What’s this? Julio Rodriguez was not picked first in an APBA League draft?
Indeed. Dom Provisiero sends his draft report of the O.Z. League and the Braves’ centerfielder Michael Harris went numero uno. What gives?
Dom explains, “Julio & Adley (Rutschman) were already picked last year un-carded”.
Here are the top five picks in the 2023 O.Z. League…
- Michael Harris
- Kyle Wright
- Gunnar Henderson
- Spencer Strider
- Hunter Greene
You can see the full 2023 O.Z. draft here.
Picking uncarded??
Wait, let’s back up a bit. What does “picking uncarded” mean exactly?
Some APBA leagues allow managers to use a draft pick to choose a player who haven’t made it to the majors yet (or at least haven’t received an APBA card). This is the case in the O.Z. League where some smartypants manager was clever enough to draft Julio Rodriguez so they were sure to get him.
Our Illowa APBA League allowed uncarded drafting for a while… with a slight difference. In our league, to draft an uncarded player, we had to do it with a first round pick.
I really like the concept of uncarded drafting but our league disallowed the practice because those teams that could afford to forego a first round pick for the future were only going to get stronger. Meanwhile, lower-end teams who were struggling couldn’t keep up.
For those who want to see the full listing of 2023 APBA league draft reports I’ve received, you can see them here.
Thanks for the report, Dom. As always, it is good to hear from you!
Good luck to the O.Z. League in 2023!
