Naylor begins to harness potential in Arizona Fall League Injuries derailed Josh Naylor's sophomore season in the minor leagues, but the 20-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., is back on track in the Arizona Fall league, TSN's Scott Mitchell writes.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A seven-swing batting practice session started with six casual hacks.

The seventh was anything but.

Josh Naylor uncoiled his 225-pound frame from the left side of the plate and suddenly there was one less baseball for Dunedin Blue Jays hitting coach Corey Hart to pick out of his BP bin.

There isn’t much mystery when it comes to the 20-year-old Mississauga, Ont., product’s game, and Naylor’s effortless pop had teammates at Saturday’s Fall Stars Game at Salt River Fields shaking their heads when he sauntered away from the plate.

Naylor made an impression in the game, too.

The best the Arizona Fall League has to offer was on display in the showcase, and Naylor was one of the stars, tripling down the right field line in his first at-bat, drawing a laugh from his West Division dugout when he chugged into third base.

A strong AFL showing has Naylor ending his year on a high note.

It didn’t start that way, though, as he missed a couple weeks of action in May due to facial fractures suffered when a pickoff throw struck the first baseman in the right cheek. But the San Diego Padres promoted Naylor to Double-A in July anyway, leaving him just a couple of stops from the big leagues.

In total, Naylor slashed .279/.345/.413 with 10 home runs in 490 plate appearances, but the Padres felt an AFL assignment was the right move after he hit just .250 in 175 plate appearances in his first taste of Double-A.

Naylor was excited to get to the prospect-rich circuit to get some extra at-bats.

“I think me being hurt really kind of set me back a lot,” Naylor said. “I’m very thankful and grateful that they sent me here and I’m just trying to represent them well here and have fun and make some more friends and meet some new people.”

In 15 games, Naylor has been on fire, hitting three homers, driving in 13 runs, and being named the starting first baseman for Saturday’s Fall Stars affair, the marquee event of the six-week AFL.

“A lot of people who have played in this game have had successful careers or are starting to have them now,” Naylor said. “Hopefully, one day I can be one of those players.”

Likely ticketed for a return to Double-A to start next season, Naylor’s raw BP power hasn’t shown up in games as much as some would like, but scouts believe it will eventually thanks to his solid approach at the plate.

Through two full minor-league seasons since the Miami Marlins drafted him 12th overall in 2015, Naylor’s had his share of ups and downs — including being traded — but he feels he’s on the right developmental path.

“It’s baseball — it’s going to be hard,” Naylor said.

Naylor, ranked 10th amongst Padres prospects by Baseball America on their mid-season list, and Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Andrew Case are the lone Canadians suiting up in the Arizona Fall League this year.​