Fantasy Baseball 2013: Ranking the Shallowest Positions, Who to Draft There

Fantasy baseball is a game of quandaries, and draft day is no exception.

Any number of superstars taken in the first two rounds could serve as the foundation of a championship fantasy lineup, but that doesn't mean position scarcity should be overlooked.

In 2012, for instance, 36 outfielders finished the season ranked in the top 100 players in standard Yahoo! leagues.  On the flip side, only three catchers managed the same designation.

This means, in a 10-team league, each manager could legitimately secure three top 100 players in the outfield, while only three managers could tout a top 100 player at catcher.

That's not to say you should reach for a catcher or forgo drafting an outfielder in the early rounds, it's merely an observation that forces fantasy owners to look beyond the statistics.

So, what positions should you prioritize come draft day 2013?  

I'll break down the ever so important positions of scarcity and who you should target at each to win your fantasy league.

Starting Pitcher

Starting pitcher is one of the most overlooked positions of scarcity in fantasy baseball.  

While 62 hitters finished ranked in the top 100 in standard Yahoo! leagues, only 25 pitchers accomplished the same feat.

What's more, only 15 of those pitchers ranked in the top 100 players during the 2011 season as well, further suggesting a lack of proven commodities at starting pitcher.

To achieve fantasy success, lock down at least one top-tier starter in the opening rounds, understanding a plethora of hitters await.

Here's a list of my top starting pitchers by tier:

Tier 1

Clayton Kershaw

Justin Verlander

Stephen Strasburg

David Price

Cole Hamels

Matt Cain

Gio Gonzalez

Jered Weaver

Felix Hernandez

Tier 2

Cliff Lee

Roy Halladay

Johnny Cueto

Chris Sale

R.A. Dickey

Madison Bumgarner

CC Sabathia

Jordan Zimmerman

Mat Latos

Kris Medlen

Zack Grienke

Yu Darvish

Adam Wainwright

Tier 3

Jake Peavy

James Shields

Hiroki Kuroda

Matt Moore

Max Scherzer

Yovani Gallardo

Tim Lincecum

Dan Haren

Ian Kennedy

Josh Johnson

Third Base

Third base is a position that seems loaded due to big names at the hot corner, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  

Only nine players breached the top 100 in 2012, leaving those who wait on a third baseman to gamble with David Freese's health or Manny Machado's youth.

While track record isn't everything in fantasy baseball, I usually stick to proven commodities at positions of scarcity.  I find that paying the premium for guys like Pablo Sandoval or Aramis Ramirez keeps me from pulling out my hair when faced with starting Pedro Alvarez.

Here are my top third basemen by tier:

Tier 1

Miguel Cabrera

Tier 2

Adrian Beltre

Evan Longoria

David Wright

Tier 3

Hanley Ramirez

Pablo Sandoval

Ryan Zimmerman

Brett Lawrie

Chase Headley

Aramis Ramirez

Tier 4

Martin Prado

Mark Trumbo

Michael Young

Will Middlebrooks

Kyle Seager

David Freese

Pedro Alvarez

Mike Moustakas

Todd Frazier

Manny Machado

Kevin Youkilis

Tier 5

Marco Scutaro

Chris Johnson

Alex Rodriguez

Trevor Plouffe

Matt Carpenter

Second Base

Emerging talents Jason Kipnis and Jose Altuve have deepened the player pool at second base, but the position is still as important as ever.

Only eight second basemen finished the 2012 season ranked in the top 100, and only two finished in the top 50.

Needless to say, second basemen have never been more scarce, despite the talent that seems to be emerging at the position.

Here are my top second basemen by tier:

Tier 1

Robinson Cano

Tier 2

Dustin Pedroia

Ian Kinsler

Jason Kipnis

Brandon Phillips

Martin Prado

Aaron Hill

Jose Altuve

Ben Zobrist

Tier 3

Rickie Weeks

Dan Uggla

Chase Utley

Danny Espinosa

Kyle Seager

Tier 4

Neil Walker

Howie Kendrick

Emilio Bonifacio

Daniel Murphy

Kelly Johnson 

Dustin Ackley

Shortstop

With Hanley Ramirez struggling and Troy Tulowitzki injured, levels of scarcity at the shortstop position were at an all-time high in 2012.

Unfortunately, the crop doesn't look much more promising this year, as managers who wait to draft shortstops won't even have the privilege of selecting veterans like Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter late due to their unexpected success last season.

This will inevitably leave many managers scrambling to pick between Erik Aybar and Alexei Ramirez on draft day.  

Talk about a head-scratcher.  Don't let that be you.

Here are my shortstop ranks by tiers:

Tier 1

Troy Tulowitzki

Hanley Ramirez

Tier 2

Jose Reyes

Starlin Castro

Jimmy Rollins

Ian Desmond

Tier 3

Elvis Andrus

Asdrubal Cabrera

Martin Prado

Ben Zobrist

Danny Espinosa

Tier 4

Erik Aybar

Alcides Escobar

J.J. Hardy

Everth Cabrera

Zack Cozart

Jed Lowrie

Andrelton Simmons

Marco Scutaro

Alexei Ramirez

Catcher

At last we reach the shallowest position of all: catcher.

As mentioned in the introduction, there were only three catchers in the top 100 of the final rankings for Yahoo! standard leagues.

Drafting a catcher is always a tricky proposition.  You don't want to reach for a guy simply because there aren't many great players at the position, but you also don't want to end up with a rotation of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Russell Martin all season.

The good news is, despite being the most shallow position, catcher is loaded with more talent than ever in 2013.

The emergence of Wilin Rosario and Salvador Perez along with the return of Victor Martinez should provide at least six or seven solid options at the backstop.

Here are my catcher rankings by tiers:

Tier 1

Buster Posey

Tier 2

Yadier Molina

Joe Mauer

Victor Martinez

Wilin Rosario

Tier 3

Mike Napoli

Carlos Santana

Matt Wieters

Miguel Montero

Carlos Ruiz

Salvador Perez

Tier 4

Jesus Montero

Jonathan Lucroy

Alex Avila

A.J. Pierzynski