NOAH’S PARK
Mississauga standout projected to go right around where hometown club picks at No. 12
Mississauga prospect could become the second Naylor to go in the first round of the MLB draft, and he’s ranked right around where the Blue Jays will be picking,
Noah Naylor talks about Monday like it will be just another day. Go to school. Come back home. Chill. It could be anything but for the18-yearold high schooler from Mississauga.
Naylor is considered the top Canadian prospect for major league baseball’s amateur draft, which starts Monday night. In mock drafts by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, the catcher/infielder is projected to go in the first round — as high as No.12, where his hometown Blue Jays will be picking.
“It’s definitely an amazing honour,” Naylor said recently by phone from the Dominican Republic, where he’s playing for the touring Canadian junior team. “I’m very grateful for everyone that helped me get to this point. I’m just trying to keep it as fun as possible.
“That’s the main part of the game. Every time I’m on the field, every time I’m thinking baseball, doing baseball, I’m just trying to have as much fun as I can while I’m working hard.”
The Ontario Blue Jays product is taking cues from older brother Josh. The 20-year-old was drafted 12th in 2015 by the Miami Marlins. Today, he is part of the San Diego Padres organization, batting .314 with the Double-A San Antonio Missions.
Noah recalls not quite grasping the enormity of the moment when his brother was drafted three years ago. But parents Jenice and Chris made sure Noah and younger brother Myles, who also inherited the baseball gene, were there for the oldest member of the clan when it happened.
“Go to school, come back home, maybe some driveway basketball — trying to keep it as fun as possible for him, just so he wasn’t nervous or psyching himself out,” Noah said of that night. “It was a great night overall.”
Staying level-headed is something Naylor is focused on, wherever he ends up. He signed a letter of intent with Texas A&M University last fall, in case things don’t work out with the team that drafts him. That mentality is a hand-medown from his older brother, too.
“He’s always kind of told me: ‘Through everything you go through — your highs, your lows — remain humble. This is a very important and fun experience for you, take the most from it,’ ” Naylor said. “So that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
The Noah Naylor hype took off during last year’s MLB all-star game festivities in Miami, when he participated in the high school home run derby, losing in the final. He was backed by Josh, who splits time between first base and left field and made the Futures game roster.
“I was really nervous,” Noah said.”I had Josh behind me supporting me while I was up there. It was an amazing time in Miami: being a part of the all-star weekend, meeting some amazing players, some new people, being in an MLB ball- park. It’s so hard to explain how amazing of a time it was for me …
“Josh and I, we’ve always had each other’s backs from day one. We’re each other’s biggest fans and we’re always going to be. So just having him on the field — cheering me on while I’m hitting, just having that background noise — it just made it that much better to have him there. I’m very grateful to have him a part of everything that I’ve accomplished up to this point.”
Naylor also sensed his home country was behind him.
“I’ve always felt that I’ve had strong support behind me,” he said. “Canada’s always been known as that country that — whatever sport it is, whoever they’re cheering for — they’re all in and they’re going to have your back no matter what. So I definitely think that being a Canadian baseball player is a great honour.”
As for the Jays, he says the organization was “definitely a very big part of baseball for me.” Growing up, Jays games were always on the TV at home. But as a fan he leans toward the San Francisco Giants, home to his favourite player: catcher/ first baseman Buster Posey.
Whether Naylor’s Canadian heritage plays into the Jays’ thinking at No. 12 remains to be seen. On Thursday’s predraft conference call, Jays amateur scouting director Steve Saunders said it’s a priority for the organization to be well-positioned to scout and acquire homegrown talent, but didn’t talk specifically about Naylor’s talents.
“We take great pride in being the only team in Canada, and I think that absolutely is reflected in the way we scout amateur baseball in Canada,” he said, “not just as it relates to the draft, but also … our presence in amateur baseball throughout the country.”
“Canada’s always been known as that country that — whatever the sport is, whoever they’re cheering for — they’re all in.” TOP PROSPECT NOAH NAYLOR