The Cleveland Guardians have several breakout candidates for the 2026 season, and Stephen Vogt identified one of them.
The Cleveland Guardians are relying on two things to help them win the American League Central and return to the playoffs in 2026: up-and-coming prospects and continued development from their current big-league roster.
Cleveland saw a number of players develop throughout the 2025 season, among them Bo Naylor, who finished the season playing some of the best baseball of his career, especially at the plate.
Bo had a rough start to the year, but ended up with an OPS of .717 after the All-Star break, after some simplified mid-season swing adjustment.
Then, he finished off the year slashing .290/.324/.548 in September to help the Guardians complete their historic comeback.
After this strong end to the season and more work over the winter, Stephen Vogt believes that 2026 will finally be Naylor's breakout year at the plate.
"He had a phenomenal offseason. He's ready to go. Made some good adjustments with his swing path. He's looked great in his live batting practice," explained Vogt.
"Again, we're just talking about practice, but I think the sky's the limit for Bo this year, and I think he's going to pick up right where he left off. I think it's a breakout year for Bo, and I'm really excited to watch.”
Apr 5, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23) crosses the plate after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesThe talent has always been there for Bo. There's a reason he was one of Cleveland's top prospects coming up through the farm system.
Through now parts of four big league seasons, Naylor has 1,041 plate appearances under his belt, and a career slash line of .205/.286/.379.
Naylor's biggest issue throughout his career has been consistency. He had a strong end to the 2023 season before a rough 2024 campaign, and a similar trend emerged in 2025: a rough start but a strong finish.
A true breakout season for Bo, and one the Guardians would likely be happy with, is if he can consistently have an OPS slightly above .700, hit close to 20 home runs, all while still providing solid defense behind the plate.
If Bo can put all of those things together, especially the consistency, there's no reason to believe that he can't be one of Cleveland's breakout hitters in 2026.
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