Mariners' Josh Naylor is heating up in a way that's familiar to Guardians fans

It was easy to see when Josh Naylor was locked in during his five-year run with the Guardians. While his stance always looked the same, there was just always a way to tell when everything with his stance and swing was synced up. 

We’ve finally reached a point where that’s happening for him this season after his horrifically slow start. 

After posting a 3-for-5 showing on Tuesday against the Twins with a home run and four RBI, Naylor is now slashing .405/.465/.622 across his last 10 games while serving as an offensive catalyst for a Mariners team that’s beginning to find its groove. 

While Naylor was no stranger to deep slumps during his time with the Guardians, his season-opening slump this season was on another level. By the time the middle of the month rolled around, the 28-year-old was hitting just .118 with a .390 OPS. That’s about as bad as it can get. 

Whether it was Naylor feeling pressure from the five-year, $92.5 million contract that he signed in the offseason or teams having an offseason to adjust to him after his great half-season in Seattle, it was clear he was lost. 

But then something clicked, and the version of Naylor that endeared himself to Guardians fans began to show up. Naylor rattled off three multi-hit efforts from April 17 to April 22 before hitting his first home run of the year against the Cardinals on April 24. 

Josh Naylor is starting to look like the version of himself that made him a fan favorite in Cleveland

That was followed by that aforementioned homer against the Twins. Although the ball traveled “just” 390 feet, it resulted in one of Naylor’s best pimp jobs where he flipped his bat while standing in the right-handed batter’s box. 

“Some days are going to be really, really good,” Naylor told MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer after the series ended. “Some days are going to be really, really bad. That's just the name of the game. But if you can control and have a professional at-bat every time, the results will come eventually.”

It’s sage advice, and it seems clear that Naylor’s taken it to heart. Now the biggest thing for him will be if he's able to keep his rise up. 

Even with his hot three weeks, he still has an on-base percentage of just .286. He still isn’t striking out a ton, he has an average exit velocity of 87.4 miles per hour. He’s making contact; it’s just not great contact. 

Still, it’s clear that he’s on the upswing after his horrific start to the season, and it has coincided with the Mariners playing some of their best baseball of the season. 

We said earlier this year that it was only going to be a matter of time until Naylor got hot again. That time is now.

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