Paul keeps pressure at bay

Struggling at the plate early in his first Triple-A season, it would be natural for 51s center fielder Xavier Paul to begin pressing. But the 23-year-old native of Slidell, La., has remained on an even keel.

That's probably because Paul knows real-life pressure all too well, the kind he felt when his childhood home and parents' residence was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"When I went home and saw that, I had a lot of thoughts running through my head," the soft-spoken Paul said. "'What can I do now to help my family? I have to hurry up and get to the big leagues so financially we can be better off and get this situation taken care of.'

"But my parents reassured me there wasn't any added pressure, as far as on my job. They really stressed to me about being patient and don't try to force the issue."

Though Paul's parents' home has been rebuilt, he said the situation gave him "motivation to work harder and do better." The same mind-set -- motivation, not pressure -- appears to be serving him well as he battles out of his slump.

Paul has come on lately, raising his average to .215 Thursday by going 2-for-2 with three RBIs in Las Vegas' 8-1 home win over Portland. He extended his hitting streak to six games.

"I started off slow with the bat, but I've been putting in my early work and I'm feeling more comfortable up there," Paul said. "It's all about making adjustments."

Paul, a 6-foot, 200-pound left-handed hitter, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round in 2003 and placed on their 40-man roster this year. He's regarded as the top positional prospect in Las Vegas.

"He's got some power, he's got some speed and he's got a plus arm," 51s manager Lorenzo Bundy said. "It's very important for us as an organization and for him to be able to play center field. Hopefully he can give us stability. We need some help up there.

"We want him to be a serviceable center fielder as soon as possible."

Baseball America rated Paul the best defensive outfielder in Class A in 2006 and ranked him with the best outfield arm in the organization each of the last four years.

Bundy said Paul has a "65-to-70 arm on our graded scale, well above the major league average," which is 60.

But Paul, the 51s' youngest player, still needs to improve virtually every aspect of his game, including his defense.

"He definitely has a lot of room to improve in center field, his jumps, his angles, his breaks, his reads on the ball," Bundy said. "He's a work in progress, no doubt about it."

Paul, a career .278 hitter in the minors, also needs to improve at the plate, where he hit .291 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs for Double-A Jacksonville last season.

• NOTE -- Veteran left-hander reliever Mike Myers opted out of his Dodgers contract and left the 51s.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.

By TODD DEWEY

REVIEW-JOURNAL

Struggling at the plate early in his first Triple-A season, it would be natural for 51s center fielder Xavier Paul to begin pressing. But the 23-year-old native of Slidell, La., has remained on an even keel.

That's probably because Paul knows real-life pressure all too well, the kind he felt when his childhood home and parents' residence was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"When I went home and saw that, I had a lot of thoughts running through my head," the soft-spoken Paul said. "'What can I do now to help my family? I have to hurry up and get to the big leagues so financially we can be better off and get this situation taken care of.'

"But my parents reassured me there wasn't any added pressure, as far as on my job. They really stressed to me about being patient and don't try to force the issue."

Though Paul's parents' home has been rebuilt, he said the situation gave him "motivation to work harder and do better." The same mind-set -- motivation, not pressure -- appears to be serving him well as he battles out of his slump.

Paul has come on lately, raising his average to .215 Thursday by going 2-for-2 with three RBIs in Las Vegas' 8-1 home win over Portland. He extended his hitting streak to six games.

"I started off slow with the bat, but I've been putting in my early work and I'm feeling more comfortable up there," Paul said. "It's all about making adjustments."

Paul, a 6-foot, 200-pound left-handed hitter, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round in 2003 and placed on their 40-man roster this year. He's regarded as the top positional prospect in Las Vegas.

"He's got some power, he's got some speed and he's got a plus arm," 51s manager Lorenzo Bundy said. "It's very important for us as an organization and for him to be able to play center field. Hopefully he can give us stability. We need some help up there.

"We want him to be a serviceable center fielder as soon as possible."

Baseball America rated Paul the best defensive outfielder in Class A in 2006 and ranked him with the best outfield arm in the organization each of the last four years.

Bundy said Paul has a "65-to-70 arm on our graded scale, well above the major league average," which is 60.

But Paul, the 51s' youngest player, still needs to improve virtually every aspect of his game, including his defense.

"He definitely has a lot of room to improve in center field, his jumps, his angles, his breaks, his reads on the ball," Bundy said. "He's a work in progress, no doubt about it."

Paul, a career .278 hitter in the minors, also needs to improve at the plate, where he hit .291 with 11 homers and 50 RBIs for Double-A Jacksonville last season.

• NOTE -- Veteran left-hander reliever Mike Myers opted out of his Dodgers contract and left the 51s.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.