Astrology Camp Battles: Aries

I always thought there would be a certain poetic justice for baseball players born under the sign which includes the birth dates that usually encompass Opening Day to be especially talented. That has mostly been the case with the Aries fantasy astrology team, which boasts four players in the top 20, and 12 of the top 100, including the top ranked catcher in the MLB, Buster Posey (34), two-time MVP Miguel Cabrera (18), recent Cy Young recipient Corey Kluber (20), and the member of the offseason's most high profile trade Chris Sale (16). Let's see how the middle-back of the Rams roster shapes up this year.

DH (2B or 3B)
This is a straight toss up between Jason Kipnis (68, and 37 spots behind Daniel Murphy on the 2B depth chart) and Adrian Beltre (whose 75 ranking can't compete with Nolan Arenado's 5). Positional scarcity might come into play here: 3B is extremely strong this year, with four of the top ten ranked players at the hot corner. But these two were extremely close in stats last year, with Beltre having the edge by less than 140 total points. Another name to look out for is Carlos Santana, whose 138 ranking can't compete with the above mentioned players, but he could be a factor considering all the skill positions are already filled.

OF2
On paper, two center fielders - Lorenzo Cain (105) and Jackie Bradley Jr. (133) - and Rockies 2016 rookie sensation David Dahl (113) would make up a solid starting outfield for ARE (notice I changed the abbreviation to avoid confusion with ARI, which stands for the Diamondbacks in the real world). But with the latter of those three suffering through some injury troubles, the last corner outfield spot could be a toss-up (or platoon situation?) between lefty Jay Bruce (166) and righty Hunter Pence (176). Also, don't count out Dexter Fowler (192) if you'd rather have an all-CF alignment.

SS
There's not much of a competition here, but it is a good opportunity to discuss fantasy vs. real life. Adeiny Hechavarria is the lowest ranked starting shortstop in the league at 491. Alex Bregman (92) is more than capable of playing shortstop, with 128 minor league games there, against 53 at his 2017 projected position of 3B. But he likely won't gain fantasy eligibility at the position any time soon, due to the presence of Carlos Correa (VIR, 23) also on the Astros roster. I'm just saying, this team would surely benefit if this experiment were a video game simulation, rather than a traditional fantasy league.

SP4 and SP5
On paper, this rotation looks set, with five starting pitchers ranked within the top 130, including the #3 ranked top-three starter combination in the league, with Carlos Carrasco (67) joining Sale and Kluber. But the bottom 40% has some question marks. Kenta Maeda and Matt Harvey are within two ranking spots of each other (125 and 127, respectively), and while each has a tremendous amount of talent and competitiveness, 2017 will be just Maeda's second full season in the majors since coming over from Japan, and of course Harvey just had his second major surgery in the span of three years. If either of them falters, waiting in the wings are formerly elite Felix Hernandez (203 and a Cy Young of his own), potential ace of the Reds Anthony DeSclafani (199), and the solid but unspectacular pair of Jake Odorizzi (154) and Jeremy Hellickson (216).

RP2
This battle isn't even close if you go by the rankings: presumptive Mariners closer Edwin Diaz's rank is more than twice as good as White Sox trade bait David Robertson (72 to 147). But when you consider that Robertson more than doubled Diaz's career saves total in 2016 alone, you have to give the veteran some consideration in a format where traditional roles are concerned. Speaking of traditional roles, Dellin Betances (161), the poster boy for how said roles create a regrettable financial loophole for the establishment, is also in this bullpen, but will likely be sitting on the bench for the majority of the fantasy season.