David Dellucci

Brought in as part of a left field platoon to start the season, Dellucci struggled with a calf injury early before tearing his hamstring in June which ended his season. With both Kenny Lofton and Trot Nixon expected to depart via free agency and Shin-Soo Choo out until April at the earliest with an elbow injury, Dellucci may find himself as part of a regular left field platoon once again in 2008. If he can stay on the field and prove he can still hit righties, he's got a chance for a 15-homer, 60-RBI season if the chips fall right.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel fumbled the ball on Dellucci in 2006. Despite being roughly as productive per at-bat as Chase Utley, who had a .906 OPS to Dellucci's .899, Dellucci was essentially benched for the first four months of the season because Manuel preferred to go with a set lineup. Cleveland signed him to a three-year, $11.5 million deal and he will compete with Jason Michaels for the left field job. Dellucci still has a lot of baseball left in him.

Dellucci spent a good part of the first two months of 2005 among the AL leaders in walks, but slumped badly from June 1 on, batting .244, .253, .247, and .238 over the final four months. His power tailed off only slightly as the season wore on, however, while his numbers on the road (.926 OPS) were better than at home (.839). Dellucci earns extra value in leagues that count OBP, since his .250-ish average won't sink you as much, but there's considerable drop-off risk here. He's still just 32, though, so don't count on a complete collapse.

An August in which he hit seven homers provided much of Dellucci's value in 2004 and resulted in a two-year deal with the Rangers. He could win the DH job this spring.

Dellucci has always been a hustle player and 2003 was no different as he swiped 12 bags in only 216 at-bats with Arizona and New York. Dellucci's playing time in right field with the Yankees in 2003 was earned on the basis of his defense, not his bat. Add in that he doesn't have a great arm and that's why the Yankees made signing a big gun in the offseason a priority. Now with the Rangers, he'll have a better opportunity for regular playing time.

On paper, it looks as if Dellucci took a step backward last year (he hit .276 in 2001 but only .245 in 2002). However, with only about 250 plate appearances in both seasons, his 2002 production was basically the same as it was in 2001, with the equivalent of an 0-for-16 slump tossed in. If Luis Gonzales and Danny Bautista are both healthy, Dellucci's a fourth outfielder, at best, if he's brought back by the D-Backs, and that wouldn't be bad. The more Dellucci is used in a role where he sees nothing but righties, the better off he'll be. Check him in the spring; if someone wants to use Dellucci as an everyday player, approach with caution, but he's used as a spot-starter/platoonie, he's good value for a low-round pick in deep leagues.