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 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 shortstop tiers for 2020. They show a star-studded position with plenty of depth at the top that nonetheless can still be depleted in deeper leagues.
The Super Elite: Francisco Lindor, Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, Trea Turner
The Elite: Fernando Tatis, Xander Bogaerts
The Near-Elite: Gleyber Torres, Carlos Correa, Bo Bichette, Jonathan Villar^, Marcus Semien, Javier Baez, Manny Machado
The Next-Best Things: Adalberto Mondesi^, Tim Anderson^
The Fallback Options: Jorge Polanco, Corey Seager
The Last Resorts: Amed Rosario, Didi Gregorius, Elvis Andrus, Paul DeJong, Jean Segura
The Deep-Leaguers: Kevin Newman, Dansby Swanson, Jon Berti^, Nico Hoerner, David Fletcher
The Leftovers: Carter Kieboom, Nick Ahmed, Andrelton Simmons, Willy Adames, Luis Urias, Niko Goodrum, Freddy Galvis
^:one tier lower in points leagues
