2022 Scorpio 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. When counting all the rosters of each of the signs, going back to 1959, Scorpio players have scored the most collective fantasy points. And yet here in 2022, they’re in the bottom two. 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.

Scorpio was one of the main reasons why I updated the positional eligibility rules of my official head-to-head Fantasy Astrology Baseball League a couple years ago. I used to require every sign to have a player who qualified at each of the infield spots, but the new format replaces the “2B” slot with one that can be filled by any middle infielder. I just got tired of seeing lineups with Francisco Lindor at shortstop, and #2 shortstop Trevor Story at DH, because he didn’t qualify for any other position on the diamond. This tended to push DH-only types like Giancarlo Stanton or Marcell Ozuna to the bench, with light-hitters like Freddy Galvis or Tony Kemp required to be in there at second base.

In an ironic twist, Trevor Story moved to second base in real life after signing with the Red Sox last offseason, allowing both Lindor and Story to coexist in the same lineup without any positional shenanigans. And even more ironic is that Scorpio’s current #2 shortstop, Amed Rosario, hit so well that he would serve as the primary DH. And in yet a third bout of irony, Tony Kemp would still make the starting lineup as a FIRST baseman, based on the other change I made to positional eligibility rules: allowing any player with infield eligibility to slot in at 1B.

I have Rosario batting first, even though he spent the majority of his 2022 season at the two hole for the Guardians. That’s because Scorpio’s two best non-Lindor hitters also primarily bat second: Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers and right fielder Juan Soto, the target of arguably the biggest trade deadline blockbuster ever, when he went from Washington to San Diego. I kept Devers in his customary lineup position, while dropping Soto to fifth – behind Lindor and left fielder Giancarlo Stanton – to preserve a better platoon balance for the lineup.

Second baseman Story would take the sixth spot, while All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk would bat seventh, as he supplanted the well-paid Yasmani Grandal as the top Stingers backstop. I can’t believe there’s yet more irony involving Scorpio, but even after changing all those positional rules, the best lineup to maximize fantasy points involves Amed Rosario occupying center field (where he had 18 games back in 2021) to make room for Ozuna at the DH spot. If we were going by strict eligibility rules, Ozuna and Tony Kemp would be on the bubble, replaced by two platoons: Padres playoff hero Trent Grisham and Cardinals switch-hitter Dylan Carlson in center field, batting in front of Red Sock Eric Hosmer and Guardian Owen Miller at first base.

On the Astros, Framber Valdez was overshadowed by the incredible comeback story of Pisces ace Justin Verlander, but the Dominican left hander pitched the most innings on Houston’s staff. He’s also the lone member of Scorpio’s pitching staff born outside the US. Logan Webb is an up-and-coming ace for the Giants, especially now that he’ll be out of the shadow of Sagittarius free agent Carlos Rodon. Rookie Spencer Strider made the jump from Atlanta’s bullpen to their rotation, just in time for a disastrous start in the NLDS. His Braves teammate Charlie Morton didn’t have a very strong season, but his experience might give him the edge on Yankee Jameson Taillon for the fourth spot in their “playoff rotation.” Two unrelated Grays – Sonny and Jon – make up the top echelon of starting depth.

One main reason for Scorpio’s struggles in 2022 was their lack of impact arms in the bullpen. As we all know, saves are basically the only way for relievers to pick up consistent fantasy points, and no Stingers relievers served as their clubs’ full time closers. The closest we come is Ryan Tepera’s six saves for the Angels, although he was outscored by midseason trade victim Anthony Bass, who had an almost identical points-per-game average during his time with both the Marlins and the Blue Jays. Seth Lugo has both some starting and closing experience with the Mets, and Jonathan Loaisiga has the stuff to throw high leverage innings for the Yankees, but in general, this is a collection of lower level arms.