Cancer Crabs: In-Depth Analysis

Those of you who follow both the Zodiacal calendar and this blog will know that I'm far behind schedule for an In-Depth Analysis profile on a fantasy team very close to my heart: the Cancer Crabs. Besides having two of the most unfortunate names in all of astrology (plus a hilariously suggestive symbol), the Cancer team represents the top major league players born under the same sun sign as your humble blogger. According to the literature on the sign, Cancerians could be either helpful or annoying to have in the clubhouse - they can have a kind, sympathetic, and nurturing character, but they also tend towards being overly-emotional, moody, and hypersensitive. I guess that's what comes from the combined aspects of changeability from a water sign that's ruled by the moon. Let's see what kind of depth chart comes from such a sign.

This team has some more productive batters than I thought would be the case at the beginning of the season, but I'd like to begin by focusing on the real area of strength: the pitching staff - as of this writing, the team's top three scorers are all starting pitchers. Stephen Strasburg leads the NL in strikeouts (and strikeouts per 9 innings) as he approaches his controversial Shutdown Day. All-Star snub Ryan Vogelsong leads the same league in ERA, as the 34-year-old is doing a good job proving that his breakout 2011 season (following a four-year absence from the majors) was no fluke. And although CC Sabathia is trailing the Yankees staff ace Hiroki Kuroda by 2.0 full WAR, he's not a bad fantasy SP3 by any means.

Before rounding out the rotation, let's take a look at this dominant bullpen, which, thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness, now features five (5) relievers who have spent most of the season racking up saves for their clubs. Jim Johnson had been a revelation for the Orioles through mid-July (including a scoreless April), Chris Perez just secured his second straight season with 30+ saves last night, and Jason Motte is the only pitcher on this staff to sport a WHIP under 1. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Brian Wilson's injury catapulted Santiago Casilla into the closer's role (although his job has since been in flux of late), and in Anaheim, the struggles of Jordan Walden (an All-Star last year and 7th in Rookie of the Year voting) prompted the Angels to trade for Ernesto Frieri.

Luckily the rest of the rotation is deep enough to have effective pitchers to replace Strasburg if/when he goes down, although no one can hope to emulate his performance. Recent trade chip Paul Maholm has ramped up his value since going undrafted to start the season and Taiwanese import Wei-Yin Chen been solid for the Orioles. Strasburg's replacement will likely come from a group including Phil Hughes, Tim Hudson, and Edinson Volquez, whose combined 3.99 ERA is a full 1.2 runs above the young phenom's. However Brandon McCarthy's (2.68 ERA in 13 injury-plagued starts) return from the disabled list should make the situation a little easier to swallow.

With the lack of a true first-round pick fantasy stud to anchor the offense, any conversation about this lineup has to start with star power, and for that we turn to Derek Jeter. The 38 year-old Yankee captain might not turn in solid defense at shortstop anymore (if he ever did to begin with), but he does lead the AL in both at bats and hits (80% of them singles). Among other Cancer players known for their positive clubhouse presence are Jeter's double play partner Brandon "Dat Dude" Phillips and Torii Hunter, who doesn't have a starting spot in this crowded outfield.

The leading outfield scorer is Cleveland's Shin-Soo Choo, who, if he hadn't earned an exemption by helping his native South Korean team win a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, would right now be serving a mandatory military service. Flanking him in the second corner outfield spot is Nelson Cruz, who prior to the season was ranked just one spot behind teammate and first-half fantasy machine Josh Hamilton. Manning center field (because any contender has to prove it's good up the middle) is Angel Pagan, whose days of batting 5th for the Giants are likely over due to their acquisition of a legitimate power hitter in Hunter Pence (his .140 average for the team notwithstanding). But the top offensive scorer overall is third baseman Aramis Ramirez, whose league-leading 37 doubles don't quite make up for the lost production from Prince Fielder, but at least he comes quite a bit cheaper.

Cancer is lucky enough to have two of fantasy's best behind the plate: Yadier Molina (who has recently started making noise with his bat in addition to his well-regarded glovework) and Miguel Montero (whose role as DH is probably on par with starting a tight end as your flex in fantasy football, a sport I'm trying to learn this year). First base was a mess for this team early on following Adam Lind's demotion to the minor leagues. For a while Juan Rivera's backup work for the Dodgers was their best bet, but when Allen Craig came off the DL and started playing at the Pujols-vacated first base for the Cardinals, Cancer had found its man.

In my Astrology Baseball fantasy league that I set up, Cancer is in a 4-way tie for 5th place overall in the standings with an even .500 record. With 3+ weeks to go, they're not assured of a playoff spot, but they've actually scored the most fantasy points out of any team: their 18,346 points are currently 246 points ahead of the Aries Rams. Granted I haven't been changing the rosters regularly - it's enough work maintaining my fantasy team in the league where I actually drafted and am, you know, competing with real people - but neither have I shown Cancer any favoritism, so their performance has to do at least somewhat with the merit of the players. I don't know about you, but I'm pulling for the Crabs to go all the way this year.