How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a
one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San
Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the
players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the
postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general
manager. Part six details the career of outfielder Xavier Nady.
Xavier Nady VI was born on November 14, 1978 in Carmel, California. He was originally drafted out of high school after being named Northern California Player of the year, but the fourth-round selection elected not to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals. Nady was drafted again in 2000 by the San Diego Padres in the second round, and became the eighteenth player to begin their professional career in the major leagues instead of the minors. He made his debut on September 30, 2000, and got a hit in his only at-bat. Nady then went to the minors for the 2001 season, playing with the Lake Elsinore Storm in Lake Elsinore, California at the Class A Advanced level in the California League. He hit over .300 for the year, while also hitting twenty-six home runs and producing one hundred runs batted in. He was the Padres' minor league player of the year, MVP of the California League, and Rookie of the Year for that season. Nady suffered an arm injury in 2002 that cut his season short, requiring him to undergo Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. The time he was playing, he turned in respectable season with Lake Elsinore and also spent some time at Class AAA Portland, playing with the Beavers in the Pacific Coast League. He continued to post strong numbers in both leagues, although not as strong as those he had in 2001. Nady spent significant time in 2003 playing for the Padres in the majors, although for late July and all of August, he was back with Portland. He hit .267 with nine home runs and thirty-nine runs batted in during his time in the majors, and he had similar statistics with the Beavers as well. In 2004, Nady started the year in Portland before receiving an early June call-up to the Padres. He spent the next two months there before returning to Portland, and then he played out September with San Diego. While hitting .330 in Portland, Nady struggled to match that production at the major league level. He played the full season in San Diego for 2005, ending with a .261 batting average, thirteen home runs, and forty-three runs batted in. This wasn't enough to keep the Padres interested, and he was traded on November 18, 2005 to the New York Mets in exchange for fellow outfielder Mike Cameron. He played part of the 2006 season with the Mets, posting similar numbers as he had for the Padres as well as a small injury rehabilitation assignment with the Class AAA Norfolk Tides of Norfolk, in the International League, before being shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez, as the Mets were desperate for pitching depth. Nady closed out strong for the Pirates, and also pumped out a .278 average with twenty home runs and seventy-two runs batted in for the 2007 season. The 2008 season was kinder to Nady, where he posted a .330 average, thirteen home runs, and fifty-seven runs batted in for the Pirates, who decided to sell high with him and shipped him and Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees on July 26, 2008 for outfielder Jose Tabata, relievers Ross Ohlendorf and Daniel McCutchen, and starter Jeff Karstens. He closed out the year with the Yankees on a decreased batting average, but similar home run and runs batted in totals that he had for the first half of the year with Pittsburgh. Nady's 2009 campaign with New York was cut short by a second elbow injury requiring Tommy John surgery, and he also had a brief rehabilitation period with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Yankees in the Class AAA International League. He did get lucky though, as he was credited with the Yankees for their 2009 World Series championship. Nady rebounded with the Chicago Cubs in 2010 on a one-year deal that saw him produce diminished numbers across the board. His next stop came in 2011 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his statistics dipped farther, with only a .248 average, four home runs, and thirty-five runs batted in, along with a benching in early August that lasted throughout the year. Arizona didn't bring him back for 2012, but he got a shot with the Washington Nationals. He started the year with them but was relegated mostly to the bench after the Bryce Harper call-up, as well as when Michael Morse and Jayson Werth made their returns from injuries. He appeared with the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge, Virginia in the Class A Advanced Carolina League, where his numbers turned abysmal. He was released on July 29, 2012, and the San Francisco Giants signed him on August 5th. He began his time in the Giants organization back in the Pacific Coast League, playing with the Fresno Grizzlies, but was among the September call-ups, and also made the postseason roster. He didn't get a hit while appearing in four games in the National League Division Series, but his presence on the roster earned him the title of World Series Champion for the second time. Currently a free agent, Nady aims to continue his resurgence in the years ahead.
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