1951 Fantasy Astrology Recap
View the 1951 FABL Lineups Here!
It’s taken me longer than it should have to reach this conclusion, but Fantasy Astrology Baseball in the early 1950’s is categorically different than what we see in the early 2020’s. In today’s game, with 30 teams and a massive player pool to choose from, it’s no problem to build 12 full rosters (often down to the AA level) and pit them against each other to see who would come out victorious. However, in the middle of last century, with only 16 MLB teams, it’s a struggle for each sign to fill a starting lineup, let alone a full roster.
In fact, even league-leading Scorpio didn’t even have five full-time starting pitchers in 1951! Of course, when your lineup includes legendary sluggers Ralph Kiner (2,832 / 18.8), Stan Musial (2,831 / 18.6), real-life NL MVP Roy Campanella (2,247 / 15.7), and “Shot Heard Round the World” author Bobby Thomson (2,226 / 15.0), you don’t have to worry much about your pitching staff. And a top end of Mike Garcia (2,254 / 48.0) and Bob Feller (1,978 / 59.9), both from the Cleveland ballclub, is not a bad place to start. And would you believe that Ted Wilks (1,154 / 17.8) was the best fantasy reliever in the Negative Polarity?
Next in the 1951 standings is the ultra-consistent Leo, led by Boston Braves third baseman/outfielder Sid Gordon (2,236 / 14.9). Behind him, the Lions roster basically reads as a carbon copy of their 1952 team: Pee Wee Reese, Willie Jones, cuspy George Kell, former Negro Leaguer Luke Easter - not a lot of roster turnover in this period of baseball history. In the rotation, Ken Raffensperger (1,829 / 43.5) and Murry Dickson (1,821 / 40.5) won’t turn too many heads, but having six starters with 1,000 points on the year qualifies as phenomenal depth. What really pushed Leo over the top was their bullpen, where Ellis Kinder (1,807 / 28.7) served as a legitimate closer, in an era before that was a thing.
Taurus was the top sign in the Earth Division, even though they were outscored by Gil Hodges’s (2,449 / 15.5) Aries Rams overall. Pitching was the strength of the Bulls, as NP Cy Young Award winner Sal Maglie (2,958 / 70.4) stepped in ahead of longtime ace Warren Spahn (2,637 / 67.6). The Taurus offense was fueled by real-life AL MVP Yogi Berra (2,001 / 14.2) and the two real-life Rookies of the Year. Infielder Gil McDougald (1,605 / 12.3) eclipsed his rookie eligibility with Berra’s Yankees, while Willie Mays (1,554 / 12.8) made his AL/NL debut, one year before losing a season to military service.
Sticking with rookies, another Yankee named Mickey Mantle (1,235 / 12.9) was the top first-year in the Positive Polarity. Despite the fact that Mantle, MLB at-bat leader Eddie Yost (2,031 / 13.2), and PP CYA winner Robin Roberts (2,771 / 63.0) led the Libra Scales, they still finished behind Aquarius in the Air Division. PP MVP Jackie Robinson (2,472 / 16.2) led a very strong offense, that also included another former Negro Leaguer, center fielder Sam Jethroe (2,141 / 14.5), and the co-ace of the real-life World Champion Yankees, Allie Reynolds (2,158 / 54.0).
We’ve actually covered the winners of all the major awards, even the shared Negative MVP (Kiner and Musial) and RoY (McDougald and Mays). Other key offensive performers in 1951 include Virgo left fielder Ted Williams (2,680 / 18.1), Pisces first base/outfielder Monte Irvin (2,459 / 16.3), and Sagittarius third base/outfielder Minnie Minoso (2,342 / 16.0), who became the first Black player on the White Sox after he was traded from Cleveland. On the mound, Cancer Crabs ace Larry Jansen (2,650 / 67.9) was completely wasted, in a season where his sign finished dead last in the standings. Gemini ace Don Newcombe (2,417 / 60.4) suffered a similar fate, even though the Twins were narrowly able to avoid the FABL basement.