Josh Naylor sums up Mariners' season with play that wouldn't fly in Little League

The Seattle Mariners' 2026 season is off the rails, so nobody should get too worked up about any given misstep from here on out. But then, you get Josh Naylor making himself the butt of a double play that would get a Little Leaguer chewed out. The feeling one gets is of knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we are being punked.

The scene: It's the top of the seventh inning at Angel Stadium on Wednesday, and the Mariners have runners on first and third with one out. Weston Wilson hits a low line drive that Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto catches on the fly. Naylor wanders off third base and doesn't rush back, and Neto's throw beats him to the bag.

Further evidence of the 2026 Mariners being the most infuriating team in existence? A simple misunderstanding? A little bit of both?

Wilson (that's Weston, not Dan) tried to sell it as a misunderstanding, telling the press (including Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times) that Naylor thought the ball in play was a one-hopper that had hit the ground. He may have actually beaten Neto's throw back to the bag, though the Mariners lacked the challenges to find out.

But… I don't know, man. Maybe have enough situational awareness to notice that the third-base umpire called an out on the catch? Maybe don't tempt fate with a shortstop whose arm strength is in the 84th percentile? Whatever you do, definitely don't goad that guy into throwing over!

Josh Naylor just keeps testing Mariners fans' patience with his lackadaisical antics

One can picture Tom Emanski (who, for the record, is still very much alive) rolling over in his grave at the sight of this play. There's good, clean baseball, and then there's the Naylor play from Wednesday. Some kind of weird mix of incompetence, confusion and hubris. It's a catch-all highlight for those who would show young aspiring ballplayers what not to do.

As you can tell, we've had it up to here with Naylor around these parts. The honeymoon phase of his 2025 arrival and $92.5 million return in free agency felt over and done with months ago. Now it's almost as if he's determined to turn the Mariners fanbase against him. Dude has a 101 OPS+ for the year and two homers in the last three months. It also wasn't long ago that he had Seattle fans up in arms over a lack of hustle in a key spot.

If one had to attempt a charitable read into what's going on with Naylor, it could be that he's one of those guys who's so competitive that he just loses his sense of direction when losses are piling up. Yet even if that's the case, he's ultimately a professional who needs to act like one.

Anyway, just nine games left in the season, folks. Watch if you dare.

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