Jose Reyes has a career on-base percentage of .301 in 617 career plate appearances. Chuck Solomon/SI
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For sheer entertainment value, Jose Reyes is one of the game's All-Stars. The Mets shortstop has extraordinary speed. He's bouncy, energetic and is a slick fielder; no one in the clubhouse argued when he described himself during Spring Training as "the life of the team." And at 21 he's so unrefined that you can never be sure exactly what he'll do -- for better or worse -- when he's involved in a play. Well, almost never. When Reyes strides to the plate, odds are the at-bat won't end with him handing his stick to the batboy and jogging to first base.

Reyes simply does not walk. He had zero bases on balls in 96 plate appearances heading into Friday, and in 521 appearances over the 2003 and '04 seasons he drew a grand total of 18 free passes. Reyes hasn't even been hit by a pitch in his career. If he's going to get on base he's going to hack his way there. Which is fine, except the Mets have asked him to be their leadoff hitter.

Teams constantly try to shoehorn into the leadoff spot guys like Reyes: Players who can jump-start rallies with their ability to steal bags and take extra bases. (Reyes already is an accomplished base-stealer: He's 3 for 4 this season and has been successful on 35 of 41 career attempts.) It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a hitter can only take advantage of that speed -- and create RBI opportunities for those who follow him in the lineup -- by getting on base. Reyes' on-base percentage this season is .271 (exactly the same as his batting average), a figure that's way too low for the top spot in the lineup.

For argument's sake, let's say Reyes had drawn 10 walks this season -- hardly a Bondsian total but a number Reyes isn't likely to reach before the All-Star break. His batting average would shoot up to .302 and his on-base percentage would be .375, putting him among the top 10 NL leadoff hitters.

Instead, Reyes has the third lowest OBP in the majors among hitters with at least 50 plate appearances in the leadoff spot. (The Reds' D'Angelo Jimenez is at .259 and the Braves' Rafael Furcal is at .270.) Now, the Mets' offense has been respectable (4.8 runs per game, sixth in the league), and there's an argument to be made for letting a youthful talent like Reyes learn on the job. (Remember the days when Dodgers leadoff man Cesar Izturis, who's hitting .340 with a .374 OBP, was an automatic out?) But for now Reyes is the shining star of my All-Misfit team, players in key roles who may be skilled but aren't suited for the jobs their teams have asked them to do. Drumroll, please:

Misfit Cleanup Hitter

Andruw Jones, Braves: Jones is off to such a bad start (.207 batting average) that Bobby Cox dropped him from the fourth slot a little over a week ago. The manager should resist the temptation to move Jones back if and when the center fielder's stroke returns. For all his talent, Jones always has been a streaky hitter and a run producing enigma. He has some gaudy RBI totals, having broken 100 three times. But he's a career .257 hitter with runners in scoring position. His slugging percentage (.519 vs. .463) and batting average(.270 vs. .263) are lower when he hits with runners on than with the bases empty. The Braves don't have a lot of other cleanup options; Chipper Jones, their best hitter, should stay in the third spot. But Andruw Jones might be more comfortable and productive hitting fifth or sixth.