2019 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: Relief Pitcher Tiers 2.0

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Tiers 2.0: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF | SP | RP

Tiers, for the uninitiated, are an alternate form of rankings that groups players by expected level of production. While it’s true every player is expected to produce less than the player ranked ahead of him, there are points in the rankings where the drop-off in expected production is more significant. And at those points, a new tier begins.     

The goal is to give you a clear depiction of the distribution of talent at each position so that, in the heat of a draft, you can determine at a glance which position is the ideal one to target. Naturally, the one closest to dropping into the next tier is the one you’ll regret having passed up a round later.

Below are the relief pitcher tiers for 2019. They depict a volatile position that offers fewer assurances than ever. 

The Elite: Edwin Diaz, Blake Treinen, Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman
The Near-Elite: Kenley Jansen, Sean Doolittle
The Next-Best Things: Roberto Osuna, Felipe Vazquez, Brad Hand, Jose Leclerc, Kirby Yates, Wade Davis, Raisel Iglesias
The Fallback Options: Josh Hader, Cody Allen, Ken Giles, Jordan Hicks, Will Smith, David Robertson
The Last Resorts: Jose Alvarado, Arodys Vizcaino, Corey Knebel, Matt Barnes, Alex Colome, Jeremy Jeffress
The Deep-Leaguers: Hunter Strickland, Pedro Strop, Trevor May, Mychal Givens, Greg Holland, Archie Bradley, Drew Steckenrider, Shane Greene, Wily Peralta
The Next in Line: A.J. Minter, Andrew Miler, Brandon Morrow, Brad Boxberger, Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Brasier, Sergio Romo