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Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor of Mississauga, Ont., won the 2025 Tip O'Neill Award, presented annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to the top Canadian player in Major League Baseball.
Naylor led all Canadians in batting average (.295), runs scored (92) and stolen bases (30), splitting the season between Arizona and Seattle. He also ranked second among Canadian major leaguers in hits (160), runs (81), home runs (20), doubles (29) and walks (48).
“To be honored with this award is extremely humbling. I'm very grateful and honored. I will continue to work and play hard to be a great example for the younger generations,” Naylor said in a press release.
The 28-year-old earned the award ahead of Boston Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Cleveland Guardians shortstop Cade Smith.
“Josh Naylor excelled in both the regular season and the 2025 postseason,” said Scott Crawford, Hall’s chief operating officer, in a press release. “His combination of power and base-stealing ability has made him one of the biggest offensive threats in the majors, and his energy and passion for the game of baseball is contagious.”
Naylor has been one of the Mariners' most dominant players during that stretch, hitting .364 with a .982 OPS as Seattle advanced to the American League West title in September.
He also became the fourth first baseman in MLB history and the second Canadian, after Larry Walker, to hit 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season.
He continued that momentum into the playoffs, batting .340 with a .966 OPS in 12 games and leading the Mariners with 16 hits. Naylor set several Canadian post-season records, including becoming the first Canadian to record four three-hit games in a single post-season.
Following the season, he re-signed with Seattle to a five-year contract worth US$92.5 million.
Selected 12th overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2015 MLB Draft, Naylor is entering his eighth season in the majors.
