Yeah, I'm going to die on the hill that Naylor's gotta play 1B on the current iteration of this team. He's not a RF, he's just not, and when you can actually trot out a representative RF tandem of Luplow/Daniel Johnson (on both sides of the ball, they have a good chance of being above average) then that's what you'll end up with eventually. If Naylor proves his bat will stick--I think it will, you're skeptical, and have a right to be--then maybe he can play LF in a post Eddie Rosario era, but having Josh playing RF in the current OF arrangement is madness and only undermines the team's strength (pitching).
Do I think Reyes would play as well out there as Naylor? Nope, I do not, especially since 80% of outfield play is just running down fly balls. As poor as Naylor is fundamentally, he'll still do that better than Reyes would. That's not to say I don't find a way to shoehorn Reyes out there at some point in this series. In fact, it's beyond me why Franmil didn't dust off his glove and play some out there after this game was out of hand early to get re-acquainted with the grass.
While I'm sure the Tribe valued Hedges, don't think his inclusion was a deal breaker considering all the other talent involved. I mean, this team was has blithely settled for mediocre back-up catchers for so long that I'd be surprised if they ever re-evaluate their stance on how important they are. I was thrilled beyond belief when they paid up for Hedges though. I consider him well worth it, and much better insurance for Perez than what we've been trotting out there.
