Aquarius 2021 Pitchers
Even though Aquarius’s official starting lineup scored the fifth most points in the 2021 Fantasy Astrology Baseball League, the sign had the fewest overall players from which to build said lineup. Last time, I looked at most of their 42 batters, and now it’s time for an in-depth look at the 53 pitchers who made up the 2021 Water Bearers player pool.
At one point Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff were seen as co-aces on the Brewers, but with the Libra Burnes recently being named the NL Cy Young Award winner, that relegates the Aquarius Woodruff to number two status. Contrarily, Nathan Eovaldi was used as the number one pitcher for the 2021 Red Sox in the playoffs, even after Aries Chris Sale returned from his injury. Sean Manaea has been a strong lefty option for the A’s over the years, although it remains to be seen how long he (or any of his arbitration-eligible teammates) will still be wearing the green and gold. Cal Quantrill had the fourth-most fantasy points among Aquarius primary starting pitchers, although his time spent as a reliever caused a rather low points-per-game average.
Would you believe that Nick Pivetta and Adrian Houser scored the EXACT same fantasy point total in 2021? Houser pitched slightly fewer games, which led to a higher PPG average. (Strange how this system punishes durability, isn’t it?) But Mariners lefty Marco Gonzalez would likely be in the Aquarius rotation for a hypothetical offseason tournament. Cole Irvin was a nice surprise for the A’s, and it’s even likely he’ll stick around, given his cheap team control. Zach Plesac had a tremendous 2020 season, where he approached 100 points-per-game, but he came back to earth this past season.
Dropping down into the less-than-1,000-points category, Antonio Senzatela was recently extended by the Rockies, despite less-than-stellar production. By contrast, Johnny Cueto just reached free agency after the Giants declined their contract option over him for 2022. Matthew Boyd had a lot of promise for the Tigers, but with a strong crop of prospects on the horizon (including fellow Aquarian Matt Manning), he’s looking more and more like a trade chip. Lefty Brett Anderson was the third Aquarian in the 2021 Brewers rotation. Zach Davies is also a former Brewer… does Milwaukee GM David Stearns have a thing for Aquarius pitchers, or could it be a coincidence?
Bruce Zimmermann [could be ] a prospect for the Orioles, who also employ his signmate Jorge Lopez. A trio of well-traveled veterans had very brief cameos in 2021. Julio Teheran was signed to eat innings for a rebuilding Tigers team, but managed only one start on the year. Lefty Scott Kazmir had a few relief innings for the Giants, and plans to continue his career into next season. Brad Peacock pitched in two games for the Red Sox, but couldn’t muster a positive fantasy point total on the year.
The fact that Liam Hendriks continued to record saves for the White Sox even after their acquired one of the most iconic closers of his generation at the trade deadline (Gemini Craig Kimbrel) says all you need to know about the fiery Australian’s electric stuff. Gregory Soto split Detroit’s closer duties with Pisces Michael Fulmer, meaning that Hendriks remains the lone reliable source of saves heading into 2022. In 2020, lefty Caleb Thielbar returned to the Twins after a five-year absence from the majors, and 2021 saw him build on a successful season. Fellow lefty setup man Jake Diekman was one of the first casualties of Oakland’s cost-cutting offseason, as even his reasonable option was declined.
Three Aquarius rookie relievers had significant impacts on their 2021 teams. Minor league signee Anthony Bender was a great pickup for the rebuilding Marlins in 2021, and despite his name, FanGraphs insists that he doesn’t throw a curveball. J.P. Feyereisen unlocked the secret sauce that so many relievers find when they get acquired by the Rays. Connor Brogdon had a cup of coffee with the 2020 Phillies and remained a big part of their bullpen into the next season. The only other rookies of note were Austin Warren and Kervin Castro, who had nice debuts for the Angels and Giants, respectively.
Tim Hill provides a fourth lefty option for this bullpen, although he and former Rule 5 pick Tyler Kinley are likely destined for the Fantasy Astrology minor leagues. Luis (A.) Garcia (not the Astros starter or the Nationals infielder) had a nice resurgent season with the Cardinals, after being cut loose by the Yankees. Tyler Clippard has the most veteran swag of any Aquarius reliever, although his prime years are well behind him. Dan Winkler has a very strong rating in the latest version of MLB The Show, despite not having much of a recent major league track record. Nate Jones once showed a lot of promise, but he’s devolved into reclamation project territory at this point.
Two Aquarius primary relievers in 2021 both have significant experience as starters. Jose Quintana split his 2021 between the Angels and Giants, and he recently caught on with the Pirates. Tommy Milone reached the majors with the 2021 Blue Jays, but his days as an innings eater appear long gone.
Next time, I’m returning to my reverse-chronological trip through Fantasy Astrology Baseball League history and looking at the 1987 FABL season. SPOILER ALERT: More positional eligibility shenanigans ensue!