TORONTO – Josh Naylor loved his first experience playing for Canada at World Baseball Classic back in 2017. The Cleveland Guardians slugger was just 19 then, about to hit high-A for the first time and pinch-hit twice during an experience designed, in part, to prep him for the next edition of the tournament, which is coming up in March.
“It’s an honour to be there facing incredible competition,” said Naylor, now 25. “That's why I play this game – you want to face the best of the best and I feel like it helps you as a player mentally and physically. You learn a lot about yourself. And hopefully you just win, man. That's the goal, to win and enjoy yourself and the teammates while you do it.”
Still, as much as he wants to be part of the group that will face off against the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Great Britain in Phoenix, his status for the Classic’s fifth instalment is very much in the air. And as he gathered with fellow national team members past, present and future Saturday night during Baseball Canada’s first awards banquet since the pandemic, the way it’s tearing at the hard-hitting first baseman/outfielder was clear.
“I don’t know,” Naylor said quietly when asked if he’ll be available, an uncertainty driven by the gruesome injury he suffered June 27, 2021, when suffered a closed fracture and dislocation of his right ankle along with torn ligaments.
Though Naylor appeared in 122 games for Cleveland – batting .256/.319/.452 while adding a memorable homer off Gerrit Cole during the post-season, everyone wants to be smart about how the wear and tear of playing for Canada so early in the spring could potentially impact his ankle.
After spending all of last winter rehabilitating, he described this off-season as “normal-ish,” and wants to be sure he’s ready to go when the Guardians begin defence of their AL Central title.
“I'm still kind of rehabbing it along the way. It's not to a point where I can stop rehabbing,” Naylor said of the ankle. “I am focusing on different aspects of the off-season, whether it's different body movements or different workouts. But I still rehab it kind of every day. I still want to make sure I check that box off and take care of it because if I keep getting it stronger over the years, it's just going to benefit me and I can get back to 100 per cent healthy.”
Naylor’s dilemma is also the nationals team's dilemma, one all-too-familiar for a baseball country with plenty of elite talent but not enough depth to counter both the game’s inevitable attrition, and the politics players must navigate between club and national team.
Joey Votto, working his way back from major surgery on his left shoulder, also wants to play but is unlikely to be available even if he’s ready in time. Jameson Taillon, who started for Canada against the Americans in the 2013 tournament, is a no-go after signing a $68-million, four-year deal with the Chicago Cubs as a free agent this winter.
Then there’s former all-star Mike Soroka, the Atlanta right-hander who has essentially missed the past three seasons after twice rupturing his right Achilles tendon, who wants to play in the Classic “more than ever” but understandably cannot.
“Obviously with injuries the last couple of years, it wouldn't be a great thing for where I need to be in my career and re-establishing myself as just being able to play baseball,” he said. “Just getting back together with these guys makes you feel like this is the team that keeps going. This is your family. You can't get traded from this one. It's the one that is always going to feel like home. I know a lot of us feel the same way and we want to go out and fight for our country.”
The Canadians still appear poised to be formidable, regardless.
As things stand, they appear set to line up around the diamond with Freddie Freeman at first base, Abraham Toro at second, Otto Lopez at shortstop, Charles Leblanc at third base, Bo Naylor (Josh’s younger brother) at catcher, Jacob Robson in left field, Tyler O’Neill in centre and Jared Young in right.
Edouard Julien, a fast-rising Minnesota Twins prospect, will have his role determined by what happens with Josh Naylor. Another up-and-comer, Owen Caissie, will be on the bench in the learning-opportunity role Josh Naylor had back in 2017.
Anchoring the pitching staff are starters Cal Quantrill and Nick Pivetta and relievers Matt Brash, Rowan Wick and Rob Zastryzni. Prospects like Jordan Balozovic and Mitch Bratt will have a role while veterans like John Axford, Andrew Albers, Phillippe Aumont and Adam Loewen will be on the club if ready and able.
A new addition to the coaching staff will be Russ Martin, who played in the 2009 tournament and served as an honorary coach in 2017 when he wasn’t granted permission to suit up.
“This is going to be a fun experience,” said Martin. “I'm going to be in the bullpen helping Cal's dad (Paul Quantrill) run that show. Obviously I've got a lot of learning to do, I'm new to the whole coaching gig, but I’ll definitely be sharing the experience that I have from behind the plate, whether it's part of preparing a plan to beat a certain lineup or anything, really. There to have a good time to help our team win a couple of games and move on to the next round.”
Ernie Whitt returns as manager and he plans to have Martin also work closely with Bo Naylor, the 22-year-old Guardians backstop who broke through to the majors at the end of last season.
“I told Russ I'd like him to work on game-planning with him along with the pitchers,” said White. “There's a lot of experience there that hopefully will help.”
Players like Bo Naylor sometimes find themselves in a position where participating in the Classic risks affecting their ability to make a team – reliever Zach Pop’s need to win a job on the Toronto Blue Jays, for instance, is keeping him from playing this time.
The catcher is on steadier ground.
“There's an understanding that I was going to make this commitment if granted the opportunity and a lot of the guys over there have wished me luck for this experience,” he said. “I'm very fortunate and I'm very grateful to be able to be in this position.”
That leaves the uncertainty for older brother Josh, who overcame one set of hurdles to return to the majors last season and must now make sure he keeps clearing them.
A key point of progress for him was “playing without any fear (about his ankle) and not letting that hold me back or stop me from pursuing opportunities or trying different things.”
“Just pushing myself with that whole leg situation,” added Josh, “was my biggest thing last year.”
This year, Canada’s pain may be necessary for the Guardians’ gain.
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