Centre.


Walking to centre field for the team picture, he was introduced to Sandy Alomar, Hall of Fame father of Robbie Alomar.


Told that Naylor can rake, Alomar gazed to his left, looked Naylor up and down and without breaking stride asked: “How’s your discipline?”


Naylor said: “Fine.”


Sandy was asked by a third party: “Do you mean on or off the field?”


Alomar reached across, whacked Naylor in the chest and said: “At the dinner table.”


This is what the draft’s third-ranked power bat has to look forward in the pro world: Have a 1-for-10 streak and his weight is a problem.


Go deep and he’s cuddly.


See David Wells, winner of 239 major-league games.


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Each day when school was over at St. Joan of Arc high, Ontario Blue Jays strength and conditioning coach Chris Walsh would pick up Naylor and drive him to the clubhouse in Mississauga.


On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he’d work on his upper body: Pushups with weights on his back, chest presses laying on his back. He can do six dumbbell chest presses with 100 pounds in each hand.


On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday, it was his lower body.


And on Sunday the day of rest, he didn’t rest. He did yoga.


His 90-minute workout would end at 5 p.m., and then he’d hit for an hour an a half with coach Brandon Dhue and then practise with his team.


“My coaches never gave up on me, they pushed me,” Naylor said giving credit to Pat Visca, Kyle DeGrace, Mike Steed, Dhue, Travers and Bleiwas. And with the Canadian junior team, Hyung Cho, Shawn Bowman, Cory Eckstein, Mike Johnson and Hamilton were helpful.


“Every single coach helped a lot,” Naylor said. “They told me to keep grinding. The thing about baseball is that’s there is always a tomorrow.


“But my father was my most inspirational coach. He knew how to drive me. He still works out with me.”


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A year ago, Gareth Morgan was the top Canuck, selected 74th overall by the Seattle Mariners, who gave the former Ontario Blue Jay and Toronto Mets outfielder a $2-million US signing bonus.


Morgan’s advice to Naylor is to “be confident ... have fun playing.”


“Josh is a more advanced hitter than anyone I’ve ever coached or seen in Canada including Gareth,” said Bleiwas, who doubles as a scout for the Cincinnati Reds. “His raw power is a tick above Gareth’s but, really, you are comparing an 80 power (on a 20-to-80 scale) with 70, so both would be at the very highest end for amateur players. The true separator however is Josh’s ability to hit with power in-game”.


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Naylor says he had a 74.5% average in Grade 12 and enjoyed studying world religion, international business and writers craft in English.


So, how would he write this story of his impending draft?


“How I worked hard, how the toughest part is the waiting and how it’s nerve-wracking,” the author says.


Yet, it’s a career chapter that won’t have an ending until his selection on Monday night.

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/06/05...-for-mlb-draft

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[emkayseven]

ORLANDO, Fla. – Josh Naylor has played baseball in so many different locations over the course of this season that he can’t even remember them all.

Sure, if you ask Canada’s top power hitter heading into next year’s draft where he’s traveled with the Canadian Junior National Team, he can rhyme off each of those trips. But once you factor in some of the other showcases he’s been invited to, including but not limited to the Area Code Games, the Perfect Game All-American matchup, the Under Armour All-America Game and Major League Baseball’s Junior Home Run Derby, the details start to become a little fuzzy.


Of course there is an enjoyable dynamic to getting to travel the world and showcase his skills among the best high school baseball players, and Naylor is quick to talk about the moments he’s relished. But all in all, the first baseman from Mississauga estimates that the number of days he’s spent at home this summer might be in the single digits, and that can take a toll.


“Obviously it’s fun staying in high-class hotels and hanging out with everybody, but you miss home a lot,” the 17-year-old said. “I really miss my brothers a lot and my parents [Jenice and Chris]. We always communicate and we FaceTime once in a while and I’m able to virtually see them, but it’s hard at times. But you’ve just got to keep going with baseball if you want to be successful.”


Naylor has two younger siblings hoping to someday follow in his footsteps, 14-year-old Noah and nine-year-old Myles, both impressive ballplayers at their respective levels. The oldest Naylor brother knows they’re always watching and tries to pass on what he’s learned along the way.


“I tell them just to have fun,” he said. “There are obviously going to be ups and downs, and things aren’t always going to go your way, but you’ve got to have fun with it and just enjoy the moment that you’re in. If you’re in a big game against Mexico in Mexico with ten thousand [fans] there it’s kind of hard not to be excited.”


Naylor did get a little bit excited in the matchup he referenced, when Team Canada took on host Mexico at the Pan Am Games in September. After hitting a big fly ball to bring in three runs in a blowout for the Canadians, he took a little extra time getting around the bases, riling up the hometown crowd – and his father at home in Mississauga.


“They were watching that game,” Naylor said. “They saw [the home run trot] and my dad almost drove off the road…But it was exciting. My adrenaline just took over.”


The high-school hitter practices what he preaches to his brothers, always enjoying his time on the field, and not just in that particular instance.


“Absolutely I’ve had fun,” Naylor said. “Obviously when you have Canada across your chest it’s kind of hard not to have fun…There hasn’t really been a time when I haven’t. I try to take advantage of every opportunity and wherever I am, I try to have the best time there.”


He’s also enjoyed the times when he’s been able to represent the country north of the border on his own, though Naylor feels some added pressure when he’s by himself trying to make an impression in do-or-die showcases between tournaments with the national squad and the Ontario Blue Jays.


“It’s obviously a little harder,” he said. “Because if you don’t do as well as you can you get disappointed and angry with yourself, but it’s absolutely a great time when you’re there. You get to meet new people around the US and compete with the best players all around the US and that’s an honour. You obviously have to take advantage of that opportunity.”


The Naylor family doesn’t often get to see Josh play at the highest level. Chris will travel with his oldest son when Josh is without his teams, but other than that they aren’t usually afforded the chance. It makes it that much more special when they are around.


“Last year my whole family came down [to Orlando] in April and I think my mom and dad are going to [the worlds in] Japan next year,” Naylor said. “My brothers don’t really get a chance to [see him play college or professional competition] so it’s unbelievable when they get to.


“If they come to watch me down here they’re always excited and they’re into the game even though they’re not in the game. They always want the best for me and I love them. I can’t wait to see them.”


Canadian Junior National Team Experience and The Next Level


In Orlando, surrounded by many first-timers on the Canadian Junior National Team to face fall instructional league competition, Naylor vividly recalled his first experience wearing the red-and-white uniform.


“I went 1-for-5 with four punchouts and a triple,” he said. “I was really upset that day because I really wanted to make the roster for [the world championships in] South Korea. Greg [Hamilton, head coach] and I had a conversation and I just took off from there.


“I started doing really well and I had a lot of confidence going into it. For these guys here it’s really now about finding your role on the team and having fun with it and not getting too discouraged when you don’t do as well as you could. They might be the big guys in their towns but now they’ve got to find their spots on this team.”


A veteran player on the junior team now, Naylor feels a sense of responsibility to take on a leadership role among his peers.

“Absolutely,” he said. “In the clubhouse I try to talk to everybody and see how they’re doing and kind of figure them out. Obviously I don’t know the [new players] so I’ve got to talk to them and see how they’re doing and if they need help with something I’ll do it.”


With some of the younger players intimidated by his power-hitting prowess and his presence, Naylor goes the extra mile to make sure he is approachable.


“I always put a smile on my face,” he said. “I [get along] with everybody and I don’t want to be this big guy who nobody really talks to. I try to have fun around the ball diamond and in the clubhouse and in the locker room. I just try to be a really outgoing person.”


After a couple years’ worth of Team Canada travels, to the other side of the world and back, the best part for Naylor is still just the feeling of being among the country’s elite.


“Wearing Canada across my chest is probably my favourite part,” Naylor said. “I still get nervous whenever I put it on; I kind of get chills sometimes. I remember my first day and how important it was to me and…it’s always an honour to be here. I always thank Greg every time I see him, thank him that I’m here again. I’m just really happy to wear the Canada [jersey].”


With so many new players on the roster, Naylor has seen a lot of friends and teammates go, some to post-secondary institutions and others entering the realm of professional baseball. He believes their experiences have helped to give him a better understanding of what his future might hold.


“It’s pretty cool to see how far they’ve gone,” Naylor said. “Obviously Gareth [Morgan signed with the Mariners in June] and then I have a lot of buddies in junior college and university right now. We still keep in contact and I always talk to them.


“They say they’re having the greatest time of their lives right now. Maybe in pro ball it’s a little bit of a grind but they’re at the baseball diamond every day and the people that are at school are in class and then they play baseball after it’s done. They’re all having a great time.”


Naylor, uncommitted to a school, is still weighing his options.


“I think about both school and the draft to be honest,” he said. “And I obviously want to beat whatever my average was last year and do completely better than last year to show people that I’ve upped my game a bit. Then I still think about school and the draft and signing at a good school…I’m going to visit Kentucky, Texas Tech and Arizona State right now.”


When all is said and done and the next year is behind him, Naylor hopes that he has left a positive impact and a sense of pride with the people who have helped him along the way.


“I want to make my parents proud of me,” he said. “I want to do as best as I can this year so they don’t have to work another day in their lives. I just want to do my family well and represent the Ontario Blue Jays and Team Canada well in the draft, find a good school, and hope everyone is proud of me and make sure they are.”

[lou]

He was rated the 59th best prospect coming in for whatever that's worth.

Smells like an under slot bonus coming

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Maybe a bit of a reach, but there was buzz about him going as high as 7th earlier. Besides, I was excited when we drafted Colin Moran, so what do I know.

Yea this. Although it is a bit dissapointing it looks like a sign ability pick. Hopefully there is a strategy here with reinvesting into next few picks

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Aiken?

[fauowls44]

I'm listening to Stan Meek's conference call on Periscope. He says they were considering a couple of college arms, but they didn't want to miss out on one of the few real power bats in the draft. Said that since the power is so rare, you have to go get it when you find it. Talks about his international experience and says that he should move faster up than the average high school player because of it. Compares him to Prince Fielder. Says he's one of the few guys that won't be affected by the size of the park.

[dim]

I agree with whoever said it before that the first thing I noticed on the highlight videos was that he looked a little hefty. 59th prospect is pretty annoying at the 12th overall pick but watch him become Big Papi and shut us all up.

I'm just really surprised Daz Cameron is still on the board. I love the natural athleticism and bat speed he exhibited on videos I've seen and it seemed like a good fit. Him to go late 1st round appears to me like a money thing.

[Namaste]

He's listed at 6'1" 225.

Wikipedia has him at 245 lbs.

He's listed at 6'-1".

I'm 6'-0", 188 lbs

I don't know, man. I feel like he will have more success at 225-230.

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*makes it all about me

[tjfla]

I agree with whoever said it before that the first thing I noticed on the highlight videos was that he looked a little hefty. 59th prospect is pretty annoying at the 12th overall pick but watch him become Big Papi and shut us all up.

I'm just really surprised Daz Cameron is still on the board. I love the natural athleticism and bat speed he exhibited on videos I've seen and it seemed like a good fit. Him to go late 1st round appears to me like a money thing.

Cameron had a 5 million dollar price.

[Miamarlin21]

I like the pick. If he does develop mad big league power, he and G would be a great righty/lefty in he middle of he lineup in a few years. I think what Meek said about all of his experience will help him maturity wise and help him develop quicker.