Most RBI leaders among Box-Toppers top-ranked batters

Most of baseball’s top 10 leaders in runs batted in are also among their league’s top 10 batters in Box-Toppers points.

Seven of the top 10 players with the most RBIs are among the top 10 in batters in Box-Toppers points in the American or National League.

Runs batted in leaders’ Box-Toppers points

Here is how 2015 runs batted in (RBI) leaders fared in Box-Toppers points. Players are ranked by RBIs. Also shown are their 2015 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their rank in Box-Toppers points among all players.


Player Team RBI BTP Rank
1 Nolan Arenado Rockies 130 8.5 69
2 Josh Donaldson Blue Jays 123 9.9 48
3 Chris Davis Orioles 117 11.0 36
4 Jose Bautista Blue Jays 114 10.0 47
5 Edwin Encarnacion Blue Jays 111 10.4 40
6 Paul Goldschmidt Dbacks 110 10.2 42
7 David Ortiz Red Sox 108 4.5 208
8 Kendrys Morales Royals 106 4.7 206
9 Yoenis Cespedes Mets 105 10.9 37
10 J.D. Martinez Tigers 102 1.7 495
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Baseball’s overall leader in RBIs is Nolan Arenado of the Rockies (130) who ranks 10th among NL batters in Box-Toppers points (8.5). He ranks 69th among all players.

The AL leader in RBIs is Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays (123), who finished second in RBIs behind Arenado. Donaldson ranks seventh among AL batters in Box-Toppers points (9.9) and 48th among all players. Donaldson was voted AL Most Valuable Player.

The player with the most Box-Toppers points among the top 10 RBI leaders is Chris Davis of the Orioles. Davis ranks third in RBIs with 117. He earned 11.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015, fourth among AL batters and 36th overall.

Yoenis Cespedes of the Mets is Box-Toppers’ highest-ranked NL player on the top 10 RBI list. Cespedes had 105 RBIs, ranked ninth overall. He earned 10.9 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among NL batters and 37th overall. However, Cespedes spent most of his season with the AL Tigers before being traded in July to the NL Mets. He earned 6.7 of his Box-Toppers points with the Tigers and 4.2 of his points with the Mets.

The overall Box-Toppers points leaders among batters in both leagues do not appear among the top 10 in RBIs. AL leader Adrian Beltre of the Rangers (12.5 Box-Toppers points) had 83 RBIs, ranked 40th overall. NL leader Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies (11.5 Box-Toppers points) had 97 RBIs, ranked 17th overall.

Also, Bryce Harper of the Nationals, voted NL MVP, does not appear among the top 10 in RBIs. Harper had 99 RBIs, ranked 15th among all players. Harper had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking seventh among NL batters and 63rd among all players.

Three of the top 10 RBI leaders do not appear on the top 10 list of batters in Box-Toppers points for 2015:

  • David Ortiz of the Red Sox ranks seventh in RBIs with 108. However, he had 4.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 42nd among AL batters and 208th among all players.
  • Kendrys Morales of the Royals ranks eighth in RBIs with 106. However, he had 4.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st among AL batters and 206th among all players.
  • J.D. Martinez of the Tigers ranks 10th in RBIs with 102. However, he had only 1.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 117th among AL batters and 495th among all players.

Ortiz’s and Martinez’s low Box-Toppers point totals can be explained in part because their teams did not win that many games. The Red Sox won 78 and the Tigers 74. But Morales’s low total is more baffling because his Royals led the AL in wins with 95.

About Box-Toppers—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.