Pirates Claim OF Xavier Paul From Dodgers

As reported by the LA Times and FSN’s Jon Paul Morosi, the Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Xavier Paul. The Dodgers tried to pass Paul through waivers after calling up outfielder Jerry Sands. Paul, 26, stands 5’9 and weighs 205 lbs. He is in the last year of his contract and is arbitration eligible in 2012. In 11 at-bats this season, the left-handed batter has three hits and five strikeouts with no walks, extra base hits or RBI. Before 2011, Paul had 149 major league at-bats, recording 31 hits for a .208 average. He had 28 strikeouts and ten walks so go with his one career home run and three stolen bases. I don’t know much about the guy, but that LA Times report says he has “minimum power, particularly for someone who strikes out as much as he does,” also calling Paul “that awkward tweener, a fairly strong minor leaguer who wasn’t quite good enough to take that last step.” Seems like the Pirates like those k...