Adam Lind

Albeit in a part-time role, Lind put up his best season since 2009, slashing .303/.362/.513 in 301 plate appearances with the Nationals. The line was rather surprising as Lind was coming off a .239/.286.431 campaign with the Mariners. The rebound was timely as Washington declined Lind’s 2018 option. Fueling the bounce back was a reversion in contact and hard-hit rates, both of which plummeted his only season in the Pacific Northwest. Playing 25 games in left field aids the 34-year old’s value, both in fantasy and as Lind carves out a reserve role later in his career. For the past several years, Lind has been an under-the-radar value in OBP leagues, registering a mark of at least .357 each season since 2013, except in 2016. The lefty swinger is best used solely against right-handers, as he's hit only one of his 54 homers since 2014 with a southpaw on the hill. Lind will likely regress from last season, but in the right scenario, he could be a useful piece.

After a strong showing during his only season with the Brewers in 2015, Lind was acquired to work on the large side of a platoon at first base for the Mariners. Although he managed to repeat his home run total from the previous year while making significantly fewer trips to the plate (430), Lind took a step back with his plate discipline via his highest strikeout rate (20.7 percent) since 2010 and his lowest walk rate (6.0 percent) since 2011. The resulting slash line combined with poor defense at first base led him to finish as a sub-replacement-level player for the third time in his big league career. The Mariners moved on during the offseason, and it seems likely that Lind will be limited to clubs in the American League as he seeks a new home for 2017. At age 33, there is little reason to believe he will figure things out against southpaws (career .215/.260/.329) and pile up the playing time volume that made him a nice source of value in Milwaukee, especially now that he's in line to just be a left-handed bench bat for the Nationals in 2017.

Lind hit 20 homers for the fifth time in the past seven years during his first season with the Brewers in 2015. He also hit at least .275 for the third straight season and notched 32 doubles and 87 RBI behind his solid power stroke. Still, despite his solid numbers over a full season and the fact that the Brewers used him as a full-time player, Lind is best served as a platoon first baseman or designated hitter. He managed just a .221/.277/.298 line and failed to hit a single home run in 112 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, echoing the struggles he's had against southpaws his whole career. Lind was dealt to Seattle in the offseason, and there's a good chance he will be shielded heavily from lefties with his new club, but he should drive in plenty of runs with Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz ahead of him in the batting order.

Lind was traded to Milwaukee during the offseason straight up for Marco Estrada. Lind played in just 96 games last season because he spent time on the disabled list with lower-back tightness and a broken bone in his foot. That marked the fourth consecutive season that Lind failed to play more than 125 games due to four stints on the disabled list since the 2011 season. The last two seasons, Lind mashed righties with a .327/.395/.537 line but was as useless as a teenager on a Saturday morning against lefties. Moving to Milwaukee will be a lateral move for park factors for him, but he will no longer be able to get a half day off as a DH. His overall numbers these last two seasons have been strong, but the health risk holds him back from being more than a late-round selection.

Lind surprisingly rediscovered his form in 2013, slashing .288/.357/.497 with 23 home runs and 67 RBI over 521 plate appearances. A .324 BABIP certainly helped, though Lind backed it up with an impressive line drive rate of 21 percent. He also turned in the best walk rate (9.8%) of his career, while maintaining a strikeout rate (19.8%) in line with his career numbers. A small decline is likely in 2014, and Lind will probably never match his 2009 production, but he should provide the Blue Jays with an excellent DH option against right-handed pitching. As always, limiting Lind's at-bats against lefties will be vital to keeping his numbers up.

Lind's breakout season in 2009 seems like ancient history and his future in Toronto is cloudy at best. In 2012, he hit only 11 home runs thanks to a dramatic increase in groundballs, which made his .314 OBP even more unbearable. Lind was placed on waivers in May (unclaimed) and heads into 2013 without any guarantee of a major league roster spot. If he's able to carve out a role with the Jays, he'll likely sit against lefties, but even the .276/.339/.457 line he delivered against righties last season points to a limited ceiling at this stage.

Lind battled an early-season back injury and was bothered for much of the season's second half with a nagging wrist injury but still managed to hit 26 homers with 87 RBI. The team is confident that the wrist injury was the primary reason for his extended second-half slump (.197 average, 10 homers after the All-Star break). He'll be back as the team's likely cleanup hitter and first baseman and should improve on last year's totals with a year of experience at first base under his belt.

Lind was a huge disappointment last year, hitting just .237 with 23 homers and 72 RBI after a .305/35/114 effort the previous year. After making great strides against southpaws he completely fell apart against left-handers last year, hitting just .117/.159/.182. He rebounded after a horrible May and June to hit .267 with 11 homers in the second half of the season. He'll get a look at first base this spring but will slide over to DH if he's unable to handle the transition. The Jays are counting on his bat to be an everyday fixture in the lineup, and he makes a nice rebound candidate.

Lind built on his strong second-half performance from 2008 and broke out with a huge season. His ability to handle southpaws (.275 average, .461 slugging) helped to keep his bat in the lineup regularly. The departure of Marco Scutaro's .379 OBP from the leadoff spot could hurt his RBI chances, but he'll be back as the team's third or fourth hitter and a nightly fixture in the lineup.

Lind got a chance at an everyday role when Cito Gaston took over as manager in June and responded with a .282 average and 40 RBI for the season. He cooled off after a red-hot July (.379 average, 17 RBI) and he'll need to control the strike zone better if he's going to take the next step up. His batting average will suffer if he's thrust into an everyday role as he can't hit southpaws, but he should still have plenty of chances to drive in runs hitting in the middle of the Jays' lineup.

An injury to Reed Johnson got Lind everyday at-bats early in the season, but a slump in May (.171/.200/.280) and June (.236/.266/.382) resulted in a trip back to the minors once the Blue Jays got some bodies back. His numbers at Triple-A (.299/.353/.471) were better, but still show some underlying problems (including a poor two walks and 21 K in 68 at-bats against lefties). His September return to the majors was better (.273/.298/.473), but contact problems and strike zone judgment will continue to stunt his power.

Lind, a third-round pick in 2004, mashed his way through two levels in the minors in 2006, posting an OPS of .900 at Double-A and a 1.093 figure in 109 at-bats at Triple-A Syracuse before getting a September call-up to the majors. Contact was a problem at Double-A (25 walks and 87 strikeouts in 348 at-bats) and again in the majors (five walks and 12 strikeouts in 60 at-bats) but there's not much question about his power potential. There's little room for his bat following the signing of Frank Thomas, so his best bet may be as a platoon mate for Russ Johnson or Alex Rios. Starting the season at Triple-A Syracuse seems likely.