2024 Taurus Preview
Baseball people have a saying: pitching wins championships. That’s the main reason why Taurus will struggle to contend this year in the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League, at least considering MLB.com’s ranking of the top 300 players, and positional rankings in Lindy’s Fantasy magazine. But before we get into their shortcomings, let’s look at the solid collection of Bulls hitters going into 2024.
Rankings from MLB.com’s top 300, as of Valentine’s Day.
Taurus has two starting-caliber catchers, and it looks like both will make the starting lineup, due to positional needs. Royals team captain Salvador Perez (136) is ranked above Willson Contreras (155), the second-year Cardinal. But Perez is also the Bulls’ best option at first base, considering he got a lot of time there (and at DH) to keep his legs fresh and his bat in the lineup. Second base, by contrast, is a position of extreme depth. Jose Altuve (35) is arguably the best at the position. Nico Hoerner (64) has settled in at the top of the Cubs’ lineup, and will likely serve as the sign’s regular DH. Tommy Edman (158) will likely move to center field this year, to make room for Nolan Gorman (181) at the keystone. (What is it with the Cardinals and Taurus infielders?)
With Matt Chapman (214) signing with the Giants this weekend, Taurus now officially has a third baseman ranked within MLB’s top 300. Their best previous option was J.D. Davis, who is ironically enough the guy Chapman will be replacing in San Francisco. I listed Hoerner as the regular DH, despite his shortstop eligibility, because two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager (24) is there to anchor the middle infield. However, given Seager’s difficulty staying healthy, it’s good that Taurus has plenty of shortstop-eligibles to fill in, like Hoerner, Edman, and Anthony Volpe (134).
The Taurus outfield starts and ends with Aaron Judge (8), and the fact that the Yankees are reportedly planning to utilize him in center field this year should only help this sign’s versatility. Although, given the rankings, their best alignment as of now would be Judge in right, a platoon of Edman and James Outman (162) in center, and Rockies slugger Nolan Jones (55) in left field. Other outfield/DH candidates include Judge’s new Yankees teammate Alex Verdugo (262), new Diamondback Joc Pederson (285), and Nationals DH Joey Meneses (295), who could potentially take some first base at bats away from Perez.
Rankings from Lindy’s magazine, by position.
The top Taurus pitcher is the lowest-ranked of Seattle’s three young aces: Logan Gilbert (71), who lags more than 30 spots below each of Luis Castillo and George Kirby. Then there’s a big dropoff before Brayan Bello (266) in the number two spot, who has flashed enough potential to recentlu earn an extension with the Red Sox - and by recently, I mean like yesterday. After him, we have Marcus Stroman (282), newly signed by the Yankees. And that concludes the Taurus starters who were ranked within MLB.com’s top 300.
There other options to fill out the rotation, but they all come with significant question marks. John Means, who was ranked among the top 90 starting pitchers by Lindy’s, is recently returned from Tommy John surgery. Lance Lynn, returning to his original team of the Cardinals, gave up more home runs than anyone in the league last year. Bryce Elder had a decent sophomore season for Atlanta. Kyle Freeland will take the ball regularly in Colorado. A.J. Puk served as Miami’s closer for part of 2023, but he apparently has the inside track to a rotation job. Names on the Injured List inclue Shane McClanahan, who started the All-Star Game not too long ago, and Tony Gonsolin, another young Dodgers starter who has struggled to stay healthy.
Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (76) is not the lights-out force you might hope for in your ace reliever. But he will get regular save opportunities for a playoff contender, which is often all you need for Fantasy purposes. After Romano, we have a glut of setup relievers. Matt Brash (272) pitched a lot of innings for Seattle, but he’s stuck behind the dominant Capricorn Andres Munoz on the depth chart. Going into the offseason, it looked like Bryan Abreu would be challenging Sagittarius closer Ryan Pressly for Astros save opportunities. But with Houston’s acquisition of Aries lefty Josh Hader, Abreu will now find himself competing for holds.