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Over the next few days, I'll be releasing my tiered positional ranks (with my 2014 projections included). The purpose of these ranks is to show readers where there are major talent drop-offs within each position. There are seven tiers of first baseman and Eric Hosmer -- who rounds out the second tier -- sits just outside my top 50 in my overall ranks.

Tier 7

justin smoak seattle mariners
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Tier 7

justin smoak seattle mariners
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40. Lucas Duda, NYM
41 R, 13 HR, 47 RBI, 1 SB, .239 AVG

39. Justin Smoak, SEA
47 R, 18 HR, 52 RBI, 0 SB, .228 AVG

38. Mark Reynolds, MIL
49 R, 19 HR, 53 RBI, 2 SB, .220 AVG

37. J. Francisco, MIL
46 R, 21 HR, 69 RBI, 1 SB, .234 AVG

Tier 6

adam dunn chicago white sox
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Tier 6

adam dunn chicago white sox
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36. James Loney, TB
49 R, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 2 SB, .283 AVG

35. Adam Dunn, CHW
61 R, 30 HR, 75 RBI, 1 SB, .202 AVG

34. Ike Davis, NYM
61 R, 20 HR, 68 RBI, 2 SB, .241 AVG

Tier 6 Cont'd

Justin Morneau colorado rockies
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Tier 6 Cont'd

justin morneau colorado rockies
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33. Chris Johnson, ATL
51 R, 13 HR, 70 RBI, 3 SB, .274 AVG

32. Justin Morneau, COL
53 R, 18 HR, 68 RBI, 0 SB, .269 AVG

31. Yonder Alonso, SDP
56 R, 11 HR, 64 RBI, 4 SB, .286 AVG

Tier 5

chris carter houston astros
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Tier 5

chris carter houston astros
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30. Garrett Jones, MIA
61 R, 20 HR, 75 RBI, 4 SB, .249 AVG

29. Ryan Howard, PHI
54 R, 23 HR, 81 RBI, 0 SB, .254 AVG

28. Chris Carter, HOU
70 R, 30 HR, 81 RBI, 1 SB, .219 AVG

27. Adam Lind, TOR
56 R, 22 HR, 74 RBI, 1 SB, .270 AVG

Tier 5 Cont'd

Jose Abreu chicago white sox
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Tier 5 Cont'd

jose abreu chicago white sox
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26. Brandon Belt, SFG
64 R, 15 HR, 63 RBI, 9 SB, .278 AVG

25. Mike Napoli, BOS
68 R, 23 HR, 74 RBI, 2 SB, .251 AVG

24. Jose Abreu, CHW
75 R, 15 HR, 75 RBI, 6 SB, .254 AVG

Tier 4

joe mauer minnesota twins
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Tier 4

joe mauer minnesota twins
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23. Joe Mauer, MIN
73 R, 12 HR, 65 RBI, 3 SB, .302 AVG

22. Adam LaRoche, WAS
71 R, 24 HR, 79 RBI, 2 SB, .251 AVG

21. Corey Hart, SEA
65 R, 23 HR, 70 RBI, 6 SB, .266 AVG

Tier 4 Cont'd

Matt Adams st. louis cardinals
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Tier 4 Cont'd

matt adams st. louis cardinals
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20. Mark Teixeira, NYY
76 R, 24 HR, 85 RBI, 2 SB, .241 AVG

19. Matt Adams, STL
66 R, 24 HR, 78 RBI, 1 SB, .266 AVG

18. Carlos Santana, CLE
77 R, 22 HR, 77 RBI, 4 SB, .254 AVG

Tier 3

anthony rizzo chicago cubs
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Tier 3

anthony rizzo chicago cubs
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17. Nick Swisher, CLE
77 R, 24 HR, 80 RBI, 2 SB, .252 AVG

16. Albert Pujols, LAA
71 R, 19 HR, 89 RBI, 2 SB, .264 AVG

15. Anthony Rizzo, CHC
73 R, 28 HR, 81 RBI, 6 SB, .246 AVG

14. Brandon Moss, OAK
77 R, 26 HR, 89 RBI, 3 SB, .247 AVG

Tier 3 Cont'd

Mark Trumbo arizona diamondbacks
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Tier 3 Cont'd

mark trumbo arizona diamondbacks
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13. Buster Posey, SFG
67 R, 19 HR, 84 RBI, 3 SB, .304 AVG

12. Michael Cuddyer, COL
71 R, 22 HR, 77 RBI, 11 SB, .283 AVG

11. Mark Trumbo, LAA
72 R, 31 HR, 94 RBI, 6 SB, .249 AVG

Tier 2

Eric hosmer kansas city royals
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Tier 2

eric hosmer kansas city royals
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10. Eric Hosmer, KC
77 R, 22 HR, 77 RBI, 13 SB, .286 AVG

9. Adrian Gonzalez, LAD
72 R, 20 HR, 104 RBI, 1 SB, .293 AVG

8. Freddie Freeman, ATL
82 R, 23 HR, 93 RBI, 2 SB, .300 AVG

7. David Ortiz, BOS
83 R, 29 HR, 92 RBI, 2 SB, .298 AVG

Tier 2 Cont'd

Joey Votto cincinnati reds
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Tier 2 Cont'd

Joey votto cincinnati reds
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6. Edwin Encarnacion, TOR
84 R, 31 HR, 97 RBI, 9 SB, .274 AVG

5. Allen Craig, STL
83 R, 22 HR, 106 RBI, 4 SB, .305 AVG

4. Joey Votto, CIN
95 R, 24 HR, 84 RBI, 7 SB, .308 AVG

3. Prince Fielder, TEX
87 R, 29 HR, 108 RBI, 1 SB, .294 AVG

Tier 1

Paul Goldschmidt arizona diamondbacks
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Tier 1

Paul goldschmidt arizona diamondbacks
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2. Paul Goldschmidt, ARI
93 R, 28 HR, 103 RBI, 14 SB, .286 AVG

1. Chris Davis, BAL
85 R, 41 HR, 116 RBI, 3 SB, .274 AVG


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