Seattle Mariners’ J.P. Crawford on Josh Naylor: ‘I thought he hated me’

Josh Naylor has fit right in with the Seattle Mariners in the month since joining them in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

But before he came to Seattle, at least one of his new teammates was pretty sure Naylor didn’t care for him. Luckily, that player now has the full picture and knows it wasn’t the case.

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In a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford was asked by host Bob Stelton if he’d had much interaction with Naylor prior to the trade.

Crawford’s response was hilarious, and completely in line with everything M’s fans have learned about Naylor.

“I would try to talk to him at first base but he would always give me short, one-word answers, so I thought he hated me,” Crawford said. “… I kind of got the vibe of like, OK, he probably hates me. I’ll just stop talking to this guy.”

J.P. Crawford gives a little more context to the kind of teammate 1B Josh Naylor is with the #Mariners to @WymanAndBob. 😂

📺: https://t.co/dgNoO1toUA pic.twitter.com/rQ91GzYunG

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) August 23, 2025

Naylor has a reputation for being pretty serious on the field, but his defensive position – first base – is known for having some of the more chatty players in the game. There’s a reason former MLB veteran Sean Casey earned the nickname “The Mayor,” after all.

Naylor has explained his lack of loquaciousness while playing defense, which is that he prefers to focus in on the game rather than engage in small talk with opponents. Being all business when he’s between the lines doesn’t get in the way of Naylor being a good teammate, though.

“Totally different guy once you get to know him and he’s on your side, so definitely happy he’s on our team,” Crawford said.

Crawford appreciates Naylor’s intensity now that he’s had a chance to understand it as a teammate.

“The guy’s a gamer. All he cares about is baseball and just to watch him go about his business every day is really cool to see,” Crawford said. “He’s a true professional.”

Hear the full Wyman and Bob conversation with Seattle Mariners shortstop in the podcast at this link or in the player below. Catch Wyman and Bob live from 2-7 p.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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