Sometimes a small mechanical tweak can unlock a player's entire season. For Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor, that key was a bigger leg kick—an adjustment he was initially hesitant about but one that paid immediate and dramatic dividends.
Mired in a season-opening slump, Naylor entered Monday's series finale against the Houston Astros hitting a meager .102. Desperate for a spark, he decided to experiment with his timing at the plate. The result? A breakout performance featuring his first two home runs of the year, powering the Mariners to a 6-2 victory and completing a commanding four-game sweep of their division rivals.
"I just decided I was going to try a little leg kick today because, why not?" Naylor said postgame. "What’s the worst that can happen?" The best happened instead, as he emphatically broke out of his early-season funk.
The second blast was a true no-doubter—a 433-foot, two-run missile to center field that stands as the longest homer by a Mariner this season. The celebration, a bat flip followed by a playful tap to send it flying, said it all: the weight of the slow start was officially lifted.
This performance is a promising sign for the Mariners, who invested heavily in Naylor's potent bat. After a stellar 54-game stint in Seattle last season (.299, 9 HR, 33 RBI), he was rewarded with a five-year, $92.5 million contract this past offseason. Manager Dan Wilson noted that despite the poor early numbers, Naylor's underlying metrics, like his hard-hit rate, suggested a turnaround was imminent. "He found a lot of barrels," Wilson said. "He knew that it was coming."
Even during his struggles, Naylor felt the support of the Seattle faithful, recalling a fan's encouraging words during a recent hitless game. That support, combined with a newfound confidence at the plate, could signal that the heart of the Mariners' order is about to get a whole lot more dangerous. For a player and a team looking to make a statement, a sweep of the Astros powered by a resurgent star is a perfect way to start.