Astrology Camp Battles: Virgo

When I first looked at these rankings in the beginning of February, I thought this might be the year that the Virgo Maidens could put it all together and make a run at the title. Circumstances have conspired to make this journey more difficult, so the players who emerge victorious from these camp battles could have a serious impact on the astrology playoff picture in 2017.

SP4 and SP5
I'm starting with pitchers because this rotation looked like a powerhouse around the time of the Super Bowl. Noah Syndergaard (21) is establishing himself firmly atop the pitching pantheon (as well as the Norse pantheon). David Price (44) will be pitching with a chip on his shoulder after a disappointing 2016. Carlos Martinez (82) was deemed valuable enough to recently get an extension from the Cardinals. Gerrit Cole (115) is an ace in the making who hasn't yet lived up to his full potential. And Alex Reyes (226) was just ranked as the number three prospect in all of baseball.

Flash forward one month later and Reyes is on the shelf due to Tommy John surgery and Price had an elbow scare of his own. While the Red Sox's second lefty ace looks to have avoided any major problems, his uncertain status could create an opportunity for some other pitchers lower down on the VIR depth chart. One of Gio Gonzalez (215) or Adam Wainwright (229) is assured Reyes's old spot in the rotation, with the other one able to step in if Price has to miss any time. Price's real life teammate Steven Wright (259) and 2016 postseason non-contributor Jason Hammel (260) are also waiting in the wings as depth options. It's still an impressive group, but the questionable status of some top flight talent could really hurt this team going forward.

1B
I mentioned how a hypothetical two-DH lineup would benefit the Capricorn team in my write up from last week, but Virgo would even more poised to take advantage of this particular fantasy format. Paul Goldschmidt (6) has a stranglehold on the starting 1B gig, but Joey Votto (26) and Freddie Freeman (27) are LITERALLY neck and neck to see who will back him up / play DH. Unless someone really steps up or gets injured in Spring Training, this veritable offensive love triangle will likely continue all season long.

OF2
Ian Desmond is slated as this team's opening day center fielder and George Springer (25) will likely gain CF eligibility pretty soon into the season. Gregory Polanco (61) is the best bet to occupy the third slot, but he was only two ranking spots away from Virgo having three center fielders patrol the outfield grass (Billy Hamilton, 63). If you're more into power hitters than speedy slap hitting types, there's also Justin Upton (79) and Adam Duvall (174) waiting in the wings.

C
One position where Virgo lacks a clear starter is behind the plate, where Nick Hundley (559) lost out on the potential for regular at bats when the Giants signed him to back up Buster Posey (34, ARE), and Christian Bethancourt (496) is firmly behind Austin Hedges (361, LEO) on the San Diego depth chart as he tries to make it as a two-way player. Catcher isn't typically that important in fantasy, so I don't see this as a major drawback for this team's chances.