Leo 2021 Batters
Leo got off to a strong start in 2021 and never looked back, leading the Fire Division in my weekly fantasy baseball league basically wire-to-wire. Naturally, I assumed that the Lions would represent the Positive Polarity in the championship matchup, but they fell to Libra in the semifinals, thanks to strong performances from not one, but TWO 2021 Cy Young Award winners. On the whole, Leo’s pitching was more impressive than their offense, but they still had some top-tier offensive contributors.
The future is here for Leo catchers, as Reds rookie Tyler Stephenson eclipsed incumbent starter in 2021 fantasy points. Although Christian Vazquez will still be around, for those who prefer players with postseason heroics. Speaking of playoff heroics, the normally light-hitting Martin Maldonado had some clutch moments at the plate for the Astros in 2021. Switch hitter Victor Caratini is the personal catcher of Yu Darvish, who just so happens to also be a Leo. Coincidence? Wilson Ramos had some years as the unquestioned top Leo catcher, but he had his 2021 season mostly ruined by injury.
Like the sign that follows it on the karmic wheel, Leo has a first base logjam, but not of the same quality as Virgo. Jared Walsh had the best season in 2021, and he also had some time in right field for the Angels, which injects some versatility into the mix. Similarly, Josh Bell played a handful of games in left field in his first season with the Nationals, although these two are better suited for first base and DH. Anthony Rizzo has some second base on his resume, but I wouldn’t consider putting him there for any length of time, even for a hypothetical offseason tournament.
Yandy Diaz played most of his 2021 games at first base, but he’s the top fantasy-scoring Leo with third base eligibility. Darin Ruf was part of a Giants team that heavily utilized platoons, and his ability to play both first base and left field helped their cause. Yu Chang only played the corner infield spots for Cleveland in 2021, but his holdover eligibility all over the infield helped Leo fill out their lineup in the later parts of the season. At one point Keston Hiura looked like the second baseman of the future for the Brewers, but he spent most of his limited 2021 playing time at first base.
The only Leo primary second baseman with more than 1,000 fantasy points was Brendan Rodgers, who played both middle infield spots for the Rockies in 2021. Dylan Moore is yet another versatile infield/outfield piece for Leo, qualifying at both second base and left field, with some third base on his sheet as well. Michael Chavis took the opposite route of Hiura and moved from corner infield to second base in a season split between Boston and Pittsburgh. Chris Owings has a decent track record of playing time, as Colorado just can’t seem to keep him off their roster.
Wilmer Flores continues the trend of versatility, as he qualified at each of third base, second base, and first base for those platoon-happy Giants. Despite his primary position being the hot corner, the best lineup for maximizing fantasy points has Flores at second and Yandy Diaz at third. Before the season it seemed like former Phillies top prospect Alec Bohm would have a lock on the position, but he ended up spending the end of his season in the minors. Aledmys Diaz and Ehire Adrianza were useful bench bats / pinch hitters for the Astros and Braves, respectively. While Adalberto Mondesi is mostly known as a shortstop, he actually had more appearances at third base in 2021. That’s probably because the Royals didn’t want to displace Pisces shortstop Nicky Lopez once Mondesi returned from his lengthy injury troubles.
It must be a Fire Sign thing for backup catchers to morph into shortstops: it happened with Aries Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and now Kyle Farmer has taken the same career trajectory. Pirates middle infielder Kevin Newman has the second-most fantasy points among primary shortstops, but if I were building a lineup with this Leo player pool, I would have Mondesi start at short, with Cardinals power threat Paul DeJong next on the depth chart.
The Reds very nearly made the playoffs in 2021, and if left fielder Jesse Winker had not missed some key time down the stretch with injuries, things might have turned out differently. Ian Happ had a resurgent season with the Cubs where he also qualified in center field. David Peralta still swings a good lefty bat, but he would likely be relegated to fantasy astrology bench or minor league duty. After bouncing around as a Rule 5 pick, Connor Joe looks like he’s found a home with the Rockies.
Based on 2021 fantasy points among primary center fielders, Randal Grichuk and Akil Baddoo would likely form some sort of center field platoon. However, going by points-per-game, Luis Robert should get the nod here, as he tied for the PPG lead among all Leo outfielders (with fellow injury prone slugger Jesse Winker). Just 0.3 PPG behind those two is the former consensus best player in MLB Mike Trout, who didn’t play after May 17th due to his own injury troubles. Jarrod Dyson won’t start for this team, but he’s a great defensive specialist / pinch runner to have on the roster.
No matter how much Kansas City tries to move Hunter Dozier to right field, he always ends up getting some playing time at third base – kind of the opposite of what happened to Pisces Nick Castellanos. Jason Heyward has been steadily declining with his bat, but by all accounts, he still plays a slick right field. As far as promising young outfielders are concerned, Jake McCarthy and Josh Palacios both showed up on the Top 30 prospect lists of the D-Backs and the Rockies, respectively.
Moving on to the next “position,” Leo had two primary DH’s, but they both qualified for outfield spots as well. J.D. Martinez will definitely be forced into a corner spot, especially given how many good first basemen are on the roster. I’m not counting Ryan O’Hearn among them, although he also qualified there, along with right field. Pablo Sandoval was primarily a pinch-hitter for the Braves, but his biggest 2021 impact was being traded for future NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario.
Next time, my first post in the month of December 2021, we’ll look at the incredibly impressive Leo pitching staff!