2021 Scorpio Pitchers
When I say Scorpio pitching is in a lull, I don’t mean that they don’t have any top tier options to start big games. I just mean that we’re not seeing talent the likes of Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling in the 1990’s, or Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela in the 80’s, or Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver in the 70’s. Of course, the 2021 Scorpions finished in last place in the Water Division by a sizable margin, so the current crop of pitchers is pretty gloomy, especially in the relief department. But nevertheless, here’s an in-depth-look at the 2021 Scorpio pitching staff.
Charlie Morton basically redefined grit in the 2021 World Series, fracturing his leg while on the mound, and then continuing to pitch to multiple batters. He’s also the oldest Scorpio pitcher on the staff, and the only one to break 2,000 fantasy points in 2021. Logan Webb would likely have reached that milestone had he pitched a full season, and he has ace-of-the-future stuff for the Giants. Rookie Trevor Rogers is an impressive piece for the Marlins, in a projected rotation full of them. Lefty Wade Miley caught on with the Cubs before the lockout via a combination of waiver claim and exercising a club option, which is about the closest MLB gets to the equivalent of the NBA’s sign-and-trade transaction category.
Framber Valdez should hold down a rotation spot for the Astros into the foreseeable future, but I would love to know why he kept suspiciously rubbing his fingers on his neck during his stellar ALCS start against the Red Sox. Jameson Taillon has always had trouble staying healthy, although he only missed 21 days towards the end of last season with the Yankees. Rookie Tarik Skubal is part of a very promising future Tigers rotation. Both of the most prominent MLB pitchers named Gray are Scorpios: Sonny is still under contract with the Reds, while Jon recently left the Rockies for the Rangers in free agency.
JT Brubaker hasn’t broken out with the Pirates since breaking into the majors during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Luis Patino debuted in the same year as Brubaker, but at a full six years younger. Zach Thompson and Taylor Widener were rookies for Miami and Arizona, respectively, who showed up on the scene without much fanfare – unlike Royals lefty Daniel Lynch, who had some prospect capital. Dylan Bundy has a distinguished veteran track record, but has fallen on hard times recently. The same is true of James Paxton, who managed just one start in 2021 in his return to the Mariners. Meanwhile, Nick Neidert, Jimmy Lambert, and Roansy Contreras were all on their respective teams’ top 30 prospect list, as of the end of 2021.
The 2021 Scorpio bullpen was ludicrously weak, at least in fantasy terms. Jonathan Loaisiga is a hell of a reliever, but unfortunately he wasn’t in line to get real-life saves, so he plateaued at just over 1,000 fantasy points. Ryan Tepera is the only other Scorpio reliever to break 700 points in a season split between both Chicago franchises. Dominic Leone had a handful of spot starts for the Giants – four, to be exact, which is not enough for me not to count him as a part time starter. Bryan Shaw had a surprisingly successful comeback effort with Cleveland – much better than Greg Holland’s on the Royals, although the latter’s fantasy point total was bolstered by some mostly ill-fated early season save opportunities.
Seth Lugo has some experience starting, and could potentially be stretched out to fill a rotation spot in a hypothetical offseason tournament. Jake Woodford had more than five starts with the Cardinals, which is the cusp for me labeling pitchers relievers-with-an-asterisk. Anthony Bass pitched a lot for a Miami team that didn’t have need for a lot of high leverage innings. The same is true of Rowan Wick in Chicago, although he at least broke the 10 points-per-game threshold. Phillips Valdez almost reached that milestone for Boston, while Giants rookie Jay Jackson got it on the nose exactly.
Moving to the lefty side of the ‘pen, Anthony Misiewicz turned into a much-used piece for the Mariners. Victor Gonzalez had a lights-out 2020 for the Dodgers, but couldn’t extend that performance over the course of a whole season. Danny Coulombe is a well-traveled veteran at this point, but he’s found a home in Minnesota. Joely Rodriguez is another Scorpio who went from the Rangers to the Yankees in the Joey Gallo deal. Jose Quijada and Sam Selman both ended 2021 with the Angels, although only Selman was acquired during the season.
Reiss Knehr didn’t pitch enough games to qualify as either a starter or a reliever in my database, but he could have a bright future ahead of him, as San Diego’s #9 prospect. Spencer Strider , who had a two-game cameo in 2021, is #10 on Atlanta’s list, with Jason Foley a more distant #23 for Detroit. Looking to the past rather than the future, Shane Greene had some good years as a closer, and Chris Devenski was once a shutdown middle reliever for the Astros. Matt Strahm has starter/reliever upside for the Padres, but couldn’t manage a positive fantasy point total last season. Javy Guerra always seems to end up on a major league roster, even if he always seems to struggle along the way.
Next time, I’m continuing my reverse-chronological trip through FABL history with a season that just happens to feature a Scorpio who turned in one of the best pitching performances in the last four decades.