Padres’ outfielder Josh Naylor to play in LIDOM with Escogido
Credit: AP Photo
Josh Naylor of the San Diego Padres will play this winter with the Leones del Escogido in the LIDOM.
The MLB playoffs are in full swing, and the winter leagues across Latin America and beyond are starting up soon. The Dominican Winter League will start up this Saturday, Oct.12, as several members of the San Diego Padres organization will participate in the LIDOM.
Among the more notable Padres’ players that will be playing in the Dominican Republic this winter is Josh Naylor. It was announced this past Tuesday, Oct. 8, that the Canadian outfielder will be playing for Leones del Escogido of the LIDOM.
This came as a bit of a surprise as it is rare to see position players that are not Latino participate in the winter leagues. Naylor batted .249/.315/.403 with eight home runs and 32 RBI’s in 94 games in MLB this season. The 22-year-old also played at Triple-A El Paso and batted .314/.389/.547 with ten home runs and 42 RBI’s in the PCL.
Naylor is still looking for a consistent starting job in the very competitive San Diego outfield that includes Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe, Nick Martini, Manuel Margot, and Travis Jankowski. The 22-year-old can also play first base, but realistically has no chance at the starting job with Eric Hosmer in the mix.
Naylor could also serve as a trade chip shortly as the Padres do have a very crowded outfield, and his defense is not the best. This will be a great experience for the Canadian player as Escogido is the third-most successful team in the LIDOM and consistently has pressure to be competitive. Luis Rojas has been managing Los Escarlatas since 2015, while former major leaguer Moises Alou is the general manager of the team.
Naylor will be playing alongside the likes of Ruben Tejada, Josh Leuke, and Austin Bibens-Dirkx. The Padres and Escogido do have a significant history with one another as players like Franmil Reyes and Franchy Cordero have played with Los Melunudos.
Con el jardinero @JoshNaylor44 completamos nuestra nómina de refuerzos para iniciar la campaña 2019-2020 de la @LIDOMRD. ¡Bienvenido! ???#Ruge #GenEscarlata pic.twitter.com/ZYd7jG2cch
— Escogido Baseball (@EscogidoBBClub) October 8, 2019
Players like Andres Munoz, Gerardo Reyes, Esteban Quiroz, and Christian Villanueva have proved to benefit from playing in the offseason previously. The LIDOM can prove to be very competitive, and hopefully, Naylor can get the best of his experience in the Dominican Republic.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.
Um, Naylor played in 94 games in San Diego, not 94 at-bats. He played in 54 game in El Paso, and he probably figures he won’t be playing triple-A again, so he possibly thinks he needs to play more regularly in Winter ball to stay sharp for a probable competition in Spring training next year.