2022 Aquarius In-Depth Look
With the 2022 World Series now complete, let’s continue our in-depth look at all 12 signs in the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League. After leading the league in fantasy points in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Aquarius is back in familiar territory: the bottom quarter of the standings. And while I’ll continue to use fantasy points to evaluate players, this year, I’ll frame my offensive analysis through the lens of a projected batting order.
Based on both track record and 2022 fantasy points, Whit Merrifield should lead off for the Aquarius squad. You might notice that I have the speedster listed as the third baseman to maximize the roster’s fantasy points, even though he only qualified at second base and in the outfield. I’ll go into third base alternates later, but suffice it to say that Merrifield is not technically on the bubble, since he would make the starting lineup as the DH. Dansby Swanson is the only Aquarian to reach 2,000 points this season, and since the shortstop primarily bat second for the Braves, that’s where he’ll slot in for the Water Bearers. That pushes another two-hole hitter into the three spot: center fielder Bryan Reynolds, who has somehow not yet been traded by the rebuilding Pirates.
Batting cleanup is Jose Abreu, Aquarius’s most consistent hitter over the last decade. He’ll likely continue to hold down first base, even as he looks for a new real-life team in free agency. The same might be true of slugging right fielder Hunter Renfroe if he gets non-tendered by the Brewers, as was recently suggested in MLB Trade Rumors’s offseason outlook series. Wherever he plays, he’s likely to occupy a middle of the order spot for the Water Bearers, since power still definitely plays in fantasy baseball. Second baseman Jake Cronenworth stepped up with some clutch hits for the Padres this postseason, but his versatility makes him a candidate to take some time at third base, especially if Jazz Chisholm Jr. comes back healthy and dynamic in 2023.
The future of Aquarius catchers is now, as former #1 overall draft pick Adley Rutschman made his triumphant debut for the Orioles this year. He would likely split time behind the plate with Travis d’Arnaud, with whoever’s not catching also a candidate for DH at-bats. Speaking of DH, the reason I moved Merrifield to third base was to make room for Luke Voit, who spent the majority of his season batting cleanup for the Padres and Nationals, despite subpar offensive numbers. If we’re going by positional eligibility rules, third base would go to Ke’Bryan Hayes, whose elite defense is not represented in fantasy point totals. Just a few points behind, but with a superior points-per-game average, is Marlins speedster Jon Berti, who best fits as a multi-positional bench bat. The other corner outfield spot would go to Mark Canha, with Max Kepler waiting in the wings.
Despite their lowly position in the standings, Aquarius frequently has pretty good pitching depth. At the top of their rotation is Brandon Woodruff, who has ace potential, but is overshadowed by his Brewers rotation mate Corbin Burnes. Cal Quantrill has emerged as a top-three option for the Guardians, at least according to their 2022 playoff rotation. Veteran lefty Jose Quintana had a nice bounceback season, even starting the first game of the postseason for the Cardinals, after being acquired in a midseason trade. Speaking of bouncebacks, Johnny Cueto signed a minor league deal with the White Sox this past offseason, and responded by pitching more than 150 innings for the first time in five years at the age of 36.
Cole Irvin was pretty much the lone steadying force in a non-competitive Oakland A’s rotation. Apparently having two Aquarius left handers in the same pitching staff was too much for the Athletics, as they traded Sean Manaea to San Diego prior to the 2022 season. That quirk was no problem for the Red Sox, who carried both Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta the entire season, or for the Guardians, who had Zach Plesac join Quantrill in their starting staff. The Reds not only had two Water Bearers in their starting staff, they were both rookies: Nick Lodolo has a higher prospect stock than Graham Ashcraft, but both should have the opportunity to rack up plenty of innings next year. And Seattle also featured two Aquarian starters: Marco Gonzales appears to be on the downward trend, but rookie George Kirby should have a rotation spot locked up for as long as he wants it, based solely on his heroic performance in the final game of their ALDS.
In the bullpen, Liam Hendriks should get the bulk of AQU’s save opportunities, as he’s shown that he can still dominate in the ninth inning. This past season saw Jorge Lopez make the jump from middling starter to shutdown reliever, as he earned himself an All-Star nod and a trade from the Orioles to the Twins in the process. Gregory Soto, the Tigers closer, brings a lefty presence to the group of high leverage relievers. Other southpaws include Caleb Thielbar, Jake Diekman, and Tim Hill, who join righty depth options Matt Bush, Luis (A.) Garcia, and J.P. Feyereisen, who did not allow an earned run in his 24 innings of work in 2022.