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 Mike 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^, Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts
The Elite: Juan Soto, J.D. Martinez, (Yordan Alvarez), Ketel Marte, Charlie Blackmon, George Springer, Starling Marte^, Bryce Harper, Austin Meadows
The Near-Elite: Whit Merrifield, Kris Bryant, Aaron Judge, (Nelson Cruz), Joey Gallo, Jorge Soler, 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: Kyle Tucker, Danny Santana^, David Dahl, Kyle Schwarber, J.D. Davis, Mark Canha, Oscar Mercado^, Willie Calhoun, Garrett Hampson^, Mallex Smith^, Scott Kingery^ Franmil Reyes^, Nick Senzel^, Lourdes Gurriel^
The Last Resorts: Bryan Reynolds, Lorenzo Cain, Byron Buxton, (Khris Davis), Avisail Garcia, Alex Verdugo, (Miguel Andujar), Hunter Dozier, Justin Upton, Adam Eaton, Shin-Soo Choo, Joc Pederson, Dylan Carlson, Luis Arraez, Sam Hilliard^, Andrew McCutchen†, Jon Berti, Wil Myers^, Ian Happ
The Deep-Leaguers: Aaron Hicks, Trent Grisham, Yasiel Puig, Ryan Braun, Mike Yastrzemski, Kole Calhoun, Hunter Renfroe, Brian Anderson, David Peralta, A.J. Pollock, Brett Gardner, Corey Dickerson, Austin Riley, Jesse Winker, Nomar Mazara, Mitch Haniger, Jo Adell, Shogo Akiyama, Austin Hays, Aristides Aquino, Mike Tauchman, Ender Inciarte, David Fletcher†, Jarrod Dyson^
The Leftovers: Harrison Bader, Stephen Piscotty, Gregory Polanco, Domingo Santana, Tyler O'Neill, Yoenis Cespedes, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, Kyle Lewis, Clint Frazier, Randal Grichuk, Anthony Santander, Jason Heyward, Kevin Pillar, Brandon Nimmo, Franchy Cordero, Cameron Maybin, Dominic Smith, Marwin Gonzalez, Niko Goodrum, Kevin Kiermaier, Delino DeShields, Jose Martinez, Garrett Cooper, Jackie Bradley, Dexter Fowler, Teoscar Hernandez, Roman Quinn, Nick Markakis, Adam Haseley
^:one tier lower in points leagues
†: one tier lower in categories leagues
( ): DH-only
