Cancer 2021 Batters
I try not to give preferential treatment to Cancer in my analysis, but every once in a while, my “home-sign” bias creeps in. Lord knows I tried to bend every conceivable positional eligibility rule in the Crabs’ favor when putting together my official lineups for 2021. But try as I might, I couldn’t get them to outscore Pisces in the Water Division, even with two-way star and AL MVP Shohei Ohtani in the mix. Here’s a position-by-position look at the very impressive 2021 Cancer offense.
2022 will see the culmination of the career of perhaps the best Cancer Crabs catcher of all time in Yadier Molina. His defensive excellence is unparalleled and his bat graded as plus at times, as he amassed at least 3.0 offensive-WAR in four of his 18 MLB seasons. Once Yadi retires, Brazilian Yan Gomes will be on hand, although he’s spent most of his career as a backup. A pair of Diamondbacks are next on the depth chart: Carson Kelly was once viewed as Molina’s heir-apparent in St. Louis, before being sent to Arizona in the Paul Goldschmidt deal, and Daulton Varsho (son of Gary) is a nice bench bat to have on hand, as he also plays the outfield. Further down the line, Pedro Severino has emerged as Baltimore’s starting backstop, and Keibert Ruiz had big time prospect capital prior to his 2020 debut.
I made a new rule for my weekly Astrology Fantasy League in 2021 allowing any infielder to occupy first base. This helped Cancer maximize their point totals, but only incrementally, as they had a few good actual first basemen on hand. Based on full season fantasy points, Ty France and Nathaniel Lowe would form the starting righty/lefty platoon. Venezuelan Jesus Aguilar will hold down the position in Miami in his final year of arbitration eligibility. Rookie Bobby Dalbec should be the long-term first baseman in Boston, despite the fact that he lost playing time in the playoffs to Pisces Kyle Schwarber. Frank Schwindel broke out in a big way after going to the Cubs midseason, and they will probably stick with him during their rebuild.
Another new rule in my fantasy league allows any player with shortstop eligibility to also play second base, but Cancer’s top two middle infielders make this distinction moot. Jorge Polanco primarily played second base for the Twins, but when Virgo defensive whiz Andrelton Simmons went down, Polanco shifted back to shortstop. Brandon Lowe has some career experience in the outfield, and the best configuration for this lineup has him occupying a corner spot in the grass. DJ LeMahieu has made versatility a calling card of his, qualifying at every infield position except shortstop. Josh Harrison can play short on an emergency basis, but his best positions are second base, third base, and left field. Josh Rojas emerged as a true utility threat for the Diamondbacks, getting some 2021 playing time at every position but catcher, first base, and center field.
Manny Machado is the top Crabs third baseman and it’s not particularly close. He has played shortstop in the past, but given both Cancer’s depth at the position, and the excellence of his real-life Padres teammate Capricorn Fernando Tatis Jr., Machado’s ability to play there likely won’t come into play in the near future. Eugenio Suarez is the only other primary third baseman who had a starting role in 2021. He even spent some time back at his original position of shortstop this past season, even though he fell short of his usual offensive power numbers. No other Cancer third baseman scored more than 200 fantasy points in 2021, although Blue Jays rookie Kevin Smith is ranked as one of their top-10 prospects.
Like Jorge Polanco, Trea Turner also qualified for both middle infield spots in 2021, moving from his traditional shortstop spot to second base when he was acquired by the Dodgers, in deference to Taurus Corey Seager. With Seager having signed a pre-lockout free agent deal with the Rangers, T. Turner looks to hold down shortstop in LA full time, although Dave Roberts has been known to make some funky decisions with his infielders (cf. Lux, Gavin, Sagittarius). Tim Anderson had a season curtailed by injuries, but if he was able to maintain his points-per-game average over a full season, he would have easily surpassed 2,000 fantasy points.
Cancer’s top-scoring primary outfielder, left fielder Tyler O’Neill, won an NL Gold Glove for the Cardinals, and I used that defensive reputation to justify putting him in center field in my official lineups. Austin Hays played only the corner spots for Baltimore in 2021, but he did have holdover eligibility in center from the truncated 2020 season. Andrew Benintendi took home the Gold Glove award for AL left fielders, although his middling overall point totals will likely keep him as a defensive replacement off the bench. Abraham Almonte did his best to fill in for an injury-depleted Braves outfield during the season, even though he wasn’t used during the playoffs.
Ramon Laureano was having a fine season as the A’s center fielder until he was shelved due to a P.E.D. suspension – which of course raises the question of how fine his season would have been without chemical help. Jarred Kelenic didn’t have the explosive debut of his sign-mate (and real-life Mariners teammate) Kyle Lewis (who won the 2020 Rookie of the Year), but an outfield with these two Crabs could be formidable for years to come. The dark horse here is former NL MVP Cody Bellinger, whose regular season was a wash due to injuries, but who came back strong in the postseason. Versatile Mauricio Dubon is likely ticketed for minor league depth, but he has a good prospect pedigree.
Charlie Blackmon was once a dominant center fielder, but his bat has declined along with his defense (which wasn’t ever all that great to begin with). Seth Brown should play a big part on the now-rebuilding A’s, whether in the outfield or at first base, once Aries Matt Olson is inevitably traded. Jose Siri got some playing time in center field for the Astros during the playoffs. Cancer also has two members of the Guardians outfield: Josh Naylor and former prospect Daniel Johnson.
No sign has as many and as impactful designated hitters as Cancer. At the top of the heap is obviously AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, the first player in history to hit 45 home runs, steal 20 bases, and score 100 runs in a season. (And when he’s not in the lineup, he performs at ace levels on the mound.) Luckily Yordan Alvarez also qualified in left field, so these two power lefties can occupy the same lineup, even if team defense would suffer. The only time Nelson Cruz spent in the field in 2021 was a single game at first base for the Rays, and you’d better believe I used that as justification for putting him there in my official lineup. But if you’re not willing to play out of position for a hypothetical offseason tournament, then maybe Astrology Baseball isn’t for you. Franmil Reyes had a great season for Cleveland, but the DH depth of this club means that he would likely be relegated to the Astrology Minor Leagues.
Cancer’s 2021 pitchers were not nearly as impressive as their 2021 hitters, and that trend continues back through the 30-plus years of this project that I’ve completed so far. But they have one absolute superstar at the top, and next time we’ll delve further into the AL MVP and his supporting pitching staff.