Josh Naylor’s surprising trend leaves Seattle Mariners with big 2026 question

Josh Naylor's most surprising behavior last season came out of nowhere. All of a sudden, the hefty first baseman was stealing bases left and right.

Now, the question for the Seattle Mariners entering 2026 is this: Will it continue?

Naylor has signed a five-year contract to remain in Seattle for the long haul, so he can get comfortable and approach this however he'd like.

It seems likely to continue, at least to some extent.

The key here is that Naylor didn't get faster. He had one of the slowest sprint speeds in the game last season.

He just decided to use his clearly incredible baseball IQ to school pitchers time and time again.

Naylor's career-high in stolen bases before last season was 10, which he had in 2023 with the Cleveland Guardians.

MORE: Cal Raleigh was supposed to play for the Braves

In 2025, he stole 11 bases in the 93 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks before being traded to Seattle, but then he found a whole additional level.

In 54 games with the Mariners, Naylor stole 19 bases. And he wasn't caught once.

That gave him 30 steals for the season, and just two caught stealing, both with the Diamondbacks.

After a certain number, it's no longer a fluke. It's something Naylor has discovered he can accomplish in the right circumstances.

Maybe he'll tone it down early in the year just to ensure he stays healthy for a long season ahead.

But when it matters, Naylor has proven to himself he can read pitchers and take extra bases. Don't expect it to slow down too much -- besides, Naylor can't get much slower. He's simply smart enough to overcome it.

More MLB news:

• The contract reason Pirates are keeping Konnor Griffin in the minor leagues
• Juan Soto might lead MLB in a brand new stat
• Chase DeLauter's time has arrived for the Cleveland Guardians
• MLB's future of the shortstop position is immensely bright
• Do the Red Sox have a Garrett Crochet problem?
• 4 MLB teams that can unseat the Dodgers