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San Diego Padres: Scouting Report on 1B Josh Naylor

By Benjamin Chase

Jul 10, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; World batter Josh Naylor hits a RBI single in the 6th inning during the All Star Game futures baseball game at PetCo Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; World batter Josh Naylor hits a RBI single in the 6th inning during the All Star Game futures baseball game at PetCo Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 10, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; World infielder Josh Naaylor (left) is tagged out by USA catcher Carson Kelly in the 6th inning during the All Star Game futures baseball game at PetCo Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; World infielder Josh Naaylor (left) is tagged out by USA catcher Carson Kelly in the 6th inning during the All Star Game futures baseball game at PetCo Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Future Outlook

It took all of two seconds of Naylor’s swing to know exactly who I saw in him – fellow former Padre John Kruk. Kruk also came up in the Padres organization. Kruk had a very solid contact swing, and that became an issue for many teams who wanted to see him as a power hitter due to his role at a first baseman.

Kruk found a team in the Phillies who appreciated his contact skills and were willing to live with them, and he thrived there, but by then, he was already past 30, and his body had started to betray him. After the 1993 World Series team, during which Kruk would hit .316/.430/.475, Kruk had a total of 489 plate appearances due to injuries. However, Kruk also took until he was 25 to break into the major leagues, partially due to his contact-focused skill set at first base.

I could see a similar path for Naylor, working his way up to AA quickly, but hanging between AA and AAA for a while as he builds his strike zone judgement, waiting for a chance to show himself, but like Kruk, the chances may be few and far between for his skill set at a position that will likely expect different results from a guy at his build.

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Naylor’s play in high-A with the Padres Lake Elsinore has been solid, though his lack of zone judgement continues to be an issue. Playing well at high-A already at 19 is impressive, though, and it should show well for him. I would wager that the Padres start him there again in 2017 with an eye on promoting him quickly if he shows well.

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