The Illowa APBA League is one month away from our draft weekend. To make things easier for us, I’ve created a “Draft Central” web page. It’s nothing special… it just simply contains links to resources such as eligible rookies, team draft order and the like. Having a “go to” place with references to everything I need just makes it easier.
One other resource contained in IAL’s Draft Central is our Dropped Players page. By league rules, a team gets a draft pick for every player that doesn’t return (the IAL determines that by a player’s at-bats or innings). While the dropped players info may seem dry, look at this way: with some exceptions, these are the players who are retiring after the 2010 season.
I was looking through our 2010 retirees and some real IAL legends are leaving the game:
Nomar Garciaparra: lifetime .316 hitter and only .400 hitter (.412 in 2001)
Ken Griffey Jr.: 582 career homeruns (63 in 1995), 1547 runs scored
Gary Sheffield: 460 career homeruns, 1507 runs scored, 1374 rbis
Brian Giles: unheralded OF who managed to top 1,000 in both runs and rbis
Brandon Webb: only IAL pitcher to pitch back to back no-hitters (one was a perfect game!)
There may be one or two on the dropped list who may not be finished in the Illowa APBA League. In our league, a manager may keep an uncarded player (with the hopes that he will come back). I’m being forced in that decision this off-season. One of my draft picks comes to me because of Jacoby Ellsbury’s injury last year. I have to decide whether to keep Ellsbury (and an empty roster spot all year) with the possibility that he will return to his 2009 excellence.
I’m not required to state my intentions till just before the draft. Since I have four picks (including Ellsbury’s pick), I have to really decide if that fourth round pick is really worth waiting just one year for a healthy established outfielder.
Ellsbury led the IAL in steals with 59 in 2010.
