Tiers are an alternate form of rankings that's less concerned with parsing individual players and more concerned with where the biggest drop-offs are. Players whose value is essentially the same are bundled together to help you prioritize which position to draft next. If the goal in a draft is to maximize the return of each pick, then a simple way to do so is to target a position that's nearing a drop-off and wait on a position that isn't. By crossing off names as you go, your path to victory should become clear.
- Position Strategies: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
- Position Previews: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
- Position Tiers: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
Below are the shortstop tiers for 2024, which show how the position has begun to weaken a little, its depth mostly concentrated in the middle. There are rebound and breakout candidates to fall back on, but it's a dangerous strategy given how abruptly the talent drops off.
The First-Rounders: Bobby Witt, Trea Turner
The Also-Elite: Francisco Lindor, Gunnar Henderson, Corey Seager
The Near-Elite: Bo Bichette, Elly De La Cruz, C.J. Abrams, Nico Hoerner, Oneil Cruz, Matt McLain, Ha-Seong Kim, Xander Bogaerts
The Next-Best Things: Jackson Holliday, Dansby Swanson, Tommy Edman, J.P. Crawford†
The Fallback Options: Carlos Correa, Willy Adames, Anthony Volpe, Thairo Estrada, Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom
The Last Resorts: Jordan Lawlar, Ezequiel Tovar, Jeremy Pena, Tim Anderson, Javier Baez
The Leftovers: Zachary Neto, Masyn Winn, Luis Rengifo, Ezequiel Duran, Orlando Arcia, Geraldo Perdomo, Jon Berti, Amed Rosario, Brice Turang
† one tier lower in categories leagues
