D'Angelo Jimenez

Jimenez was released by the A's following the 2006 season, which adds to his list of organizations that have grown tired of his act. He'll latch on somewhere under a minor-league deal.

Jimenez is a perfectly useful alternative for a small payroll team (let's dispense with the phrase "small market" - market size rarely correlates perfectly with payroll size, as there are other factors in play which help determine how much a team invests in its product). However, the moment he becomes a pricey option via arbitration is the moment that a team like the Reds should look for cheaper alternatives, like Ryan Freel. Jimenez offers a little everything, but rarely will he stand out in a category.

Jimenez hit fairly well after being traded to the Reds in a throwaway deal by the White Sox, and generally impressed Reds manager Dave Miley. He's always been a favorite of the sabermetric community, but seems to burn through organizations quickly. Former Padres teammate Ryan Klesko once called him the laziest teammate he's ever had, and the White Sox were willing to give up on him once they acquired Roberto Alomar. Despite those nagging doubts, Jimenez will almost certainly be part of the starting mix for the Reds, either at second base, where he played in 2003, or at third base.

After struggling mightily in San Diego, both with his bat and his glove, Jimenez found himself shipped off to Chicago's Class AAA Charlotte affiliate in mid-July. When Tony Graffanino's torn ACL opened up a roster spot, Jimenez got the call and claimed the vacant leadoff spot as his own, to the tune of .287/.384/.407 in 108 at bats. It would be easy to write off his final month and a half as a fluke, but this was exactly the skill set he showed before his car accident two-plus years ago. Jimenez should keep getting on base in 2003, and if the Sox are smart (insert punch line here) they'll leave him at the top of the order, where he'll be far more valuable in 5x5 leagues than in 4x4 leagues.