Seattle Mariners First Baseman's Impact Goes Beyond The Stat Sheet

Naylor's impact on the game can be seen in the box score, but he's made an influence in his short time with Seattle that goes beyond the numbers.

Naylor's attention for detail has been praised by his new teammates, and manager Dan Wilson. Whether it be as a hitter, a defender or a base runner, Naylor's has an incredibly keen eye for detail.

"I just try to watch the game, to be honest," Naylor said in a postgame interview Wednesday. "I think there's a lot of value in watching the game when you're not actually in it, when you're not hitting. When guys are on base, you see what the pitcher's tendencies are, you see what their go-to's are. With the big hitters up, a guy on first or second — what pitches they like to go to."

Naylor isn't selfish when it comes to sharing what he learns from his observations.

"He's been really helping me during the week with my timing for guys on first, which has been awesome," Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby said after the game Wednesday. " ... Hasn't really happened in the past. I remember the first game he was with us (against) the Angels, I was kind of in a situation, he just came up to me. Never talked to him before, and he just said what he had to say. I was like 'Alright, sweet. Let's go.' He fired me up in that moment when I kind of needed it."

Naylor is set to be a free agent after this season and his tenure with the Mariners could be limited to the end of this season. Rather than thinking that far ahead, the 2024 All-Star is focused on the present, on his teammates, and making his residency in Seattle an eventful one.

"I want to win a World Series," Naylor said. "That's everything I wanted to do since I was young. I'm blessed and fortunate enough to be playing for this organization now and be a part of this great lineup. It's been so much fun learning the players here. It's been incredible playing baseball with this team."