Tiered Up: First Basemen

Ready to go the extra mile? Tiered Up looks at a more thorough way to set up your draft board than simple rankings.

A vast majority of fantasy owners are more than content entering with a set of rankings at each position, listing players one through however many in the order of how they would draft each player.

While that works, it also leaves a lot of preparation on the table, and serious fantasy owners take the next step in getting ready for their draft: tiered rankings.

For the serious competitor, it's not enough to carry a straight list of players into a draft. The veterans know that there are several instances in a draft where you have to make a decision between drafting players at different positions. You know how you plan for that dilemma in advance? By taking the next step and tiering your rankings.

Here's how it works -- you group similarly-valued players together at a position in a tier, then you move to the next group of similarly valued players at that position and make them the second tier, and so on. A perfect example would be this year's crop of elite first basemen.

Albert Pujols should be in a tier by himself, but since he'll be off the board within the first two picks, we can just lump him in with the other guys for simplicity's sake. Rounding out the top tier will be Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard and Miguel Cabrera, in some order.

Let's say you're at the end of Round 1, picking 11th out of 12. Two of those guys (for example, Howard and Cabrera) are still on the board. If you don't project the next owner to take two first basemen with is pick, you'd be much wiser in passing on both those 1Bs and taking the guy you're targeting in the second round. Otherwise, you run the risk of that other owner nabbing your guy, and making you settle for a lesser option. If you come to a point in the draft when there's only one player left in the highest tier that's still on the board at a position, you should probably take that guy.

My tiered first basemen rankings are below. You'll find a number in parentheses next to each player -- this is a player's MDP (Median Draft Position) overall ranking, as tracked by the Fantasy Baseball Cafe's Bryan Freilich. If you get a chance, go tell him how awesome he is for keeping track of this invaluable resource.

Tier 1

Albert Pujols, Cardinals (1)
Prince Fielder, Brewers (7)
Mark Teixeira, Yankees (8)
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (10)
Ryan Howard, Phillies (9)

If you land any of these guys in the second round, you're doing a good job. The 7-10 picks should prevent that from happening. I prefer Fielder, as he has Howard power but with a better shot at a good average. Cabrera is great for average, and with just a little bit more power he would challenge Pujols for the top spot.

Tier 2

Joey Votto, Reds (30)
Adrian Gonzalez, Padres (28)
Justin Morneau, Twins (36)
Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks (24)
Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox (33)

Reynolds and Youkilis are more valuable as third basemen, but drafters of Evan Longoria or David Wright shouldn't hesitate to grab one in the third round. I like Votto a little bit more than Gonzalez, and Morneau makes a fine consolation for those that miss out on both. The Twin is a lucky break or two away from performing on a Tier 1 level.

Tier 3

Kendry Morales, Angels (52)
Pablo Sandoval, Giants (37)
Lance Berkman, Astros (67)
Derrek Lee, Cubs (74)
Adam Dunn, Nationals (59)
Carlos Pena, Rays (82)

If you miss out on one of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 1Bs, and if you play in a league that starts one 1B and no CI, you can afford to wait a while to add your guy. Reynolds, Youkilis, Sandoval and Dunn could all be manning different positions, and you'd still be left with Pena as the 12th best 1B. He could wind up leading the AL in home runs this year. You have to have your starting 1B by this point.

Tier 4

Billy Butler, Royals (80)
Michael Cuddyer, Twins (122)
Victor Martinez, Indians (26)
Chris Davis, Rangers (166)

Clearly, you shouldn't be playing Martinez at first. I really like Butler, but this tells me he's being overdrafted in leagues. Cuddyer is a similarly-valued guy in my book and is being drafted 42 picks later. I love Chris Davis at around pick 130-140, as he could come through with a Pena-type season.

Tier 5

Jorge Cantu, Marlins (163)
Garrett Jones, Pirates (175)
Todd Helton, Rockies (224)
James Loney, Dodgers (182)

Helton may not have much power any more, but an elite average keeps him in the mix as a valuable corner infielder. Cantu and Jones will probably be picked to play different positions in your league, and someone usually buys into the Loney upside and drafts him too high, though it seems that phenomenon is slowly fading.

Tier 6

Adam LaRoche, Diamondbacks (209)
Paul Konerko, White Sox (208)
Carlos Delgado, Free Agent (287)
Nick Swisher, Yankees (240)
Martin Prado, Braves (227)
Matt LaPorta, Indians (243)
Russell Branyan, Indians (268)

LaRoche, Konerko and Swisher are all reliable commodities, as is Delgado if he can just latch on to a team. Prado is a good pick as a middle infielder, but he has the positional versatility to play first in a pinch. The Branyan signing shifts LaPorta from the infield to the outfield, but he should get enough appearances at first to qualify within the first few months, if he doesn't already in your league.

After Tier 6, anyone left is a free-for-all with other late-round targets you prefer. At this point you should only be filling out a bench anyway.