Former Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor — a teammate of Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase — said in federal court Thursday that alleged “fixed” pitches were normal throws.
Clase and Ortiz are on trial for manipulating pitch locations and velocities to help gamblers win micro-bets.
- Naylor caught alleged fixed pitches from both players from 2023-25.
- A scouting report for one batter who allegedly received fixed pitches was to throw sliders low and away.
- A government witness testified to DraftKings having geotracked betting account usage to Clase’s house.
The newly crowned World Series champion was called as a defense witness to testify about the legitimacy of pitches that prosecutors identified as being intentionally manipulated.
Naylor caught pitches from both Ortiz and Clase during his five-year career with the Guardians before he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in August. He was behind home plate in 14 of Ortiz’s 16 starts in 2025, including a June 27 matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals — one of two games that was highlighted by prosecutors.
Naylor told the jury that the pitches looked like average sliders that missed the outside of the plate. He also said that the scouting reports on the hitters Ortiz faced in two instances of alleged manipulation highlighted the batters’ weakness with sliders on the outside corner.
“Slider low and away," Naylor told Paul Flannery, one of Ortiz's attorneys.
Naylor also caught seven of 18 pitches that were allegedly fixed by Clase from May 19, 2023, through May 28, 2025. But once again, he told the jury that he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary with the throws.
Hearing both sides
MLB players are strictly forbidden from betting on baseball games, sharing sensitive information with known gamblers, and cooperating with bettors to help them win money from sportsbooks.
Naylor told the court that prior to the ongoing sports betting scandal, he wasn’t aware that individuals could wager on minute details of baseball games, such as the result or speed of individual pitches. He also said that conspiring with outsiders would be a “betrayal,” but he didn't believe Clase or Ortiz committed any wrongdoing.
Naylor’s testimony was important for the defense of the two accused pitchers. However, the government also made a strong case with one of its witnesses on Thursday.
Witness Edward Canario said in the afternoon that co-defendant Luis Arismendy Paca Méndez told him to make specific bets about Clase’s pitches in May and June 2023. He also claimed that Paca Méndez told him not to tell anyone about the “for-sure bets.”
According to Canario, Paca Méndez was living with Clase in Cleveland at the time, and he had seen them together on a video call.
That supported claims from Joel Trella, director of DraftKings' special investigations unit, who also said Thursday the sportsbook registered 160 geolocation pings from an account used in Clase’s house. A government attorney later told the court that 14 people were geolocated at Clase’s house that day.
Canario bet up to $600 on Clase’s pitches, including outcomes such as the exact speed or the pitch to result in a ball or hit baseman. The bets were tied to the first pitch in the ninth inning in specific games.
“I had inside information on these pitches,” he told the court.
Despite that claim, Canario later told defense attorneys under cross-examination that Paca Méndez never specifically claimed to have inside information.
Clase and Ortiz were both indicted in November 2025. They have not played in an MLB game since they were initially placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave in July 2025. Both men have maintained their innocence.
Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto said that the trial is expected to continue until at least Dec. 3.
