JOSH NAYLOR

St. Marys, Ont. – Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) has been named the winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2025 Tip O’Neill Award. 

 The St. Marys, Ont.-based shrine presents this honour annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals. 

 Naylor, who topped Canadian major leaguers in multiple offensive categories in 2025, is a second-time winner of the award. He also captured the honour in 2023.  

 He staved off strong competition from fellow major leaguers Nick Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) and Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) to secure the honour. 

 “Josh Naylor was outstanding in both the regular season and postseason in 2025. His combination of power and base-stealing ability made him one of the biggest offensive threats in the majors and his energy and passion for the game of baseball is contagious,” said Scott Crawford, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s director of operations. “He also continues to be a wonderful role model through the many charities he supports.” 

 Splitting his season between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Mariners, Naylor topped all Canadian major leaguers in batting average (.295), RBIs (92) and stolen bases (30). He also finished second among Canuck big leaguers in hits (160), runs (81), home runs (20), doubles (29) and walks (48).  

 Naylor was at his best in September with the Mariners battling for the American League West division title when he hit .364 and had a .982 OPS in 22 games.  

 In 2025, he also became just the fourth first baseman in MLB history and the second Canadian to record 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the same season (Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was the first with the Colorado Rockies in 1997).  

 In 12 games in the postseason, Naylor batted .340, with a .966 OPS and led the Mariners with 16 hits. He also set several Canadian postseason records, including becoming the first Canuck to have four, three-hit games in the same postseason. In Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, he belted a two-run home run to become the first Canadian to homer against the Blue Jays in Canada in the postseason.   

 Along the way, Naylor became a fan favourite with the Mariners and following the season, the team re-signed him to a five-year contract. 

The 2025 campaign was Naylor’s seventh in the majors. After honing his skills with the Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team, Naylor was selected 12^th overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2015 MLB draft.  

During his career, Naylor has supported numerous charities.  

“To be honoured with this award is extremely humbling. I am very thankful and honoured. I will continue to work and play hard to be a great example for the younger generations.” Josh Naylor

Details about the presentation of the 2025 Tip O’Neill Award will be announced in the coming months. 

 The Hall’s Tip O’Neill Award is named after Woodstock, Ont., native James “Tip” O’Neill, who was one of Major League Baseball’s first legitimate stars. With the American Association’s St. Louis Browns in 1887, O’Neill set big league records in hits, doubles, slugging percentage and total bases, while compiling a major league record .492 batting average. Walks were counted as hits in 1887, but if O’Neill’s average was calculated by today’s standards, it would be .435. 

To determine the winner of the Tip O’Neill Award, the Hall takes into account a number of criteria, including each candidate’s on-the-field performance, contributions to their team, community and charitable endeavors and their support in fan voting. The Hall also has a Tip O’Neill Award committee, consisting of a 24-person panel of Canadian baseball experts, that votes on the honour.