Players to Target With Multi-Position Eligibility: Tiers (2022 Fantasy Baseball)

As you prepare for your draft, you may experience “tier fatigue.” It’s similar to Zoom fatigue, but you probably won’t be wearing pajama pants and a dress shirt when it happens. Or will you? Don’t we love our tiers in fantasy sports? I sure do. This is why I think the industry should do a better job of identifying a ranking system for multi-position players. You might argue that position eligibility and ADP is enough. They’re already ranked! But I’m skeptical.

Here’s why multi-position players are more important in 2022. Last year, players hit the IL in droves. My lineup was a wasteland, and trying to find talent on waivers was like trying to find toilet paper in March 2020. Hamstring injuries alone have doubled since 2019. Since it is hard to assess how much of this is pandemic-related, fantasy managers should assume for now that injuries could continue to mess with lineups.

Given the injuries and our tier-mania, it’s probably best to make a simple system. One that supports a strategy. Here’s my idea. I’ve separated players into two large tranches, with one smaller third tier. I’ve presented a strategy for each tier. I realize that you may use your bench differently, to hold a prospect or to track a breakout candidate (and some of those players may already be in this tier system), but it is useful to have these names in one spot.

Position eligibility varies, so check your league settings. Assuming a minimum of five games, there are nearly 160 players with multi-position eligibility. We don’t need to include this many, and that’s another reason for this exercise.

Dominate with our award-winning fantasy baseball draft software

Tier 1 – Early Round Shuffle

The first tier is organized by ADP, and it includes the likely regulars. Strategy: It helps managers to be aware of position eligibility when planning early picks. You can shuffle players last-minute if a better overall player falls to you. For example, if you draft Trea Turner (SS/2B) as your shortstop in the first round, and you see a top shortstop drop to a later round (like xander boegarts in the fifth), you can find a way to move Turner to 2B and plug in Bogey. Also, if more of these players factor into your team makeup, you may rarely need Tier 2 or 3.

 
Tier 2 – Quality Volume Bench Players (QVs)

The second tier is organized by skill/playing time. We’re beyond Round 10. These are players with no fear of demotion. They’ll likely see more than 450 PA. Some fantasy managers may even draft them as regulars if they believe that they’ll level up in 2022. I will be putting one or two on my bench (or even in my lineup), depending on the league settings. Strategy: If a regular needs a day off or gets injured, I do not want a useless platoon player on my bench who’ll be sitting on his keister against a southpaw. Ideally, these players have the potential to contribute in 4-5 categories for the interval. Remember, regulars can get a blister or pull something and never end up on the IL. We’re left wondering what the heck is happening, sometimes for days. Get your QV guy into the game.

 
These names in Tier 2 are useful for the later rounds of a draft. Some might argue that they prefer to put better single-position talent on their bench, and that’s fine. But it helps to know your options later in the draft if you’ve filled all of your roster spots. You might want to use several rounds to draft pitchers. You could focus attention elsewhere and get a top QV guy (or two) later.

Tier 3 – Single Stat Bench Players (SS)

These are players who have a greater value in one or two categories that we might need. Young players often end up on this list too until they make a splash. This is not a list from best to worst. Use the grid to identify how the player might help your team in a pinch. They’re not always the greatest players, but here’s the strategy: I might be trying to keep pace with someone in stolen bases, for instance, so I can’t have Trea Turner taking any breaks. In addition, younger players often end up on this list until they make a splash.

 
Complete a mock draft in minutes with our free Draft Simulator

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio

Beyond our fantasy baseball content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Draft Assistant – that optimizes your picks with expert advice – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball draft season.