Myles Naylor Becomes Third Brother Drafted to MLB

By: Shaelyn Winters

Edited By: Kylie Augis

With their competitive balance pick, the Oakland Athletics drafted third-baseman and shortstop Myles Naylor – solidifying him as the third-child in the Naylor family to be drafted in Major League Baseball. As the 39th overall pick in 2023, Myles was selected twenty-six spots earlier than projected and was the highest drafted Canadian in this year's class. His two older brothers, Josh and Bo, currently play for the Cleveland Guardians and were also first round selections in their draft years. The Naylors follow the Drew brothers as the highest drafted triad in MLB history.

On Monday morning, Myles expressed his gratitude on social media: “Extremely excited to begin my professional career with the Oakland Athletics and I’d like to thank all my supporters, friends, family, and coaches that helped me through this journey. Thrilled to get going!!”

Courtesy of Cleveland Guardians on Twitter

The Naylor Family in Major League Baseball

Josh Naylor may have been drafted 12th overall in 2015 by the Miami Marlins, but his first official major league appearance was with the San Diego Padres in 2019. The first baseman and outfielder was traded just over one year later to the Cleveland Guardians and is currently playing in his fourth season with the team. In the 2023 season to date, Josh has achieved a batting average of .305 with 90 hits and 11 homeruns in 295 at bats.

Bo Naylor was drafted 29th overall by the Cleveland Guardians (then Indians) in 2018. The catcher competed for several teams prior to his major league debut with the Guardians in October 2022, including the Arizona League Indians, Lake County Captains, Akron RubberDucks and Columbus Clippers. In his 51 at bats this season as of July 13, Bo has a .196 batting average, scoring eight runs while achieving 10 hits and five RBIs.

There are several similarities amongst the trio. For one, all three brothers attended St Joan of Arc Catholic School in Mississauga prior to their commitment to colleges in the United States – in Texas, specifically. Both Josh and Myles committed to Texas Tech University, while Bo committed to Texas A&M. Each brother also competed with the Ontario Blue Jays, though their participation occurred throughout varying time periods. As well, the triad each received the Most Valuable Player award with the Canadian Junior National Team.

Courtesy of MLB.com

Brotherhood and Major League Baseball

The Naylor brothers are not the first – and certainly not the last – to compete amongst their siblings in Major League Baseball. In fact, there are over 400 sets of brothers who have competed in the MLB adjacent to their sibling. While trios are few and far between, these are some of the most notable in MLB history.

Ken, Clete and Cloyd Boyer

• Clete and Cloyd competed with one another on the 1955 Kansas City Athletics.

Felipe, Matty, Jesús Alou

• All three brothers began their careers with the San Francisco Giants, competing alongside one another in 1963.

Joe, Dom and Vince DiMaggio

• This triad only competed on the same team in three All Star games.

Héctor, José, and Tommy Cruz

• Alike the Alou’s, all three brothers began their careers with the St. Louis Cardinals, where they would compete alongside one another in 1973.

J.D., Tim, and Stephen Drew

• J.D. and Tim competed together with the 2004 Atlanta Braves.

José, Bengie and Yadier Molina

• Bengie and José competed with one another in five major league seasons, with the Anaheim Angels from 2001-04 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2005.