BALTIMORE — Josh Naylor spent May in a funk. Ditto for the first part of June.
Things have changed rather dramatically.
MLB named Naylor the American League Player of the Week on Monday based on his performance over the last six games. While the Guardians were going 5-1, their first baseman was hitting .400 (10 for 25) with three doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs and seven runs.
It is the first such award for Naylor and the first for the Guardians this season. The last Cleveland player to be named Player of the Week was Steven Kwan in September of 2022.
Naylor hit .282 (29 for 103) with seven homers and 24 RBI in March and April. He hit the skids in May, hitting .186 (19 for 97), but was still dangerous as his eight homers and 18 RBI attest.
The left-handed-hitting Naylor struggled in early June as well, but his swing is coming back to him. He entered Monday’s game with 23 RBI in his last 21 games. On June 19, Naylor homered twice and drove in four runs in an 8-0 win over Seattle.
In Sunday’s 6-5 win over the Jays, Naylor tied a career-high with his 20th homer. He also hit 20 in 2022.
Overall, Naylor is hitting .244 (66 for 270) with 12 doubles, 20 homers and 58 RBI. He leads the team in intentional walks with six, four more than José Ramírez. In 2022 and 2023 Ramírez led the big leagues with 42 intentional walks.
