2021 Sagittarius Pitchers
The Sagittarius pitching staff has been somewhat inconsistent over the last several seasons. After decades of being carried by a stable of lights-out relievers – including the likes of Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Lee Smith, and Dave Righetti – a promising group of starters looks ready to take the reins. Here’s an in-depth look at how Sagittarius pitchers shook out in 2021.
The first time Joe Musgrove was traded in his career, he was a young prospect that was part of Pittsburgh’s return for established ace Gerrit Cole. The second time Musgrove was traded, he was himself the target of a prospect-laden return from the Padres, for whom he put up ace-like numbers last season. The top Archers pitcher in terms of points-per-game is White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon, who would definitely pitch Game 1 of a hypothetical offseason tournament. Astros rookie Luis Garcia is the most promising of the three Major Leaguers with the same name, the others being the Washington infield prospect and the journeyman relief pitcher. Luis Castillo has a ways to go before he reaches the the Virgo infielder who shares his name – roughly 12,400 fantasy points, to be specific – but he’s still got the time and the talent to make a run for it.
Soft-tossing Kyle Hendricks looked like a bona fide ace during the Cubs’ 2016 World Series run, and again during the shortened 2020 season, but he’s settled into a mid-rotation role in the intervening years. Blake Snell hasn’t recovered his best stuff since being infamously pulled early in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series, but he’s a strong bet to turn things around aside Musgrove in a SAG-heavy Padres rotation. Speaking of the Padres, it’s also worth mentioning Mike Clevinger, who missed the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Nestor Cortes was sent from the Yankees to the Mariners and then re-acquired by New York over the past three seasons. Austin Gomber has graduated from spot-starter to full-time rotation member in the rarefied air of Colorado.
The next three members of the starting pitching depth chart each also spent some time throwing out of the bullpen. Ross Stripling had the fewest relief appearances of the bunch for the Blue Jays, while Alec Mills and rookie Ryan Weathers had at least 10 apiece. Three more rookies follow: Josiah Gray, who went from the Dodgers to the Nationals in the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner blockbuster, Dane Dunning, acquired by the Rangers in the offseason, and Griffin Jax, who was probably not named after the Mortal Kombat character. Bryse Wilson split the 2021 season between Atlanta and Pittsburgh, and Chase Anderson has a decent track record as a mid-rotation workhorse.
While the current crop of Sagittarius relievers don’t reach their previous heights, the Archers have an impressive array of ninth inning options available. Ryan Pressly is at the top of the heap, cementing himself as the full-time closer for the Astros. Ian Kennedy transitioned from mid-rotation starter to solid reliever in 2019, and he spent last season closing games for both Texas and Philadelphia. Kendall Graveman is another converted starter, who started 2021 as Seattle’s closer, but finished as a setup man to his sign-mate Pressly in Houston. Scott Barlow shared the job of Kansas City’s ninth inning specialist with sign-mate Josh Staumont, after the departure of Kennedy last year.
It’s not often that you see a pair of twins both reach the major leagues – according to the Baseball Almanac, it has happened only 10 times in history. The tenth such instance of MLB twins is happening now, with Sagittarius relievers Taylor and Tyler Rogers. The left-handed twin (Taylor) has the better track record, with a 30-save season under his belt in 2019 and a 2021 All-Star appearance with the Twins, but the right-handed brother (Tyler) had the better 2021 season, leading the league in appearances and sharing closer duties for the Giants. Adam Ottavino has better stuff than his fantasy point totals would indicate, since you don’t get extra points for holds. In 2020, Aaron Loup revitalized his career as a solid lefty option with the Rays, then had an even better 2021 season, posting an ERA under 1 with the Mets.
Yusmeiro Petit is one of the most consistent relief pitchers of the last five years, appearing in an average of 45% of his teams’ games since 2017. (That’s an average of 73 games per full season, plus 26 out of 60 games (43.33%) in the COVID-shortened 2020.) Mike Mayers has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, but relievers are notoriously fickle. JT Chargois is another pitcher who reached a new level after joining the Rays. (The same is true of teammate/sign-mate Pete Fairbanks.) Tejay Antone has been a starter through most of his development, but he found another level with the Reds last season. Trevor Stephan and Josh Sborz are rookies who reached 500 fantasy points last season.
Corey Knebel looked a bit out of place as an opener for the Dodgers in the playoffs – I generally feel that way about all openers – but his track record led to an pre-lockout deal with the Phillies. Ervin Santana has a long history as a starting pitcher, but he returned in 2021 as a reliever for the Royals. Yet another converted starter, Drew Pomeranz had a mostly lost 2021 season, but he has the stuff (and the contract) to turn things around for the Padres. San Diego manager A.J. Preller must really have an affinity for Sagittarius pitchers, as Miguel Diaz was also a big part of his bullpen. Rex Brothers and Darwinzon Hernandez comprise two more lefty options, who were born almost exactly eight years apart.
Next time, I’ll explore the connection between the Tarot and the current sign, Capricorn. Spoiler Alert: it’s one of the nastiest cards in the deck.