Red Reports

The Red Report: Xavier Paul

Will he be able to stay a productive member of the bench in 2013?

By Brandon Kraeling Mar 29, 2013, 12:00pm EDT

Xavier Paul

#26 / Center Field / Cincinnati Reds

Height: 5-9

Weight: 200

Bats: L

Throws: R

Born: Feb 25, 1985

Fast Facts:

Xavier Brooks Paul is the pride of Slidell, Louisiana, which is just east of New Orleans. He attended Slidell High School, which puts him among luminaries such as Colorado Rockie Will Harris, Bears running back Matt Forte, and the runner up for Miss Louisiana from 2011.
He was drafted by the Dodgers in the 2003 draft in the 4th round. Usually 4th rounders are kind of a crapshoot, but he was drafted shortly behind Michael Bourn and Jonathan Papelbon. The Reds' pick? Kenny Lewis! He played 6 games at AA. Good pick, Bowden.
He was good right out of the gate, OPSing .872 in rookie ball at 18. He spent 6 full years in the Dodgers's system without getting a shot at the big leagues, and was mostly average until a breakout season at AAA in 2008.
He got a cup of coffee in 2009 and was decent in his 16 ABs. His extended debut in 2010 wasn't as successful. He hit .231/.277/.314 in 44 games. The Dodgers put him on waivers early in the 2011 season.
...Where he was picked up by the Pirates. His .642 OPS in Pittsburgh was pretty much what we'd expected by now, and he looked like a prototypical AAAA player. He further cemented that status in 2012, where he hit .315 for the Nationals' AAA affiliate.
The Nats released him on July 3rd, and the Reds promptly snapped him up on July 7th.
He figured out something when he got to Cincinnati, spending only 6 games in the minors before getting called up. He was good, hitting .314/.379/.465 in 86 AB. Good enough to earn a spot on the bench for the playoffs, where he went 1-for-3.

Organizational History:

Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 4th round of the 2003 amateur draft on June 3, 2003.
Selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 26, 2011.
Released by the Pittsburgh Pirates on November 28, 2011.
Signed as a free agent by the Washington Nationals on December 20, 2011.
Granted free agency on July 3, 2012.
Signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Reds on July 7, 2012.

Contract Status:

Paul resigned with the Reds on a 1-year deal in 2013.

Career Stats:

Year	Age	Tm	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
2009	24	LAD	11	14	3	1	1	0	.214	.313	.500	.813	114
2010	25	LAD	44	121	16	0	11	3	.231	.277	.314	.591	63
2011	26	TOT	128	243	30	2	20	16	.255	.292	.346	.638	77
2011	26	LAD	7	11	0	0	0	0	.273	.273	.273	.545	53
2011	26	PIT	121	232	30	2	20	16	.254	.293	.349	.642	78
2012	27	CIN	55	86	8	2	7	4	.314	.379	.465	.844	122
4 Yrs			238	464	57	5	39	23	.259	.305	.364	.669	83
CIN (1 yr)			55	86	8	2	7	4	.314	.379	.465	.844	122

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Scouting:

Ratings via The Baseball Cube

Speed: 71
Contact: 34
Patience: 50
Batting: 71
Power: 61

I think they may be giving him a bit too credit on the speed front, but he's probably being short-changed a bit on the hitting based on last year.

2013 Projections:

2013	Steamer	30	123	3	13	13	3	6.9 %	20.0 %	.143	.309	.261	.315	.404	.311	-1.7	-0.1	0.1
2013	Oliver		399	10	49	44	12	7.5 %	21.6 %	.146	.317	.262	.321	.409	.316	-1.3	0.4	0.9
2013	Fans (14)	60	250	4	28	29	6	8.0 %	18.8 %	.096	.339	.281	.344	.377	.318	0.0	0.1	0.8
2013	ZiPS	117	335	8	38	36	12	6.3 %	22.4 %	.143	.320	.261	.312	.404	.310	1.0	0.1	0.8

Defense:

Fan Scouting Report Ratings via FanGraphs (career rating)

Instincts: (45)
First step: (52)
Speed: (58)
Hands: (28)
Release: (35)
Arm strength: (40)
Arm accuracy: (34)
Overall: (42)

I think he's better than this, but he's not here for his defense.