Like any weak-hitting position, refuse to overemphasize scarcity to ensure full production. Fortunately, two of the top three options seem fairly valued. If you miss out on these targets, refrain from jumping for the second tier. Instead, wait for later values to emerge. Here are some...

2011 was a tale of two seasons for Andre Ethier (OF, LA). After starting the season with a 30-game hitting streak, Ethier tailed off due in large part to knee issues that led to season-ending arthroscopic surgery in early September. The Dodgers signed Ethier to a one-year $10.95M deal (plus incentives), a relative bargain following his hot start in 2011. Will Ethier be a bargain at our draft tables as well?

Evan Longoria is coming off a season of reduced value, having lost nearly a month of 2011 with an early-season oblique injury. He also failed to fully translate his skills into production. Can Longoria rebound in 2012?

Brandon Beachy (RHP, ATL) was more than just the latest talented young pitcher to surface in Atlanta over the past two decades. He became the rock in an otherwise fragile Braves starting rotation. But as with any rookie sensation, we're left to wonder if he can improve, sustain—or will he take a step back?

It looks like Carl Crawford (OF, BOS) will have to wait a bit to prove that his first season in Boston was a fluke. After arthroscopic wrist surgery in January, he’s likely to miss the first few weeks of the season. It's really no mystery why Crawford's 2011 performance dropped off.

Spring training questions about guys like Vernon Wells inspire us to poetic whimsy...

The Cardinals caught a lot of flack last off-season after signing the then 35-year-old Lance Berkman (1B/OF, STL) to play the OF. His durability and production had come into question after a down 2010, but Berkman stayed on the field (including 126 games in the OF) and proved the critics wrong.

Amid the high-profile influx of big name first basemen into the American League, Mark Teixeira (1B, NYY) has become somewhat of a forgotten man in the discussion of elite players at the position. It doesn't help matters that Teixeira is coming off two productive but uneven seasons.

In the coming weeks, we will be bombarded with news that a starting pitcher is working on a new pitch or is feeling the best he has felt in years. Most of this is noise. The better storylines to follow in spring training are the more subtle ones.

With outfielders, we find more value disparities than any other position. One clear rule emerges: others overvalue youth and undervalue reliability. Having so many more roster spots causes outfielders to fall if your leaguemates overvalue positional scarcity.

Hanley Ramirez (3B, MIA) would like to forget his 2011 season. A .243 BA with 10 HR and 45 RBI isn't exactly the kind of production we have grown to expect from Ramirez. So what can we expect in 2012?