Astrology Camp Battles: Pisces

An old baseball adage states that pitching wins championships, so it makes sense that Pisces is the only team other than Libra to come away with a fantasy astrology title, given that their top three starters are Clayton Kershaw (7), Justin Verlander (22), and Jake Arrieta (36), making them the only team to have three starters ranked within the top 40 players. However, it's also difficult to win a championship without any offense to speak of (and no, Chris Davis (59) and Jean Segura (58) alone aren't enough to carry a team), which is why the Fish have only won once in the last five years. Let's check out how they shape up for 2017.

DH (C or OF)
It's unusual to see a catcher competing for the DH spot, because a) backstops are usually more prized for their gloves than their bats, and b) the defensive necessities of the position make it rare for even a fantasy team to have two playable ones on the roster. J.T. Realmuto (151) has cemented himself as the starter in Miami, which leaves Brian McCann (218) as the highest ranked player to place second on a positional depth chart, and thus best suited for DH duties on paper. However, given how much positional scarcity might contribute to McCann's relatively high ranking, the Fish might be better off with power threat Jorge Soler (277), former speedster Denard Span (274), or even potential platooner Josh Reddick (311) in this slot.

2B or SS
The above-mentioned Jean Segura's positional versatility basically ensures him one of the middle infield spots, but which one and who takes the other are still somewhat up for debate. The rankings dictate that Segura should man short (where he will line up with the Mariners next year) with Devon Travis (231) at the keystone. But given the young Blue Jays second baseman's propensity for injuries, it could end up being just as effective to put Segura back where he spent most of 2016 with the Diamondbacks and have Didi Gregorius (289) serve as his double play partner. Only time will tell which alignment will prove the most effective.

RP_
RP2

The only relief pitcher who can compete with Aroldis Chapman (51) leaguewide is Kenley Jansen (38), and since he's a Libra, the Cuban Missile has a lock on the top spot here. But since the RP slot in fantasy baseball mirrors the arbitration process in that it's all about saves, for the next spot, we have we have to look at projected role rather than ranking or even talent level. Andrew Triggs (263) is the next highest ranked qualifying "reliever," but since he's ticketed for the A's starting rotation next year, I'm leaving him out of the running here. As far as actual relievers go, Hector Rondon outranks Fernando Rodney by 66 spots (332 to 398), but Rodney is almost assured the D-Backs' closer's role, albeit on a worse team than Rondon's Cubs, but at least he's not stuck behind newly acquired Wade Davis (89, VIR) in the saves pecking order.