1983 Fantasy Astrology Recap
View the 1983 FABL Lineups Here!
In 1983, as was the case for most of the decade, the Negative Polarity far outshined the Positive Polarity in terms of Fantasy Astrology Baseball excellence. Furthermore, while the two NP division leaders were fairly clear cut, BOTH PP divisions were disputed, depending on how strictly you want to pay attention to positional eligibility rules. I’ll go over all four divisional races here, but as a reminder, you can check out the Gallery section for a full rundown of each sign and a projected playoff bracket.
Capricorn came out on top in 1983, thanks mostly to a lineup featuring Rickey Henderson (2,696 / 18.6)and a truly impressive pitching staff. All five Goats starters scored more than 2,000 fantasy points in ’83, with real-life AL Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt (2,529 / 70.3) and Phillies legend Steve Carlton (2,505 / 67.7) at the top. Ironically, Henderson finished behind Virgo Tim Raines (2,959 / 19.0) in NP MVP voting, even though the Playaz finished in last place in the Earth division. (Dale Murphy (2,879 / 17.8) actually came in second place, but Pisces is a Water sign.) Capricorn did have the polarity’s second-best rookie – slugging White Sox outfielder Ron Kittle (1,829 / 12.6) – who finished behind Virgo starting pitcher Mike Boddicker (1,890 / 70.0) in Rookie of the Year voting.
Scorpio won a hotly contested fight for primacy atop the Water division with Cancer, despite the latter team having the better top-end in most categories. Cancer’s top batters Andre Dawson (2,574 / 16.2) and Pedro Guerrero (2,391 / 14.9) eclipsed Scorpio’s top two of Lloyd Moseby (2,199 / 14.6) and Larry Herndon (2,037 / 13.3). Likewise, Cancer’s co-aces Mario Soto (2,816 / 82.8) (the Negative Polarity Cy Young winner) and Dave Stieb (2,541 / 70.6) towered over Scorpions John Denny (2,487 / 69.1) (the real-life National League CYA winner) and Steve Rogers (2,203 / 61.2). The only major award taken by Scorpio was the Reliable Reliever trophy, which went to Boston closer Bob Stanley (2,080 / 32.5)… even though Rich Gossage (1,800 / 31.6) was not far behind, in third place. I guess depth is more important than star power in FABL standings.
This is an obvious oversimplification, but the Air Division race basically came down to Ken Singleton (1,622 / 10.7). The Gemini switch hitter had been a full-time outfielder until 1981, at which point he became a primary designated hitter. If you’re willing to move him to right field two years after his holdover eligibility would have expired, the points-boost over first alternate Dave Parker (1,492 / 10.4) allows Gemini to barely squeak by Aquarius for the division lead.
In terms of a comparison, the Twins had a much more star-studded lineup, with third baseman Wade Boggs (2,168 / 14.2), corner infielder Darrell Evans (2,053 / 14.5), catcher Lance Parrish (2,009 / 13.0), and shortstop Dickie Thon (2,122 / 13.8) all breaking the 2,000 point barrier. The top three Aquarius batters were not as impressive, but they were separated by just one fantasy point each: Ron Cey (1,830 / 11.5), Mookie Wilson (1,829 / 12.0), and Steve Sax (1,828 / 11.8). On the other hand, Aquarius was much stronger in the pitching department, with Positive Polarity Cy Young Award winner Larry McWilliams (2,177 / 62.2), legendary strikeout king Nolan Ryan (1,954 / 67.4), and PP Reliable Reliever Dan Quisenberry (2,739 / 39.7), who probably should have taken home the PP CYA if I weren’t so intent on giving it to a starting pitcher. It’s also worth mentioning that Gemini had the PP CYA runner-up Floyd Bannister (2,049 / 60.3), fifth-place finisher Jerry Reuss (1,829 / 57.2), and third-highest scoring reliever Tippy Martinez (1,813 / 27.9), so it really is a toss-up.
In a similar situation, the Fire Division race was decided more or less by Paul Molitor (1,984 / 13.1). The Leo leadoff hitter played only third base in 1983, but moving him to second base (where he last played in 1980, but would return in 1987) allows Gary Gaetti (1,670 / 10.6) and Bob Horner (1,583 / 15.2) to get in the lineup and third base and DH. This 3B trio would complement Jose Cruz (2,184 / 13.7) in the outfield and Ted Simmons (1,952 / 12.8) behind the plate. Sagittarius had an offense centered on Positive Polarity MVP Cecil Cooper (2,445 / 15.3), outfielder Gary Ward (1,849 / 11.8), and iron-gloved first baseman Bill Buckner (1,784 / 11.7), which doesn’t look quite as impressive as the Lions.
On the pitching side, the Archers had a starting staff led by Dave Righetti (1,927 / 62.2), the year before he transitioned to the bullpen. No Leo starting pitcher broke 1,600 points, with Shane Rawley (1,562 / 45.9) and PP RoY Matt Young (1,525 / 46.2) – although it’s worth noting that the Negative Polarity had seven rookies outscore Young in fantasy points. Both teams had solid closers, with Sagittarian Lee Smith (1,918 / 29.1) and Leo Al Holland (1,903 / 28.0) finishing second and third among PP relievers… although SAG also had fifth-place finisher Steve Bedrosian (1,597 / 22.8) around as a top-notch setup arm.
Before closing, I’d also like to mention two signs with runners-up to important awards. Taurus had the Negative Polarity’s second-best scoring starting pitcher - Jack Morris (2,716 / 73.4) – and relief pitcher - Jesse Orosco (1,947 / 31.4). Meanwhile, Libra had the second and third-highest scoring Positive Polarity batters: center fielder Dave Winfield (2,398 / 15.8) and third baseman Mike Schmidt (2,333 / 15.1).