Xavier Nady

From BR Bullpen

Xavier C. Nady

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
School University of California
High School Salinas High School
Debut September 30, 2000
Born November 14, 1978 in Salinas, CA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Xavier Nady hit .619 as a high school senior. The St. Louis Cardinals took him in the fourth round of the 1997 amateur draft but he did not sign. The next year, he batted .404 and slugged .776. He was a second-team All-American at second base according to Baseball America, the only freshman on their three All-American teams. He was named the Baseball America Freshman of the Year. He set University of California records for doubles (28) and slugging; they previously had been held by Jeff Kent and Kevin Maas and also set a school record with 173 total bases. He set a university freshman home run record (15). He was third in the Pacific-10 Conference in average, led in doubles and joined Erik Mattern as the All-Conference second basemen; Nady lost votes as he was also picked by some as a shortstop.

He followed by being named Baseball America Summer Baseball Player of the Year after hitting .414 with 17 homers and 43 RBI for team USA in 1999, leading the club in every category and falling 3 homers shy of Tino Martinez's 9-year-old USA baseball home run record. He slugged .850 and led the team in runs (42) as well.

In 1999, Nady had a fine encore performance by batting .374/?/.762 and making first-team All-America according to Baseball America, which named him the top third baseman in the country. He again was an All-Conference selection and his 23 homers were second in the Pac-10. At age 21, Xavier had a disappointing .329/?/.643 year and fell to third-team All-American at third base. He was again an All-Conference choice. He had been rated by many as the top college prospect entering the year but the relatively poor season and hsi demands for his contract led to his sliding down to the 49th pick of the 2000 amateur draft, when the San Diego Padres picked him and signed him for $1.1 million. Overall, he had set Cal records for career RBI (191), total bases (479) and homers (57) and set a Pac-10 record for slugging (.729), breaking Mark McGwire's record.

Signing a contract late, Nady became the first player to go straight to the majors since John Olerud 11 years prior and went 1 for 1 for the 2000 Padres. He went to the Arizona Fall League but was sidelined by elbow problems. Baseball America rated him as the #7 prospect in the Padres chain. In '01, he was moved to first base and played well for the Lake Elsinore Storm, hitting .302/.382/.527 with 96 runs, 38 doubles, 26 homers and 100 RBI. He led the California League in extra-base hits (65), total bases (276) and fielding percentage at first (.989). He made the league All-Star team at first, was named Rookie of the Year and Cal League MVP. Baseball America rated him the #4 prospect in the Padres system and the top power prospect, top batting prospect and best defensive 1B in the California League.

In 2002, Xavier switched positions again, this time to the outfield. He hit .278/.382/.580 in 45 games with the Storm and .283/.329/.422 with the Portland Beavers, drilling 23 homers. Baseball America rated him the #6 prospect in the California League and the #12 outfield prospect in baseball. Nady batted .265/.329/.471 in 37 games for Portland in 2003 and .267/.321/.391 in 110 games in the majors in a disappointing performance.

Nady returned to Portland for most of 2004, putting up a .333/.394/.632 line in 74 games and .247/.301/.416 in 34 games with San Diego; overall, he had 25 homers. In his first full season in the big leagues, the 26-year-old hit .261/.321/.439 for the 2005 Padres. That winter, San Diego shipped him away for Mike Cameron. Now with the New York Mets, Xavier began the 2006 campaign with a .264/.326/.487 line for New York. At the trading deadline, New York sent him to the 2006 Pirates in return for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez in a move that got mixed reviews on both sides. Installed as a regular in Pittsburgh, primarily at first, he hit .300/.352/.409 the rest of the way, showing improved contact but poor power.

Nady was sidelined in spring training of 2007 with an inflamed intestine which caused him to be hospitalized three days and undergo testing some more days. It was finally diagnosed as a viral infection, alleviating concerns that it might be a chronic digestive disorder. Nady suffered hamstring problems repeatedly in 2007, but remained Pittsburgh's most consistently productive hitter throughout the season. Nady had two notable game-tying homers in the 9th inning off of Houston closer Brad Lidge - on Opening Day and on August 24. He hit 20 home runs for the first time in the majors. He finished the season with a .278/.330/.476 batting line and 107 OPS+. He tied David Eckstein, Brandon Phillips and Austin Kearns for 10th in the 2007 NL with 12 times hit by pitch.

Despite more injury problems, Nady thrived with the 2008 Pirates, hitting .330/.383/.535 after 89 games and was 5th in the 2008 NL in average. His 141 OPS+ was 34 points higher than in any prior season. Hoping to sell high, Pittsburgh dealt him with Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees for Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen and José Tabata. Steve Pearce was called up to replace him in right field, along with Jason Michaels and Doug Mientkiewicz.

Primary Sources: 1999-2006 Baseball Almanacs, MLB.com