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Veteran Climbing Up Franchise Leaderboards
April 21, 2044: Valencia, CA – With news that Carlos Pineda’s rotator cuff was worst-case, all eyes turned once again to veteran hurler Carlos Valle. Yes, this is a rotation that includes fellow veteran Ernesto Ramos, who is 3-0 with a 2.68 ERA so far this early season. And it includes sensational rookie Dave Lee and stalwart starter Tomas Ramirez. Despite that, everyone in the room knows who the pressure will fall onto.
“I hate to see Carlos hurt, you know,” Valle said, shaking his head while he was deflecting. “He’s got a lightning arm and was just so brilliant. You hate to see it. Just hate it. I hope he comes back again, because I just like to watch him pitch.”
Meanwhile the team takes a look at history and sees that it’s an even-numbered season, and that Valle won his Nebraskas in 2040 and 2042. Could the stone skip three times, and land again on 2044? It’s certainly possible. Valle is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four outings, losing only a 1-run tilt to Louisville. His K-rate is as high as it’s ever been and his homer propensity is down again after a bit of an unlucky 2043. So, sure, it could happen again. All signs are positive. Check again next week.
Achievements Being Unlocked
Regardless, the more rabid fans of the team are also focused on the fact that Valle, who is in his ninth season with the team, is beginning to march into the upper altitudes of the franchise’s record books. His two wins this year pushed him over David Klopp into third place. Five more this year will put him level with Lawrence Columbus LaLoosh for second. It’s unlikely he’ll manage the additional twenty wins he’d need to take down Jose Chavez at the top of the list, but fans can dream.
It’s a similar story with the overall WAR chart: Chavez leads with 54.5, and LaLoosh is second at 48.6. Valle’s 47 sits at third, meaning he’s almost a lock to pass LaLoosh, and that a true Nebraska kind of performance could see him atop that table by the end of the year. Also by the end of the year , barring injury, of course, it’s likely he’ll pass current Nine pitching coach Alberto Sanchez to move into 5th in games started.
Workload Planned to Increase
“Carlos Valle is the heart of the rotation,” said manager Sam Brewington. “We’re meeting to discuss the best way to use him.” Insiders expect that the club will ride Valle deeper into games, and possibly roll him into some starts on only 4-days rest. It’s a pattern that has emerged in the past, and indeed Valle has started 37 and 38 games the past two seasons. His body seems to respond well to that kind of workload, and, in fact, he’s thrown over 200 innings every season since breaking in with Yellow Springs.
The question on some people’s mind is: can he win a third Nebraska in this fancy new world where bullpen aces are all the rage. Frankly, we don’t know. Fellow Nine hurler Tiernan O’Macken won last season’s award, and was arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He’s back and doing it again, and—given that all sports are copycat environments—several others are emerging.
“We just want to win the division,” Valle said. “The rest we can argue about in October.”
