Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw holds a dominating lead among players in Box-Toppers points since 2010.
Box-Toppers points leaders for 2010-15
| OVERALL LEADERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 141.9 |
| 2 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 105.8 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 99.0 |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 94.8 |
| 5 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 92.7 |
| 6 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 88.8 |
| 7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 83.4 |
| 8 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 82.0 |
| 9 | Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 81.7 |
| 10 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 81.6 |
| AL PITCHERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 105.8 |
| 2 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 88.8 |
| 3 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 83.4 |
| 4 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 82.0 |
| 5 | Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 81.7 |
| 6 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 73.0 |
| 7 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | kc al | 71.0 |
| 8 | Gallardo, Yovani 2333 | pi sp | tex al | 68.3 |
| 9 | Wilson, C.J. 2074 | pi sp | ana al | 60.4 |
| 10 | Dickey, R.A. 1734 | pi sp | tor al | 58.2 |
| AL BATTERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 60.8 |
| 2 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 52.4 |
| 3 | Bautista, Jose 2169 | rf | tor al | 49.9 |
| 4 | Fielder, Prince 2029 | dh | tex al | 47.7 |
| 5 | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | ss | tor al | 45.8 |
| 6 | Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 42.1 |
| 7 | Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh | tor al | 42.1 |
| 8 | Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b | bal al | 41.9 |
| 9 | Cano, Robinson 2092 | 2b | sea al | 41.5 |
| 10 | Ortiz, David | dh | bos al | 41.4 |
| NL PITCHERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 141.9 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 99.0 |
| 3 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 94.8 |
| 4 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 92.7 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 81.6 |
| 6 | Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 75.8 |
| 7 | Shields, James 2157 | pi sp | sd nl | 71.3 |
| 8 | Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | pit nl | 71.1 |
| 9 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 70.8 |
| 10 | Lincecum, Tim 2288 | pi sp | sf nl | 68.6 |
| NL BATTERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | rf | mil nl | 51.0 |
| 2 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | rf | col nl | 50.2 |
| 3 | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | cf | pit nl | 43.9 |
| 4 | Gonzalez, Adrian 2193 | 1b | lad nl | 38.7 |
| 5 | Holliday, Matt 1836 | lf dh | stl nl | 38.2 |
| 6 | Upton, Justin 2411 | lf | sd nl | 37.9 |
| 7 | Howard, Ryan 2040 | 1b | phi nl | 37.1 |
| 8 | Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | cin nl | 35.9 |
| 9 | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 35.4 |
| 10 | Granderson, Curtis 2051 | rf | nym nl | 34.9 |
What are those numbers after players' names?
Kershaw has 141.9 Box-Toppers points over the period 2010-15, 36.1 points ahead of the second place player in that span, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (105.8 Box-Toppers points). How dominating is Kershaw’s lead? It is more than Kershaw has ever earned in a single season (31.5) and more than the single-season record for points (33.7 by Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson in 2000 and 2002).
The players who make these top 10 charts over the period 2010-15 have demonstrated their long-term staying power. Weeded out are players who have single-season, flash-in-the-pan success and relative newcomers who haven’t yet proven their longevity. But it also rewards dominant players of the recent past whose success has waned lately.
Kershaw built his lead by being among the league’s top two players in each of the past five seasons. He led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2011, 2013 and 2014. He led all National League pitchers in 2012 and finished second among all players (and second among NL pitchers) in 2015. Here is a look at his past six seasons:
- 2010—16.1 Box-Toppers points, 12th overall, eighth among NL pitchers
- 2011—26.1 points, first overall.
- 2012—20.8, second overall, first among NL pitchers
- 2013—21.7, first overall
- 2014—31.5, first overall
- 2015—25.7, second overall, second among NL pitchers
Hernandez leads American League pitchers over the past six seasons and is the only other player over that span with more than 100 Box-Toppers points (105.8). While Hernandez leads AL pitchers over the past six seasons, he has never led AL pitchers in any single season. Here are his rankings among AL pitchers in recent seasons:
- 2010—Second, 20.4 Box-Toppers points
- 2011—15th, 11.7
- 2012—Second, 18.7
- 2013—Eighth, 14.8
- 2014—Third 20.8
- 2015—Third, 19.4
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers leads AL batters over the past six years with 60.8 Box-Toppers points. While Cabrera led AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2013 (16.9) and finished second in 2014 (12.5), he had a down year in 2015 with 4.7 points, 40th among AL batters.
Ryan Braun of the Brewers leads NL batters over the past six years with 51.0 Box-Toppers points. While Braun led NL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2012 (12.5), he’s had down years since with 3.5 in 2013, 4.5 in 2014 and 5.0 in 2015. He ranked 27th among NL batters in 2015.
The players who lead all four categories over the period 2010-15 were also the leaders over the period 2009-14.
Players are shown here with the teams they were on at the end of 2015. Also, only players active at the end of 2015 are listed.
Related: Top 100 players for the period 2010-15.