CLEVELAND, Ohio — While the Guardians battle for playoff position on the field, one of their young stars is earning recognition for his impact beyond the diamond. As revealed on the latest Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, catcher Bo Naylor has been named the organization’s nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award – baseball’s highest honor for humanitarian work and community service.
“Every team picks a nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award that will be announced during the World Series,” explained Joe Noga on the podcast. “This year’s nominee for the Guardians is Bo Naylor. He’s given back to the community in a number of different ways.”
Naylor’s community impact spans multiple initiatives – from Guardians youth baseball and softball camps to work with the Cleveland Animal Protective League and the Cleveland Zoological Society. He’s also been heavily involved with the Guardians Chess Club, using the strategic game to connect with local youth.
For Naylor, this recognition represents something far beyond baseball statistics. As veteran beat reporter Paul Hoynes noted on the podcast: “I’m sure that would be a highlight of his career. It is a prestigious award, probably the biggest off the field award that a player can win.”
The nomination places Naylor in elite company among Cleveland players. Only three have ever won the award – Andre Thornton, Jim Thome, and most recently Carlos Carrasco in 2019. But beyond the potential honor itself, the nomination speaks volumes about what the Guardians organization values in its players.
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“It seems like Bo’s heart is in the right place when it comes to reaching out to the Cleveland community and understanding that he’s more than a ball player,” Hoynes observed, highlighting the deeper meaning behind Naylor’s community involvement.
What’s particularly telling is how this nomination reflects on Cleveland’s long-term player development philosophy. Naylor, selected in the first round of the 2018 draft, wasn’t chosen solely for his baseball abilities.
“They saw this kind of character in Bo Naylor when they selected him,” Noga said.
The nomination carries significant weight within the clubhouse as well. Following in the footsteps of recent nominees like Stephen Kwan and José Ramírez, it establishes Naylor as a core leader whose impact transcends performance metrics.
“Just being the nominee from Cleveland has a lot of meaning,” Noga explained. “It’s a special thing for Bo as well. It basically means that your teammates and your organization think that highly of you and of your character.”
As Cleveland pushes toward the postseason, Naylor’s nomination serves as a powerful reminder that the organization’s commitment to character remains as strong as its commitment to winning.
Want to learn more about Bo Naylor’s community initiatives and how they reflect the Guardians’ organizational philosophy? Listen to the full episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast for deeper insights into one of baseball’s most meaningful awards.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, the Guardians preparing right now for the opener of a three game series in Detroit Pretty much the, the season comes down to this. They’ve got six games against the Tigers between now and the end of the season, six of their final 13. And if, if they don’t sweep or if they don’t win at least, you know, five out of these six games, any chance of rallying for the division is pretty much out the door. And you know, keeping pace in the wild card chase probably goes by the, by the wayside as well. If, if they don’t perform, you know, at, there’s very little margin for error here as they, they open these, these final six games against the Tigers. What’s your take on what the Guardians need to do over these final two weeks of the season as they face the Tigers who have been leading the division pretty much since the beginning of the season?
Paul Hoynes: Joe, they have, they’ve been leading. They’ve been in first place since April 5th. So the, the Tigers have had things their own way this season and for the Guardians to somehow upset them, to come from behind and, and win and, you know, defend the AL Central title that they won last year, I think you’re, you’re right. They’ve got to take 5, 5 out of 6 at the very least and maybe sweep, you know, but that’s a, that’s a tall, tall order to, you know, be able to take six games from a first place club going down the stretch. That is, you know, really a talented team offensively, pitching wise. You know, they haven’t been playing as well as the Guardians have, but they haven’t had to, Joe. I mean they’ve, they, they’ve built up a big lead. They’re 20 games over.500. So they can live on that for a while. And it’s all up to the Guardians. The Guardians have to go into their place and go get them. I mean, you know, if the Tigers go three and three in these six games, you know, they’ve, they’ve done what they should do. They’ve defended, you know, they defended themselves and won the division.
Joe Noga: Yeah, and the Tigers obviously not sitting back, not resting on their successes from the, the first part of the season. They’ve lined up pretty much their top three pitchers to, to face the Guardians in this upcoming series, including Tarek Skubal, who left his last start with some, some tightness. You know, it was thought to be maybe an oblique issue, but The. The Tigers are calling it, you know, just a sort of soreness on his left side as opposed to a strain or anything like that. Looks like he’s going to try and pitch through whatever he’s dealing with and go through his normal routines all week before making his start on Thursday in the series finale, which is an afternoon game. Just how big is it to. Not just for the Tigers to. To have him mentally be able to go out there and make that start for them, but, you know, just to be able to prove that, you know, if they’re going to go anywhere in the playoffs, if they’re going to go anywhere deep into the postseason, Tarek School was going to have to be a big part of. For them to find out what they’ve got basically in him moving forward.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just a really important piece for the Tigers. Skubal won the, you know, the AL Cy Young last year. We saw him. The Guardians saw way too much of him last year, and they’ve seen way too much of him this year, Joe. In two starts, he’s one and. Oh, and has not allowed an earned run in 16 innings against Cleveland with 23 strikeouts. He’s. He’s dominated them. You know, they got him in the ALDS last year in what, in his second start, I think, in Game 5. Right. But. But, you know, they have not laid a glove on him since then, and he is a vital part to the Tigers. And, you know, Joe, I think, you know, yes, you know, this is a big start for him, but if you’re the Tigers, if you’re AJ Hinch and there’s any question that this guy might be hurt, do you pitch him on Thursday?
Joe Noga: I think the first sign of any sort of issue or trouble or. And you’re checking in with him basically after every inning, and you’re monitoring very closely because if it’s a situation that he can aggravate or exacerbate by being out there any longer on the mound, that, you know, Thursday start is not when you. When you need Tarek School the most, you need him on the mound opening game one of a division series, if that’s a possibility. So, yeah, I would think that, you know, they’re going to keep a very close eye on him, but.
Paul Hoynes: You do.
Joe Noga: Want to send a message maybe also across the diamond that, you know, we know you can’t beat our number one guy, and here he is. That’s. That. That might have something to do with it. Yeah.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, definitely. But I think they’ll. They’ll really be, you know, a close Eye on Skubal and like you said this, they don’t need him Thursday. That’s not, you know, a make or break start for the Tigers. The make or break stuff comes in the postseason. But Joe, they’ve lined up. You know, Casey Mize is going tonight with Detroit and then Jack Flaherty is going Wednesday for the Tigers and they both have pitched very, very well against Cleveland in the past. Is, has faced them twice this year, has allowed one earned run, 10 strikeouts. He’s one and oh, 12 innings, three walks. You know, he’s done a nice job against them. Flaherty, Flaherty is. Cleveland beat Flaherty earlier this year but he went six, I think he went five innings and gave up three runs. They end up, you know, piling on at against the bullpen. But in the past, you know, the 2024, he faced them four times. Three with Detroit, one with the Dodgers. Went two and one with a 104 1.04 ERA. Well, you know, Flaherty and, and the Guardians know each other very well and FL Flaherty has usually had the upper.
Joe Noga: Hand right now on the flip side of that, obviously Joey Cantillo starting tonight’s game. Cantillo in his last outing pitched in in the ninth inning was, was able to be online for a complete game in that, that last start for him. But he was removed once the, the, the opportunity was, was lost there. Cantillo just seems like he’s figured some things out. You know, is, is part of that Guardians rotation that has found a lot of success over the last, you know, week and a half to two weeks in dealing with that six man rotation. But you know that might be the strength on strength there of this matchup. The Guardians putting their, their starting pitching out there. We just don’t know who they’re, they’re going to pitch on Wednesday and Thursday. Although we have a pretty good idea. It’s probably going to be some combination of a Gavin Williams and Tanner Bybee.
Paul Hoynes: Definitely. I think you’ve got to go with your best guys. You know, Bibee’s coming off a two hit shutout. Williams has been, you know, really rock solid most of the year. You know, start especially starting with that near no hitter against the Mets. So you know Those are the two guys and by going with the 12 six man rotation they’ll both be on full rest. So you can mix and match a little with the off day Monday. And they, you know, Stephen Vogt had told reporters over the weekend that they would have a better idea of the rotation on Tuesday when they opened the series against the Tigers. And I think also, Joe, they want to see if, you know, they can mix Means into this, into the rotation for that double head that day night double header on, on Saturday against the Twins.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s going to be interesting to see how they approach. That means obviously he’s up to 85 pitches in, in his rehab outings. He’s, he’s, you know, endurance wise, volume wise. He’s, he’s where he needs to be. Now. It’s just a matter of does he help you, does he add something to this already, you know, you know, pretty solid rotation over the last couple of weeks to, to help you win games because right now is not exactly the time to be testing guys out if you’re making a push for the postseason.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, great point. The, you know, the last tally from the six man rotation, they’re seven and one with a 1.61 ERA, Joe. So, you know, if it ain’t broke, you don’t want to fix it. So. But I don’t know, you know, where John Means fits into this. But, you know, obviously he’s been rehabbing and I would think they’d want to give him a start somewhere along the line just to see if he, if he’s, if he’s worth, you know, bringing back next year, what kind of investment they would have to make and they, they rehab them all year. So I would think you, you want to give him a shot here.
Joe Noga: Yeah, you, you did put in the work and you did. You sort of stand by think giving him an opportunity to come out and at least start one of these games down the stretches is something that they will probably do. But, but like I said, you, you’re going to have a short leash maybe with him because you still need to win games as they’re pushing. We. It, you know, we talked to Austin Hedges after the game the other day, the other day, Friday night, Tanner Bybey’s outing. And, and he said, you know, this is, this is why he’s here, this, this playoff push. You know, you go here, you, you want to take the opportunity to try and make the postseason every year until you’re out of it. So I don’t think that they’re going to be experimenting too much with the rotation there if, you know, if Means doesn’t look like he’s got it. But you know, what, what’d you take away from that conversation that, you know, with, with Hedges about, you know, just being in contention and playing meaningful games in September?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I loved what Hedges said. You know, he said he told you guys on Friday night, I’m here to chase the ring. You know, and how many guys have said that in Cleveland? Joe, this is a race that’s been going on since 1948. But, but you know, you love to hear that from a veteran guy that what 2 years ago was in the World Series, helped the Rangers win the World Series. You know, that’s why he’s here. That’s, he’s a leader in the clubhouse. You know, he, I think he’s preached that message all year to this club. And they’re, they’re listening, Joe. It’s working. You know, they, they’re 10 and 4 in September. You know, they’re playing some of their best baseball when it means the most, the games all count. And you know, there’s something, you know, there’s something, there’s a reward after each game. You can’t let your guard down. You’ve got to keep, you know, keep trying to win night in and night out because what, there’s 13 games left and you still got a chance to make the post post season in two different, two different ways in the division, although it’s a long shot and in the, the wild card. So, you know, I think part job is to reinforce that thought and to make sure everyone knows that. And I’m sure these guys, these guys know, you know, these guys know what’s at stake.
Joe Noga: Yeah, I just wonder how much of this is residual, you know, leftover just knowledge and stuff from, from last year, making a deep run in the playoffs and having that impression on a young club. And then how much of this will carry over into next season when, you know, maybe they, they start off a little better than they did this past year. And you know, you’ve got guys with full seasons under their belt like Kyle Manzardo, like, you know, Angel Martinez, Brian Rocchio and those guys. Just even more development in those, those areas there. Want to mention the Roberto Clemente Award? Baseball’s basically for, for a player, if you’re not winning the World Series or the mvp, winning the Roberto Clemente Award is one of the highest honors that you can get. It’s the highest non baseball, I guess, honor for a player. It has to do with their humanitarian work, their outreach in the community and what, what they represent off the field. For each club, every, every team picks a nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award that will be announced during the World Series. Carlos Carrasco won the award in 2019 for his work in the community this Year’s nominee for the Guardians is Bo Naylor. Is, you know, he’s given back to the, to the community in a number of different ways. Guardians youth camps for baseball and softball, work with the Cleveland Animal Protective League and the Cleveland Zoological Society. He’s also, you know, been big on the, the Guardians Chess Club and a bunch of different ways that he’s been active just outside of baseball. What would it mean for Bo Naylor, you know, a guy who had the, the idea of, of being involved in the community and, you know, making sort of connections off the baseball diamond instilled in him by his mother in Canada, his family. Just, you know, what would it mean for him to walk away with the, the Roberto Clemente Award?
Paul Hoynes: I’m sure that would be a highlight of his career, Joe. It is a prestigious award, probably the biggest off the field award that a player can win. We’ve seen what three Cleveland players win it. Andre Thornton, Jim Thome, and as you mentioned, Carlos Carrasco. So it’s an unbelievable honor. And, you know, it’s, it’s something you, you’d always remember as a player. And, you know, it seems like Beau’s heart is in the right place when it comes to reaching out to the Cleveland community and understanding, you know, that there’s, he’s more than a ball player that he can, that he not only, you know, kind of project an image of what a ballplayer should be and, and, you know, go out and, you know, spread his knowledge of the game, but he can also learn from the people he’s talking to. So, you know, it’. It’s a great, it’s, it’s a big award and, and, you know, and, and it means a lot to players. Yeah, I think that would be, that would be a tremendous award. That would be, you know, just, you know, it’s presented at the World Series. It would be a great thing for the Naylor family and Bo and, and.
Joe Noga: Just looking around the Guardians clubhouse at, you know, just being the nominee from Cleveland has a lot of meaning. That’s, it’s a special thing for Beau as well. It basically means that your teammates and your organization think that highly of you and of your character. Previously, Stephen Kwan, Jose Ramirez were guys who in the past couple of years have been nominated for this award by the organization. And you know, that that gives you a certain level of status. It gives you a certain level of respect and regard among your teammates in that clubhouse because they know that in order to be the nominee, you, you have to have that, that quality of character. And this is, this is who the Guardians drafted, you know, back in, what, 2018 with the. Their. Their first round pick. They saw this kind of character in this kind of person in Bo Nailer when they, when they selected him. So that’s, you know, goes a long way in a guy’s career. It follows you, I guess, wherever you go. So, yeah. Bo Naylor, the Roberto Clemente Award nominee for the Guardians. Shifting gears here, we’re going to talk about some injured players that we’ve sort of overlooked. We mentioned them on yesterday’s podcast, but the guard finally officially announced Travis Bazzana out for the. The remainder of the AAA season. They put him on the IL with a left side oblique injury after he had recovered from a right side oblique injury that, that, that sidelined him for about two months during the season. Bazan, his year is over. He’s going to go back to Australia and visit with some family before coming back to, to Goodyear to continue working out during the off season.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just too bad for Travis. I feel bad for him. You know, just. He was just getting started, it seemed like just getting hot at Columbus. He what, he hit about four home runs in September, then he gets injured again. This is a guy that, you know, started the year double A, you know, strained the oblique, missed time. He came back. He was just getting his feet back under him. But I think, Joe, when, when you kind of look at the big picture, you know, you pull back and look at the big picture, you know, yes, Bazzano was the number one in 2024, but if you, if you just look at him as a draft pick, you know, I mean, he’s made a lot. I mean, to say his first full year that he reached aaa, you know, the first year out of the draft, you know, that’s an accomplishment. You know, I just wish he could have stayed healthy, because I think if he did, Joe, we would have seen him in a Cleveland uniform at some point this season, and he may have helped this ball club, you know, try to get where they want to go.
Joe Noga: Yeah, another guy that could have helped at some point during the season had he stayed healthy. Juan Brito. He had hand surgery during the season to repair a thumb injury. And then when he came back from that, he injured his hamstring. And now after trying to rehab the hamstring, he’s sidelined for, for an extended period of time after having surgery to repair the hamstring. Now, I know the hamstring injuries are ones that you got to be careful with and usually take a long time to recover from. But this one look looked like it wasn’t getting any better during his rehab and they had to go in and do something surgically. That’s not the, not the norm for a hamstring injury that, that, at least that I’ve seen Hoynsie.
Paul Hoynes: This is serious, Joe. That’s a, that’s a big setback. We saw Brito in spring training. You know, he’s a, you know, a lot of people thought he might win the second base job coming out of camp, but I think he put a lot of pressure on himself and kind of, you know, as he got optioned and he was having a decent year in aaa, showed some power. Then he gets hurt with the hand, then the, the hamstring. So hopefully he’ll use this winner to heal up and come to camp ready to go because this is another guy, Joe, that could have helped them this season. Obviously more of an offensive minded middle infielder than Arias or Brian Rocchio.
Joe Noga: Right. And finally, Lane Thomas. We got the official word that he’s consulting with a specialist this week while the Guardians are on the road. He’s going to look at. There’s potential there that he might have surgery to help correct the plantar fasciitis or at least relieve the pain from the plantar fasciitis in his foot. It definitely looks like he’s done for the year for Cleveland after appearing in only, what, 39 games and he’s going to go into a free agent off season without a lot of, without a lot of work on, on film there, I guess, for, for teams to evaluate and move on.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just a lost year for Lane Thomas. Feel bad for him. You know, I was really looking forward to seeing what he could do, you know, in a full season for Cleveland. And I know Cleveland was too. You know, they didn’t, the front office didn’t make a lot of moves to help this offense over the, you know, last winter. And, but I think, and part of the reason was, you know, they were counting on a full season from Thomas who had, you know, showed them a lot after they acquired him from Washington at the deadline in 2010. 24. Now, you know, he’s facing an uncertain future. I mean, that plantar fasciitis, you know, really kind of laid him up and, you know, how does he bounce back from that? Especially all of this coming in his walk year, free agent year. You know, Joe, I hope hopefully, you know, he, you know, recovers from this and, you know, and I think he’s gotten enough of a Track record where you know a team, you know, perhaps the Guardians would take another shot at him.
Joe Noga: Yeah. And that’s something we asked him about the other day. Was is he open to coming back if that’s the case? He said he was maybe a one year show me deal might be something that the Guardians would be open to if he’s willing to do something like that. And you know, one year contracts if it could help bring other players along for the Guardians as well. If you’ve signed Thomas in the offseason and he opens the year in, in the outfield for you, if he performs well and you can, you can trade him, flip him for a prospect and then bring along a guy like a Chase Delater or even a Jace Laviolette if he’s ready at some point next year to, to maybe see what they’re able to do out there in the outfield. You can solve problems by, by helping out a guy like Thomas and giving him a one year deal if that’s a possibility. But again, these are all things that, that are left for the off season and plenty of time to discuss those later on. Big series again opening tonight in Detroit. Hoynsey will be there to give you all the the rundown on it points of before we get going. Robert Redford passes away star of one of the one of the greatest baseball movies of all time, the Natural. I think everybody who’s seen that movie has a place for it in their heart. Who’s a baseball fan. What do you think of the passing of Robert Redford and what’s your favorite baseball movie? Is it the Natural or is it something else?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, the Natural is close, Joe. I really like it because it was filmed at Buffalo’s old stadium when Buffalo used to be the AAA team of Cleveland. So the rock pile. And that really brought back a lot of memories for me. But yeah, I think the Natural is right there as, as a favorite. I love the scene between the manager and, and Redford Roy Hobbs just before the one game they’ve got to win and you know, Redford comes out of the hospital bed and you know the. William. Who is William Brant? William Brant Wilford Brimley was the manager. And he goes, you know, my mother was right, I should have been a farmer. And he said and, and Robert Red. My dad wanted me to be a ball player. And then the manager says well you’re the best ball player I’ve ever had and you’re the best hitter I’ve ever seen. And that’s just a great line. I just Like a great moment. And then he goes, get, get dressed. You’re in the lineup today. That, that stays with me.
Joe Noga: Makes, makes the, makes the hair on your arms stand up when you, when you see it and when you hear it. Those, those are exciting moments. I gotta tell you. I love the, the, the Natural. I, I thought it was just a great movie. Growing up, I’d watch it all the time, but for me, favorite baseball movie just in the last, you know, several years, I thought Moneyball was a great movie with Brad Pitt. That’s a movie when I’m flipping through on TV and I come across it, I always stop and watch. I just think it’s just really neat to see some of the behind the scenes things of, of actual events that really happened and just the way that they sort of play out on the screen there.
Paul Hoynes: But Joe, you were talking about it the other day when the scene where Brad Pitt comes in and the players are dancing after a loss, he goes, you know what?
Joe Noga: This is what losing sounds like. Yeah. He beats up the, the clubhouse with a, with a baseball bat. And, you know, that’s what it felt like at some point. You know, early at points during this guardian season, it’s felt like they needed something like that. And right now things are going high. I think vibes are as, as Bo Naylor said, vibes are pretty high right now. So, so let’s see, let’s see more of that in these final two weeks. All right, Hoynes, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. We’ll check in with you again tomorrow after the opener against the Tigers.
Paul Hoynes: Good deal. Joe.