27
February

Longoria, Bruce headline AABA draft

Nick Tegeler emailed me as soon as he got back from from the 2009 All American Baseball Association draft weekend with his report.  According to AABA rules, they draft players that are unowned from the previous year.  Their league has 18 teams, 180 picks and 40 man rosters. 

This is how their first round went:

  1. Longoria
  2. Bruce
  3. Davis
  4. Kershaw
  5. Volquez
  6. A.Ramirez
  7. Jurrjens
  8. C.Gonzalez
  9. Galarraga
  10. Volstad
  11. Aviles
  12. Masterson
  13. Choo
  14. Cueto
  15. J.Happ
  16. Kuo
  17. Stewart
  18. Scherzer

Here’s where others went;
19.Gallagher 22.Kuroda 25.Blackburn 26.Lannan 27.Devine 28.Ziegler 30.Burriss 31.Sandoval 33.Lowrie 34.Joyce 36.Clement 37.Span 41.Headley 48.Eveland

Some comments from Nick:

 

We were surprised Volquez dropped to 5th, stunned that Sandoval and Span dropped so low (I got Sandoval with #31, my first choice.  I had him and Span both as 1st rounders).
We thought C.Gonzalez was way too high, he should have been about #80-90.  Happ was picked from an absent managers list that was apparently too short for the 1st round.

 

If anyone else wants to share their league draft results, we’d love to see them. 

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24
February

Top 5 reasons I traded my double-1 firstbaseman (Mike Jacobs) for Eric Hinske

hinske

5.  Hinske’s on-base potential.  He’s not super great but he’s 4 walks and 5 automatic hits.  My team needs a leadoff hitter and it may be a sad reflection on my team but he might fit the bill.

4.  I need a 3rd outfielder.  Right now, Luis Gonzalez is my starting left fielder.  In my league, that ain’t going to cut it.  Hinske is a (slight) upgrade. 

3.  I need OF period.  Outside of my starting outfielders, I had Gomes (154 at-bats) and Podsednik (162 at-bats).  I at least needed a warm body to cover my limits. 

2.  I like Mike Jacobs (I really do!) but his card this year LOOKS a lot better than it really is (I keep telling myself after the trade).  After the 1-1-6-6, there isn’t much else.  He’s got low onbase, low batting average (ok, fair is fair… Hinske’s is the same, .247), can’t field, is slow, and strikes out too much. 

1.  No more constant reminder that three years ago, I drafted a firstbaseman with a valuable draft pick when I have Albert Pujols.

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21
February

My first trade of the off-season

A week or so ago, I made my first trade in the IAL.  We did it with our ol’ trading buddy, DonS and his Molly Putts Marauders.  At first sight, it looks like a barn-burner:

 

My first round pick and Ramon Hernandez

for

Highlanders’ first round pick and Mark Hendrickson

 

…and I guess it is.  But consider that my 1st round pick was the second pick in the draft and the Highlanders’ first round pick (which Molly Putts picked up earlier in the off-season) was the first pick in the draft.  So we essentially switched the order of the picks.  For his trouble, DonS got Ramon Hernandez, who is may not be incredible at the plate but his 1-0-0 isn’t horrible (the alternative from my end was Jason Varitek).  In addition, Hernandez retains his C-8 rating. 

To round out the deal, I got Hendrickson, a D who can eat a lot of innings.  He’s no Zambrano but not too bad with the stick either, it seems.

Why did I make this deal?  I haven’t made too much of a secret of my desire of getting Geovany Soto in this upcoming draft.  Of course, I did that when I was in last place and some 10 games behind the next team.  Then I started winning and ended up with the second pick.  Gah!

So this was just a little insurance.  I didn’t want to take the chance that Soto wouldn’t be there. 

And psst… between you and me, some might think that Hernandez and Hendrickson might be a downgrade.  Where my team is at now, it’s a wash.  I had five pitchers retire or get injured last year.  I desperately need the innings.  With our D double innings rule, having Hendrickson’s 250+ innings helps me more than having three catchers. 

As an epilogue to this, it turns out that DonS no longer has my first round pick.  He’s a man with a plan who probably had this concocted before the off-season.  He’s swapped first  round picks with the commish in return for trading lower picks. 

I don’t know his plan but I don’t think he’s done yet.

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19
February

Transcontinental Baseball League draft online: Feb 21

Steve Stein informs me that the Transcontinental Baseball League will be having their draft this Saturday Feb 21..  

Not only that, anyone who wants can track the draft online by accessing their TBL Draft Grid web page.  The unpopulated grid plus rosters and available draft choices are already up and online.

Good luck to everyone in TBL! 

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19
February

Blog plug

Not sure if there would be any interest in The APBA Blog readership but I’ve started up a new blog called Illinois Baseball Report focusing on a team near and dear to me, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini baseball team. 

I’ve been a die-hard fan for some five years now and have been covering them on the The Baseball Zealot for a couple years.  This year, i decided to give them their own site and move over all the related content. 

If it interests you, stop by and say hi. 

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9
February

Illowa APBA League: All League Awards

princeC- Victor Martinez: .272, 35 2B 0 3B 22 HR, 74 RBI 85 runs

1B Prince Fielder: .271, 42 2B 0 3B 55 HR, 152 RBI 122 runs

2B Chase Utley: .304, 46 2B 4 3B 25 HR, 91 RBI 97 runs

3B Miguel Cabrera: .326, 50 2B 2 3B 37 HR, 133 RBI 101 runs

SS Hanley Ramirez: .305, 40 2B 3 3B 29 HR 61 SB, 91 RBI 120 runs

OF Magglio Ordonez: .339, 55 2B 2 3B 20 HR, 110 RBI 112 runs

OF Adam Dunn: .256, 23 2B 5 3B 48 HR, 122 RBI 87 runs

OF Ichiro Suzuki: .357, 242 H, 24 2B 5 3B 4 HR 35 SB, 83 RBI, 115 runs

RHP Adam Wainwright: 17-6, 3.31 ERA, 28 GS, 198′ IP, 147 H, 68 BB, 124 SO

LHP Mark Buehrle: 19-7, 3.31 ERA, 30 GS, 201 IP, 153 H, 62 BB, 115 SO

ROY Ryan Braun: .304, 22 2B 10 3B 35 HR, 103 RBI 86 runs

Fireman Lee Gardner: 38 SV, 4-5, 2.22 ERA, 54 G, 65 IP, 37 H, 13 BB, 48 SO

MVP Prince Fielder

CY Mark Buehrle

MGR Tedd Mallasch, Don Smith, & Todd Ventresca

Congrats & hats off to all!!!

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6
February

Ryan Doumit Traded to the Champions

ryandoumitDespite the fact the Chicago Champions finished the regular season with 98 wins, in first place, they are not resting on their laurels.  Trades on happen in the offseason, after the World Series, before the first dice of the new season hit the table.  IAL’s Playoffs, World Series, & Draft weekend will take place the weekend of March 13th.  Trade negotiations occur now, the Champions just worked out the details of their 2nd offseason deal.

This trade was between the Chicago Champions and the Northside Hitmen.  The Champs had excess pitching, so A.J. Burnett & Boof Bonser were traded to the Hitmen in exchange for a couple of hitters, C Ryan Doumit & SS Bobby Crosby.  Northside also received Chicago’s 2nd round DC for the Hitmen’s 3rd rounder.

Burnett will move right into Northside’s rotation (behind Jake Peavy & Cole Hamels), after being in the Champs rotation (which now will consist of Tim Lincecum, Mark Buehrle, Greg Maddux, Matt Cain, & Josh Beckett) the last four years.  Bonser will be a long man out of the pen and a spot starter.

Doumit will provide the Champs with some flexibility as the team’s 3rd catcher (along with Victor Martinez & Miguel Olivo) & be a solid lefthand bat off the bench.  Crosby will backup Iron Man #2, Jimmy Rollins, at SS, JRoll played in every game at shortstop this past season.

Earlier the Champs swapped OF Vernon Wells to the Upperdeckers for IF Felipe Lopez.  Lopez was stuck behind Luis Castillo & Asdrubal Cabrera with the Upperdeckers, Felipe will start at 2B in Chicago.  While Wells will see plenty of action with the Upperdeckers, he was behind Carlos Lee, Grady Sizemore, Nick Swisher, & B.J. Upton (who’ll be moving to the OF from 2B).

Playing GM is on of the most satisfying roles in rebuilding your team in a draft APBA league.  While these two deals were not earth shattering, I’d love to hear about any blockbusters you may have made, or are thinking of making.  A couple of blockbusters made by the Champs were Gary Carter coming to Chicago from the Davenport Fire in exchange for Greg Luzinski, another was picking up Alex Rodriguez from the Hitmen for Miguel Cabrera.

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2
February

Cliff Lee goes first in 2009 OAPBA draft

In our first league draft submission, Rod Caborn of the Orlando APBA Association (OAPBA) writes to let us know how their draft went.

Cliff Lee went numero uno followed by Geovany Soto and Edison Volquez.

Rod Caborn writes:

Southpaw Cliff Lee was the first pick in the 2009 OABPA (Orlando APBA Association) draft, held in this past Sat., Jan. 31.

OAPBA is an eight-team league comprised of two four-team divisions. Two halves, 42 games per half, with winners of each half advancing to semi-final players to match the World Series combatants. The reigning champion is Joe Passiatore’s Platoon, who pulled one of the league’s all-time upsets in 2008, topping the heavily favored Walt Taylor Whatevers, in the ’08 Fall Classic.

The OAPBA draft is a 15-round draft, with the 2008 team with the worst won-lost record drafting first. Each of OAPBA’s eight teams starts the year with a 20-player base and drafts 15 players to fill out the roster. Teams keep 25 players active per half with maximum of three call-ups/send-downs at the halfway point. XB players, if kept active for the first half, must stay on the roster during the entire year.

Orlando APBA Draft Pick Order

First round

1 P Cliff Lee, Titans (Dave Mitchell)

2 C Geovany Soto, Road Warriors (Marc Bostrom)

3 P Edinson Volquez, Beefers (Rod Caborn)

4 3b Evan Longoria, Gashouse Gang (Kris Stenger)

5 P Rich Harden, Turfbeaters, (Steven Korb)

6 P Ryan Dempster, Tazmanian Devils, (Dave Larson)

7 P Jose Arrendondo, Whatevers, (Walt Taylor)

8 C Dioner Navarro, Titans (Dave Mitchell); trade from Platoon (Joe Passiatore)

Second round

9 P Justin Ducherer, Whatevers, (Walt Taylor) (trade from Titans)

10 P David Price, Road Warriors (Marc Bostrom)

11 P Brad Zeigler, Beefers (Rod Caborn)

12 P John Danks, Gashouse Gang (Kris Stenger)

13 P Joey Devine, Turfbeaters, (Steven Korb)

14 P Ricky Nolasco, Tazmanian Devils, (Dave Larson)

15 P Taylor Buchholz, Whatevers, (Walt Taylor)

16 2b Ian Kinsler, Platoon (Joe Passiatore)

The APBA Blog’s profile on OAPBA

Did your APBA league just have its draft? Let us know how it went!

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2
February

APBA Hockey web siting

This blog tends to lean towards baseball (I write what I know).  I did however run across a hockey web site today worth mentioning. 

Chris Kash’s web site is dedicated to the River Cities Renegades, his APBA hockey team in the CCHL.  It’s a pretty realistic web site… so much so that it took me a while to realize that it was actually an APBA league he was talking about. 

APBA Hockey fans, check it out!

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1
February

Congrats Teddy Ballgame!

ial all-star weekend 08 014

The final Illowa APBA League newsletter came out today.  And I can’t go another any further without congratulating my co-blogger, fellow manager and good friend Teddy Ballgame.  His Chicago Champions placed first in the IAL after a grueling (ok, it was grueling for me, for him it was probably a cakewalk) 2008 season.  For the year, the Champions were 98-64.  Not only that, he skippered the Chicago Division to victory in our annual All-Star game (seen above) in September.

 

  2008 ILLOWA LEAGUE W L PCT GB
1 Chicago Champions 98 64 .605 0
2 Three Rivers Gamblers 93 69 .574 5
3 Molly Putts Marauders 89 73 .549 9
4 Northside Hitmen 88 74 .543 10
5 Moline Upperdeckers 86 76 .531 12
6 State Street Sluggers 85 77 .525 13
7 Rising Bamm Beano’s 75 87 .463 23
8 Green Rock Bombers 69 93 .426 29
9 Twin Cities Thunderchickens 65 97 .401 33
10 Chicago Highlanders 62 100 .383 36

 

I’d like to say my Thunderchickens did our part to stem the Champions’ tide.  Yes, I’d like to say that but it wouldn’t be true.  Unfortunately, we went 4-14 against them including an embarrassing 0-6 sweep in May.  We did sorta get back at them during the All-Star weekend with a 3-3 split. 

It’s off to the playoffs for Tedd who will face the best of IAL in March.  As for me, I just take consolation in my second pick in the draft.  In June, I was in last place nine games behind any other team in the league.  Since then, we went on a decent streak and managed to dig ourselves out of the cellar. 

Congrats Teddy!

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