Leo 2021 Pitchers
In a season without a healthy Mike Trout, the Leo pitchers really had to carry the load for their offense. But luckily the leaders of the Fire Sign had enough high quality arms to propel them to the playoffs. Here’s a look at (pretty much) every relevant pitcher on the 2021 Leo Lions.
I think it’s reasonable to say that Leo had the most impressive pitching staff of 2021. First of all, Walker Buehler scored the most fantasy points among all dedicated starting pitchers. But he didn’t even start the winner-take-all Wild Card Game for the Dodgers, because his real-life team acquired his sign-mate (and surefire first ballotHall of Famer) Max Scherzer in deadline blockbuster trade. (He’ll pitch 2022 and beyond for the Mets, who signed him as a free agent in one of the last pre-lockout transactions.) Behind those two in the ‘21 Los Angeles playoff rotation, we have lefty Julio Urias, who just led the National League with 20 wins, that’s all.
Starting Game 4 of a hypothetical offseason tournament would be Japanese sensation Yu Darvish, who would get to pitch to his real-life personal catcher Victor Caratini, since they’re both Leos. (I mentioned this in my post about Leo batters, but I’ll say it again because I find it a fascinating “coincidence.”) If we were building a roster for a full season, there would be a battle for the fifth starter spot between up-and-coming Taijuan Walker, and down-and-going Madison Bumgarner.
And that’s it for Leo 1,000 point-scoring starting pitchers – for while it’s an impressive rotation in the top end, the depth falls off rather quickly. That’s not to say there isn’t upside. Rookie Triston McKenzie finished the season incredibly strongly for Cleveland. Zac Gallen has flashed frontline starter potential with the Diamondbacks. Domingo German will hope to pick up where he left off once he’s further removed from his domestic violence suspension. And Brady Singer was once a top-rated prospect for the Royals.
More depth options include two more Kansas City hurlers: lefty Kris Bubic and righty Brad Keller. Mets rookie Tylor Megill burst onto the scene, and he’s probably got a chance to stick in a rotation with his sign-mates Taijuan Walker and Scherzer for the foreseeable future. Luke Weaver was a big part of Arizona’s pitching plan, although he has yet to truly break out. John Gant and Kolby Allard both had almost as many relief appearances as starts in 2021, so it’s hard to tell where their futures lie.
Two promising Leos missed all of 2021, so they didn’t make my database, but they’re worth mentioning here. If/when Mike Soroka returns from his Achilles injury he’ll be a proven force in the rotation. Marlins prospect Sixto Sanchez didn’t play in either the Majors OR the Minors in 2021 following shoulder surgery, but he should be a good bet to excel once he’s back on the field. As far as prospects on the horizon, Daulton Jefferies (A’s), Braxton Garrett (Marlins), Joan Adon (Nationals), and Cooper Criswell (Angels) find themselves on their respective organizations’ Top 30 Prospects lists.
While Jake McGee picked up plenty of saves for the 2021 Giants – 107 victories gives you quite a lot of opportunities for close wins – he wasn’t the go-to high leverage reliever during San Francisco’s playoff run. Conversely, Giovanny Gallegos took over the closer role in St. Louis after Virgo Alex Reyes faltered. Chris Stratton had a career-high eight saves for Pittsburgh, but most of his fantasy points came from racking up innings in long relief duty.
The next four fantasy scoring Leo relievers all changed teams part way through 2021. Hansel Robles was traded from the Twins to the Red Sox for Boston’s playoff push. Yimi Garcia went from being Miami’s closer to acting as Houston’s main get-out-of-trouble pitcher. Drew Rasmussen struggled through 15 relief appearances for the Brewers, before being traded to the Rays, starting 10 out of 20 games in Tampa, and lowering his ERA by two full runs. Adam Cimber is the only one of the four not to end up on a playoff team after the deadline dust settled.
Ryne Stanek became famous – at least trivially so – for his role in pioneering Tampa Bay’s opener strategy, but he’s morphed into a regular ol’ late inning reliever with the Astros. Caleb Smith was used as a swingman/spot starter for the Diamondbacks after starting for most of his prior career. Wandy Peralta went to the Yankees in an early season trade with San Francisco and became the number two lefty setup option in their bullpen (after the surprising Aries Lucas Luetge). Archie Bradley has closer experience, but he struggled a bit in ’21 after signing on late with the Phillies. Jesse Chavez didn’t sign with Atlanta until a couple of weeks into the 2021 season, but he earned his World Series ring with an opener appearance in the playoffs.
Other lefty options include Blake Taylor, another playoff performer for the Astros, and Paul Fry, who was about as far from the playoffs as you can be, pitching for the Orioles. Justin Wilson has had a nice career, and could bounce back after being sent from the Yankees to Cincinnati midway through the season. Drew Hutchison, Anthony Banda, and Nate Pearson are pitchers who spent their 2021 seasons as relievers, but should get chances in their respective teams’ rotation before long. A pair of Brandons – Kintzler and Workman – have had closing experience in the past, although it’s unclear what the future holds for these two veterans.
With the last of the four divisional leaders now complete, next time will be an in-depth look at the best of the runners-up, the Capricorn Sea-Goats! But before that, we’ll go back in time, continuing reverse chronologically, and recap the 1988 FABL season!