Nelson Cruz of the Orioles led all players in home runs and was among American League batting leaders in Box-Toppers points.
Cruz hit 40 home runs in 2014 and earned 8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among AL batters, 77th among all players.
In general, home run hitters did very well in Box-Toppers points in 2014. Of the 21 leaders in home runs (listed in the chart below), 10 were in the top 100 in Box-Toppers player rankings among all players. And 11 of those 21 players listed below were among their league’s top 10 batters in Box-Toppers points. Seven of the 10 leading home run hitters in the AL were also ranked in the top 10 among AL batters in Box-Toppers points.
Box-Toppers points are a measure of how much a player provides key contributions to his team’s wins. Specifically, Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
The National League leader in home runs was Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins, who hit 37. He had 6.7 Box-Toppers points in 2014, ranking 16th among NL batters and 130th among all players.
The overall Box-Toppers points leader among batters, Jose Abreu of the White Sox, hit 36 home runs, tied for third in the AL. Abreu had 15.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking 14th among all players.
The AL Most Valuable Player, Mike Trout of the Angels, also hit 36 home runs, tied for third in the AL. He had 8.5 Box-Toppers points in 2014, ranking seventh among AL batters and 78th among all players.
The NL player with the most Box-Toppers points who finished in the top 10 in home runs in the NL is Lucas Duda of the Mets. Duda hit 30 home runs, ranked third in the NL, and had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among NL batters and 79th among all players.
How home run leaders fared in Box-Toppers points
Here are home run leaders for the American League (left) and the National League (right) with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2014 season and their rank in Box-Toppers points among all players (BTP rank).
| Rank | AL leaders | Team | Pos | HR | BTP | BTP rank |
NL leaders | Team | Pos | HR | BTP | BTP rank |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Cruz | Orioles | dh lf | 40 | 8.5 | 77 | Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins | rf | 37 | 6.7 | 130 | |
| 2 | Chris Carter | Astros | dh | 37 | 8.0 | 85 | Anthony Rizzo | Cubs | 1b | 32 | 6.5 | 138 | |
| 3 | Jose Abreu | White Sox | 1b | 36 | 15.5 | 14 | Lucas Duda | Mets | 1b | 30 | 8.5 | 79 | |
| 4 | *Mike Trout | Angels | cf rf | 36 | 8.5 | 78 | Justin Upton | Braves | lf cf | 29 | 8.2 | 80 | |
| 5 | David Ortiz | Red Sox | dh | 35 | 7.0 | 105 | *Todd Frazier | Reds | 3b 1b | 29 | 3.5 | 284 | |
| 6 | *Jose Bautista | Blue Jays | rf cf | 35 | 6.5 | 139 | Adrian Gonzalez | Dodgers | 1b | 27 | 7.2 | 101 | |
| 7 | Edwin Encarnacion | Blue Jays | 1b dh lf | 34 | 9.5 | 63 | Adam LaRoche | Nationals | 1b | 26 | 8.2 | 81 | |
| 8 | Victor Martinez | Tigers | dh | 32 | 5.5 | 176 | Devin Mesoraco | Reds | ca | 25 | 7.0 | 114 | |
| 9 | Adam Jones | Orioles | cf rf | 29 | 11.5 | 40 | *Andrew McCutchen | Pirates | cf | 25 | 6.5 | 137 | |
| 10 | *Josh Donaldson | Athletics | 3b | 29 | 10.5 | 53 | *Matt Kemp | Dodgers | lf rf | 25 | 5.0 | 193 | |
| *Marlon Byrd | Phillies | rf | 25 | 3.5 | 286 |
* Indicates the player was tied in home runs with a player listed above them in rankings. In cases of ties, players are listed in order of their Box-Toppers point total for the season.
More on how 2014 stat leaders fared in Box-Toppers points:
Batting average leaders
In 2014, batting average leaders had low Box-Toppers point totals. Why? They came from losing teams, did not hit for power and were not often integral in their team’s (few) wins.
ERA leaders
Clayton Kershaw had a dominating lead among pitchers in earned run average and a dominating lead in Box-Toppers points. The top three pitchers in ERA in both leagues are among Box-Toppers’ top 10 overall players.
Home run leaders
Most home run leaders in 2014 also ranked high among batters in Box-Toppers points.
Wins leaders
Wins leaders—Clayton Kershaw and Corey Kluber—also led their leagues in Box-Toppers points. Also, pitchers like Kershaw and Kluber had more Box-Toppers points than wins, indicating their wins were more sincere and deserved than players whose wins outnumbered their Box-Toppers point total.
RBI leaders
In general, more RBIs translate into more Box-Toppers points. But in specific cases, some players among RBI leaders—such as NL leader Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers—were not among Box-Toppers points leaders.
Strikeout leaders
The top four pitchers who led each league in strikeouts were among the Box-Toppers’ top 10 players for 2014.