Xavier Nady

With Paul Goldschmidt's arrival in the big leagues, Nady's role in Arizona would be limited to pinch-hitting and occasional spot starts if he returns in 2012. His days as a valuable fantasy contributor appear to be over with his second consecutive season toting a subpar OPS (.646) and waning plate discipline. Fortunately for Nady, he managed to see some duty in left field in 2011 and could occasionally play there after successfully making it back from two Tommy John surgeries on his throwing elbow.

Last year was a lost one for Nady who played part time and struggled coming back from Tommy John surgery. Still just 32 and playing left field in hitter-friendly Chase Field, Nady could resume being the zero plate discipline, 20-plus homer player he's always been, so long as he gets the at-bats. At press time, that looks fairly likely, as the front office doesn't appear to be sold on making prospect Brandon Allen an everyday left fielder.

Nady played just seven games in 2009 before an elbow injury and the ensuing Tommy John surgery shelved him for the rest of the year. For teams who don�t want to break the bank, Nady could be a nice pickup as a second-tier free agent just one year removed from a .305/.357/.510 campaign with 25 homers and 97 RBI. From a fantasy perspective, he�ll be a decent source of average with some good power, though we recommend exercising caution with a player who has undergone two Tommy Johns.

Acquired in a deadline deal with Pittsburgh, Nady was adequate while adjusting to his new home in the American League during the second half. A career .280 hitter, Nady hit just .268 after the trade despite hitting .330 for the Pirates, but that's likely tied to a 75-point drop in his BABIP, which actually bottomed out below his career norms in New York. He doesn't offer anything in the way of steals, but if you're looking for a decent average and some power, you could do much worse. With Bobby Abreu out of the picture, Nady will likely take over as the Yankees' everyday option in right field with another 20-homer campaign and plenty of RBI opportunities in the offing, as long as he's able to remain healthy.

Nady rang up career highs in homers (20) and RBI (72) even though he played in just 125 games last year. It remains questionable whether he has fully recovered from a nagging hamstring injury, but the early returns are good. The 29-year-old righty becomes a free agent following the 2009 season and agent Scott Boras has a long history of shopping his clients around to the highest bidder. For that reason, Pittsburgh may try to move Nady. On one hand he could land on a better team, but at the same time he might end up in another platoon situation. At least from a production stand point Nady solidified his lot as a serviceable major leaguer in 2007. He batted .274 against right-handed pitching, an increase of nearly 30 points over his career mark of .245. From a fantasy perspective, Nady's value will be determined by his playing situation in 2008. If he stays with the Bucs, expect similar numbers to the ones he posted a year ago.

Whether Nady is good enough to handle the opportunity he has in front of him in Pittsburgh is the $64,000 question. Nady started off on fire for the Pirates after being acquired at the trade deadline for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez. Nady, 28, hit .359 in August, 89 points above his career .270 mark. He fell back to earth the rest of the way and ended up batting a combined .280 with 17 homers and 63 RBI. Depending on the roster composition, Nady will either play first base or right field. He should be good for 20 home runs, 80 RBI and a .270 batting average in 2007, especially batting behind Jason Bay.

Nady hasn't been able to earn a starting role in the bigs after shining in the minors. Job security would probably do "X" wonders for his mental approach, and the Mets saw enough to commit to him as an everyday player in 2006. If it all finally clicks for Nady and he keeps Victor Diaz on the bench, he could hit 20-plus HR with an acceptable batting average. If it doesn't, he'll wind up a fourth outfielder and platoon first baseman.

The slugger struggled with the majors in 2004 but destroyed Triple-A pitching with a 1.026 OPS in 74 Pacific Coast League games. Major league pitchers continue to exploit his inability to recognize breaking pitches, and at age 26, he's becoming a Triple-A- plus player. The organization remains staunch in their support but rumors have had them shopping him for over a year now. He doesn't have a regular role in the upcoming season, playing all outfield positions as well as both corner infield spots, and it's a pivotal time for the quickly fading star.

In his first year as a major leaguer, Nady showed all that his surgically repaired arm is equal to the task of playing right field, but also proved his eye at the plate is questionable. A demotion to Triple-A helped his status as a power prospect, but the same troubling tendencies were present as he failed to make consistent contact against minor leaguers. With the problem looking like a lack of pitch recognition, it's unlikely he'll be a regular with the Padres in 2004. With the acquisition of Brian Giles and the return of Phil Nevin, the club has three proven veteran hitters to play first base and the corner outfield positions. If the team is healthy, he'll likely be used against tough left-handers and a trade to another organization is a possibility.

Padres GM Kevin Towers predicted that Nady would be the Opening Day LF in 2003 but the recent shift of Phil Nevin to the position, ended any chance of this possibility. He has never shown the arm, or athleticism necessary to make the transition to either of the other outfield positions so Triple A Portland looks to be his destination for 2003. Now that plans to try him at 2B have subsided, the Padres would like Nady to work on his plate discipline. If he can improve in this area, there’s no reason he can’t post 20 HRs and hit close to .270 over the course of a major league season but these totals would not supplant either Nevin, or first base incumbent, Ryan Klesko.