The Illowa APBA League is over half done with its 2020 season now. To say the least, it’s been an unconventional year. And as far as my Twin City Thunderchickens, it’s a slightly disappointing campaign. We were one inning away from winning the 2019 IAL World Series. In 2020, we’re riding a 38-49 record after 87 games.
Our first “remote” weekend
The IAL managers usually all get together three times a year. It’s a highlight of my time with the league. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision was made to play remotely over Zoom and Skype. I’m not too manly to admit I miss seeing my friends in the league. Technology is great but there’s nothing like seeing someone in person.
This was the first time in my memory that an in-person IAL weekend was cancelled. While it was nice to see and hear each manager individually, it certainly wasn’t the same. The “new normal” is not appealing.
I just times like this… just five months ago.
IAL recap
So who’s good in the Illowa League this year? The smart-aleck answer is whoever is hot right now. My fellow reigning Manager of the Year honoree Marcus Bunch shows he is the real deal though. His Moline Upperdeckers are the only team that have consistently won from the start. At 55-32, he’s seven games ahead of 2019 WS champ Rob Moore. Other than that, teams have been good then shown inconsistency. Even the last two place teams can pull out series wins.
Since the IAL puts the top four teams into the playoffs, the standings already show a tight race.
Manny Machado (1-5-5-8) has been a surprisingly productive player for my Thunderchickens. He leads the team with 26 HR and 75 rbis. In fact, there have been a few head-scratchers. Yan Gomes was hitting .340 after 57 games with his 15-9 until this last month took him down a notch. Eric Hosmer (1-6-6-7) was hitting .322 until July. Another one? Kyle Schwarber who has a 25-9, is hitting .281 through 87 games.
With a 5.19 ERA, pitching has been the downfall of Twin City. The highlights are the two rookies. Dakota Hudson (8-5, 4.44 ERA) and John Means (5-4, 3.15 ERA) are doing just fine. Antonio Senzatela (0-7, 7.68 ERA) and reliever Jeurys Familia (9.13 ERA in 22 2/3 IP) are more indicative of our issues on the mound.
Decisions to make
Speaking of new normals, the current situation and how it has affected Major League Baseball has gotten the Illowa APBA League thinking how we will approach 2021. So far, we have tentatively agreed that if the MLB can pull through a 60-game season, we will use that season set for our 2021 season. In my personal opinion, that is a very big if.
We have also discussed how to handle those players who have opted out of the 2020 season (here is a full list). There are some big names on that list so we felt it was right to make an option available for them.
We haven’t worked it out fully but most are on board with the idea of giving managers the option of keeping these players as a non-roster player. In their place in 2021, they can draft a 2021 rookie as a one-year only replacement. If that player becomes a superstar and the manager wants to keep him, he can do so at the price of a first-round pick.
Me? The idea of a one-time retro season is looking better and better.
How are those of you in leagues going to handle the situation when 2021 comes around?
TBL is wrestling with that right now. Managers have traded 2021 draft picks, so there’s that to deal with. Is 2020P worth playing for a season? Will it “count”? The jury is out. We have to resolve it before the September trading period.
Stay tuned!