Josh Johnson says his shoulder is feeling better. Johnson is an extremely high risk/high reward pick in 2011. He is very likely to give you great numbers while he is in the line-up, but how long that will be is predicated upon his health. His current adp at nfbc is just after Latos, and ahead of Gio Gonzalez, Romero, Dan Hudson, Beachy, and Garza. At that price, Johnson will not make my roster this year.

Jason Isringhausen signs minor deal with the Angels. Jason is 39 and hasn’t been fantasy relevant in six seasons. Make that seven.

Roy Oswalt will decide upon a team in the next two days. Another pitcher whose value depends largely upon health. His peripherals declined last season, and one could guess that had a lot to do with his back issues. Roy is 34, and has recorded seven >200 inning seasons, lots of them excellent. I am very interested in where he signs. I will be less interested in drafting him if it turns out to be an A.L. team, even less so if in the A.L. East. However, if he manages a contract with an N.L. team, and if it happens to be in the Central, I’m likely going to reach for him in a draft. Currently, he is being taken after Ogando, Worley, Norris, and Billingsly, and just before, Baker, Jurrjens, and McCarthy. I think that is too low.

John Gibbons signs with the Brewers. So THAT’S why Hart is taking reps at 1b. hahahaha.

Johan Santana throws third bullpen session, reports no pain. I am very leery, and I haven’t even looked at drafting him. Bill James is very bullish on his prospects. I’ve got to see some reports positive on velocity this spring before I’ll consider him.

Mitch Moreland took 75 swings. Mitch had the pisiform bone removed from his right wrist last November. This is nothing like having a bit of troublesome cartilage cleared out. In one year leagues, Moreland may be a good gamble if you can get him real cheap. He was having an ok season last year, before this wrist issue. Long term however, stay away. Removing the bone is a quick fix, and over time, the mechanics of his wrist are likely to be grossly effected. Bet on more surgeries in the future, and more time missed.

Howard is ahead of schedule. Achilles tendon injuries are extremely difficult to come back from. They linger well after the athlete returns. I can see Howard struggling to regain his great power for several months past his return date, which I think will be close to the end of May.

Burt Reynolds signs with the New York Yankees. cut and paste time. give us your best punchline.

Bobby Abreu. The Angels will “try and put Bobby into a position where he can be successful”. BS. The team will come first. We are going to hear about the Angels and all their hitters, all spring. Ultimately, if you aren’t hitting, you aren’t playing. That will apply to nearly every one of them.

David Aardsma signs with the NYY. Yesterday, Rivera says this will likely be his final season. Include Aardsma in the mix. He will be worth rostering in deep A.L. keeper leagues for use in 2013.

Chapman is preparing to be a starter. I think not. His w/9 is a ghastly 7.38. He will need AAA time to get that to a reasonable level. Track him, of course, because his stuff is potentially dominant.

Zack Britton has shoulder troubles. Highly touted last spring, Zack walked too many hitters to be effective with his limited arsenal. I think that w/9 needs to get below 2. And I need to hear good news about his health before I will look at drafting him.

Adam LaRoche says his repaired shoulder is still sore when he throws, but is fine when hitting. This is good news. LaRoche has six seasons with >20 home runs and 78 RBI’s. He can hit. Currently, he is being drafted behind Huff, Helton, Chris Davis, D Lee ( what?! ), and, ironically, Moreland. That is way too low. Adam should get most of the at bats at 1b for the Nats. If he stays healthy, he will be a great bargain.

Dominic Brown has a new batting stance. Brown is a great prospect, ranked very highly on most lists prior to last season. He deserved the rankings. His strike zone control at AAA was excellent, he has good power and good speed. Phillies management say they want a full season of AAA for Brown in 2012. Perhaps that happens. He is currently behind John Mayberry on the depth chart in LF. Mayberry is a better hitter than Brown, but Mayberry also plays 1b. Will be a very interesting spring because there are lots of possible outcomes for the game 1 line-up with Howard on the shelf, and lots of lesser bats in the competition.

Parra to be given lots of CF time during spring training. Sounds like he is being groomed for a utility outfield role. Parra is an ok late pick. Kubel is not a good bet to survive the season healthy.

Carl Crawford takes 15 swings and insists he is ahead of schedule. Crawford has a tremendous work ethic. He clearly wants to miss as little time as possible. He is falling out of the top 20 outfielders in many drafts. That is too low. He could easily earn first round value with a bounce-back season.