Last week, the Illowa APBA League concluded its 47th draft. This time around, for the first time ever, the draft was conducted via text. I honestly thought it would take weeks but it only took a few days.
Like every other APBA league draft that has reported in, White Sox outfielder Luis Robert was picked first. Commish Mike Bunch and the Green Rock Bombers took Robert with no hesitation despite hints he had no interest in the highly-touted outfielder. Catcher Sean Murphy was chosen second followed by starter Dustin May.
Illowa’s first round
| Pick | Team | Player | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bombers | Robert | Luis | |||
| 2 | T-Chicks | Murphy | Sean | |||
| 3 | Ospreys | May | Dustin | |||
| 4 | Dragons | Bohm | Alec | |||
| 5 | Marauders | Hayes | Ke’Bryan | |||
| 6 | Hustlers | Sanchez | Sixto | |||
| 7 | Glaciers | Hitmen | Anderson | Ian | ||
| 8 | Hitmen | Arozarena | Randy | |||
| 9 | Highlanders | Gonsolin | Tony | |||
| 10 | Upperdeckers | Luzardo | Jesus |
You can view the entire Illowa APBA League 2021 draft here.
If you’re wondering, I picked these new guys in the draft to lead the Twin City Thunderchickens to the promised land.
- Sean Murphy
- Kyle Lewis
- David Peterson
- David Yardley
- Joey Gerber (Go Illini!)
The IAL also conducted a “31st Player” round after the rookie draft to help alleviate the usage issues brought about by the shortened season. Each team could pick one player from a pool of cards of limited value to help cover positions. The 31st Player would not stay on after the current season.
Personally, I didn’t see a lot of value in the 31st Player round for three reasons. One was selfish. I was covered everywhere and didn’t really need it. The second reason was that I felt it stifled trade. There was no need to search out players to trade for since if a team needed a backup at position, they could easily pick one up in the supplemental draft.
Finally, I like to root for my players in the MLB. I have no incentive for my 31st Player (who is D* reliever Kyle Ryan, by the way) since he won’t be back with my team next year. Worse, he may do really well.
Managers in the IAL are ready to begin the season. In fact, a few games have already begun!
Photo credit: Ian D'Andrea on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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