Josh Naylor is again flexing his muscles.

The Padres’ 20-year-old first base prospect has three home runs in his first 12 games in the Arizona Fall League after managing just two in 42 games in the Texas League. His third arrived Friday in a four-hit game, his sixth multi-hit game in a blazing start that landed him alongside organization-mate Luis Urias in the circuit’s 12th annual Fall Stars Game.

The game will be played 5:08 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast by MLB Network and streamed on MLB.com.

Naylor’s start has been notable to say the least.


His13 RBIs are tied for second in the league, his 30 total bases are four shy of Braves prospect Alex Jackson (Rancho Bernardo HS) and his 17 hits are one off the league lead. Through 53 plate appearances, Naylor has penned the sort of battling line (.340/.377/.600 batting line) you’d expect from a power-hitting first baseman.

Of course, the left-handed-hitting Naylor – at 6 feet and 225 pounds – is still growing into that profile.

Acquired from the Marlins in July 2016 in the Andrew Cashner deal, Naylor managed a meager .616 OPS in 33 games in the California League following the trade.

He returned to the circuit to start 2017 and pushed that number to .813 over 72 games to earn a spot in the California League All-Star Game, a second invitation to the All-Star Futures Game and a midseason promotion to Double-A San Antonio. There, he paired a .666 OPS with just two homers and 19 RBIs in 42 in what amounted to getting his feet when in the Texas League.


Not great. Not horrible either.

Sorta like his start in the California League.

So perhaps a strong stay in Arizona will get Naylor – ranked the Padres’ 10th-best prospect by mlb.com – pointed toward a strong return to the Texas League in 2018.

“I saw an acclimation process,” Double-A San Antonio manager Phillip Wellman said. “I’ve been in Double-A for 20 years it seems and I’ve seen that happen with a lot of guys, a lot of real players that ended up playing 10 years in the big leagues. The first month and a half, they all kind of scuffled a little bit before they figured some stuff out. …


“It’s a matter of getting his feet on the ground and getting going. He’s benefiting now in the Arizona Fall League from what he went through for two months in Double-A and I would expect that next year — if he starts in Double-A — that you’re going to start seeing the real Josh Naylor.”

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE ROUND-UP

Also 20 years old, Urias (San Antonio) continues to play above his age. Through nine games in the AFL, Urias is hitting .333/.432/.567 with four RBIs, six walks and three strikeouts. SS Javier Guerra (San Antonio) is hitting .375/.375/.583 with a homer, three RBIs, no walks and seven strikeouts in six games. The other Padres bat in the league, OF Franmil Reyes (San Antonio), is hitting .138/.138/.241 with seven strikeouts in seven games as a taxi squad member.

(San Antonio) is hitting .375/.375/.583 with a homer, three RBIs, no walks and seven strikeouts in six games. The other Padres bat in the league, OF (San Antonio), is hitting .138/.138/.241 with seven strikeouts in seven games as a taxi squad member. On the mound, RHP Walker Lockett (El Paso) leads Padres prospects with nine innings in the AFL. He has allowed 11 runs – eight earned – on 16 hits and four walks. LHP Jerry Keel (Lake Elsinore) has turned in seven shutout inning and RHP Andres Munoz (Fort Wayne) has fanned six in four shutout innings. RHP David Bednar (Lake Elsinore) has allowed one run in five innings and RHP T.J. Weir (San Antonio) has allowed a run in four frames.

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE ROUND-UP

CF Franchy Cordero (El Paso) is hitting .318/.362/.409 with three RBIs and 11 strikeouts in 11 games with Escogido, while SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Antonio) is hitting .250/.415/.406 with one homer, three RBIs and twice as many walks (8) as strikeouts in 10 games for Estrellas. … RHP Eric Yardley (El Paso) has turned in nine innings without allowing an earned run. He has struck out five and allowed two walks and two hits for Cibao. … INF Diego Goris (El Paso) is 2-for-7 for Aguilas Cibaenas. … C Webster Rivas (San Antonio) is 1-for-4 for Cibao. … RHP Hansel Rodriguez (Fort Wayne) has allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings for Este.

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE ROUND-UP

C Luis Torrens (San Diego) has paired five RBIs with a .273/.333/.309 batting line in 15 games for Magallanes. … LHP Jose Castillo (San Antonio) has four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings, also for Magallanes, while RHP Jose Ruiz (Lake Elsinore) has two strikeouts and two runs allowed over 7 1/3 innings for Magallanes. … RHP Trevor Frank (Lake Elsinore) has allowed six runs in 7 1/3 innings for Zulia.

MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE ROUND-UP

RHP Cesar Vargas (San Antonio) leads the circuit with 25 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings. He is 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. … RHP Gerardo Reyes (Lake Elsinore) has allowed four runs – three earned – in four innings for Obregon.


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jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutSanders