A blog analyzing Major League Baseball through the lens of Astrology
Welcome to Astrology Baseball, a project where I arrange MLB players into teams based on their astrological signs, and then pit those teams against each other in mock fantasy seasons.
1949 Fantasy Astrology Recap
We’ve reached a milestone as we enter the 1940’s: 1949 was the last year, reverse-chronologically speaking, before my database will include Negro League teams. At least there’s a silver lining for this last year of predominantly white baseball: the top four scoring signs in 1949 all made the Fantasy Astrology postseason!
FABL 1950s Recap
The calendar flipping to 2024 seems like a perfect excuse to dust off this old blog and start posting regularly. When last we left our reverse-chronological trip through Fantasy Astrology Baseball History, we had finished the last year of the 1950s. So before starting a new decade, it’s fitting to look back at the ten years we just covered.
FABL 2023 Awards Recap
The Thanksgiving holiday has given me some time to calculate the yearly Fantasy Astrology award winners. Since I already looked at the final four at the end of the regular season, the focus of this post will be exclusively the top players of each league, and how they compared with the field.
FABL 2023 Finals - Cancer vs Libra
In a completely shocking and unforeseen twist, the Cancer Crabs have stormed back from behind and defeated the Virgo Flowers in the 2023 Fantasy Astrology Baseball League semifinals! Find out how this could have happened after Virgo had such a commanding lead after week one of the two-week matchup.
FABL 2023 Playoff Wk 1 Update
It’s one week into (i.e. halfway through) the semifinal matchups, and one question rises to the top: can anyone stop Virgo? Their total of nearly 1,500 points over the first week is nigh-untouchable.
FABL 2023 Playoff Preview
This year, I haven’t been making changes to the FABL rosters during the season. But as it happens, the “set them and forget them” lineup strategy has resulted in three of the same four division winners as if I had retroactively calculated fantasy points as of this point in the season. The results might shock you…
2023 All-Star Reserves
It’s finally here: the day of the MLB All-Star Game! Which means it’s time to tally up the astrological signs of the rosters, including starters, pitchers, and reserves. Full disclosure: I know this does not technically represent the full rosters, because several players have been replaced due to injury.
2023 All-Star Pitchers
Last time, I broke down the 2023 All-Star starting lineups in terms of astrological signs. Leo was the clear leader, with five of the 18 players under consideration. The Lions were ahead of a crowded second place field: five different signs had two players each.
2023 All-Star Starters
The onset of summer is the time when baseball’s top players come together for the All-Star Game, which this year is taking place in Seattle on July 11. The starters were announced last Thursday, with the full rosters being added just two days ago.
2023 Gemini Season - Positive Signs
Last week, I wrote about the clear separation between the top and bottom halves of the Fantasy Astrology Baseball League. As of Gemini Season 2023, the top six teams reached 9,000 fantasy points (What? 9,000!?), while the bottom six had not eclipsed that milestone. But in a stroke of luck, the two 9,000-point Positive signs were the leaders of their respective divisions.
2023 Gemini Season - Negative Signs
Now that the karmic wheel has flipped to Gemini Season, it’s high time I took a look at the actual 2023 MLB season. I’ve been stuck in historical mode, trying to get through the 1950s and into the 40’s, so that I could start analyzing the Fantasy Astrology Negro Leagues. But the break in decades is a good opportunity to pay lip service to the current season.
1950 Fantasy Astrology Recap
Here’s a sobering fact: in the 1950 Astrology Baseball Classic, the Gemini pitchers would have had to bat for themselves. This isn’t because the Designated Hitter wasn’t established in the Major Leagues until the 1970’s – the reason the 1950 Twins had to send their pitchers to the plate… is that there were only eight (8!) Gemini MLB position players in 1950.
1951 Fantasy Astrology Recap
Fantasy Astrology Baseball in the early 1950’s is categorically different than what we see in the early 2020’s. In today’s game, with 30 teams and a massive player pool to choose from, it’s no problem to build 12 full rosters. However, in the middle of last century, with only 16 MLB teams, it’s a struggle for each sign to fill a starting lineup, let alone a full roster.
1952 Fantasy Astrology Recap
When looking at the 1952 Leo Lions roster, I was struck by a thought, almost a sort of catchphrase: “It’s not about having the BEST players; it’s about having the best MIX of players.” In fact, this catchphrase applies to any type of fantasy roster building. And it basically echoes the age-old sentiment Depth over Star Power.
1953 Fantasy Astrology Recap
The 1953 MLB season took place exactly 70 years before the current season. Maybe there is some good karma because this is an anniversary year, but the four division winners were as clear cut as can be in 1953. Not only did the winners stay the same regardless of positional eligibility, but the top four scoring signs in the league went to the playoffs!
1954 Fantasy Astrology Recap
My obsession with filling bullpen spots with dedicated relievers really played havoc with the 1954 Fantasy Astrology Baseball League standings. To be clear, for my “official” standings, I will include any pitcher with more relief appearances than starts in a bullpen slot. But the difference is striking: Scorpio finished in first place in the league while following the looser guidelines, but they fall all the way to fifth when eligibility rules are followed.
1954 AAGPBL Recap
Last summer, in conjunction with the new A League of Their Own series on Amazon Prime, I analyzed the inaugural 1943 season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Now that I’ve reached 1954 in my reverse-chronological journey, it seems fitting to revisit the AAGPBL in its final season.
1955 Fantasy Astrology Recap
One nice piece of trivia about the 1955 Fantasy Astrology Baseball season is that all four division winners remain the same, regardless of positional eligibility shenanigans. Another is that the top three scoring signs were all Fire Signs. Sagittarius, once again led by Al Kaline, takes the top spot. Leo is in second, without a 2,000-point scorer to their name. Aries had the starting pitcher for the real-life American League All-Stars Billy Pierce, but ended up in third place overall.
1956 Fantasy Astrology Recap
One thing that stands out about the FABL-leading 1956 Sagittarius Archers is that their starting roster includes four former Negro League players. Not only that, but Minnie Minoso, Larry Doby, Harry Simpson, and Sam Jones all broke into the AL/NL hierarchy with the Cleveland Indians. It’s curious that despite the club’s racist mascot and moniker, they seemed to be at the forefront in terms of recruiting Black and Latin players.
1957 Fantasy Astrology Recap
Fans of New York baseball surely recognize 1957 as a bittersweet year: it was the final seasons of both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants before both clubs set out for greener pastures in California. But from a Fantasy Astrology perspective, 1957 was even more monumental, because it was the last full season where Aquarius finished in first place in fantasy points!