Xavier Stands For Savior, Padres' Fans!

Last year's San Diego Padres couldn't hit for power at home. The season is young but it's looking like they might be breaking out of that slump this year. Already Phil Nevin and Ryan Klesko have homered in Petco Park.

But the big news has got to be the power of Xavier Nady. Unlike the Padres' other homerun hitters who have power to right, where Petco Park's very distant fences have swallowed many a would-be homer, Nady's got power to left, where Petco Park's dimensions favor a power hitter. Nady's homerun last night to left field was a monster and suggests lots more to come.

The team still has weaknesses in outfield defense, not much speed on offense, and a lack of power production at third base. But the Padres' pitching staff, led by veteran Woody Williams and superstar Jake Peavey, is outstanding again this year. And if Nady's power production ends up as prodigious as his performance so far suggests, the Padres this year are going places.

-tdr