Josh Naylor of Mississauga, Ontario has had a very productive Major League Baseball Career at first base. He has been a Major League All-Star with the Cleveland Guardians, and taken the Guardians to the postseason on three separate occasions. Now we are seeing greatness from Naylor with his new club, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
On Monday, Naylor accomplished something he has never achieved before. In an 8-4 Diamondbacks win over the Seattle Mariners, he hit his first MLB career walk off grand slam. The four-run dinger came in the bottom of the 11th inning and broke a 4-4 tie. The 387 foot shot to right center field also scored catcher Jose Herrera, second baseman Ketel Marte and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. It was also the second grand slam in Naylor’s career. The first was part of a two-home run, eight RBI game in a 12-9 Guardians win over the Chicago White Sox on May 9, 2022.
Naylor is now batting .297 with Arizona this season with eight home runs and 45 runs batted in. During 65 games, 249 at bats, and 274 plate appearances, he has scored 32 runs, and had 74 hits, 16 doubles, one triple, nine stolen bases, 21 walks, 116 total bases, two sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .352, and a slugging percentage of .466. The two sacrifice flies came in two Diamondbacks wins. The first in a 9-0 Diamondbacks win over the Baltimore Orioles on April 9, and the second in a 5-1 Diamondbacks win over the New York Mets on May 6.