2024 Capricorn Preview
It was a surprise for me to see Capricorn right near the top of the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League, when evaluating using MLB.com’s ranking of the top 300 players. And while there is undeniable star power, you’ll see that lack of depth makes the Sea Goats situation more tenuous than it may at first appear. This distinction will become clear in my position-by-position preview of this surprisingly strong Earth sign heading into 2024.
Rankings from MLB.com’s top 300, as of Valentine’s Day.
Brewers catcher William Contreras (80) is one of the biggest hitting backstops in the game, eclipsing his brother William by more than 70 spots in the rankings. Backup Mitch Garver (212) will likely spend most of his time at DH, just like he will for the real-life Mariners. Tiston Casas (95) isn’t a superstar, but he’ll slot in as the Red Sox first baseman of the future. Ozzie Albies (23) is a superstar, and another victim of Atlanta’s borderline-predatory long term extensions for their young players.
Looking at only primary third baseman, the position looks like an empty hole for Capricorn. But that discounts the fact that young Reds slugger Elly De La Cruz (36) split his time between shortstop and third base. Moving EDLC to his secondary position opens up shortstop for J.P. Crawford (219). The Mariners leadoff hitter hasn’t reached the level promised by his prospect pedigree, but he has settled in as a solid regular. Also in the middle infield is Vaughn Grissom (216), who played a LITTLE bit of shortstop for the Braves last year, but will likely slot in as Boston’s regular second baseman.
There is no group in the current FABL landscape with as much star power as the Capricorn outfield, all three members of which are ranked within the top 10. Crawford’s Mariners teammate Julio Rodriguez (2) is a former Rookie of the Year, who has MVP potential. Fernando Tatis Jr. (7) didn’t miss a beat after missing the previous season due to a suspension and injury, winning a Platinum Glove after moving to right field from shortstop. Tatis’s glove pushes Kyle Tucker (6) to left field, where his bat will play just fine. But as I said earlier, depth is an issue: the only other top 300 outfielder is bounceback candidate Kris Bryant (259), while Royals DH Nelson Velazquez and Giants primary first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. serve as the best bench options.
Rankings from Lindy’s magazine, by position.
The Capricorn pitching staff is similarly top heavy. Kevin Gausman (28) can anchor a rotation, as he will with the Blue Jays next year. Max Fried (53) is returning from injury, but he can also front a rotation if healthy. Dylan Cease (108) has had no problems with durability - instead the problem is he pitches regularly for a bad White Sox team. Until free agent Jordan Montgomary (145) actually signs with a team, the Goats don’t even have four starters within the top 300.
Dean Kremer is the best bet to take the fifth spot, as he pitched regularly for the Orioles, with a very serviceable points-per-game average. Tyler Anderson proved that the breakout season that earned him a big contract with the Angels was a fluke. The biggest wild card is Alek Manoah, who went from a Cy Young contender in 2022 to being demoted to the minor leagues last year. The Jays are planning to give him a rotation spot, so a bounceback season would be huge.
The top Capricorn relievers have some of the nastiest stuff in the game. Jhoan Duran (68) averages over 100 MPH on his fastball, while Andres Munoz (91) is stuck at 99.9 according to FanGraphs. But the best fantasy option might ironically be the relatively soft-tossing Raisel Iglesias (78), who will inherit a LOT of leads from the Braves. If you need a fourth reliever, Carlos Estevez (283) will pitch the ninth inning for an Angels team in transition.