2023 Gemini Season - Positive Signs
Last week, I wrote about the clear separation between the top and bottom halves of the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League. As of Gemini Season 2023, the top six teams reached 9,000 fantasy points (What? 9,000!?), while the bottom six had not eclipsed that milestone. Unfortunately for the Positive Polarity, four of the top six were Negative signs. But in a stroke of luck, the two 9,000-point Positive signs were the leaders of their respective divisions.
Aries was tops among them, leading the Fire Division thanks mostly to their pitching. Mitch Keller, breakout ace of the upstart Pirates, was the only Rams player to reach 800 points. He was joined in the rotation by resurgent lefty Eduardo Rodriguez of the Tigers, with Braves first baseman Matt Olson joining him in the 700-club. The bullpen is also solid, even given the freak WBC injury sustained by star closer Edwin Diaz: Josh Hader is back to his usual dominant self, and David Robertson, Diaz’s real-life replacement for the Mets, is also an Aries.
Sticking with Edwin Diaz, his brother Alexis is part of a very deep Libra bullpen with three legit closers. David Bednar of the Pirates and Alex Lange of Detroit both join him, and that’s not even counting legacy member Kenley Jansen. The team leader in fantasy points is Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins, who heads up an outfield mix that’s even deeper than the bullpen. What’s more, the group of Mookie Betts, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Anthony Santander, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Teoscar Hernandez, and Riley Greene gets even stronger when you consider that Bryce Harper just made it back from his Tommy John surgery ahead of schedule.
While the Rams and the Scales led their respective division, neither sign boasted the top fantasy hitter of 2023 so far. That honor goes to Sagittarius and superstar Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. I feel like rumblings of a 40/60 season might be a bit premature at this point, but the fact that he was spitting distance away from 1,000 points as of Gemini Season (and has surely eclipsed that mark by now) is an incredible feat. His main lineup protection comes in the form of the top Positive first baseman Pete Alonso - although he was neck and neck with Olson at the time these stats were collected, so it could go either way.
I never imagined that Joe Ryan and Drew Smyly would be the top two fantasy pitchers on a staff that also includes Jacob deGrom, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Shane Bieber. But that’s just the way things have shaken out for Gemini, the only sign who has never led the league in fantasy points, at least going back to 1950. Speaking of legacy signs, Leo has the most times leading the league, but their 2023 team is hard beset by injuries, outside of ace Zac Gallen and breakout infielder Yandy Diaz. The rookie breakouts of Josh Lowe and Esteury Ruiz lend some life to an unassuming Aquarius lineup, while Nathan Eovaldi holds it down in the rotation.