6 Bright Spots from the Cleveland Guardians 2023 season

2. Bo Naylor Appears Ready to Take Over as Cleveland's Full-Time Catcher

It took longer than anyone would have liked, but Bo Naylor looks like he is ready to be the Guardians' regular backstop as soon as next season.

Finishing with a slash line of .237/.339/.470 in 67 games, the younger Naylor would collect 13 doubles and hit 11 home runs while driving in 32 runs, resulting in a weighted runs created plus of 124 in his brief time in the majors. Bo was clearly the best-hitting catcher that the Guardians employed this season, even though the team employed the services of six other catchers at various points.

The final 28 games of the season were truly impressive for Naylor, slashing .321/.434/.670 with an OPS of 1.113 in 99 plate appearances. Naylor would hit eight doubles and seven home runs during this span, and a ridiculous 200 weighted runs created plus.

It is unrealistic for Bo to continue what he was able to show over the final month and a half of the season, but he should be able to settle in somewhere in the middle of the slash line department while seeing his wRC+ stabilize. The Guardians should begin next year with Naylor as their everyday catcher while finding a decent backup to give him days off as needed.