2022 Sagittarius 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. Strict followers of positional eligibility rules would recognize Sagittarius as the true winner of the 2022 Fire Division, since Aries relied on several questionable positional shenanigans. 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.
Either way you stack up this lineup, it makes sense for Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. to bat leadoff, but his defensive position is up for debate. In order to maximize fantasy points, I would cheat Acuna into center field, where he played regularly as recently as 2020. Then the rest of the outfield would consist of Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich and Angels right fielder Taylor Ward, batting third and second in the order, respectively. However, the common-sense version of the lineup includes the above three players in a corner outfield/DH rotation, with Eloy Jimenez thrown in the mix, if healthy. That allows Byron Buxton of the Twins to handle center field, even though his injury troubles depressed his full-season fantasy point totals.
Batting cleanup is slugging Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, the Home Run Derby enthusiast, who was also the top offensive point scorer in the Positive Polarity. Next would be second baseman Gleyber Torres, who jumped all around the Yankees lineup in the postseason. In the above-mentioned common-sense version of this lineup, Justin Turner would handle third base. But in a points-maximizing situation, the longtime Dodger would spend his time in the DH spot, opening up third base for the superior fielding Ryan McMahon. Josh Donaldson is another strong defensive option at the hot corner, even though he didn’t have a strong season offensively.
Speaking of not having a strong season offensively, Javier Baez hasn’t performed at the plate in the first year of the free agent megadeal he signed with the Tigers. And what’s more, his normally solid defensive metrics plummeted this year, according to FanGraphs. But since he’s the only shortstop eligible Sagittarian who got more than 550 fantasy points, the Archers will have to hope for a comeback next season. Or that Gavin Lux moves to shortstop for the Dodgers when Trea Turner hits free agency. Neither of the projected top two Sagittarius catchers (Gary Sanchez and Eric Haase) factored into the end-of-season lineup. Royals rookie MJ Melendez had the top fantasy point total among backstops (with left field eligibility thrown in to boot), but the more impactful player was Mariners switch-hitter Cal Raleigh, who frequently bat cleanup for Seattle in the playoffs.
The Archers have two of the game’s top lefties atop their rotation, with Carlos Rodon having the edge in full season fantasy points, but Nestor Cortes Jr. tops in terms of points-per-game average. Pitching Game 3 of a potential playoff series would likely be Mariners ace Luis Castillo, acquired midseason from the Reds and then signed to a long-term extension. Speaking of playoff rotations, it’s curious that 75% of the one used by the Padres were born under Sagittarius: Joe Musgrove is the only one that made the full-season starting five based on fantasy points, but Blake Snell and Mike Clevinger joined him in San Diego.
One Sagittarian who was frozen out of his real-life team’s playoff rotation in favor of a long relief role, is Luis Garcia of the Astros… that’s Luis H. Garcia, not to be confused with Gemini relief pitcher Luis A. Garcia (Padres) or Taurus infielder Luis V. Garcia (Nationals). Other depth options include Ross Stripling, who approached 1,500 fantasy points for the Blue Jays, Paul Blackburn, who was something of a de facto All-Star for an altogether undeserving A’s team, and former World Series hero Kyle Hendricks, who will be looking to bounce back next year, in the last season of his contract with the Cubs.
The real strength of Sagittarius is their bullpen, as the Archers have no fewer than three legitimate ninth inning options, plus depth to spare. Tops in terms of both track record and points-per-game is Astros closer Ryan Pressly, who has been flawless in the playoffs. The spin rate specialist missed some time due to injury in 2022, which is why Scott Barlow of the Royals has the slight edge in full-season fantasy points. Lefty Taylor Rogers started the season as the Padres closer, but was traded to Milwaukee in the Josh Hader deal, where he dropped behind Devin Williams in the saves-getting depth chart.
Seranthony Dominguez and Corey Knebel both had some save opportunities for the Phillies, although Dominguez has emerged as the go-to arm in the postseason. Adam Ottavino brought his wicked slider to the Mets last offseason. Converted starter Griffin Jax pitched the most relief innings of any Archers reliever, although they weren’t always high-leverage ones for the Twins. Speaking of converted starters, Kendall Graveman and Ian Kennedy have settled into relief roles in recent years, to varying levels of success. And Taylor Rogers’s twin brother Tyler is also in the mix, although he struggled mightily with the Giants this year.