Josh Naylor sprint speed: How Mariners slow infielder has become serious threat to steal bases

The Seattle Mariners knew they were getting a plus hitter when they traded for Josh Naylor in July of 2025, but they might not have realized they were getting such a lethal stolen base threat.

Naylor, who has never been known for his speed since breaking into the majors with Cleveland, gave the Mariners an unexpected edge on the basepaths during his two months with the team late in the regular season. It was his aggressiveness that might have made the difference between a trip to the ALCS and an early exit for Seattle.

Naylor's decision to steal third with Tarik Skubal on the mound for the Detroit Tigers early in Game 5 of the 2025 ALDS resulted in an extra run for the Mariners in a game that remained deadlocked until the 15th inning. Rather than facing elimination at the hands of Skubal, Seattle is enjoying one of its best postseason runs in franchise history.

Here's what you need to know about Naylor's remarkable stolen base rate and how he overcomes his lackluster speed.

MORE: Have the Mariners ever won a World Series?

Josh Naylor stolen bases

Naylor entered the 2025 season with 25 career stolen bases in six seasons. He more than doubled that total in 2025 alone, stealing 30 bases between the Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Naylor was already at a career-high 11 stolen bases when he was traded to the Mariners in July, but it was in Seattle that he began to figure out how to become an intimidating baserunner. Naylor recorded 19 stolen bases in 54 games with the Mariners, a 162-game pace of 57. No player even stole 50 bases during the 2025 season.

Naylor's gaudy stolen base figure isn't just the result of taking more chances. He wasn't caught stealing once after his trade to Seattle, and that trend has continued into the postseason.

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) October 13, 2025

So, what changed? The answer isn't his speed, which ranks among the slowest in baseball. 

Naylor credits his willingness to take risks without worrying about what might happen if he fails. "I think it's about not being afraid to fail," Naylor told The Athletic in August. "Not being afraid to take a chance. That's big for me. I try not to think about failure ... I just like to play baseball, play hard."

Naylor's average lead off first base jumped from 3.0 feet with the Diamondbacks to 4.6 feet in his first two weeks with the Mariners, NBC Sports noted in August, so the organization clearly saw the potential there and figured out how to better tap into it. 

At first, pitchers likely didn't pay close attention to Naylor when he took a sizable lead off first because it would have been tough to suspect him as a base-stealer. Does that mean pitchers could catch up to Naylor now that he has developed a reputation for stealing bases? It's possible, but to this point, Naylor still seems to have the advantage.

MORE: Cal Raleigh 'Big Dumper' nickname, explained

Josh Naylor sprint speed

Naylor's sprint speed in 2025 was 24.4 mph, according to Baseball Savant, which ranks 388th out of 395 players who had a minimum of 50 sprint opportunities during the season.

Thank about that: a player who was one of MLB's most effective base-stealers in the second half of the season is also slower than about 98 of non-pitchers. 

Here are the 10 players with the slowest sprint speeds in 2025, minimum 50 opportunities, and their stolen base totals:

Player	Sprint speed (mph)	Stolen bases	Team
Giancarlo Stanton	23.5	0	Yankees
Rowdy Tellez	23.5	1	Mariners/Rangers
Gio Urshela	24.2	0	Athletics
Alejandro Kirk	24.3	1	Blue Jays
Victor Caratini	24.3	1	Astros
Jose Trevino	24.3	0	Reds
Salvador Perez	24.4	0	Royals
Josh Naylor	24.4	30	Mariners
Wilmer Flores	24.5	1	Giants
Keibert Ruiz	24.5	0	Nationals

MORE: Shohei Ohtani family tree including wife Mamiko, baseball brother Ryuta and more

Those numbers paint an absurd picture. Of the 10 slowest players who received regular baserunning opportunities in 2025, five did not steal a base, four stole only one base, and one — Josh Naylor — stole 30.

Even in an era in which base-stealing has become a bit easier, Naylor is defying all logic by becoming a legitimate threat on the basepaths for the championship-hopeful Mariners.