Alternatives to Current Autodraft

Wait a minute on this 8 mil cash being so valuable. Pick the most expensive player in the set, Trout.
You miss and instead of getting the next most expensive CFer, McCutchen, you get a really cheap CFer and free 8 mil.
That would mean you got saddled with, drum roll, Suzuki, Beltran, or Pagan. Those guys going to fit your park? They going to fit any park in a 12 team league?

There is no way you are going to find enough value with that 8 mil left over in the FA market to ever come close to making up for the difference in value between Trout and a consolation prize 8 mil less.

Here is the real acid test though. Suppose we both go after Trout and neither of us gets him. You get really lucky and get McCutchen as compensation and I get say Craig Gentry as consolation.
So I send you a trade offer Gentry for McCutchen with the logic that if you accept you will have 8 mil extra to spend and make up the difference. You going to accept? Of course not. If I sent most people that offer they probably come to the boards laughing and saying can you believe what this sucker trade this shiester tried to push on me?

Or maybe I get Austin Jackson as my consolation instead of Angel Pagan. I don't have the 8 mil. Maybe I don't have a CFer who fits my park. But I have something better than cash. A player with some trade value. Instead of having to scrounge to find something to spend my 8 mil on when there are probably few useful options I can trade Jackson for a similar value player who does fit my park.

You would rather have the extra 8 mil than the next most expensive guy because he might not fit your park. Think about what you are saying.

Is that guy who cost 8 mil less any more likely to fit your park? No.

For it to be in the 8 mil neighborhood you are probably drafting one of the more expensive player, say Trout.
A consolation that gives you about 8 mil to spend is probably along the lines of Angel Pagan.

Now let's put this to the test. You listed Trout and Got say Austin Jackson. Assuming here you wanted Trout for his power in a power park and Jackson does not fit that mold. I offer you Pagan for Jackson and argue it frees 8 mil for you to spend elsewhere you accepting? I am betting no. And I am betting most would call me out on the boards for sending such a lopsided trade offer.

With the next most expensive player you probably have a player with some trade value so even if he does not fit your park you can trade for someone who does. You get stuck with the 8 mil cheaper consolation and all you have is something to drop to clear a roster spot while you scrounge a free agent pool that likely is filled with average and below average leftovers.

Sorry, but your argument is specious. It only makes sense if that $8 million can only be used on a center fielder. I've never had trouble spending extra, unexpected cash after the autodraft is complete.

If I get the expensive alternative, he could fit my park or I could trade him to someone else.......or I can drop him and still have that glorious advantage of having the big bucks to spend. So worst case I end up where you are and I have two options to be better off.

If I get the cheap guy he too might not fit my park.

As to my idea, let you pick your park after the auto draft is done. Then you can pick up players before the season starts and nobody knows the park you have until the season starts. This gives you a chance to build your team around your park before you pick it.
I have learned much grasshopper about the draft during these threads as how to set up my draft. Only been doing this for 8 years and had no idea how the draft worked. I like my idea the best as you can pick a park after you have been given your team. Looks like the best easy fix for this and puts less into gaming the game so to speak. I don't mind that either and will still draft the way I have always done it. It's about the rolls and less about your team unless you build a team that can't compete in the park you have.

I like the pick your park after the draft idea with a slight mod----the park should be picked in the waiver round, and no one else gets your park, I dislike leagues with 3 or 4 identical parks and this would be a way to stop that

--you could put several parks in your waiver list too and the first one that is free becomes yours, so do you list Progressive first in your waiver list or players??

Or course if you get the first waiver pick you can list the park first, but do you do that when Moss is up for grabs?? (I got Moss in waivers once-- picking 3rd)

If I get the expensive alternative, he could fit my park or I could trade him to someone else.......or I can drop him and still have that glorious advantage of having the big bucks to spend. So worst case I end up where you are and I have two options to be better off.

If I get the cheap guy he too might not fit my park.

You're right, I didn't consider that you could trade or just drop the expensive guy during waivers and be no worse off, so my original argument does not really make sense.

Another simple change that would make a huge difference is instead of getting the next closest salary for that position that nobody drafted get the next most expensive person at that position who has not yet been drafted. Then maybe I draft Mantle I can get Mays instead of some bench fodder just because someone else took a flyer on Mays at #25.

This system ensures many more people won't get a player they want. In your example, if I took a flyer on Mays at #25, then you can argue maybe I don't deserve him. However, if I took him at #2, I'm going to miss out on a player I really wanted. Furthermore, this effect will snowball as I now get the next most expensive player at the position--somebody that is likely high on another manager's draft list.

So, it's a great system for compensating you for missing your first draft pick, but it stinks for getting your subsequent picks. If I have someone on my draft list that nobody else does, then I should get them...period!

There are ways to improve the current system, but this isn't it.

PSA: Coyote303 likes the current system and will continue to post in here, not to find a new system, but to shoot down anything else.

In case you haven't read the whole thread, just do it. All he wants is what he has now. Perhaps go troll another thread. We are discussing other ways of drafting, to come up with some consensus. Not to complain how it isn't like the current system you somehow adore.

If you're not going to help, and just hinder the process, just GTFO.

BTW, can I find 12 individuals to help test those 2 draft methods.

Basically 12 volunteers to send me their preferred draft cards. Something you would want to put it.

I will run the drafts manually following these 2 sets of rules and post the results. I think doing it this way would show how it could work, real life examples tend to work better than theoretical ones.

Method 1: Miss out on player get next player at that position, on a draft card or not (i.e. Miss Trout get McCutchen).
Method 2: Miss out on a player, move up to your next pick. Replacement players same as current system (next highest not on a draft card) Replacements done after the draft part is done.

I won't submit a draft card but do the actual leg work (may take me a few days).

If I could get 12 volunteers, to post here and PM me a draft card, we'll use standard 80 mil 2012 league, DH.

After viewing the results, we can look at where things are not good, or are good, and look to make things better from there. Baby steps until we find a good consensus.