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EspañolTeam Canada has its captain for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
Seattle Mariners slugger Josh Naylor will wear the ‘C’ for the Canadians, the team announced Monday.
Naylor, of Mississauga, Ont., starred for Seattle in 2025 after a mid-season trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks and received the Tip O’Neill Award as Canada’s top baseball player.
He crushed nine home runs and stole 19 bases in just 54 regular-season games with the club before leading it to the ALCS, where it fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games.
For the regular season, Naylor led all Canadian major leaguers in batting average (.295), RBIs (92) and stolen bases (30). He finished second in hits (160), runs (81), home runs (20), doubles (29) and walks (48).
Naylor re-signed with Seattle on a $92.5 million, five-year contract after the season.
This will be Naylor’s second time representing Canada at the World Baseball Classic. He appeared in two games at the 2017 tournament, then was unable to play in 2023 due to an ankle injury.
Canada plays its first game of the tournament on Saturday against Colombia in Puerto Rico.
