2021 Sagittarius Batters
Looking at the signs during the 2019-20 offseason, I really thought that Sagittarius had a chance to win the league. They had the top two ranked fantasy players (Christian Yelich and Ronald Acuna Jr.), a solid supporting offensive cast, and a good-enough pitching staff to work with. Obviously, the world completely changed before that season could get started, and since then a combination of injuries and inconsistency has prevented the Archers from reaching their potential. Here’s a position-by-position look at Sagittarius batters from 2021.
We see evidence of both injury and inconsistency in the very first batter on the list, Gary Sanchez. His prodigious power has never been in doubt, but between his defensive issues and troubles staying on the field, he’s not exactly the most reliable backstop. Promising rookie Eric Haase arguably had a better offensive season, and his ability to play some outfield will help his roster flexibility. Jose Trevino of the Rangers is the only other SAG catcher with more than 500 points in 2021, but Cam Gallagher is a fine backup, Joey Bart is San Francisco’s #2 prospect, and Taylor Davis always knows how to find that camera.
Pete Alonso has proven himself to be one of the most electrifying power hitters in the majors right now, with two Home Run Derby titles in as many appearances. Daniel Vogelbach formed half of a first base platoon for the Brewers in 2021, after coming over from the Mariners in the previous year. Yoshi Tsutsugo played for three different teams last year, his first full MLB season after coming over from Japan in 2020. But he signed a pre-lockout deal to return to the Pirates for 2022, where he played more right field than first base.
National League (and Positive Polarity) Rookie of the Year Jonathan India came up through the minors as a third baseman, but a roster crunch in Cincinnati forced him to second base for his MLB debut. Ryan McMahon moved from third to second in deference to Nolan Arenado when he was still on the Rockies, but he also qualified at his original position. In the span of the last six months, Adam Frazier has been an All-Star and a trade target for two different teams, going from the Pirates to the Padres at the 2021 trade deadline, then to the Mariners in a pre-lockout offseason deal.
Speaking of the Mariners, Abraham Toro is a long term option for them at both second and third, after coming over from the Astros during last season. Donovan Solano played the short side of a platoon for the Giants last year. Matt Carpenter is far removed from his days as a perennial All-Star, settling into a primary pinch-hitting role in recent years. After five more rookie second basemen on the depth chart, we have the versatile Johan Camargo, who caught on with the Phillies just before the lockout.
Justin Turner holds the Dodgers records for most postseason home runs, RBI, and base hits, although the proposed expanded postseason format in the next collective bargaining agreement threatens to water down such records in the future. Josh Donaldson has some monster seasons under his belt, including the 2015 AL MVP award, but he’s had some trouble staying on the field recently. Jeimer Candelario moved to first base for the Tigers while Miguel Cabrera was injured, but he’s settled in as a doubles machine at the hot corner.
Speaking of the Tigers, Javier Baez just signed a massive pre-lockout free agent deal with Detroit. One of the most exciting shortstops on both sides of the ball, El Mago should help the Tigers through their rebuilding years. Gleyber Torres might have played his last year as a primary shortstop, as the Yankees seem intent on moving him to second base full time. Gavin Lux likewise should play second base for the Dodgers, at least next year when Trea Turner is still under contract, even though he got some time in the outfield last season. Alcides Escobar had a successful comeback with the Nationals. Harold Castro and Tyler Wade are utility types for the Tigers and the Yankees, respectively.
AJ Pollock hasn’t played a full season since his breakout 2015, but he had a good showing when healthy enough to take the field recently. Christian Yelich has fallen quite a bit since his back-to-back NL batting titles in 2018 and ’19 (with a corresponding MVP award in ’18), but injuries limited him in 2021. Eloy Jimenez missed nearly two-thirds of the season with a gruesome pectoral injury, but hit well in his return for the White Sox. DJ Stewart and Oscar Mercado are mostly bench bats for the Guardians and Orioles, respectively. Mike Tauchman recently signed to play in Korea for 2022 after splitting last year between the Yankees and the Giants.
Byron Buxton is another Sagittarius outfielder with enormous potential who hasn’t been able to stay healthy consistency, but he absolutely mashed when he did play last season. Austin Slater played all three outfield spots for the Giants in 2021. Bradley Zimmer provides a left-handed complement to Mercado in Cleveland. It’s appropriate that DJ Stewart and DJ Peters would form a platoon in the lower levels of Sagittarius’s minor league system. Adam Engel, known for his speed, had a surprisingly strong season with the bat when he was able to take the field. At this point, Brandon Marsh is known more for his wild hair than his prospect pedigree with the Angels.
Ronald Acuna Jr. was one of the most heartbreaking and impactful injury stories of 2021. The Braves enjoyed his MVP-level performance for just half the season, and when he went down, he prompted GM Alex Anthopolous to embark on a whirlwind flurry of transactions to remake the Atlanta outfield. These moves obviously paid off, as the Braves won the World Series, without arguably their best player. Wil Myers is a former top prospect who has settled into mediocrity for the Padres. Taylor Ward could pair with Marsh in the Angels outfield of the future. Adam Eaton (not the pitcher) also ended his season in Anaheim, after a brief return to Chicago to start the year. Khris Davis didn’t technically qualify at any outfield spot, but his return to Oakland, after being traded away less than a year before was a heartwarming storyline, even though he couldn’t help the A’s reach the playoffs.
Next time, we’ll look at a Sagittarius pitching staff that itself wasn’t devoid of some major injury issues.