Naylor Testifies as Defense Witness in Clase and Ortiz Case

Former Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor testified as a defense witness for Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz in the federal case in Brooklyn. Naylor said pitches that prosecutors cited as potential manipulation looked consistent with normal baseball strategy.

Naylor said he caught both pitchers and that during the period covered by the charges, he was behind the plate for seven of Clase's 18 pitches. He also caught 14 of Ortiz's 16 starts in the 2025 season. Naylor said he did not see anything suggesting the pitches were changed to gain an advantage.

The defense focused on an outside slider Ortiz threw to Pedro Pagés in the June 27, 2025 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. After reviewing the footage, Naylor said he appeared to have called that pitch through the PitchCom system and that the team's scouting report recommended throwing a slider to that area. Naylor told defense attorney Paul Flannery that he said "Slider low and away" and that the pitch was a reasonable option for challenging the hitter.

The defense also noted that five of the seven at-bats that ended with Clase's catching in the allegedly manipulated pitches resulted in outs. Naylor said Clase had "pretty good command" but located his fastball more consistently than his off-speed pitches. Prosecutors, however, showed footage of Clase shaking off the catcher's signs before two of the disputed pitches. They argue that this means Clase deliberately chose slow pitches that would be put in play.