CLEVELAND — Beyond the Dugout is back again virtually on Zoom. For years, 3News' morning anchor Dave Chudowsky has been interviewing Indians players, coaches and staff during Spring Training in Goodyear, Arizona. The segments air weekly on GO! in the morning on channel 3 and here on WKYC.com.
Due to the pandemic, Chudowsky did not travel to Arizona this year -- but that is not stopping him from asking the tough questions you want answered. Well, not really! The questions are fun and help fans get to know their favorite players better.
Making his Beyond the Dugout debut is Tribe outfielder/first basemen Josh Naylor. It is the third week in a row Chudowsky is putting a player on the hot seat that came in the big nine-player trade with the San Diego Padres in August of 2020. Naylor struggled in his 22 regular season games last year, but pumped excitement into the Tribe fan base during the Indians Wild Card series vs. the Yankees. Naylor went 5-7 (.714) with 1 HR and 3 RBI becoming the first player in MLB history to record a base hit in each of his first five postseason plate appearances. So far, he’s been consistent at the plate for the Indians splitting time between the outfield and first base. Naylor was drafted by the Marlins in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft, he turns 24 years old later this month.
Josh’s younger brother, Bo, was the Indians first round pick in the 2018 MLB draft. The two got to share a special moment when they played together during spring training this past February.
“You have your best friend there, you’ve got your backbone there, it’s an amazing feeling,” Naylor said.
When Chudowsky asked him about his Monday motivation, Naylor replied: “Any day above ground is a good day. Any day you have an opportunity to see the sun, to wake up, to walk around to talk to your loved ones is a blessing in itself.”
You will have to watch the attached video to find out why his favorite meal is chicken fajitas and who picked Guns N’ Roses as his walk-up music at the ballpark.
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