Josh Naylor DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor had a big game in a 9-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. Naylor went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI to help power his team to victory. The veteran hit a solo shot off Dean Kremer in the fifth inning, giving him his first homer of the season. Overall, it has been a solid start to the season for Naylor, who is hitting .340 with seven runs, nine RBI, and three steals over 47 at-bats. He will look to keep adding to his homer total moving forward.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor went 1-for-3 with a double, walk, and two RBI in his team's 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. The former first-round pick got the scoring started for the Diamondbacks, driving in Corbin Carroll when he grounded into a double-play in the first inning. His next RBI came in the bottom of the fifth when he rocked a double to the right-field corner. Despite not connecting on a home run yet, Naylor has been strong to start 2025. He's batting a crisp 13-for-43 (.302) with five doubles, six RBI, six runs scored, and an impressive 3:7 K:BB ratio. The 27-year-old's launch angle is down a smidge so far this season, but he's been hitting the ball harder in early 2025 than he had last year (91.6 MPH).

According to Robert Murray of FanSided.com, the Arizona Diamondbacks and first baseman Josh Naylor have agreed to a one-year, $10.9 million contract to avoid salary arbitration. The Diamondbacks acquired Naylor earlier this offseason via a trade with the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi. Last season in Cleveland, Naylor posted a .243/.320/.456 slash line with 31 home runs and six stolen bases. He also tallied an impressive 108 RBI. This was his second straight campaign tallying at least 97 RBI. He generated a solid .335 xwOBA and a .443 xSLG. With Christian Walker now in Houston, fantasy managers should expect Naylor to operate as the everyday first baseman in Arizona. He should continue to be viewed as an elite option for RBI and will now bat behind Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Arizona Diamondbacks are acquiring first baseman Josh Naylor from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance Round B draft pick. Naylor has spent the past four seasons with Cleveland after making his major league debut in San Diego. Last summer, the 27-year-old posted a .243/.320/.456 slash line with 31 home runs, 27 doubles, and 108 RBI. He also swiped six bags. Under the hood, he generated an above average .335 xwOBA, and a .443 xSLG. In addition, he also posted a solid 16.6% K rate. Naylor has been a great RBI producer as he has tallied at least 97 RBI in each of the past two seasons. With Christian Walker now playing in Houston, fantasy managers should expect Naylor to see the vast majority of starts at first base in the desert. He should see similar RBI production batting behind Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte. Cecconi has held a career 6.06 ERA across 104 major league innings and will likely compete for a spot on the Opening Day Roster.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor has been mentioned in trade talks between the Guardians and Seattle Mariners this offseason, according to sources. Naylor is one of multiple names under consideration by the Mariners as they look for an offensive upgrade at first base. Free-agent first baseman Christian Walker is another name that the Mariners could consider as they look for another bat this winter. The 27-year-old Naylor was a first-time All-Star in 2024 and finished with career-highs in home runs (31), RBI (108) and runs scored (84) while stealing six bases and slashing .243/.320/.456 with a .776 OPS in a career-high 152 regular-season games. His drop in average can be attributed to him facing more left-handers over the course of a full season. Repeating his 30-homer season will be difficult, especially if he heads to T-Mobile Park with less protection in the lineup.