Tiers are a particular form of rankings that is less concerned with parsing individual players and more with denoting the biggest drop-offs. 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.
Below are the third base tiers for 2024, depicting a position that's undergone a complete transformation from a year ago, when it was considered one of the weakest. It's strong enough at every phase of the draft to justify a strict adherence to the tiers, waiting until one is down to its very last player without fear of what happens if he doesn't make it to you.
The First-Rounders: Jose Ramirez
The Also-Elite: Austin Riley, Rafael Devers, Elly De La Cruz^, Gunnar Henderson, Alex Bregman†
The Near-Elite: Manny Machado, Royce Lewis, Nolan Arenado, Max Muncy†
The Next-Best Things: Ha-Seong Kim, Spencer Steer, Jake Burger, Josh Jung
The Fallback Options: Ke'Bryan Hayes, Jeimer Candelario, Alec Bohm, Isaac Paredes
The Last Resorts: Junior Caminero, Michael Busch, Colt Keith, Ryan McMahon, Maikel Garcia, Matt Chapman, DJ LeMahieu, Eugenio Suarez, Brett Baty, Yoan Moncada, Jordan Westburg
The Leftovers: Willi Castro, Luis Rengifo, Anthony Rendon, Ezequiel Duran, Curtis Mead, Wilmer Flores, Nick Senzel, Noelvi Marte, Jon Berti
† one tier lower in categories leagues
^ one tier lower in points leagues
