1B Josh Naylor: 1st Round (12th Overall)- Miami Marlins [Signed]
With the 12th pick of the first round (12th overall) the Miami Marlins selected powerful high school first baseman Josh Naylor.
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
Teams: Canadian Junior National Team, Ontario Blue Jays
Coaches: Dan Bleiwas, Sean Travers, Greg Hamilton
College Commitment: Texas Tech
Twitter Handle: @JoshNaylor44
Signing bonus: $2.25 Million
Slot Money: $3,051,800
Scout: Steve Payne
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 65 | Run: 20 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 50
Rated: 59th on MLB.com Prospect Watch. 65th on Perfect Game's top 500 combined list of HSers and collegians, 3rd best power HS hitter in North America and 2nd ranked highschool Canadian. 61st on Baseball America's top 500 HS combined list and 2nd ranked HS Canadian.
Scouting Reports:
Baseball America
The value of power in today's game is higher than it has been in quite some time, allowing players like Josh Naylor to really stick out. Like Demi Orimoloye, Naylor has a long track record as a member of both the Canadian Junior National Team and the Ontario Blue Jays. He erupted onto the national scouting scene at a very early age and has been famous since his early high school days, as he often played with older prospects.
He has elite bat speed and power, but with a thick body that lacks projection, Naylor is a first-base only prospect, putting a lot of pressure on his lefthanded bat. His best tool is his plus-plus raw power, which allows him to shine in a batting practice session, though he showed some swing-and-miss last summer. He can get pull happy, as he often extends early and punishes baseballs before they get deep into the hitting zone.
While Naylor has an above-average arm, his lack of foot speed limits him first base. There are some questions about his maturity, but Naylor is a likeable kid who gets along with teammates well. He is committed to Texas Tech.
Perfect Game
Teams love power and no one has more of it than the big Canadian lefthanded slugger. Naylor compares closely to Chicago Cubs prospect Dan Vogelbach, their second round pick in 2011, except that Naylor is a better all-around athlete.
MLB Prospect Watch
In 2014, Canadian slugger Gareth Morgan was taken in the second round, No. 74 overall. In 2015, there are two Canadian position players who could best Morgan. Demi Orimoloye is the toolsier one, with Naylor the safer bet to hit at the next level.
It will be his bat that will be his calling card. The Texas Tech commit makes hard, consistent contact from the left side of the plate, something that should improve even more as he refines his approach. There is a ton of power in the bat as well, with the potential to be a serious home run threat in the future. The other parts of Naylor's game lag behind as he is a well below-average runner and doesn't really have a true defensive position, though first base is likely to be his home.
The team taking Naylor in the top few rounds will be buying his power potential, even if his best position will always be "batter's box."
Naylor's flight: Santo Domingo-Miami-Marlins Park-Toronto
Marlins went to Ottawa to see Naylor
Naylor showed his talent at early age