Meet the 3rd Naylor brother, who's waiting in the wings

This story was originally published on June 21. We have updated it to reflect Myles Naylor being drafted No. 39 overall by the Athletics.

PHOENIX -- For the first time this season -- and in what promises to be a frequent occurrence moving forward -- Guardians manager Terry Francona wrote the names of two Naylors in his starting lineup for his club’s June 18 game against the D-backs at Chase Field.

The veteran skipper was asked afterward if he’s comfortable with the concept of putting rookie catcher Bo Naylor and his older brother, Josh, in the same batting order.

“I’ll tell you what,” Francona responded, “I’m comfortable putting three.”

In the stands that day was -- yes -- yet another Naylor, an 18-year-old third-base prospect named Myles who had impressed Francona with his physical build and the potential that comes with his pedigree. While Myles is a long way from joining his brothers in the bigs, there was a certain, subtle ceremony to the older Naylors leaving town after that day’s game and the youngest Naylor taking their spot on the Chase Field stage just a couple days later for the MLB Draft Combine.

Myles’ older brothers have been anticipating his arrival to the professional fraternity.

“I feel like there’s not a moment where it’s not in my mind,” Bo said. “It’s something that we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. It’s kind of crazy just realizing how fast time has flown for him to get to this point.”

Myles, who was selected by the A's with the 39th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, has a collegiate opportunity at Texas Tech looming, should he not sign.

Following his brothers’ big footsteps (Josh was taken 12th overall by the Marlins in 2015, Bo went 29th overall to Cleveland three years later) doesn’t seem to faze Myles, who, like Josh and Bo, played prep ball for St. Joan of Arc Catholic High School in the family’s Mississauga, Ontario, hometown.

“I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel any pressure,” Myles said. “But I think, over the years, I’ve learned to deal with the pressure of being the younger brother more and more. There’s definitely pressure. They’re great players. They’ve done great things in baseball. But at the end of the day, I try to play my own game and remind people that I’m Myles Naylor.”

So what should we know about Myles Naylor?

Well, let’s ask his brothers.

“He’s a good runner, great hitter, phenomenal arm, really good speed,” Josh said. “I feel like a lot of people try to compare brothers to each other. I don’t think you can do that. I think he’s his own, separate, different player. He’s going to have his own success doing things his own way, and I’m looking forward to his journey.”

Said Bo: “Honestly, he’s got an incredible arm. He can hit the ball all around the field. He can move it all around with pop around the field. He fields his position really well, and the guy can run a little bit. I feel like he can cover all parts of the game really well. As time goes on, he’s just getting smarter, always asking us questions. So honestly, I think he’s a full package.”

Upon first inspection, Myles’ resemblance to Bo (who is still known within the family by his birth name Noah) is striking.

But as Josh said, Myles, who just turned 18 in April, is his own man. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 -- three inches taller than Josh and two inches taller than Bo -- with the athletic build for the left-hand side of the infield.

Though Myles played shortstop in high school, scouts see him settling in at the hot corner.

“Whatever happens,” he said, “I’ll be successful and make it work.”

That’s the kind of confidence that comes from being immersed in the sport from a very early age.

The Naylor boys, of course, fulfilled their Canadian obligation by also playing hockey as kids. Baseball, though, is what spoke to them.

“I think baseball was just a really, really cool chess match,” said Josh, “and we enjoyed how competitive it was and how hard it is.”

It didn’t hurt that baseball was the favorite sport of their father, Chris.

“Baseball was one my dad loved the most for sure,” Myles said. “I think my dad noticed that we excelled at baseball, and that was probably going to be what we were going to do in the future. And then watching my brothers go through the process in high school and the Draft and all that, I would think, ‘I can make this a reality for me, too.’”

Myles was the little kid running around in the stands while his oldest brother hit the mammoth home run that first put the Naylor family on the Major League radar. As he grew older, Myles came to appreciate Josh’s path and how it helped pave the way for him and Bo to attract their own attention.

As Myles reaches adulthood and, potentially, the start of his pro career, he is probably best described as a happy medium somewhere in between Josh’s raw power and Bo’s pure hitting skillset. He doesn’t play with the same unrestrained intensity that led Josh to headbutt Francona or “rock the baby” after going deep off Gerrit Cole in the postseason, but, then again, few do.

“Me and Noah are more calm, cool, collected type of guys,” Myles said.

The Naylor brothers are brothers, which is to say they support each other, push each other, goad each other and rib each other when the situation calls for it. When their respective duties call for long-distance brotherhood (obviously less of an issue for Josh and Bo now that they share a big league clubhouse), they’ll jump online for PlayStation games against each other.

As the oldest, Josh takes on the role of an auxiliary parent, and he has been instrumental in preparing both Bo and Myles for what it takes to not just reach the big leagues but stay there.

“We’re all best friends, and we love each other to death,” Josh said. “I’ll make sure they’re on top of things, and I just tried to show them the ropes and be that guy they can go to and know that you’re loving and will protect them.”

So as the middle Naylor brother joins the oldest Naylor brother in Cleveland, another Naylor brother looms. The succession plan, for the record, ends there. There are no more Naylor brothers marinating in Mississauga.

But if the youngest Naylor can make the most of the talent evidently embedded in his DNA and the valuable lessons passed down by his siblings, he’ll ensure this family pipeline still has Myles to go.