Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor of Mississauga, Ontario won the 2023 Tip O’Neill Award on Thursday according to the Canadian Press. The 26-year-old former first round pick of the Miami Marlins is the first player in the history of the Cleveland Guardians/Indians to win the award. The Tip O’Neill Award is presented to the best Canadian player in Major League Baseball on an annual basis.
In 2023, Naylor batted .308 with 17 home runs and 97 runs batted in. During 121 games, 495 plate appearances, and 452 at bats, he scored 52 runs and had 139 hits, 31 doubles, 10 stolen bases, 33 walks, 221 total bases, seven sacrifice flies, an on base percentage of .354, and a slugging percentage of .489. Naylor might have had three fewer home runs in 2023 (had a career-high 20 in 2022), but exemplified more consistency at the plate as his batting average was 52 points higher in 2023 than 2022.
Naylor’s most memorable games in 2023 came on May 31 and July 18. On May 31, Naylor had a career-high four hits (one single, two doubles and one home run) and six runs batted in during a 12-8 Cleveland win over the Baltimore Orioles. Then in a 10-1 Guardians win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 18, Naylor had two home runs and six runs batted in. He hit a three-run home run and a two-run home run.
