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You're in the thick of the draft and can't decide between two players. The logical choice is to target the one whose position is nearest to dropping off. But where are the drop-offs? That's what these tiers denote. Players whose impact is essentially the same are bundled together, revealing at a glance how many alike choices remain. With these tiers in hand, you'll have all you need to determine in real time which position is most appropriate to draft next.

  • Position Tiers (v. 2.0): C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP
  • Position Strategies: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

Below are the starting pitcher tiers for 2026, depicting a middle class that's abounding in upside. It makes for even more reason to wait on assembling the bulk of your staff, though the top three at the position are so exceptional that you can't afford to pass them up late in Round 1.

The First-Rounders: Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet, Paul Skenes
The Elite: Chris Sale, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Logan Gilbert, Cristopher Sanchez, Bryan Woo, Max Fried, Hunter Brown, Cole Ragans, Hunter Greene, Jacob deGrom^, Logan Webb†, Framber Valdez†
The Near-Elite: Jesus Luzardo, Freddy Peralta, George Kirby, Kyle Bradish, Joe Ryan, Shohei Ohtani^, Tyler Glasnow^, Eury Perez, Dylan Cease, Nick Pivetta
The Next-Best Things: Brandon Woodruff, Trevor Rogers, Spencer Strider, Chase Burns, Blake Snell, Kevin Gausman, Nick Lodolo, Gavin Williams, Nolan McLean, Trey Yesavage, Cameron Schlittler
The Fallback Options: Nathan Eovaldi, Bubba Chandler, Jacob Misiorowski, Emmet Sheehan, Tatsuya Imai, Robbie Ray, Michael King, Ranger Suarez, Kris Bubic, Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Sandy Alcantara, Joe Musgrove, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, Zack Wheeler, Carlos Rodon, Drew Rasmussen^, Tanner Bibee, Ryan Pepiot
The Last Resorts: Edward Cabrera, Andrew Abbott, Matthew Boyd, Gerrit Cole, Shane Bieber, MacKenzie Gore, Grayson Rodriguez, Roki Sasaki, Shane McClanahan, Aaron Nola, Zac Gallen, Andrew Painter, Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson*, Quinn Priester, Shane Baz, Shane Smith, Noah Cameron, Jacob Lopez, Sean Manaea, Michael Burrows, Jack Leiter, Ryan Weathers
The Leftovers: Connelly Early, Parker Messick, Bryce Miller, Jack Flaherty, Kodai Senga, Zebby Matthews, Jared Jones, Reid Detmers*, Tyler Mahle, Bailey Ober, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes, Robby Snelling, Cody Ponce*, Braxton Ashcraft*, Joey Cantillo*, Logan Henderson, Jameson Taillon, Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, Seth Lugo, Casey Mize, Brady Singer, David Peterson, Michael Wacha, Jose Soriano, Mitch Keller, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Luis Morales, Taj Bradley, Luis Gil, Justin Steele, Zack Littell, Jonah Tong, Steven Matz*, Ian Seymour*, Tyler Wells, Justin Verlander, Max Meyer, Corbin Burnes, Brandon Sproat, Joe Boyle, Cade Cavalli, Clay Holmes, Zach Eflin, Cristian Javier, German Marquez

†: one tier lower in categories/Rotisserie leagues
^: one tier lower in Head-to-Head points leagues
*: RP-eligible