Brother ss how way for Canuck draft hopefuls
Noah Naylor has gained a lot from having a top baseball prospect as his older brother.
A role model. A source of competition. Even a nickname.
The 18-year-old Noah, who will likely become the top Canadian selected in the MLB draft on Monday night, earned the moniker Bo as an infant when his brother Josh couldn’t pronounce his name.
“Instead of Noah he’d call me Boah and as I grew it got shortened to Bo and everyone calls me that now,” the Mississauga, Ont., native said with a laugh.
“I think it will be with me for a very long time.”
Noah Naylor has followed in the footsteps of his 20-year-old brother — a prospect in Double-A with the San Diego Padres — doing everything Josh did three years earlier. He’s become a standout on Canada’s junior team, participated in the high school home run derby at an MLB all-star game and played in premier showcase events across the United States.
Three years ago, Noah sat next to his brother on their living room couch and exploded with emotion when Josh’s name was called 12th overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2015 draft.
Josh was the top Canadian picked that year. Now it’s Noah’s turn.
“Having (Josh) and my parents as well going through the whole thing (in 2015), we kinda know what to expect now,” said the younger Naylor, a five-foot-11 catcher who also plays third base. “It showed me that I have to take a lot from this experience because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and just to be humble, that’s the most important part.
“Josh always says, ‘you got to this point being who you are and trusting in your ability,’ and it’s definitely helped ease the whole process.”
The Naylors aren’t the only set of Canadian brothers that will feature prominently in this year’s draft. Tristan Pompey, the younger sibling of Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey, is draft-eligible for a second time as a junior out of the University of Kentucky.
Tristan, also an outfielder, chose Lexington over Minneapolis when he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 31st round in 2015. And he blossomed as a player over three seasons with the Wildcats, helping lead them to their first super regional appearance last year.
“I think coming to Kentucky was probably the best decision I’ve made,” said Tristan, who is ranked second only to Naylor among Canadians heading into the draft, according to the Canadian Baseball Network. “I started off as a skinny little high school kid and I grew into one of the best hitters in the SEC (Southeastern Conference). So it’s definitely something to acknowledge.
“I credit my coaches and I put a lot of work in to try to be the best that I can. Growing from a nobody to a household name in the SEC is quite an accomplishment.”
Pompey started all 66 games as a sophomore in Kentucky’s successful 2017 campaign, batting .361 and leading the team with a .464 on-base percentage. The six-footfour switch hitter led the Wildcats again in 2018 with a .448 OBP and batted .335 over 50 games as they narrowly missed the NCAA postseason.
Pompey is ranked 51st on MLB Pipeline’s overall draft list heading into the first round, while Naylor, who is committed to Texas A&M, is No. 27.
Dalton Pompey, now at triple-A Buffalo, was selected in the 16th round (486th overall) by Toronto in 2010.
While Tristan would often get compared to Dalton as a high schooler, that doesn’t happen much anymore, he said. The younger Pompey described himself as “more offensively oriented” and said his brother has always been a defence-first type of player.
The Pompey boys were playing video games in their Mississauga basement when the Blue Jays drafted Dalton eight years ago. Tristan said it’s been a thrill watching his brother make it to the big leagues.
“It gives you a better perspective that your dreams can become a reality,” he said. “When you have someone close to you that has made it, it just makes it seem more possible that you can make it as well.”
Naylor, meanwhile, said growing up with a star athlete wasn’t always easy.
From baseball to basketball to ping pong to video games, everything is a competition between Noah and Josh — and their 14-year-old brother Myles, who’s also a baseball player.
“In this household, you’ve got to have some fight in you,” Noah said with a laugh.