 06/02/2003 10:15 PM ET
Nady NL Rookie of the Month
Right fielder hit .320 with four homers in May
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By Mike Scarr / MLB.com
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SAN DIEGO -- The X-man has officially marked his spot.
Padres right fielder Xavier Nady was named the National League Rookie of the Month on Monday.
In the month of May, Nady hit .320 with four homers, 15 RBIs and slugged .505 over the 27-game stretch.
"I'm really happy for him," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "He played well and deserved it."
Nady was tabbed the Padres' No. 1 prospect by Baseball America and instead of waiting for the future, the 24-year old has been a part of the Padres everyday lineup. Nady was slated as the club's starting right fielder in Spring Training and he's been at the position since Opening Day.
Xavier Nady
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He began Monday's game with the Diamondbacks hitting .284 with a team-leading 10 doubles, seven homers and 23 RBIs. His 59 base hits and 30 runs scored also lead the club.
Currently, Nady ranks among the leaders in several offensive categories for rookies. He is first in hits, total bases and homers. Nady is tied for first in RBIs and second in batting average.
The Padres initially drafted Nady in the second round of the 2000 First-Year Player Draft. He hit .292 with 49 home runs and 180 RBIs in two seasons with Single-A Elsinore and Triple-A Portland.
But his first professional at-bat was at the Major League level, becoming just the 19th player since the inception of the draft to make his pro debut in the big leagues. On September 17, 2000, Nady singled and scored a run in his lone appearance.
Only the third player in Major League history to have a name start with the letter X, Nady also became the first player in that category to hit a homer when he went deep for his first big-league round-tripper on April 2.
Pitchers Dontrelle Willis and Tommy Phelps of Florida, Luis Ayala of Montreal, Brad Lidge of Houston and Milwaukee outfielder Scott Podsednik also received votes for NL rookie honors.
Mike Scarr is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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