2023 MLB Draft Canadian Spotlight: Myles Naylor

The Toronto Blue Jays are days away from making their selection in the 2023 Major League Baseball Amateur draft which is taking place in Seattle starting July 9th. The draft charts are hot with phenomenal talent and options from the top 200 ranked prospects and beyond. 

The question is, will Toronto consider any homegrown talent in this year’s selections? If so, who will top that list? This one is a no-brainer about strong Canadian content. Mississauga, Ontario’s Myles Naylor would be gold when it comes to drafting Canadians. 

Over the years we’ve seen an exceptional amount of Canadians selected in high rounds, names of which include Owen Cassie, Calvin Ziegler, and Jonah Tong. For the Blue Jays, home-grown fireballer Jordan Romano was selected in the 10th round of the 2014 draft.  In 2019, the Blue Jays made a great pickup in outfielder Dasan Brown, third round.  These are two significant names for Baseball Canada, along with the Canadian Pacific Baseball League (CPBL). 

Both Romano and Brown spent their travel ball days with the CPBL’s Ontario Blue Jays. Josh and Bo Naylor, current Cleveland Guardians, also played for the Ontario Blue Jays. All four players had affiliations with Canada’s Junior National Team program. Coincidentally, Myles Naylor is following in identical footsteps. 

Myles currently plays for the Canadian Junior National Team along with the Ontario Blue Jays 18U roster. He’s a Texas Tech commit and entering the 2023 MLB Draft as Canada’s top prospect. Major League Baseball has him ranked 64th of the top 200 prospects. Perfect Game gives him a national rank of 48th overall and 19th at shortstop. In his province, he is without a doubt ranked first overall in each category. 

Enough about the mainstream hype and shadowing Myles within his brother’s success curtains. Myles Naylor brings thick talent to this year’s draft and is projected to follow the tracks of his brother’s tool in his way. Naylor opened the eyes of various scouts from a young age competing in the CPBL, Canada JNT, and events held by Perfect Game, Blue Jays Baseball Academy, and Prep Baseball Report. What shed light on his tools and profile was his stint in the Area Code games and the MLB Draft combine. 

His tools are at eye level for scouts, and his showcases make them very crisp and clear. In the Canadian Futures home run derby (formerly known as Tournament 12, held by the Blue Jays organization), Naylor belted 19 home runs to claim the crown and show off his raw power. In the 2023 MLB draft combine, Naylor top six in longest-hit baseballs, measuring at 401 feet. 

Naylor stands 6’2” 195lbs with everything done from the right side. His frame and body type are athletic with strength from the bottom up. His hitting ability is known from a physical standpoint but will have to show up more in-game scenarios. He has a good strong swing with bat speed and good use of his lower half that translates into solid contact and launch. His power is very raw with the ability to use all fields, but primarily a pull hitter. His running game is average but he’s good on his feet defensively between the hot corner and the hole at shortstop. His glove is above average and so is his arm; once fully developed, we can see Naylor at the hot corner as he moves through a Major League-affiliated system. 

Although the Cleveland Guardians may have him on their wish list, along with maybe the San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees, the Blue Jays have had various opportunities to view live testimonials of this player. In their backyard, Naylor has competed and shown out in various events. Being a left-side infielder with a strong bat, Toronto could find great use for such a player in their farm system.