1974 Fantasy Astrology Recap
Check out the 1974 FABL Lineups Here!
With all the attention I’ve paid to the five-year period between 1975 and 1979, it’s tough to think about moving backwards to the next half decade. But the reverse chronological march through time must continue, so here’s how the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League shook out in 1974. By way of a quick overview, Aries was once again the overall points leader, with Capricorn following in second place, both thanks to starting pitching staffs made up entirely of 2,000-point scorers. Libra comes in second in the Positive Polarity, with the gap between the Scales and the Rams shortening considerably when positional eligibility rules are followed to the letter. The Water Division was uncharacteristically weak in ’74, with Pisces in the lead, despite clocking in as the #8 overall scoring sign.
While I said that the Aries starting staff was made up entirely of 2,000-point scorers, that’s not technically true… but only because two of their starters reached 3,000 points! Catfish Hunter (3,324 points / 81.1 points-per-game) won the real-life AL Cy Young Award (although Sagittarian Fergie Jenkins (3,485 / 85.0) would take the FABL version of the award in the PP), while Phil Niekro (3,070 / 74.9) continued to pump in knuckleballs for the Braves. Actually, the Rams had six pitchers with at least 2,000 points: After the rest of the “playoff rotation” of Bert Blyleven (2,782 / 75.2) and Don Sutton (2,517 / 62.9), they also have Jim Lonborg (2,163 / 55.5) and Lynn McGlothen (2,071 / 66.8) as depth options. Not to mention the Pole’s top closer in Detroit’s John Hiller (1,957 / 33.2).
If you were looking at the Aries infield situation IN 1974, you might find it fairly bleak. However, with the benefit of hindsight, you would know that left fielder Pete Rose (1,867 / 11.5) would move to the hot corner during the following season, thereby solidifying the position for many years. While there were no Dodgers in the 1974 Rams lineup, the influence of Los Angeles was keenly felt: center fielder Willie Davis (1,976 / 12.9) had just left the Dodgers for the Expos, while Reggie Smith (2,071 / 14.5) was just a couple of seasons from coming TO the Dodgers… and DH Tommy Davis (1,593 / 10.1) was on the Dodgers many years earlier.
Once again, Capricorn’s rotation was excellent, and once again, it was made up entirely of lefties. While none of the Goats pitchers won the Negative Polarity Cy Young Award (that honor went to Gaylord Perry (3,373 / 91.2) of Virgo), CAP had four of the next five in total points: Ross Grimsley (2,559 / 64.0), newly acquired by the Orioles, Jon Matlack (2,535 / 74.6), tops in points-per-game average of the bunch, Steve Carlton (2,405 / 61.7), who finished behind Scorpio’s Jim Kaat (2,491 / 59.3), and Don Gullett (2,274 / 63.2) of the Cincinnati Reds. But the true hero of the Capricorn pitching staff was reliever Mike Marshall (2,659 / 25.1), who won the real-life NL CYA after appearing in a record (for pitchers) 106 games!
Capricorn’s offensive strength was all at first base. Real life NL MVP Steve Garvey (2,150 / 13.8) had the most points of the bunch, although he was far behind the Fantasy MVP: Virgo second baseman Joe Morgan (2,584 / 17.3). John Milner (1,532 / 11.1) played exclusively first base for the Mets (in fact, he was the highest-scoring first baseman in the NL East that year), but he had holdover outfield eligibility, after playing nearly 30 games in left field the previous year. That opens up DH for Willie McCovey (1,415 / 11.1), who must have proved a surreal sight playing in a Padres uniform, after becoming a legend for the rival Giants. In injury news, catcher Carlton Fisk (788 / 15.2) was on pace to have the sign’s best points-per-game average, were it not for a devastating knee injury.
The most famous Libra players of this era were slugging third baseman Mike Schmidt (2,612 / 16.1) and perennial batting champion Rod Carew (2,132 / 13.9), who finished second and fourth among Positive Polarity batters, behind Gemini stolen base king Lou Brock (2,644 / 17.3). But it was a cadre of mostly unheralded pitchers who solidified the Air Division champs. Royals ace Steve Busby (2,449 / 64.4), White Sox southpaw Wilbur Wood (2,422 / 57.7), Pirates lefty Jim Rooker (2,277 / 69.0), and NL ERA leader Buzz Capra (2,271 / 58.2) of the Braves were all solid options, with Steve Foucault (1,773 / 25.7) finishing as the second-best reliever in the Polarity.
Looking at the Pisces starting lineup, you wouldn’t figure them for a second-tier team in the league. Center fielders Cesar Cedeno (2,518 / 15.7) and Jim Wynn (2,325 / 15.5) finished second and third among NP batters, with real-life AL MVP Jeff Burroughs (2,192 / 14.4) and Bobby Bonds (2,154 / 14.4) filling out the corner outfield and DH. In order to maximize points, I had first baseman Dick Allen (1,984 / 15.5) move back to his original position of third base (where he last played in 1971) to accommodate Willie Stargell (2,085 / 14.9) at first, where Pops would play exclusively for the rest of his career starting in 1975. But when your top pitcher is Dock Ellis (1,508 / 58.0) and your best reliever didn’t even crack 1,100 points, the reasons for their eighth-place finish become clear.
Rounding things out, Rookie of the Year awards go to pitcher Frank Tanana (2,080 / 53.3) of the Cancer Crabs (see my post about 1976 to relive his best season) and Aquarian outfielder Bake McBride (1,716 / 11.4). No other ’74 rookie would break 1,500 points. It’s also worth mentioning that, even though Aquarians didn’t win any awards this year, Hank Aaron (1,264 / 11.3) broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record when he knocked #715.
I’m embarking on a bit of a spring break next week, but I’ll still post some recaps of the simulated Fantasy Astrology games I’ve captured on MLB The Show 22!