Xavier Brooks Paul Jr. (born February 25, 1985) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

Early life

While at Slidell High School in 2003 he was selected to

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

's second team High School All-American team after batting .391 with nine homers, 17 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. He then hit .444 for

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

. He also played with the 2001 Junior National Team that won a gold medal at the World Championships. He was named the state of Louisiana 2003 Mr. Baseball.

Baseball career

Los Angeles Dodgers

Paul was drafted in the fourth round of the June 2003

MLB Draft The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...

by the

. He made his professional debut with the

Ogden Raptors The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field. Pitcher ...

and was selected to the Rookie League All-Star team after hitting .307 for the Raptors. In 2004, he was tagged by

as having the best outfield arm in the Dodgers system and as the Dodgers seventh-best prospect. He hit .262 for the

Columbus Catfish The Columbus Catfish were a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia. They were a Class A team in the South Atlantic League, and were an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The Catfish relocated to Bowling Green, ...

that season. Xavier Paul 2009

He played for the

Vero Beach Dodgers Vero may refer to: Geography * Vero Beach, Florida, a city in the United States * Vero, Corse-du-Sud, a commune of France in Corsica Other * '' Véro'', a talk show on the Radio-Canada television network * Vero (app), a social media company co-fou ...

in 2005 and 2006, and was ranked by ''

'' as the Best Defensive outfielder in the entire Single-A level. In 2007, he played for the Double-A

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

, hitting .291 with 11 homers and 17 stolen bases. Paul was selected to the Southern League Mid-season All-Star Team. He played in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

after the season and was promoted to the Las Vegas 51s and placed on the Dodgers 40 man roster for the 2008 season. He hit .316 with Las Vegas that season in 115 games. He began the 2009 season with the AAA

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

, and then on May 7, 2009, Paul was called up to the

to replace

Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, L ...

, who was suspended for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Paul made his Major League debut the same day, grounding into a

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

in his one

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute Batting (baseball), batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the dead ball (baseball), ball is dead (not in active play); the manager (baseball), manager may use any player who has not yet ...

against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. His first major league hit was against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

three days later, and he hit his first home run against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

on May 15. Shortly afterwards he was sidelined by a

staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasio ...

and placed on the disabled list. While rehabbing at the Dodgers complex in Arizona, he then suffered an ankle injury and spent the rest of the year on the 60-day disabled list. Paul appeared in 44 games with the Dodgers in 2010, thanks to a succession of injuries to Ramirez. He hit .231 over that period before he was returned to the minors. He appeared in 57 games with the Isotopes during the season, hitting .325 in 57 games but a late season injury made him unavailable for a September callup. He began the season with the Dodgers in 2011 but after he appeared in seven games and had three hits in 11 at-bats, Paul was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on April 18, 2011.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On April 26, 2011, he was claimed off waivers by the

. With the Pirates, he appeared in 121 games, hitting .254 with 16 stolen bases. Paul was

on November 18, 2011. The Pirates released Paul on November 28, 2011.

Washington Nationals

On December 20, 2011, he signed a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training with the

. He was granted his release in July 2012.

Cincinnati Reds

Paul signed a minor league contract with the

on July 7, 2012. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...

. The Reds selected his contract on July 18, 2012. He became a free agent on December 2, 2013, after being non-tendered by the Reds.

Baltimore Orioles

Paul signed a minor league contract with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

on in December 2013.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Paul signed a minor league contract with the

on August 7, 2014. On August 8, his contract was selected from the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

. He was released on August 29.

Philadelphia Phillies

On November 13, 2014, Paul signed a minor league contract with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. He was released on March 16.

Delfines del Carmen

On May 6, 2016, Paul signed with the Delfines del Carmen of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He was released on June 8, 2016.

Texas Rangers

On July 2, 2017, Paul signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. He was released on February 5, 2018.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and retirement

On February 14, 2018, Paul signed with the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseb ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was released on May 8, 2018. Paul retired in the 2018–2019 offseason.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, Xavier 1985 births Living people Águilas de Mexicali players Albuquerque Isotopes players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico African-American baseball players Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Louisiana Cajun sportspeople Cincinnati Reds players Columbus Catfish players Delfines de Ciudad del Carmen players Jacksonville Suns players Las Vegas 51s players Los Angeles Dodgers players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball outfielders Mexican League baseball left fielders Mexican League baseball right fielders Norfolk Tides players North Shore Honu players Sportspeople from Slidell, Louisiana Pittsburgh Pirates players Reno Aces players Ogden Raptors players Slidell High School alumni Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Syracuse Chiefs players Vero Beach Dodgers players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people