“Incredible” is a loaded word here, I admit.
Josh Naylor was hardly incredible on the stat sheet. He was virtually useless against left-handed pitchers, and his 117 wRC+ from both sides of the plate isn’t good enough for true MVP consideration. But when it came to picking a top-10 Guardians list for 2022, Naylor wasn’t a hard choice.
The story of Naylor’s campaign — and what actually made it incredible — starts last June when he collided with Ernie Clement in the outfield of Target Field and suffered a horrific leg injury that prematurely ended his season after 69 games.