Last week, JRod posted about Mark Buehrle being the most underrated ace in the Major League Baseball. And while I agree that Mark Buehrle is both an ace and underrated, he is far from the most underrated ace or pitcher in the MLB. That title belongs to someone else, someone whose level of underratedness extends far beyond the pitcher’s mound, the white lines, and the bleachers.

The post is an ode to that man.

Some baseball players strive for media attention. Some baseball players simply replicate their sucky numbers from year to year. Then, there are baseball players who settle for nothing below supremacy.

Cut all the suspenseful build-up crap; I’m talking about Roy Halladay.

Who’s that, a baseball novice may ask? He plays half his season outside the U.S. and pitches for the former basement team of the AL East. So there is no fluorescent light show here. This is what makes him a discreet and respectable guy. In addition to the consistently dominant performances each season, his countless years of production and his lack of obsession with the spotlight make Roy Halladay the Most Underrated Man in the World.

And while Roy Halladay is certainly interesting, as you will find out by reading below, he fell just short of qualifying for the title of the Most Interesting Man in the World. Unfortunately, until Roy Halladay can mail a letter without postage and still have it reach its destination, he will never compare to El Senor mas Interesante del Mundo:

However, let’s see The Most Interesting Man in the World try to post the following outstanding statistics, which our hero Roy Halladay has posted over the last 10 years in the majors:

• ERA: 3.49
• WHIP: 1.20
• K’s: 1344
• W-L: 139-67

The numbers posted by Roy Halladay this year aren’t too shabby either after 68 innings of work:

• ERA: 2.78
• WHIP: 1.04
• Ks: 57
• W-L: 8-1

Yet this spectacle of numbers alone does not elevate a man to greatness. Or to the esteemed status of Most Underrated Man in the World.

What separates Roy Halladay from the rest is his concerning and munificent nature. As a Mormon, his responsibility is to go on mission for two years as a young man. Straight out of high school, his primary priority was not for himself, but to tend to his family. Taking care of the family is not every rich guy’s foremost concern.

But then again, Roy Halladay isn’t every guy.

“According to Brandi, her husband – the Jays’ starting ace who is making $10 million this season – refuses to look at his pay stub. He often simply hands the envelope over to her with his head turned away.

‘It bothers him to make as much money as he does,’ Brandi, 34, said. ‘He feels like he’s out there doing his job. Should he get paid? Of course he should be paid. But there’s a lot of people out there that work hard. He works hard at what he does, but it doesn’t mean that other people out there don’t deserve those kinds of cheques, too. It’s kind of humbling. (His charity work) is his way of paying back.’”

If the modest nature of Roy Halladay is not already clearly outlined, he seems to travel above and beyond conventional “charity.” He is the textbook definition of a humble man.

“The Halladays’ signature Doc’s Box program involves a luxury suite paid for by the pitcher to host sick children. It was a concept the Halladays insisted accompany his first multi-year contract. Roy and Brandi annually purchase and use the suite on the 300 Level of the Rogers Centre to host kids from the Hospital for Sick Children. They are trying to expand the use of the box to allow more people to take advantage of a day at the ballpark.”

That’s right. He’s the man.

How many people out there would willingly and without a second thought surrender a chunk of their $10 million paycheck? Put down your hands, Yankee players.

Go find me an MLB player with more character and credentials than Roy Halladay, and I’ll post something about them. But the truth is that Roy Halladay’s beard alone has experienced more acts of humility and mound greatness than a lesser pitcher’s entire body. Not unlike…

The story of Roy Halladay seems like a fantasy. How can a man so great and a pitcher so consistently dominant continue to elude the spotlight the superstardom? For the average baseball fan, Roy Halladay is little more than a great pitcher who toils in Canadian obscurity. But any fantasy baseball player worth his weight in Dos Equis knows that having Roy Halladay on a fantasy baseball roster is a fantasy in and of itself.

With that said, is there ever a good time to trade Roy Halladay? Let’s analyze his fantasy value and what you should ask for in return should you decide to leverage Halladay in a trade.

Fantasy Analysis: How to Value Roy Halladay in Trade Talks

If Roy Halladay is on your roster, you are holding an invaluable trading token to upgrade your team in any way you choose (replacing a weak position, trading for stats, trading for equal or greater value). Here is an example of a trade which was offered to me a few days ago:

Magglio Ordonez, Houston Street, Roy Halladay

for

Jon Lester, Andrew Bailey, Albert Pujols

As difficult as it is to part with my ace and possibly my favorite player in baseball, I could not pass up the best hitter in the game. And the truth is, unless you are receiving Pujols-like value in return, there is no good reason to relinquish Roy Halladay. The rest of the aforementioned trade is merely two guys for two, with the headline obviously being Pujols for Halladay. And now my offense has become immensely improved thanks to the power increase of Pujols over my other boy, Paul Konerko.

If you’re going to trade Roy Halladay, make sure you receive a top of the line player in return, as an easy argument is to show Halladay’s consistent statistics since…forever. If you want to trade for Roy, as I have tried in one league, managers are resilient to part with their All-Star. I don’t have much helpful advice to finding a good trade-off if you want to snatch him. Good luck with that. But remember that Roy Halladay remains vastly underrated, so if you are strategic and cunning, you could find attaining him a realistic possibility.

Although if this guy is in your fantasy league, something tells me he would hang on to Roy Halladay at all costs.

Roy Halladay is a true man. He is tenaciously aware of those less fortunate around him (including his bullpen) and strives to promote positivity whether it’s a monetary donation or a K on a low and inside slider. He performs quality starts both on a mound and in helping those in need (Yes, even fantasy owners too).

His fantasy and real-life baseball value are expanding faster than Bobby Jenks’ waistline. He once walked a batter, just to see what it felt like. He lives vicariously, through his strikeouts.

He is…the Most Underrated Man in the World.

I don’t often draft pitchers in the early rounds of fantasy baseball drafts. I don’t often start them in extreme hitters’ parks like the new Yankee Stadium.

But when I do, I draft…Roy Halladay.

Start Halladay, my friends.