Wow, big news! Contributing editor Kevin Weber has joined his first league! Kevin is now a member of the World Baseball Organization.
Kevin made his announcement on The APBA Blog Facebook page and asked about trades and drafts. How does an APBA manager prepare for a league draft? What are some strategies to use when trading with your league opponents?
I decided to look back and see what I have written in the past ten years on the subject. I found a fair amount of material, Kevin.
Teddy Ballgame’s Top Ten Tips on Drafting in an APBA Baseball League
This was written in 2012 by former TAB contributor Teddy Ballgame. It contains some very solid advice from one of the winningest managers in Illowa APBA League history.
Look at the stats. Review the minor league & major league stats, as well as collegiate statistics (there will be an adjustment from aluminum to wood bats). The stats will give you a glimpse as to the career you can expect from the rookie you’re drafting.
Tedd was a master at knowing which rookie was the real deal because he knew his minor league history.
I on the other hand, am a notoriously bad drafter and prefer to trade for known quantities. This is one of my favorite articles to share…
10 tips for trading in an APBA league
These ten tips was written in 2010 but they are every bit as relevant today.
4. Make offers that help both teams
It might be tempting to contact a team manager and a say “What do you want for Nick Markakis?”. If I got that, I might give it a thought or two but no more. Be more specific. Like I said in #3, learn your opponent’s team and find out what he needs. When you come to him with a more concrete deal like “I have Nick Markakis. Would you give me your #1 pick for him?”. He’ll at least be more willing to come back to the table and talk.
The article is really worth a read if I may say so.
…and then there are a few I found very fun. Like this one…
The Anatomy of an APBA League Trade
This was a look back at a 2010 deal between my Thunderchickens and Marcus Bunch’s Moline Upperdeckers.
Key Player…
No doubt, Casey McGehee was the key player in the deal. He’s young and has plenty of potential. It doesn’t hurt that he can hit NOW and can play pretty much every day.
Ok, I had to laugh at that one. McGehee had a sharp down turn and never amounted to anything. Nevertheless, it’s a fun read.
Finally, I am puzzled what trade prompted me to write this article.
What tempts me to make an APBA league trade
This post documents a trade in progress in detail but for the life of me, I can’t remember which one. Maybe a fellow IAL manager will recollect.
Most importantly, he’s proposing a deal that is helpful to both teams. Making trade offers that only consider your own team or proposing trades “just for the sake of making trades” (yes, I’ve seen it done), serve no purpose.
Regardless, I want to wish Kevin good luck in his first league venture. I am sure he will have a lot of fun. I am looking forward to reading about it in future articles!!
