The 43 Year Old Champion

[agrudez]

As the champagne showers finally began to run dry late in the night and the team began to disperse into the next phase of their LMS celebration, there showed a clear delineation between the predominantly youthful Phantoms roster and the few veterans that the team employed. While the newly crowned youngsters like Feliciano and Workman carried their good times to the VIP section of the nearest club and veterans like Vazquez and Freitas loaded their gear into their soccer mom SUVs to head home and give their sleeping children a stealthy kiss good night, there was one player on the roster who did neither - Juan Heredia.

With kids all grown and lacking the vigor of youth to celebrate any longer, there was only one thing left for the 43 year old to do - bask in the accomplishment. Long after the last reporter had left the complex, Heredia could be seen (had anyone been there) sitting in the dugout, simply looking out onto the field - trying like hell to relieve the fleeting moment as many times as he could. For only a 20 season veteran, HoF bound talent whom had just won his first LMS of his career could truly appreciate what had just happened - and as far as anyone can tell, Heredia is the only player in history to fit that description.

"These kids, they have all the talent in the world - and their whole careers ahead of them. I'm sure to a man they're thinking they'll be in this same spot again - maybe as soon as next year, if they're confident (or cocky) enough, but if anyone is living proof of that not necessarily being the case it's me. It took me 20 years to get here and I'm not sure I have many left in me - so I'm riding it out for as long as I can. I owe that to myself."

Making his debut 2 decades ago in Long Beach at the tender age of 23, the former 2nd overall pick burst onto the scene in a huge way, snagging an all-star nod (the 1st of 5 in his career) and the RotY award on the back of an .826 OPS, +10.3 CF ZR and 4.9 WAR. He followed that initial campaign with a level of consistency that few in league history can boast. Over the next 10 seasons, his lowest WAR total was 3.3 with an average of 6.6 per season. Also included during that span was an incredible 12.1 WAR campaign in 2023 in which he was a historical offensive onslaught from the myth, Manuel Aguilar, to keep him from winning his only MVP of his career - and even then he finished the year with nearly 2 more WAR than Aguilar.

In his age 33 season, the perennial all-star began to slow down a step; however, he still managed another 4.8 WAR campaign in 2015 (at age 35) before his 14 season tenure in Long Beach came to a close the season after. The next 7 years of his career were spent on one year stop gap deals with a litany of team - first HI, then MON, followed by CAR, VAL, SEA, MON again and finally, obviously, HSV. The only thing in common that the string of seasons had was that the likely first ballot HoFer had been relegated to a part time/platoon role - though he never let that stifle his production as he averaged 1.3 WAR in the role across those seasons.

"It was tough, bouncing from place to place. After 14 years, you think you're going to spend the rest of your career with one franchise. My daughter was born in Long Beach and spent the first 12 years of her life there. Then she had to spend her middle and high school years in a different state every single season. I can't imagine how hard that must have been on her, but she's a rock - and she always understood. Knowing that, having her with me now, it just makes this moment all the greater - I'm sharing this accomplishment with her, for sure."

Entering the 2023 campaign, Heredia had been given 6M for a 1 year stopgap (as he had become accustomed) and was assured he'd have the starting RF spot. In just the 3rd game of the year; however, his age caught up with him and the usually durable OFer spent the next 4 months of the season mending a torn back muscle.

"At that point, at age 43, of course the thought crosses your mind. have I played my last inning? 20 years in this league... nearly half my life. I can't remember what life was like before baseball - so I certainly can't imagine what it will be like after. You know its coming one day, though. That day comes for everyone. The only thing you can ask for is the ability to go out on your own terms... and when I felt like that had been taken away from me... it was almost unbearable. I just had to keep my mind focuses on getting back - if I didn't I'd have gone crazy."

Meanwhile, while on the mend, Heredia watched as his teammates struggled out of the gate and came to the halfway point of the season treading water around .500.

"It motivated me, sure. I thought... if I can just get back in there, maybe I'm the missing piece - you know?"

As suddenly as the slide began it ended; however, and Juan found himself in an odd situation. The success of the team was, of course, great to watch - but it came coupled with success by his replacement, Paul Holden. Even if he got healthy and came back - it seemed the game of musical chairs had ended without him having a seat.

"Paul is a great, great kid - sweet, too. First time I met him, he told me about how he had my poster plastered on his wall when he was 6. And now here we are and this kid who idolized me growing up is replacing me! *laughs* I think that is when you know you've overstayed your welcome in the league, maybe. That said, I was really happy to see him have success and while it hurt not having a starting slot when I got back, I understood - and really, I just wanted what was best for the team. Of course, there was that one day where I caught him and Turtle talking up my daughter during practice. They're both great kids so I was torn between encouraging it and letting them both know about my hunting rifle collection. *laughs* I won't tell you which one I opted for."

The season continued to wind down with Heredia on the peripheral and before he knew it, the Phantoms had clinched the first WC and were on their way to their first postseason since 2015 (as the Black Sox). And, as expected, he didn't see his name on the lineup card. As the team went on their streak, and the 43 year old veteran inched closer and closer to his dream, he suddenly found himself having mixed feelings.

"You spend your entire career... no, entire life dreaming of the moment that you hoist that Landis trophy. And after a pretty prestigious career, it was the last cherry on top that I needed to really say that it was all worth it. But, knowing that you're not one of the main guys driving the team towards that goal - it just feels like... am I really winning anything?"

Once the team overcame their division rival, Omaha, in the first non-WC round of the playoffs, Heredia got the call to come to the manager's office.

"He just asked me one thing - 'are you ready?'. I said yeah, and the first game against Valencia I was in the starting lineup."

Encumbant Carlos Gabriel had been a lone dull spot on the pristine Huntsville run with a .488 OPS in the playoffs and so the Phantoms turned to their elder statesman to try to provide a lift at the back of the team's lineup. Besides providing 2 RBIs in game 5 against Valencia, Heredia had a benign impact on the field for the team, doing only marginally better than Gabriel had with a .553 OPS; however, in nearly every post-game interview with the team's stars, they to a man credited Heredia's steady influence on the team's success. And the rest is history.

"I don't know about all that. These guys had the talent, pep talks from guys old enough to be their dad probably weren't doing that much for them, but I was glad to be with them and if they feel like I provided value then I'm glad for that, too. I just don't want to discredit what they, themselves, just went out and did."

As the last of the staff finished up the arduous task of cleaning up after the sell-out crowd and locker room full of 20-somethings the lights around the stadium began to shut off. In the darkness on the field, set against the backdrop of lights from the city beyond - ablaze with celebration - sat one man, still - tracing his path around the bases in his mind's eye, long after he stopped being able to see them in the black of night. Twenty years of rounding them flashing before his eyes in a moment that stretched for hours. And he smiled, realizing that he, too, had a poster of a ball player on the wall of his room so many decades ago as a child. And as he looked at it, he dreamed of this exact moment that he was now in - a storybook ending to a storied career.

[Chey]

Tremendous spotlight.

[bschr682]

Its almost disturbing how "real" some of these players become when they have been around for such a long time.

[Ted]

Great stuff.

[avery]

Its almost disturbing how "real" some of these players become when they have been around for such a long time.

Plus when they get a great write up. The part about his daughter was a nice touch. Nice to get a ring after so many years and being on Long Beach so long. great job, Kyle

[recte44]

And now he can walk away into the sunlight, having reached the pinnacle of his profession.

[agrudez]

And now he can walk away into the sunlight, having reached the pinnacle of his profession.

*Except he just re-signed with us for next season.

[recte44]

Still could retire.

[felipe]

love it Kyle; youre bringing it HARD

[felipe]

seee...this next post is where we need trilimiilimwwlim back

[agrudez]

seee...this next post is where we need trilimiilimwwlim back

and now I will go have a sad.

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