A blog analyzing Major League Baseball through the lens of Astrology
Welcome to Astrology Baseball, a project where I arrange MLB players into teams based on their astrological signs, and then pit those teams against each other in mock fantasy seasons.
2021 Scorpio Batters
My reverse-chronological trip through Fantasy Astrology Baseball League history has taken me to the mid-1980s, a period where Scorpio ran roughshod over the rest of the league. So it’s a bit of a shock for me to see this sign in the bottom third in 2021. But the karmic wheel continues turning, and I’m sure Scorpio will be back on top in no time… from a cosmic perspective, at least.
Capricorn Tarot: The Devil
While “Death” is likely the most ominous card to appear in a Tarot reading, “The Devil” takes the cake when it comes to just plain nasty connotations. Divinatory meanings are varied and situational, so the connection shouldn’t lead to the conclusion that all Capricorns are evil, in the Judeo-Christian sense. However, the irony is not lost on me that the sign whose dates include the birth of Jesus is linked to a Tarot card that depicts Jesus’s primary adversary in the Bible…
2021 Sagittarius Pitchers
The Sagittarius pitching staff has been somewhat inconsistent over the last several seasons. After decades of being carried by a stable of lights-out relievers – including the likes of Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Lee Smith, and Dave Righetti – a promising group of starters looks ready to take the reins.
2021 Sagittarius Batters
Looking at the signs during the 2019-20 offseason, I really thought that Sagittarius had a chance to win the league, thanks to the top two ranked fantasy players (Christian Yelich and Ronald Acuna Jr.) and a good-enough supporting staff to work with. Obviously, the world completely changed before that season could get started, and since then a combination of injuries and inconsistency has prevented the Archers from reaching their potential.
1986 Astrology Recap
The 1986 World Series holds a special place in my heart, since it was the first one that took place in my lifetime. In terms of he Fantasy Astrology Baseball League, 1986 had four clear-cut division winners – nothing like the two subsequent years where several of the leaders could go either way, depending on how strictly you want to stick to positional eligibility rules.
2021 Aries Pitchers
One theme that I’ve noticed more than anything else while doing this project is the cyclical nature of Fantasy Astrology Baseball. For example, today’s Aries player pool includes several of the top closers in the league, whereas in the mid-1980’s, the Rams often struggled to field even three relief pitchers who reached my 700-point threshold for database inclusion.
Aries 2021 Batters
Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac, according to its positioning of the karmic wheel. It has the reputation as the angriest sign. And it’s the last sign to enjoy a true Fantasy Astrology dynasty, scoring the most collective points in the league in five of the six years between 2013 and 2018.
Cancer 2021 Pitchers
Traditionally, at least in the last 30 years that I’ve analyzed for this project, Cancer’s offense has been much stronger than their pitchers. That trend continues in 2021, with a world class collection of infielders and designated hitters completely outclassing a Crabs pitching staff that couldn’t even field five starters with more than 1,000 points on the season.
Cancer 2021 Batters
I try not to give preferential treatment to Cancer in my analysis, but every once in a while, my “home-sign” bias creeps in. Lord knows I tried to bend every conceivable positional eligibility rule in the Crabs’ favor when putting together my official lineups for 2021. But try as I might, I couldn’t get them to outscore Pisces in the Water Division, even with two-way star and AL MVP Shohei Ohtani in the mix.
1987 Astrology League Recap
in 1987, as in 1988 after it, my willingness to put players out of position in my official lineups directly impacted the result of one of the divisional races. Scorpio had the undisputed top-scoring roster of 1987, but you could make an argument for the number two playoff seed being either Taurus or Virgo, depending on how many positional eligibility rules you want to bend.
Aquarius 2021 Pitchers
Even though Aquarius’s official starting lineup scored the fifth most points in the 2021 Fantasy Astrology Baseball League, the sign had the fewest overall players from which to build said lineup. Last time, I looked at most of their 42 batters, and now it’s time for an in-depth look at the 53 pitchers who made up the 2021 Water Bearers player pool.
Aquarius 2021 Batters
In the 30-plus years of Fantasy Astrology Baseball League history that I’ve analyzed, the ONLY time Aquarius won their division was the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. A 60-game sample is 2.5-times shorter than what we get in a regular season, but Aquarius built on that success, finishing fifth overall in 2021.
Sagittarius Tarot: Temperance
The completionist in me has always been irked by the fact that only three of the four classic Cardinal Virtues appear on Tarot cards. We saw Fortitude (or Strength) with Leo, Justice with Libra, and the current sign, Sagittarius, corresponds to Temperance. But Prudence is nowhere to be found…
Capricorn 2021 Pitchers
While Capricorn has some top tier batters anchoring their lineup, the Sea-Goats always seem to have outstanding pitching depth to go along with them. In 2021, only Gemini had more starting pitchers with 1,000 or more fantasy points. However, this year’s crop of Capricorn hurlers includes one particularly controversial name.
Capricorn 2021 Batters
Now that we’re done with the leaders of the four elemental divisions, it’s time to start moving down the standings. While Capricorn finished behind Virgo in the Earth Division, they had the third-highest point total overall, at least as far as their optimal starting lineup is concerned.
1988 Astrology League Recap
Leo scored the most fantasy points in the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League in 1988… but only if you ignore positional eligibility rules when setting their starting lineup. But without those adjustments, Virgo would emerge as the leader – a more meaningful accomplishment, considering their entire starting lineup meets positional compliance.
Leo 2021 Pitchers
In a season without a healthy Mike Trout, the Leo pitchers really had to carry the load for their offense. But luckily the leaders of the Fire Sign had enough high quality arms to propel them to the playoffs. Here’s a look at (pretty much) every relevant pitcher on the 2021 Leo Lions.
Leo 2021 Batters
Leo got off to a strong start in 2021 and never looked back, leading the Fire Division in my weekly fantasy baseball league basically wire-to-wire. Unfortunately, the Lions fell to Libra in the semifinals, thanks to strong performances from not one, but TWO 2021 Cy Young Award winners.
Pisces 2021 Pitchers
Pisces took top spot in the 2021 Water Division, mostly thanks to its star-studded infield and rookie-laden outfield mix. While the starting pitching depth left something to be desired, mostly due to injuries, a strong bullpen picked up the slack, and will surely shorten games in a hypothetical offseason tournament.
Pisces 2021 Batters
This is the third in-depth look into the 2021 Fantasy Astrology Baseball League teams, but the starting lineup for Pisces actually scored the fourth-most points in the league. I’m skipping third-place Capricorn, who finished second to Virgo in the Earth Division, and I want to cover all four elemental leaders before getting into the runners-up.