The next season Nady would have his year cut short once again, this time with Tommy John surgery. He posted impressive offense numbers in his limited playing time at Single-A and then AAA ball that season, only to see his stats prematurely capped by poor health — a cycle that would plague Nady consistently over the following 4 years.

Throughout his time with the Padres, Nady never played in more then 124 games in a season at the pro level nor did he ever see even 400 plate appearances. Hindered by injuries and a lack of available playing time, he faired well in his small sampling of chances, — consistently compiling solid .OPS and .OPS+ numbers — but was never able to find a permanent spot in the Padres crowded outfield situation.

Nady's next stop — after proving expendable and tradable in San Diego — was in Queens with the Mets. A popular figure in New York, where his power prowess earned him a cult following of sorts despite playing in only 75 games for the club, fans were outraged when the Mets dumped Xavier to the Pirates for the last 55 games of the 2006 campaign.

During his first two seasons in Pittsburgh it was more of the same for Nady as an infection in his small intestine (discovered during testing for Crohn's disease) once again freakishly conspired to limit his playing time, much in the same way his appendectomy in 2006 cut his service time short with the Mets.

Despite Nady's illness, in his first full season as a member of Pirates in 2007 — although he was "limited" to a career best 125 games — Nady made the most of his 431 at bats, batting .278 with 20 home runs and 72 RBIs, resulting in a very good .806 OPS and a 107 OPS+. This was the biggest statement of his career concerning the realistic possibilities of the skill he still possesses, when given the proper opportunity to put it on display.

A popular deep sleeper pick for this year's breakout player of the year — Matthew Berry of ESPN.com projected him to hit 30 home runs this season — Nady was undeterred by a horrific spring and tore into the regular season with an unrelenting viciousness that has not slowed to date.

Through 34 games this season the 30-year-old right fielder for the Bucs leads the NL with 34 RBIs, second in the Majors. In addition, Xavier also has managed a stellar .349 batting average with 5 dingers to compliment his eye-popping .411 OBP and .969 OPS.

Most notable when understanding Nady's breakout this year is the refinement of the quick and compact stroke that made pro scouts covet him even as a raw prospect. The Cardinals drafted Xavier directly out of high school in the 1997 Amateur draft, only to lose out as he chose to play college ball at UC Berkeley instead.