X. Nady - Certifiable Beast
I suppose by now you have heard of Xavier Nady's game last night - 4 -4, grand slam, 6 RBIs. The AP even quoted David Wright as calling him an "MVP."
"Nady already has my MVP vote," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "Every ball he hit, he hit hard."
Why the interest in Nady? Well, as the title of this blog suggests, and as my earlier posts confirm, I am a Padrinos fan (you will often hear the Padres referred to on this blog as the "Padrinos" or just "'Drinos" ... it is a term, I think, that connotes both cuddly adoration and complete and total exasperation and is therefore entirely apropos of Padres fandom). Nady was drafted out of Cal by the Padres, shepherded through the Padres farm system, and then brought to the majors for duty under the sometimes overly-cautious eye of Bruce Bochy. During his time with the Padres, Nady was always doing one of three things: (i) riding the pine because Boch wouldn't play him; (ii) striking out against tough right handed pitching, usually after swinging at the first pitch and getting behind in the count; and (iii) roping bombs off the Western Metal Supply Building. He never could curry Boch's favor, however, and is now a Met, having coming over in a straight up deal for Mike Cameron.
My issue with this is that, and I haven't checked the exact dates, Nady is 27 and doesn't turn 28 until November 14. That is precisely when "man strength" starts to kick in, not to mention, if you are like Nady and have already had three-plus years of experience with major league pitching, some of the little keys to hitting start to click and then mesh along with your natural talent. Bottom line [hold your breath for a bold prediction]: with a guaranteed 500 ABs a year, Nady will average 30 home runs a season from now until he is 35. At least.
How does this affect the fantasy league? Needless to say, if Nady is on track to hit 30 bombs, he will be highly sought after as an outfield starter. But, moreso, this fantasy league is, among the 12 owners, populated by one Padre fan, three Mets fans, one guy who used to play for the Mets, another guy whose Dad used to coach for the Mets, and two other guys who are just your basic Nady-philes (this would be Geleaux as well as the owner of the team Skillz That Killz, both of whom accompanied me to Petco last season for a "scouting trip" during which Nady (a) roped a bomb off the Western Metal Supply Building and (b) smoked a triple to the 411 foot sign in right centerfield).
In fact, after word of Nady's Met debut spread last night, the excitement was palpable.
From the owner of the team Dr. Rosendowell, a Met fan from Queens who is new to the league: Now [Bevormo's] definitely entering the dispersal draft...a chance to build his team around the X-factor?
And from the owner of the team D.J. Dozier and Friends, another Met fan, not from Queens, who is a half-season veteran of the league: Hello dispersal draft for senor nady.*
In short, Nady's season is being watched closely by this league.
*(If you are wondering what is meant by "dispersal draft," that will all be explained in later posts.)
"Nady already has my MVP vote," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "Every ball he hit, he hit hard."
Why the interest in Nady? Well, as the title of this blog suggests, and as my earlier posts confirm, I am a Padrinos fan (you will often hear the Padres referred to on this blog as the "Padrinos" or just "'Drinos" ... it is a term, I think, that connotes both cuddly adoration and complete and total exasperation and is therefore entirely apropos of Padres fandom). Nady was drafted out of Cal by the Padres, shepherded through the Padres farm system, and then brought to the majors for duty under the sometimes overly-cautious eye of Bruce Bochy. During his time with the Padres, Nady was always doing one of three things: (i) riding the pine because Boch wouldn't play him; (ii) striking out against tough right handed pitching, usually after swinging at the first pitch and getting behind in the count; and (iii) roping bombs off the Western Metal Supply Building. He never could curry Boch's favor, however, and is now a Met, having coming over in a straight up deal for Mike Cameron.
My issue with this is that, and I haven't checked the exact dates, Nady is 27 and doesn't turn 28 until November 14. That is precisely when "man strength" starts to kick in, not to mention, if you are like Nady and have already had three-plus years of experience with major league pitching, some of the little keys to hitting start to click and then mesh along with your natural talent. Bottom line [hold your breath for a bold prediction]: with a guaranteed 500 ABs a year, Nady will average 30 home runs a season from now until he is 35. At least.
How does this affect the fantasy league? Needless to say, if Nady is on track to hit 30 bombs, he will be highly sought after as an outfield starter. But, moreso, this fantasy league is, among the 12 owners, populated by one Padre fan, three Mets fans, one guy who used to play for the Mets, another guy whose Dad used to coach for the Mets, and two other guys who are just your basic Nady-philes (this would be Geleaux as well as the owner of the team Skillz That Killz, both of whom accompanied me to Petco last season for a "scouting trip" during which Nady (a) roped a bomb off the Western Metal Supply Building and (b) smoked a triple to the 411 foot sign in right centerfield).
In fact, after word of Nady's Met debut spread last night, the excitement was palpable.
From the owner of the team Dr. Rosendowell, a Met fan from Queens who is new to the league: Now [Bevormo's] definitely entering the dispersal draft...a chance to build his team around the X-factor?
And from the owner of the team D.J. Dozier and Friends, another Met fan, not from Queens, who is a half-season veteran of the league: Hello dispersal draft for senor nady.*
In short, Nady's season is being watched closely by this league.
*(If you are wondering what is meant by "dispersal draft," that will all be explained in later posts.)
posted by Ryan at 10:07 AM
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