There is a reason why Josh Naylor is always so intense

Aug 2, 2025, 12:46 PM

Seattle Sports

Don’t expect to see new Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor chatting it up with opponents when they get first base.

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It isn’t because Naylor doesn’t want to talk or holds a strong grudge against the team he’s facing. He’s simply uber-focused on his defense responsibilities, as he is every facet of the game when he’s on the field.

“I take this serious,” Naylor said Thursday when introduced to Seattle media for the first time at T-Mobile Park. “This is my job and arguably one of my favorite things in the world to do, so I’m always kind of serious and intense and really focused. It’s just because I want to be my best me and perform at my best. I really like being locked in the moment.”

The Mariners landed Naylor in a trade last Thursday with the Arizona Diamondbacks, bringing one of the top bats to move before the trade deadline to the Pacific Northwest.

Naylor is known for his intensity on field, notably going viral for moments like headbutting his manager after a walk-off hit and yelling at hecklers in the crowd after a clutch extra-innings home run on the road. But those aren’t necessarily the moments that define his intensity. It’s how he hones his craft on the field.

Naylor can be seen on the field well before games getting in early work. It’s partially because he admittedly doesn’t enjoy batting practice. The take-five-swings-and-rotate-out pace doesn’t give Naylor the time he wants to prepare.

“I like early work just because I have an hour, whether it’s by myself or with two or three other players, to take as many swings as I want, work on whatever I want really,” Naylor said. “… You have that hour period kind of alone, and I started doing it maybe two or three years ago. Just like strict early work with a few guys, even alone. It’s kind of like meditating in a way.”

Naylor also uses the time to observe what others are doing well and see if he can introduce any of it to his game.

“When you start to understand what gives other people success, you can add it to yourself,” Naylor said. “That’s like the trial-and-error aspect of it, whether it works for you or it doesn’t. Maybe it does, and maybe that’s another tool you have into your toolkit. So, I like when players are early working because I’m able to kind of study them and their swing, and maybe see what Julio does good or Cal does good or whoever the case is does well.”

Naylor said he puts so much time into his preparation because he likes to be steps ahead of his opponent, likening it to a game of chess.

“It’s cool to see how when someone makes a move (in chess), you’re already ready to make that move and counter,” Naylor said. “So, I try to take that into like a baseball form where it’s like … OK, you threw this first-pitch strike or ball, you’re probably gonna go here, here, here, here, here. And if you don’t, you’re probably gonna do this, this and this. When I’m on defense, if I got to hold the runner on, OK, this guy likes to yank the baseball on this certain pitch, so I’m going to jump off two more feet because it’s probably gonna be in this area. And if it’s this pitch, I could stay back here.

“Just kind of game planning. So, that’s why I’m always really focused and kind of like poker-faced.”

The work and focus Naylor puts into the game doesn’t go unnoticed by his teammates. Third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who the M’s also received in a separate trade with the Diamondbacks, noticed it plenty during their time together in Arizona this season.

“He prepares himself. I think he’s a superstar,” Suárez said. “He’s a really good hitter. He’s a very quiet guy. He just prepares himself. He’s always ready to compete. (If) you see him around, he’s always going to be ready, and he’s that guy who likes to compete and he shows up on the field. He’s the guy who likes to win. So I think this is a good move for us, too, to have him. He’s a very, very competitive player, which is good for the team.”