As spring training finally gets underway, we're going to start seeing some pretty interesting movement in ADP rankings.  Teams are still tinkering with rosters, managers are making some early changes to see how the players respond and players are tweaking aspects of their game, whether it's trying a new leg kick in the batter's box or adding a new pitch to the repertoire.  Well, for every action there is a reaction, and for most of us fantasy players, those reactions end up altering drafts and strategy.  Below is a look at some of the most recent risers in ADP, the likely reasons behind the movement, and what your reaction should be with respect to drafting.

Raul Ibanez, OF  NYY

As you can see, Ibanez started to climb a little in the rankings two weeks ago, but really spiked this week once the news of his signing with the Yankees broke.  The rumor mill had been buzzing for some time which helped move things along, but once it became more of a reality, we saw close to a 35 pick jump which is roughly three rounds in a 12-team league.  Even more noticeable is when that jumps suddenly makes him an 18th round, 5th or 6th outfielder for your team rather than just 21st round bench fodder.
 
But just because every league seems to have an overzealous Yankees fan or a Phillies fan who just can't let go, doesn't mean you should follow suit.  Take a look at some of his totals from last year and notice the increase in K|PERCENT| and the fact that he upped his Swing|PERCENT| by almost 8|PERCENT| with a 10|PERCENT| swinging strike rate.  That means he's now up there hacking more than ever and missing a lot of pitches.  And sadly, he's not even hacking at good pitches as his O-Swing|PERCENT| (swings at pitches outside the zone) is significantly up from 23.9|PERCENT| to 32.2|PERCENT|.  On a more human level, it's obvious that he is noticing that it's harder for him to catch up to pitches these days and he's overcompensating and trying to do too much.
 
Not only is Ibanez a player in decline, but he'll also be receiving somewhere around half the at bats this year than he has seen in any season over the last decade.  The Yankees didn't sign the 39-year old veteran to be their full-time DH.  He's the left-handed bat to complement the right-handed hitting of Andruw Jones.  Manager Joe Girardi is happy to play the match-ups here, so you'll likely never see the two in the same lineup, barring some major injury to an outfielder.  And even then, the Yankees will have others to help fill in those gaps.

So before you run out and get all excited about Ibanez' big lefty bat going to a ballpark that favors left-handed power, recognize the whole situation and temper your enthusiasm.  He's a solid choice for an outfielder in AL-only leagues right now, but he's still more of just a plug-and-play type guy in mixed leagues.  Perhaps if your mixed league has 18-20 teams and starts 5 or 6 outfielders, then yes, he makes sense, but don't go reaching for a guy just because his new address is in the Bronx.

Chone Figgins, 3B  SEA

Just because a manager says, on the opening day of spring training, that a guy is going to bat leadoff this season, doesn't always make it so.  But when Eric Wedge said that Ichiro Suzuki was going to bat third this season, the speculation over who was going to hit leadoff began and suddenly Figgins had himself a 16.4|PERCENT| increase in ADP in just the last week (14.6|PERCENT| over the last two).  Nothing has been said that he will even hit leadoff, but when Seattle Times reporter Geoff Baker says that he expects the team to name Figgy their man atop the order, the masses follow suit.

While his ADP is at 290.55 right now, it would seem that the upward trend will continue if/when there is some sort of announcement regarding his spot in the batting order.  People will ignore last year's utter disaster and the two year batting average drop and cite position scarcity as their reason for taking Figgins earlier and earlier.  Just be careful that you don't fall into the trap.
 
While some are speculating that this move will happen, others are convinced that it is simply Wedge attempting to light a fire under his players and get them to improve through the power of motivation.  Ichiro will see the move off of the leadoff spot as an insult and Figgins will see the faith in him as a confidence booster.  While that may very well be true, you cannot gamble your fantasy roster on it.  If others are willing to take that chance, let them.  There are plenty of less risky ways to build your team.

Franklin Gutierrez, OF  SEA

Very similar to the whole Figgins situation.  Additional speculation has Gutierrez as a possible leadoff candidate and that apparently was enough to see a 22.2|PERCENT| increase in the ADP rankings.  However, take notice that the majority of that increase occurred two weeks ago.  With the recent chatter from Baker regarding Figgins, the buzz on Gutierrez has seemingly died down , as evidenced by his -0.7|PERCENT| drop this past week.  The Figgins rumblings weren't enough to knock him all the way back, but the slight decrease here means that his ADP is stabilizing again and staying at a reasonable spot.  In this case, be a lemming and follow the trend.  Leave Gutierrez until a final round flier.

A.J. Burnett, SP  PIT

Was there anyone who didn't see this one coming?  Except, let's be honest, who ever thought a trade to Pittsburgh could increase a player's appeal?  But lo and behold, after three disastrous seasons in the Bronx, Burnett was given his walking papers and shipped out to the Steel City where he will likely land as the team's third starter.  The move has given him quite a boost in the ADP rankings over the past week.

For some time, Burnett was sitting in a holding pattern.  He was going undrafted in most 12-team mixed leagues and ignored in AL-only leagues due to the constant trade chatter.  But in this past week, as the rumors to Pittsburgh heated up and Burnett vetoed a deal to the Angels, his ADP started to climb – 21.0|PERCENT| to be exact.  He's now coming off the board somewhere around the 18th round and that's right about where you should be drafting him.  The move to the NL should help the strikeouts and the move to a pitcher-friendly park should help him drop that career 11.3|PERCENT| HR/FB mark.  Obviously there are no guarantees, but Burnett is certainly one of those emotional players who should enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere on a team infused with plenty of rising youth rather than the veteran-laden, "act like you've been there" attitude that you might find in the Yankees clubhouse.

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Howard Bender has been covering fantasy sports for over ten years on a variety of web sites including Rotowire,FanGraphs and The Fantasy Baseball Buzz.  You can follow him on Twitter at @rotobuzzguy or email him at [email protected].