Back East, the Transcontinental Baseball League conducted their 2013 draft yesterday in the midst of NEMO’s two feet of snow coming down.
I communicated with Steve Stein and Walter Hunt of TBL beforehand and it did seem weather did play a role. At the time I contacted them, Steve said only ten of the managers were able to make it person. Even power/Internet outages were making it difficult to get through the draft.
But seeing as the TBL’s online draft grid is full, they must have gotten the job done. Steve told me that #1 pick was never in doubt. Mark Ludwig, manager of the Blue Hill Mudslides picked who else? Bryce Harper.
Top Five Picks in the 2013 TBL Draft
- Bryce Harper
- Yu Darvish
- Manny Machado
- Matt Moore
- Wilin Rosario
Whether we admit or not, the managers in the Illowa APBA League have been watching the drafts of the TBL, Orlando APBA Association, and the Roberto Clemente Memorial Baseball Association quite closely. We’re not set to draft till the first week of April and seeing other leagues go through the process helps each of us. While each league approaches annual drafts in their own ways with different rules, it does give us a sense what value is being placed on different players.
