Tiers are a simple but effective way of plotting out a draft strategy that assures you won't fall behind at any position while maximizing your return on every pick. They serve as an alternate form of rankings that groups players by expected level of production, denoting the points in the rankings where the most significant drop-offs occur. In the heat of a draft, you'll know which position to target by observing which one is closest to having its current tier depleted.
Below are the outfield tiers for 2020. They depict a balanced position that includes not only the first five picks of the average draft but also plenty of interesting late-round targets. We began our preview of the position on the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast Monday, focusing on the top tiers at the position and how to handle Trout and the risk he may sit out the season. Check that out, and then our tiers to see the best way to approach the position on Draft Day:
The Super Elite: Ronald Acuna^, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, Mike Trout
The Elite: Juan Soto, J.D. Martinez, Ketel Marte, (Yordan Alvarez), Charlie Blackmon, George Springer, Starling Marte^, Bryce Harper, (Nelson Cruz)
The Near-Elite: Whit Merrifield, Aaron Judge, Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler, Joey Gallo, Austin Meadows, Michael Brantley†, Giancarlo Stanton, Victor Robles^, Nick Castellanos, Jeff McNeil
The Next-Best Things: Tommy Pham, Marcell Ozuna, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Michael Conforto†, (Shohei Ohtani), Ramon Laureano^, Andrew Benintendi^
The Fallback Options: Danny Santana^, David Dahl, Kyle Schwarber, J.D. Davis, Mark Canha, Oscar Mercado^, Garrett Hampson^, Mallex Smith^, Scott Kingery^, Franmil Reyes^, Willie Calhoun, Nick Senzel^, Lourdes Gurriel^
The Last Resorts: Bryan Reynolds, Lorenzo Cain, Byron Buxton, (Khris Davis), Kyle Tucker, Avisail Garcia, Alex Verdugo, Hunter Dozier, Justin Upton, Adam Eaton, Shin-Soo Choo, Joc Pederson, Luis Arraez, Wil Myers^, Ryan Braun, Austin Riley, Yoenis Cespedes, Ian Happ, Andrew McCutchen†, Aaron Hicks†, Jon Berti^
The Deep-Leaguers: Trent Grisham, (Miguel Andujar), A.J. Pollock, Dylan Carlson, Sam Hilliard, Yasiel Puig, Mike Yastrzemski, Kole Calhoun, Hunter Renfroe, Brian Anderson, David Peralta, Brett Gardner, Corey Dickerson, Jesse Winker, Nomar Mazara, Shogo Akiyama, Austin Hays, Ender Inciarte, Yasiel Puig, Aristides Aquino, David Fletcher†, Ender Inciarte, Jarrod Dyson^
The Leftovers: Harrison Bader, Stephen Piscotty, Gregory Polanco, Domingo Santana, Tyler O'Neill, Edward Olivares, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Kyle Lewis, Jose Peraza, Randal Grichuk, Franchy Cordero, Anthony Santander, Adam Duvall, Jason Heyward, Josh Naylor, Clint Frazier, Kevin Pillar, Brandon Nimmo, Cameron Maybin, Dominic Smith, Marwin Gonzalez, Niko Goodrum, Mike Tauchman, Jo Adell, Garrett Cooper
^:one tier lower in points leagues
†: one tier lower in categories leagues
( ): DH-only
