The point of tiering is to signal where the biggest drop-offs are within a position so that you can determine the most optimal time to draft said position. Players whose impact is essentially the same are bundled together, revealing at a glance how many alike choices remain. With every position's tiers in hand, you can know during the heat of the draft which position to target next by observing which one's active tier is closest to depletion.
Below are the shortstop tiers for 2025, showing a position that's loaded at both the top and bottom. Those who are denied an elite option, though, may be susceptible to reaching given some of the higher-profile players in the middle range.
The First-Rounders: Bobby Witt, Gunnar Henderson, Elly De La Cruz^, Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor
The Also-Elite: Trea Turner
The Near-Elite: Corey Seager
The Next-Best Things: Oneil Cruz, C.J. Abrams, Willy Adames, Bo Bichette, Matt McLain
The Fallback Options: Xander Bogaerts, Zachary Neto, Carlos Correa, Xavier Edwards, Tyler Fitzgerald, Dansby Swanson
The Last Resorts: Anthony Volpe, Ezequiel Tovar, Jeremy Pena, Masyn Winn, Ceddanne Rafaela^
The Leftovers: Ha-seong Kim, Trevor Story, Willi Castro, Josh H. Smith, David Hamilton, Jose Caballero, Jacob Wilson, Brooks Lee, Jordan Lawlar, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Ernie Clement
^: one tier lower in points leagues
