2021 Air Signs Preview
In a lot of ways, the part of the baseball offseason that corresponds with Pisces season is my favorite part. Most of the player movement of the true hot stove season is complete. Spring Training games are happening, but mostly as a backdrop for teams to finalize their Opening Day rosters. And it’s under these circumstances where a projected lineup enthusiast such as myself can really shine.
I already put together very preliminary depth charts for all 30 Major League clubs and all 12 Fantasy Astrology signs right when Spring Training games started – I couldn’t resist as soon as I saw that MLB.com released their top 800 fantasy players. But rather than go through dozens of lists, I’m focusing my 2021 FABL preview on another one of my favorite aspects of the baseball offseason: the Lindy’s Baseball Preview. While the magazine was printed way back during Capricorn season, it contains a wealth of full-color pictures, which I have arranged in collage format. This week, I’m showcasing the three Air signs, including the 2020 champion Aquarius.
Obviously, the pictures from the magazine are not chosen with Fantasy Astrology relevance in mind, but we have visuals for most of the top players on the Water Carriers (WC’s? Is that too much like water closet?). American League MVP Jose Abreu (ranked #40 by MLB.com, as of the first game of Spring Training) scored the most fantasy points of any Positive Polarity batter in 2020. Liam Hendriks (#63) was still a free agent at print time, but the former Oakland Athletic appeared in a feature where he was crowned the top closer. The Aussie is now also a real-life teammate of Abreu, as he signed with the White Sox as a free agent.
Moving to the next size tier of images, Luke Voit (#52) was a top slugger for the Yankees, and Zach Plesac (#92) had a points-per-game average that approached his ranking. As far as the full-page honorees, who appear at the top of their team’s scouting report, Whit Merrifield (#50) brings a strong contact bat and infield/outfield versatility to the table, while Marco Gonzalez (#157) gets such a prominent placing because of his role with the Mariners, rather than his third starter status on this team.
The top three ranked Gemini players as of Spring Training 2021 are pitchers, and they all three got prominent pictures in Lindy’s 2021 preview magazine. Jacob deGrom (#8, and the second-ranked pitcher overall) got a picture in the Mets scouting report. Shane Bieber (#11, the AL and PP Cy Young Award winner) was pictured in the same article as Hendriks, but as the #2 starter according to Lindy’s (behind deGrom). And Aaron Nola (#21) got a full-page spread for the Phillies scouting report.
While pitching is obviously the strength of the Twins, third baseman Anthony Rendon (#32) is an underrated star that can anchor a lineup. Dominic Smith (#115) is GEM’s top-ranked first baseman and outfielder, but he’ll likely occupy an outfield slot in deference to Yuli Gurriel, similar to how he will play left field for the real-life Mets with Sagittarian Pete Alonso entrenched at first. Speaking of the Mets, I wonder if the presence of two significant sign-mates like Smith and deGrom will affect the clubhouse chemistry.
What pitching is to Gemini, the outfield is to Libra, all three starters of which had pictures in Lindy’s magazine. The #3 overall ranked player Mookie Betts leads the charge – he is one of two players on the cover of my copy, an honor he shares with fellow Air sign member Anthony Rendon, since I ordered the edition geared towards the Southern California market. The other two Scales starting outfielders are Bryce Harper (#16, the second-highest ranked player on the team) and Starling Marte (#48), who should hopefully recover from a hand injury that ended his 2020 prematurely.
Libra’s outfield is so deep that they have a battle for the DH spot between two top-100 ranked players: Teoscar Hernandez (#83) would get the nod for now, but the one pictured in the magazine is Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (#91). The last two pictures are similar to Gemini and the Mets in that they share the same real-life team: Jesus Luzardo (#94) should headline a young A’s rotation while throwing to Sean Murphy (#153) behind the plate.
Next time, we’re up to 2010 in our trip back through FABL history. But a week from today, I’ll be shifting to the other side of the polarity spectrum and profile the Water signs as they head into 2021.