1957 Fantasy Astrology Recap
View the 1957 FABL Lineups Here!
Fans of New York baseball surely recognize 1957 as a bittersweet year: it was the final seasons of both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants before both clubs set out for greener pastures in California. But from a Fantasy Astrology perspective, 1957 was even more monumental, because it was the last full season where Aquarius finished in first place in fantasy points! Even if you count the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, where the Water Bearers paced the league, that’s a remarkable 63-year gap between titles. Now we’re just waiting on Gemini to nab their first league championship, and then every sign will be on the board.
The two unquestioned Aquarius leaders were outfielder Henry Aaron (2,796 / 18.5), who won the real-life NL MVP award while also qualifying in center field, and shortstop Ernie Banks (2,555 / 16.4), who was one year away from winning two consecutive MVP trophies. Both of these sluggers trailed behind the 1957 Positive Polarity MVP Mickey Mantle (2,857 / 19.8) – despite the fact that he shared a sign with PP Cy Young Award winner Jim Bunning (2,836 / 63.0), Libra couldn’t keep pace. Meanwhile, the Aquarius pitching attack had Frank Sullivan (2,246 / 72.5) as their ace, #3 in PP pitching points, who was coming off two straight All-Star appearances at the time.
While Libra’s two major award winners is an impressive total, Taurus has them beat: MVP Willie Mays (2,936 / 19.3) and CYA winner Warren Spahn (2,548 / 65.3) were joined by the Negative Polarity’s top rookie Jack Sanford (2,314 / 70.1), who finished as the runner-up to his sign-mate in NP pitching points. Switching to the other Negative Division, Scorpio led all Water Signs with a sixth-place overall finish. The Stingers enjoyed strong offensive seasons from Roy Sievers (2,498 / 16.4) and Stan Musial (2,298 / 17.1), although neither could match the incomparable Virgo Ted Williams (2,502 / 19.0).
The difference between the Fire Division leaders, depending on whether you follow positional eligibility rules or not, is truly staggering. Sagittarius looks to be on top at first glance, thanks to outfielders Minnie Minoso (2,181 / 14.3) and Al Kaline (1,994 / 13.4), pitcher Dick Donovan (2,044 / 73.0), and PP Rookie of the Year Gino Cimoli (1,495 / 10.5). But the problem is that the Archers did not have a single eligible second baseman in their player pool: I cheated Harry Simpson (1,220 / 9.8) into my lineup based on just eight (8) career games at the keystone, none after 1948 when he played in the Negro Leagues.
Sagittarius also struggled with bullpen eligibility: Ray Narleski (1,769 / 38.5) was the top primary reliever in the Positive Pole, but he started 15 of his 46 appearances. When swapping out dedicated relievers and subtracting Simpson’s points at 2B, Leo jumps all the way from seventh place to second overall. This was a much less star-studded roster, with pitcher Don Drysdale (2,184 / 64.2) the only Lions player to break 2,000 points. But they did have three legit closers, including the Pole’s top reliever with less than 5 starts, Clem Labine (1,271 / 21.9). Rounding out the awards winners, Pisces closer Bob Grim (1,356 / 29.5) was the top dedicated reliever in all of baseball, with the usual pre-1969 caveat that saves were not an official stat at the time.