One of the pleasant surprises of the 2011 was Jeff Francoeur who earned a career high roto value of $27, which was driven by 20 HR and a career high 22 SB. While the 20 HR weren't completely out of line for him (he had hit 29 HR in 2006), the SB seemingly came out of nowhere, after posting a previous high of just eight SB in 2011. Even in hindsight, there's no way we could have seen this outburst coming. Right?

Adam Lind (1B, TOR) has been shut down for at least three days with stiffness in his lower back. He is scheduled to take batting practice on Friday, March 30. The Blue Jays are treating this as a potentially serious issue, since Lind spent 27 days on the DL last season with the same problem. As we know, back problems tend to linger and recur. Manager John Farrell acknowledged that Lind's back would need to be monitored throughout the season. What are the Blue Jays options?

Rickie Weeks (2B, MIL) started quickly last year, earning his first All-Star selection with a .283-14-33 first half. But like so often in the past, injuries derailed his season. Now 29, Weeks will be counted on to help pick up the offensive slack following Prince Fielder's (1B, DET) departure.

The first chat of the season is TODAY! Join Ron Shandler at USA Today and get some last minute advice before your late drafts.

As expected, Mike Aviles was named the starting shortstop in Boston to begin the season. His main assets are his contact rate (86 percent career) and his speed. Aviles has stolen 14 bases each of the past two years, and did so in just 286 at-bats last year. A consistently low walk rate makes getting on base a struggle, though, which could eventually cut into his playing time somewhat. At this point, though, that doesn't seem to be a major concern, as manager Bobby Valentine is thinking of using Aviles in the leadoff spot.

In a spring training battle for a roster slot? Just make a good early impression—like hot-hitting Ryan Raburn (2B/OF, DET), who’s vying for the Tigers’ opening day second base position. Despite the start, Raburn has fairly one-dimensional the past few years.

Hands down, the closer position is the most frustrating in fantasy baseball. There are seasons where near 50% of the closers on Opening Day are not in the same role by the end of the season. Some lose their job because of ineffectiveness and even more due to injuries. Any edge you can get for draft day can only help you increase the odds of not getting burned by leaning on a high risk closer.

Here are some of the recent closer changes and some relievers who put up great springs.

When looking at batters in Points Leagues, you must immediately recognize a major difference from the Rotisserie format - steals are only minimally important. With no ratio categories, total bases and counting stats become your ambrosia.

Previewing the opening series of the MLB season in Japan between the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners.

Both Pedro Alvarez and Lonnie Chisenhall entered March as their teams’ Opening Day 3B favorites, but their spring performances haven’t cooperated. Thames wins TOR’s LF job, and more observations as April approaches …