2022 Libra In-Depth Look
With the 2022 regular season freshly in the books, what better time to take an in-depth look at all 12 signs in the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League. Libra has had a stranglehold on the Air Division in the recent past, and not just because of the weakness of their competition. 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.
In 2021, Mookie Betts had a tremendous season interrupted by injuries, so his full season point total didn’t match his points-per-game average. This season, Betts stayed healthy all year and came back with a vengeance, batting leadoff for a Dodgers team with the most wins in the Majors. The next two spots in the batting order can fluctuate, depending on whether you want to maximize total points, or if you want to get the most impactful players in the lineup. Cedric Mullins was the top Libra who actually qualified in center field, and his Orioles teammate Anthony Santander broke out in a big way while playing both corner spots. But Starling Marte was an outstanding center fielder as recently as last season – he only moved to right field upon signing with the Mets because Brandon Nimmo (Aries) had center field spoken for. And while Bryce Harper has been limited to DH duties, because an elbow injury has prevented him from throwing, the Phillies’ reigning NL MVP can still hit and hit for power.
Cleanup-hitting shortstop Xander Bogaerts was behind only Betts in terms of 2022 OPS (when counting qualified players), and he figures to continue as the Scales’ shortstop for the foreseeable future, regardless of whether he opts out of his deal with the Red Sox. Teoscar Hernandez would bat fifth and serve as the designated hitter, easily moving to the corner outfield if Harper is in the lineup. At second base, Kolten Wong barely beat out Ketel Marte in terms of fantasy points, but keep in mind K. Marte played in 37 fewer games than Wong. What’s more, they were both below average defensively, according to Ultimate Zone Rating. Behind the plate, A’s backstop Sean Murphy has emerged as the top option, and with Kurt Suzuki’s impending retirement, it’s going to be a struggle to find a backup next season.
New Twins third baseman Gio Urshela should have a leg up on veteran Evan Longoria at the hot corner based on defense alone, even if Longo didn’t miss a large portion of 2022 due to injury. One option is to move one of these two across the diamond to play first base, since Libra lacks an established option to corral throws from the infield. But based on my ground rule that any infielder can handle first base duties, that spot might be better filled by Ha-Seong Kim, who has emerged as the starting shortstop and a fan favorite in San Diego. As far as actual eligible first basemen, Royals rookie Vinnie Pasquantino had a very promising debut season, and should provide some stability there if he lives up to his prospect pedigree.
Libra has one of the game’s top strikeout artists at the top of their rotation, with Corbin Burnes following up his NL Cy Young Award-winning 2021 season by leading the league in K’s. Kyle Wright has finally started to live up to his high draft pick potential, a development seemingly kick-started by a fine outing for the Braves in last year’s World Series. Merrill Kelly turned in a really nice season for the Diamondbacks, after returning from a stint in Korea before 2019. And while Robbie Ray also won a Cy Young Award last year (in the American League), he hasn’t been able to repeat his success after going from the Blue Jays to the Mariners via free agency.
While that rounds out the “playoff rotation,” the Scales have plenty of starting pitching depth. Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval has shown a lot of promise this season. Veterans Alex Cobb and Jordan Lyles ate up a lot of innings after signing free agent deals with the Giants and Orioles, respectively. Kyle Gibson remained with the Phillies all season, after coming over in a 2021 trade deadline deal from the Rangers, although he didn’t make Philadelphia’s playoff rotation. And Jesus Luzardo might have the most upside of the bunch, despite his up-and-down developmental path. Plus, we have potential staff aces returning from injuries in Lance McCullers Jr. and Jack Flaherty.
One of the most curious moves of last offseason, for me, was the Dodgers’ decision to let Kenley Jansen walk in free agency. The veteran Curacao native turned in a banner year after signing with the Braves, just barely finishing behind Aries closer Edwin Diaz in the race for the Positive Polarity’s best relief pitcher. Speaking of Edwin Diaz, his little brother Alexis emerged as the closer for the Reds in his rookie year, turning in a 1.84 ERA in 59 games in Cincinnati. Rafael Montero had a significant share of Houston’s 2022 save opportunities, while regular closer Ryan Pressly was on the shelf. And both David Bednar and Joe Barlow had closing experience with the Pirates and Rangers, respectively. Add in Lou Trivino, in a season split between Oakland and the Yankees, and the Libra bullpen has six pitchers with at least 10 saves.