Newest Diamondbacks' First Baseman Talks New Team, Approach and More

Spring Training is only a few mere days away, and Arizona Diamondbacks fans will get to see newest first baseman Josh Naylor in action.

Arizona acquired Naylor in a trade with the Guardians that sent right-hander Slade Cecconi and a Competitive Balance Round B Draft pick back to Cleveland, in the wake of Christian Walker's free agency departure.

On Monday, two days before pitchers and catchers report, Naylor met with members of the media to discuss his opportunity with the D-backs.

Q: What's it like being here as a Diamondback?

"It's awesome. New opportunities, getting to meet new teammates, new coaching staff, and yeah, I look forward to working hard."

Q: Is there anything in particular that drew you to the Diamondbacks?

"Great team, great team, great players, young squad, too. I think I'm still young in my age. I'm only like 27, so hopefully [I'll] just fit right in."

Q: Did you have much sense that you might end up getting traded this winter?

"Kind of had a feeling. Maybe the last few off seasons kind of had a feeling, but yeah, it happens. Baseball's a business. [You] kind of get used to that. This is the fourth organization I've been with since I started playing pro ball.

"The first few trades are hard, then you just get used to it. You understand it's a business, and God plans things for you, and you kind of never know what it's going to be or where you're going to be. You've just got to roll with the punches and continue to grow, continue to make the best out of opportunities."

Q: Did you have any friends in the locker room here before you arrived, and did anybody reach out to you after the trade?

"[Lourdes Gurriel Jr.], Kyle Nelson. I played with Nelson in Cleveland for a little bit, and then I played
with Gurriel. We played in the fall league together, and then pretty sure I faced him in Cuba when I was younger, when I was with the Canadian national team.

"I'm pretty sure he was on the Cuban national team. We went down there for, I think it was 12 days, played them in a series. So we have quite the past."

Q: [You had] a career-high in home runs last season, how would you describe what was working for you?

"I think I went into that season wanting to hit more home runs. I think I hit 17 the year previous. Just wanted to try to get the ball in the air a little bit more. ... Searching for better pitches. Searching for more pitches you can elevate. ... just trying to get the ball in the air a little bit more."

Q: It's your [Free Agency] walk year. How do you approach that?

"Play baseball. Just play hard every day. Whatever's meant to happen in your career and your life, that's what's meant to happen. Control the controllables. You play hard, good things will happen. If you work hard, practice hard, good things will happen."

Q: How soon were you looking at the roster of this team after you joined it? What do you feel about the talent level here?

"Extreme talent level here. Everyone is great in their own way. I'm looking forward to just learning everyone and learning how they play, fit into their game style."

"Observe. I'm a very big observer and try to take little things from people's approaches, the way people swing, the way people play defense, and just kind of add it to my game, see if it fits, see if it doesn't, and then go from there. But, no, this team is phenomenal."

Q: You come from quite a family... what do you think has contributed to the fact that the three of you are so talented?

(Naylor's brother, Bo, is the Cleveland Guardians' starting catcher. His youngest brother, Myles, is a member of the Athletics' organization).

"I think both our parents, our upbringing. They grew us to be gentlemen first, kind, loving people, and then hard workers. They sacrificed endless hours for us, took days off work, weekends off work, just to drive us to a tournament wherever we're going."

"Pay for this, pay for that. They really made all this happen for us, and we owe them a lot. So I think that's why we work so hard, to give back to them and one day hopefully be able to retire them and have them come out to every single game that they can.

"So that's probably my best answer is both our parents. They did a phenomenal job raising us, and we're very thankful."

"All three [brothers] live together. In the beginning of the off-season when I wasn't traded, we worked out together, all of us, and then we would hit, throw, field, lift. We all stay together."

Q: Do you have any preference for where you hit in the lineup?

"Wherever I'm meant to hit. However I can help, I'd love to help. So I'm not going to stand here and say I want to hit here or hit there. It's not my job. My job is just to go out there and play the best I can every day and provide, produce, and just deliver when it's meant for me."

Q: Is it tough at all replacing a guy like Christian Walker?

"I don't think so. He's a phenomenal player. I knew he was a phenomenal leader, too. I would love to fill that role and step in those shoes and become that leader that he was in the locker room and maybe a little bit of a voice... someone [you] could come to in confidence and talk to if things are going rough or, you know, whatever, just a good friend.

"I'm not going to change the player I am. I'm just going to be myself and grow the most I can here."

Q: You mentioned trying to hit more home runs last year and maybe conform to the ballpark. Is that the type of hitter you're trying to be this year as well?

"Well, the year before, I was able to hit .300. I didn't have as many homers, so I went into last season trying to hit a little bit more homers, knowing my average would fluctuate a little bit.

"And this year, my goal is just to put both together. Yeah, that's probably the best answer. I want to be a complete hitter and have the .300 average, have the 30-plus homers, 100-plus RBIs. That's my goal. I'm just going to continue to work to that."

Q: What did you learn about yourself last year, in maybe sacrificing average for power that's going to enable you this year to combine both?

"I think a lot of it came to pitch selection. I knew in certain zones I can hit that ball out or get that ball in the air a little bit better. And then I didn't really take the shot of just kind of hitting the single the other way or hitting the single up the middle."

"I would wait out the count for that one pitch to kind of get up in the air. Yeah, this year I want to be that complete hitter that you put all those numbers together, and it's a great year at the end of the year."

Q: What's your mindset when you're approaching a matchup?

"I try to simplify it as much as possible. Really just see the ball, hit the ball. If it's in the zone that you know you have confidence in hitting it, just try to hit it hard. If it falls, it falls. If it doesn't, it doesn't.

"Just try to hit it hard. ... If it lands, it lands. If it doesn't, just keep hitting it hard. It's going to land eventually."

Q: How would you evaluate your development as a defender personally since you've been coaching for a year?

"I think it's been a great growth. I've had a lot of great infield coaches, a lot of people I've learned from. I also played with a lot of great infielders that I've been able to learn from and talk to.

"It's been an awesome career meeting different people with different ideas, different routines, and kind of adding what I can to my game that works. And then what I feel doesn't necessarily work, I don't really try to add that. I just stick to what I know helps me."

Q: This team is very focused on its defense. How exciting is it to join a group like that?

"It's awesome. Unbelievable. I can't wait to get to know everyone, all the coaches and stuff, too, and pick their brain a little bit and just learn what they know and just absorb all the knowledge."

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