Draft logic question

I must admit after all these years, I still don't know how HAL allocates replacement players in the draft if you don't get your first choice.

For example:
If three managers have the $12 million Maddux on their draft list (the most expensive starting pitcher). No one else lists any Maddux card.
Team A and Team B have him in the first round
Team C has him in the last round.

I know HAL flips a coin and the winner (A) gets Maddux. This leaves B and C to find a replacement.

Does Team B automatically get the most expensive undrafted right handed starting pitcher because they had Maddux in the first round?
Do B or C have an equal chance at the most expensive RHSP?
Could the most expensive undrafted RHSP go to any manager who doesn't get their first choice?

Maybe Hal flips a coin on B and C, too. Always thought that. I think this is true: "Do B or C have an equal chance at the most expensive RHSP?" Probably.

But no way of being sure. Coin flips seem digitally true. But no way of knowing.

This -- "Could the most expensive undrafted RHSP go to any manager who doesn't get their first choice?"

Seems the next lowest priced player -- undrafted -- is the one you get. Coin flips on this if you're tied for that player, I would think.

Open to others' experiences! Just this off the top of my head.

labratory,

I haven't paid too much attention to the draft mechanics which is probably one of the reasons I hate the $200M format. I would think however that in your example HAL is not going to reserve the next available starter for you just because you threw maddux on the bottom of your draft card.

I would think he processes each round in order. If he comes to a selection for that round who has already been picked then HAL proceeds to fill the slot with the highest player not on anyone's draft card for that position. Therefore, in a $200M league putting Maddux last may still only net you the 40th to 50th overall pitcher.

Using my example further my guess is that HAL randomly assigns each draft round. So I would think if I missed on Alexander in the same round you missed on Maddux, which ever of us HAL has going first in that round would get the next available starter.

As I understand it, there's no "round by round" in autodraft.
Step 1, all players that are only listed on one draft card go to that team.
Step 2, all players listed on multiple draft cards go to the owner with the players highest ranking draft card.
Here's where it gets messy.
Step 3, ties from step 3 are broken with a coin toss. In the examples above, the 2 draft cards listing Maddux at #1 are in the mix, the card listing Maddux last isn't in this step. HAL is supposed to put coin flip losers in a position to not lose the next coin flip, I can't say if it happens.
If the draft card with Maddux listed last is awarded the next highest priced SP in step 2, while the draft card with Maddux at #1 is awarded the 2nd highest priced SP in step 3, it would seem out of whack.

I only play $60M, so missing a player in the draft usually means getting an unusable replacement.