Xavier Nady in Right Field

Joe Girardi announced today that if the season started today, Xavier Nady would be the starting rightfielder. Although this could turn out to be a good decision, an initial view of the statistics show Nady might not last too long.

Overall, last year seemed to be Nady’s best year. His OPS was at .867, .074 higher than his career OPS of .793 and .061 points higher than his previous high of .806. However, if you break his numbers down, his OPS with the Yankees was .794, or .012 points lower than his previous high and almost identical to his career OPS. Because these stats indicate that his end of the year slump with the Yankees was more aligned to his career stats, Nady may be a big disappointment for the Yankees.

Girardi’s alternative was Nick Swisher. Swisher was obtained from the White Sox for almost nothing, or Wilson Betemit, in the off-season. He is coming off a terrible year by his standards. His OPS was .742 last year, .063 lower than his career average and .123 lower than his career high of .865. Because these stats indicate that his performance last year was far below his career average, Swisher could be set for a nice year.

In the final analysis, this announcement means only that Nady is going to start the year in right field; it does not mean that Nady is going to end of the year there. Last year appears to be an aberration for both players; and if the numbers speak true, Swisher is going to be starting in right field before long. 

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