Nobody cares how Manny Ramirez plays LF in Boston. They care that he can smash the ball. Reed Johnson has just gone down with a back injury in Toronto. Preliminary reports are that it's a sports hernia. Ask Scott Podsednik or Todd Bertuzzi how they feel about this one. This injury will take time to overcome, and in the meantime a non-draftable guy just became a serious commodity.
Adam Lind will be starting in left field for the near future (lets say at least 15 games for now). Reed Johnson had no real value to begin with (great fielder, but useless in fantasy). Lind is a hitter of the purest form, and hopefully is glove will be just good enough to keep him the lineup. We're talking a K:BB ratio of about 2:1 and an OPS over 1000. He progressed from A-ball to the majors in the span of a season, and he's a quick study.
I don't have time right now to come up with a list of comparables, but I would compare him to Garrett Atkins of 2006, with a comparable walk rate, and more strikeouts. (Or a higher average/fewer strikeout version of Adam LaRoche). See the link below for peripherals.
http://firstinning.com/players/Adam-Lind-629/
If you're looking for a .300 hitter, decent pop, and you already have bag stealing covered, Lind is a great upside bet, especially in a loaded Toronto lineup. A true X-factor for their wild-card playoff berth this year.
Reed will be out of a starting job when he gets back.
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