Aries 2021 Batters
Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac, according to its positioning of the karmic wheel. It has the reputation as the angriest sign. And it’s the last sign to enjoy a true Fantasy Astrology dynasty, scoring the most collective points in the league in five of the six years between 2013 and 2018. The Rams have fallen towards the middle of the pack in the intervening years, but many of the cornerstones of that dominant lineup are still active, as we’ll see in this position-by-position breakdown of the 2021 Aries batters.
While Will (D.) Smith and Buster Posey played for bitter NL West rivals in real life, they teamed up to form one of the best Fantasy Astrology catching tandems. While the Dodgers young backstop looks poised to hold down the position for years to come, the Giants legend announced his retirement after the season. Luckily Rays slugger Mike Zunino is around to serve as a more-than-capable backup. Moving down the depth chart, Tom Murphy should get plenty of playing time in Seattle when big-hitting Taurus catcher Luis Torrens moves to DH. Danny Jansen is part of a platoon in Toronto with Pisces Reese McGuire. Jake Rogers was about to take over behind the plate in Detroit, until the Tigers acquired Capricorn Tucker Barnhart early in the offseason.
One silver lining about the lockout is that it allows A’s fans a few more months of hope that the team will not embark on a massive fire sale this winter. However, the realists among us know that Aries All-Star first baseman Matt Olson is more than likely to be suiting up for another team in 2022. Although a left-handed hitter, Olson hits lefty pitchers well, which means the likes of Carlos Santana and Christian Walker aren’t needed on the roster for platoon purposes. Posey wasn’t the only accomplished Aries to retire in 2021: longtime outfielder Jay Bruce filled in at first base for the Yankees before calling it a career early in the season.
Second baseman Jed Lowrie returned to Oakland in 2021 (his most common former team) and had a successful comeback after two seasons lost to injury with the Mets. The versatile Jeff McNeil fell off after showing a lot of promise in the last three seasons. Texas rookie Andy Ibanez represents an increasingly rare instance of the informal version of his first name – the trend has skewed decisively towards “Andrew” in recent years. David Bote and Wilmer Difo are bench pieces who were pressed into service with mediocre teams in 2021.
Third base is extremely deep for Aries, and this depth would in fact provide for several different positions in a hypothetical offseason tournament. Nolan Arenado is guaranteed the starting job, due not only to his offensive track record, but also his otherworldly defense. Top 2021 scorer Austin Riley would likely move to left field, on the basis of the 60+ games he spent there between 2019 and ’20. Converted catcher Isiah Kiner-Falefa would surely shift over to shortstop, based on 2021 fantasy points and eligibility. However, Alex Bregman might be a better bet for the position, going by points-per-game average and past track record.
The 2021 Aries outfield was so weak that Luis Arraez was in line for a starting role, despite barely breaking 1,000 fantasy points – and despite the fact that he primarily played third and second base. For some reason, Starlin Castro was left out of the most recent roster update to MLB The Show 21, which cuts down on the Rams’ infield depth significantly. Second-generation big leaguer Cavan Biggio found himself the odd man out in a star-studded Blue Jays infield mix in 2021. Charlie Culberson has a versatile track record, even though he settled in as a regular third baseman for Texas last year. Travis Shaw has anchored this Aries lineup in the past, but he is now primarily a bench bat.
The only Aries players with shortstop as their primary positions in 2021 were Reds prospect Jose Barrero (formerly Jose Garcia) and well-traveled veteran Pete Kozma. We’ve talked about versatility elsewhere on the diamond – Bregman, Kiner-Falefa, Castro, Difo, and Culberson all have experience at short, plus there’s Daniel Robertson, Robel Garcia, and Hernan Perez further down the depth chart. But it’s a notable deficiency if you’re going by 2021 playing time alone.
Two rookies headline the Aries left field mix, which should herald some hope for the future. Andrew Vaughn’s future is probably at first base, but as long as he’s on the same real life team as Aquarian Jose Abreu, he should get plenty of reps on the grass. Chas McCormick played all three outfield spots for Houston, although he wasn’t called upon in the playoffs until fellow rookie Jake Meyers (a Gemini) injured his shoulder trying to make a play at the wall. The long term future of this position could be Angels former prospect Jo Adell, but he has so far failed to live up to his promise. David Dahl has had some success in the past, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
Center field isn’t quite as deep as third base, but there are a lot of solid options. Michael A. Taylor has emerged as Kansas City’s center fielder of the near future, with a recent contract extension. Brandon Nimmo will likely shift to a corner spot for the Mets, following their signing of Libra Starling Marte as a free agent. Lorenzo Cain, on the other hand, is not going anywhere, especially since the Brewers traded away defensive specialist Jackie Bradley Jr., his Aries sign-mate. Jake Marisnick is another player known more for his glove than his bat, although he couldn’t help the Padres reach the postseason after a midseason acquisition.
Magneuris Sierra is a useful pinch hitting/running specialist for Miami, but he might never graduate from bench piece to regular. Last year, Rob Refsnyder logged the most playing time since his 2016 rookie season, but he shouldn’t be counted on as a starter. Shogo Akiyama’s MLB tenure has not approached the heights he reached in his native Japan, but he’s got one year left on his contract with the Reds. Other recognizable names on the CF depth chart include former Cubs prospect Albert Almora Jr. and well-traveled veteran Cameron Maybin, who were real life teammates on the 2021 Mets.
Chad Pinder is the top 2021 primary right fielder in the Aries player pool, although he profiles as more of a utility threat off the bench. Switch hitting rookie Henry Ramos got some playing time with the D-Backs after coming over on a midseason minor league deal. Veteran Dexter Fowler barely played in 2021, and it remains to be seen whether a comeback is in the cards. Speaking of comebacks, Miguel Cabrera was able to overcome the injuries that threatened to relegate him to full-time DH. But the top career Aries point scoring batter of the last two decades is clearly not going to justify the $64 million still owed to him over the next two years.
Next time, we’ll look at the Aries pitching staff, which remained solid last year, despite losing two ace-caliber starters due to injury, thanks to a deep stable of star closers.