Bucs' Nady hitting his stride

Xavier Nady was too young to recall the exact details, but he knows the story well.

When Nady was two months shy of his third birthday, his father sawed off a Louisville slugger and dug out an a old bag of baseballs from his college days.

It was time for the elder Xavier Nady to teach his son -- his first boy after two daughters -- how to hit.

In the front yard of their northern California home, the proud father tossed an underhand pitch to his son, who stood a dozen feet away.

Little Xavier Clifford Nady swung savagely and -- as the story goes -- drilled the full-sized baseball into the mid-section of his stunned father, who nearly doubled over from surprise as much as anything else.

Father and son gazed at each other, speechless.

"His reaction was to give me a look, 'Is that what you wanted me to do?' '' the elder Nady said. "It started right then and there. We wore out all 22 baseballs."

Cindy Nady took a photograph of her son that day. He held a baseball bat and wore a cowboy hat.

"I still have the picture," she said. "It's in my office. The first time he picked up a bat, we knew he was blessed."

From that memorable beginning, Nady has made hitting look easy, regardless of the hat -- from All-American at California-Berkley to minor-league MVP to the Pirates' everyday right fielder.

"He was just a special player," Cal manager David Esquer said. "You knew he was a big leaguer in waiting."

But along the way, Nady couldn't quite reach the stardom that seemed so obvious to others.

Whether it was the lack of a defined position or a crowded major-league roster or nagging injuries, Nady hadn't achieved the promise of a player who surpassed Mark McGwire's Pac-10-record for career slugging percentage.

"The success was always there," said former Cal pitcher Ryan Atkinson, who was Nady's college roommate. "Not having that opportunity to do what he wanted to do, that was hardest for him."

Nady is getting his chance now and enjoying a rare injury-free year. Thanks to a new conditioning program and a heightened dedication to pregame preparation, Nady is building on a career-best 2007 with even better numbers in his second full season with the Pirates.

Through Friday, Nady was batting .316 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. He ranked in the top six among NL outfielders in batting average, hits, doubles and RBI.

"The big thing is that he came into this season feeling very good physically and mentally, and that goes a long way," Pirates manager John Russell said. "He's kept himself in shape. He feels good, and I think it shows."

Battle to stay healthy

Injuries have followed Nady since he was picked in the second round by the San Diego Padres in 2000 and became the first position player in 11 years to advance directly to the majors without playing a game in the minors (though he would spend the next two years in the minors).

First, it was Tommy John surgery for the former corner infielder, then shin injuries, and even an appendectomy.

Last year, after being acquired from the Mets at the 2006 trade deadline, he played with a nagging hamstring injury and then sat 10 games in September with the effects of a concussion after being hit in the head with a pitch.

"It was frustrating," Nady said. "Maybe I got them all (injuries) out of the way.

"But it made me stronger. It made me smarter. I know I've got to do this much more to take care of myself so I can be out there on a daily basis."

To strengthen his hamstrings, Nady, 29, emphasized more ground work in his offseason workouts. Pirates conditioning coordinator Frank Velasquez developed an active pregame warm-up routine for Nady.

"There are days your legs don't feel as good as others, and there are days you can feel a little pinch here and there," Nady said. "You're going to feel your aches and pains but, hopefully, it doesn't keep you out of the lineup."

Nady is proving he can play every day. He hit .274 against right-handed hitters last year, squashing any concerns about being a platoon player. This year, he is batting .310 against righties.

He has missed one game all year -- the first game of a make-up doubleheader with the Atlanta Braves two weeks ago.

"His legs have been stronger this year," Pirates GM Neal Huntington said. "We anticipated him needing a lot more rest. But Xavier has exceeded expectations in the number of times he's been able to go out and what he's done when he's out there."

The year didn't start out promising. Nady hit .175 with 14 strikeouts in 57 at-bats in spring training, but opened the season with a two-home run, four-RBI game against the Braves. He hasn't slowed down, starting on a pace to finish with 24 home runs, 48 doubles and 131 RBI. He has one error in 134 chances and ranks second in the NL with five assists.

"He gives you a good at-bat every time," Huntington said. "He has great hand-eye coordination, and he can drive to all fields."

Nady in waiting

Nady's days with the Pirates could be over as early as August. He is frequently mentioned in trade rumors (the Mets, the team that traded him to Pittsburgh in the Oliver Perez deal, are among the teams in the market for a right-handed hitting corner outfielder). Nady's improved play only enhances his value and makes a trade all the more likely, as the new Pirates management looks to rebuild a desolate farm system.

"The reality of today's game is that it's ever-changing," Huntington said.

Nady is making $3.35 million this year after going through arbitration. He is arbitration-eligible for next year, when his salary would likely move at least into the $5 million range.

Nady, represented by Scott Boras, is eligible to become a free agent after the 2009 season. And Boras' clients almost always test the waters.

Nady has proven to be a tough bargain before. He was considered a possible No. 1 overall pick -- and a certain top-five selection -- in the 2000 major-league draft. But when he signed Boras as an agent and made his contract demands known, he plummeted to the No. 49 overall pick.

Another reason to expect Nady's departure is that one of the Pirates' top prospects, Steve Pearce of Triple-A Indianapolis, also plays right field.

Nady, swapped from the Padres to the Mets to the Pirates in a nine-month span, is used to the trade rumors.

"I've heard my name floated around all the time," he said. "I think that's the nature of what's going to happen, and I just have to deal with it. Most importantly, I have to go out and stay healthy and help this team win. I'll worry about the rest down the road."

That attitude is one reason why Nady is so well-liked by past and current teammates, from shortstop Jimmy Rollins on his 17-year-old AAU Junior Olympic national champion to Mark Prior on the USA Baseball National team in the late 1990s.

Esquer, Cal's manager, said Nady, who played mainly third base until the pros, was always likable. He has known Nady since his prep days, when Esquer's brother, Eric, coached the all-state performer at Salinas High School.

"He didn't act like a superstar," David Esquer said. "He was one of the guys."

A special talent

But Nady really wasn't like everyone else. At age 11, he was the best player in his league of 12-year-olds. And so on. When Nady outclassed the local competition, his father, who played baseball at the University of Colorado, would drive him two hours to San Francisco to practice with some of the Bay Area's best players.

Nady spent countless hours in the batting cages owned by former major-league slugger and family friend Pete Incaviglia, honing a sweet, fluid swing.

At age 15, Nady was among the nation's elite freshman hitters. He hit .619 as a senior in high school and rewrote the record books at Cal.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Nady also was an excellent basketball player in high school, finishing second in a slam-dunk contest at an all-star game following his senior year.

"Yes," Nady said, smiling, in the Pirates' clubhouse. "I can still dunk."

Whether or not he's traded, Nady will have a busy summer. He and his wife, Meredith, are expecting their first child this summer. The two met while playing YMCA basketball in seventh grade and were high school sweethearts.

The newest Nady, a boy, will be named Xavier, just like each generation of Nadys dating back to Xavier's great-great-great grandfather in France 150 years ago.

The Pirates' star right fielder is Xavier the sixth. His son will be Xavier the seventh.

And someday, Xavier Nady VI is certain to take his little boy into the front yard with a small baseball bat and, in another family tradition, toss him a pitch.