Sunday, January 24, 2010

The New Case For Xavier Nady


I previously had a brief post about why the Mets should sign Xavier Nady. Now, I have to add to that. Kinda like a new way to convince the Mets that Xavier Nady is a good idea.

Now that the Mets have a left fielder they don't need Xavier for that. But the Mets are still hung up on the fact that Daniel Murphy didn't hit well against left handed pitchers. I think the Mets should give Murph another shot at having the full job at first base. After all, he was basically a rookie and spent very little time in the minors. But this post isn't about Daniel.

Xavier Nady has hit .308 in his career against left handed pitchers. He has also played in New York on both the Mets and Yankees. He doesn't have much of a history at first base but he played 3B before he played the outfield in the Padres organization. He was never ever a liability in the outfield and I can't imagine him being a liability at first base. When he's not playing first base he could give any of the outfielders a rest without detracting from the outfield defense or offense.

Xavier also has the part of the game that can't be measured with stats. He is a great personality to have in the clubhouse. The link I have no longer works, but former Pirates closer Matt Capps called Xavier the funniest guy on the team. Also with the Pirates, it was his job to bring candy and snacks for the entire team. He also played a big role in the Yankees famous Kangaroo Court during the time he was with the team last year. Xavier got along well with David Wright (who doesn't?) and was looking forward to the Mets clinching 2006 in Pittsburgh. Although that didn't happen, he still wanted to celebrate with them and would've gotten a ring had the Mets won anything. He has a good sense of humor and brightens a clubhouse. What's not to like?

The Mets should really give him a chance. Why not? Low risk, high reward.

Let's Go Mets!

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