There are; however, some rare times where I care slightly more than zero about some of these affable 1s and 0s. It isn't they, themselves, that dictate whether or not I allow them into this rarified air of having shits given over them, though. I have had players provide RC/27 or FIP numbers that had been vital to my team's success that I decided to cast-off like lepers as soon as finances got hard or an interesting deal came my way. What really elevates a player into this status for me is having them tied to my own reputation. If I argue with someone over how valuable one of my guys are and they consistently prove me right - that is how they transcend their lowly station as a discreet trade value in a spreadsheet and enter into my good graces. It is, after all, always and forever about me. And few players during my 2nd stint in the MBBA have exemplified my rightness better than Luis "The Ace" Freitas.
For some reading pleasure, a history of Freitas' tenure in Huntsville (5.5 seasons):
8/18/2015 - the trade post... tough to believe it was just over a year ago today that this lovable bastard entered my life.
8/23/2015 - Ted's analysis of the trade... crib's notes: we got a B for talent and C- for organizational. I'll refrain from commenting further, except to say that despite my own beliefs this is actually *not* when the ace meme started.
8/24/2015 - the sim I signed his 6 year extension... at the time I thought it was one year too many and ended up right, but wouldn't go back and change it for the world.
9/21/2015 - after shitting on the trade, Ted tests me by calling THE ACE not an ace in my '23 season preview!... and I didn't take the bait as, oddly enough, this is also not when the ace meme started.
10/31/2015 - aaron previews a playoff series and calls Freitas a "1A" and not an ace... and, yet again, I don't take the bait. Honestly guys, among all of my other tremendous qualities, this exercise is really allowing me to develop a deep appreciation for my exceptional patience and humility in the face of adversity.
11/7/2015 - Landis champs!... and Freitas, being the ace that he is, led the way with a 5-1 record, 3.19 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.
12/2/2015 - the dam breaks... an entire TN dedicated to giving Freitas his due as a true blue ace. Noone commented, though.
1/7/2016 - and now I'm getting cheeky about it... "as pundits still continue to insist that the Phantoms “don’t have a true #1” when discussing them", lol.
1/11/2016 - Freitas in a trade block?!... wow, that's low even for me!
1/25/2016 - an ace shout out from his former team... cool it, John, he's wearing a Phantoms cap into the Hall!
1/26/2016 - another cheeky ace TN that no one commented on... I've avoided some other entrants of this ilk for this list to avoid being repetitive, but I remember having a sad that no one commented on this set of TN names. I had like 4 guys in the pitching staff all named Cesar and I thought it was a pretty clever TN name.
3/31/2016 - Ted sticking to his non-ace guns in another team preview... some guys just can't accept reality! Also, as a side note, since we're set to trade TNs yet again this year, it seems relevant to point out that CAL and HSV seem to preview each other a lot.
6/22/2016 - Just before Freitas begins his lumps, I get one last final ace job in while I compare him to a draftee... and thus the story of Freitas comes to a close.
His final stat line in Huntsville?
1149 IP
6.2 IP/start
32+ starts every season
79-53 record (59.8% winning pct.)
3.41 ERA
1.8 WHIP
3.46 FIP
Verdict?
ACE
ACE
ACE
ACE
ACE
ACE
ACE
RIP, Freitas. You will be missed.
Also, he was not an ace.
