In MLB Draft Lottery, No. 1 Pick Came Down To Final Ping Pong Ball $

Some details about how the draft lottery was conducted.

The balls were then allowed to rotate for 15 seconds, before a button was pressed. That opened the top of the hopper. Every 15 seconds, the button was pressed again, until four balls had been collected. That four-digit code was then checked against a list of all 1,001 possible four-digit combinations. The first ball was 11, the second was eight, the third was 10.

Because the four-digit code would be read in numerical order, that code combination ensured that many teams remained in play for the first pick. If the number one ball came up in any one of the four slots, only the Nationals or Athletics would match that code. If the number two ball was the lowest number to come up in a four-digit code, then only the Athletics, Pirates or Reds could match that code.

But if only higher numbers appeared among the four ping pong balls, the teams with much lower odds would be selected. For instance, there were only two possible combinations by which the Brewers could win a top six pick: 10-11-13-14 or 10-12-13-14.

With no number under eight among the first three, many of the teams with lower odds remained in play. If the final ball had been the 13 or 14, the Red Sox would have picked first. If the final ball was the nine, the Twins would have the No. 1 pick. If the final ball had been the seven, the Angels would have selected first. If the six had come up, it would have been the Marlins. Five would have meant the Rangers would pick first. Four would have meant the Tigers would have the No. 1 selection, and three would have resulted in a Royals No. 1 pick.