Mets pitcher Max Scherzer had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2021 to 2022.
Big dippers
Here are players whose Box-Toppers point total declined most from 2021 to 2022. Players are listed in order of their Box-Toppers point decline. Their Box-Toppers points (BTP) for 2022, if any, are also shown.| Player | Pos | Team | Dip | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | nym nl | -15.1 | 10.0 |
| 2 | DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | pi sp | sf nl | -12.7 | |
| 3 | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | pi sp | tb al | -12.7 | |
| 4 | Buehler, Walker 3943 | pi sp | lad nl | -12.7 | 4.0 |
| 5 | Marquez, German 3788 | pi sp | col nl | -12.7 | 4.7 |
| 6 | Castellanos, Nicholas 3349 | rf | phi nl | -11.5 | |
| 7 | Tatis, Fernando Jr. 4101 | ss | sd nl | -10.2 | |
| 8 | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | pi sp | det al | -10.0 | |
| 9 | Miley, Wade 3006 | pi sp | chi nl | -9.7 | 1.0 |
| 10 | Flexen, Chris 4368 | pi sp | sea al | -9.7 | 2.0 |
| 11 | Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi sp | sd nl | -9.7 | 6.0 |
| 12 | Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | lad nl | -9.4 | |
| 13 | Means, John 4115 | pi sp | bal al | -9.0 | |
| 13 | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | bos al | -8.1 | 6.0 |
| 13 | Ryu, Hyun Jin 3139 | pi sp | tor al | -8.0 | 1.0 |
| 16 | Mize, Casey 4377 | pi sp | det al | -7.7 | |
| 17 | Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi cp | ari nl | -7.7 | 1.0 |
| 18 | Votto, Joey 2366 | 1b dh | cin nl | -7.7 | 2.0 |
| 19 | Yarbrough, Ryan 3962 | pi mr sp | tb al | -7.7 | 2.0 |
| 20 | Montas, Frankie 3803 | pi sp | nyy al | -7.7 | 4.7 |
| 21 | Crawford, Brandon 2878 | ss | sf nl | -7.5 | |
| 22 | Giolito, Lucas 3900 | pi sp | chi al | -7.4 | 4.0 |
| 23 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | -7.3 | 9.4 |
| 24 | Ross, Joe 3499 | pi sp | dc nl | -7.0 | |
| 25 | Fedde, Erick 4065 | pi sp | dc nl | -7.0 | 3.4 |
BTP: Box-Toppers points
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Scherzer led all players in 2021 with 25.1 Box-Toppers points when he was with the Nationals and Dodgers. Scherzer earned 10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2022. While that was still 24th among National League pitchers, it was a 15.1-point decline from 2021, the biggest among all players.
Scherzer, who turned 38 during the 2022 season, was out from May 18 to July 5 with an oblique injury. He earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points prior to going on the injured list and 8.0 points from July 11 on.
The two players with the next-biggest decline in Box-Toppers points both earned no points in 2022 and were out injured most of the season. Both Giants pitcher Anthony DeSclafani and Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow had 12.7-point declines in 2022 after earning 12.7 points in 2021 and none in 2022. DeSclafani missed most of the season after undergoing right ankle surgery. Glasnow missed most of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. At the time he went on the injured list in June 2021, Glasnow was leading players in Box-Toppers points for 2021. He ended the 2021 season in eighth among AL pitchers.
Two other players also had 12.7-point declines but both earned points in 2022—Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler and Rockies pitcher German Marquez.
Buehler earned 4.0 points in 2022 after earning 16.7 in 2021. But Buehler went on the injured list in June and required Tommy John surgery, likely ruling him out for all of 2023.
Marquez earned 4.7 points in 2022 after earning 17.4 in 2021. Marquez had his best year in 2021, finished seventh among all pitchers and fifth among NL pitchers. While he made about the same number of starts in 2022, he simply earned fewer points.
The two players who led NL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2021 were the biggest decliners among all batters after both failed to earn any points in 2022:
Nick Castellanos led all NL batters in 2021 with 11.5 points when he was with the Reds. Though he played in about the same number of games in 2022 with the Phillies, he did not earn Player of the Game honors in any game and so had 0.0 Box-Toppers points. His 11.5-point decline was largest among all batters and sixth-largest among all players.
Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres ranked second among NL batters in 2021 with 10.2 Box-Toppers points. But Tatis did not play in 2022. He was out injured early in the season and in August was suspended 80 games under baseball’s performance enhancing drug policy. That suspension extends into the 2023 season. Tatis’s 10.2-point decline was second-largest among all batters and seventh-largest among all players.
Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer had the 12th-largest decline, declining 9.4 Box-Toppers points. Bauer earned 9.4 points in 2021 before being placed on administrative leave July 2 while sexual assault allegations were investigated. At the time of his leave, he ranked ninth among NL pitchers. Bauer did not play in 2022—he was on leave before being suspended 324 games for violation of baseball’s domestic violence policy. He earned no points in 2022, resulting in the 9.4-point decline. His suspension has been reduced to 194 games, making him eligible to pitch again in 2023.
Joey Votto of the Reds had the biggest decline among batters who earned Box-Toppers points in 2022. Votto earned 9.7 Box-Toppers points in 2021, third among NL batters and earned 2.0 points in 2022. That 7.7-decline was third among all batters and 18th among all players.
One other notable decline: Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom had a 7.3-point decline, the 23rd-largest, earning 16.7 Box-Toppers points in 2021, seventh among NL pitchers, and 9.4 in 2021, 28th among NL pitchers.
Fifteen of the 25 players on the big dippers list earned Box-Toppers points in 2022.
Seven of the 25 players on the big dippers list were also among the top 25 improvers in points from 2020 to 2021, including:
Max Scherzer, Mets, who ranked first with a 21.1-point rise from 4.0 in 2020 to 25.1 in 2021. He led big dippers with a 15.1-point decline.
Anthony DeSclafani, Giants, who ranked 25th with a 10.0-point rise from 2.7 in 2020 to 12.7 in 2021. He ranked second among big dippers with a 12.7-point decline.
Walker Buehler, Dodgers, who ranked 16th with a 11.0-point rise from 5.0 in 2020 to 16.7 in 2021. He ranked fourth among big dippers with a 12.7-point decline.
German Marquez, Rockies, who ranked eighth with a 14.4-point rise from 3.0 in 2020 to 17.4 in 2021. He ranked fifth among big dippers with a 12.7-point decline.
Nick Castellanos, Phillies, who ranked 21st with a 10.5-point rise from 1.0 in 2020 to 11.5 in 2021. He ranked sixth among big dippers with a 11.5-point decline.
Chris Flexen, Mariners, who ranked 15th with a 11.7-point rise from 0.0 in 2020 to 11.7 in 2021. He ranked 10th among big dippers with a 9.7-point decline.
Nathan Eovaldi, Red Sox, who ranked 24th with a 10.1-point rise from 4.0 in 2020 to 14.1 in 2021. He ranked 13th among big dippers with an 8.1-point decline.
Scherzer is the sixth player to lead Box-Toppers’ big dippers list the season after he led Box-Toppers’ top improvers list (since player tracking began in 1995). The others:
Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood had an 18.2-point rise in 1998 and an 18.2-point decline in 1999.
Expos pitcher Javier Vazquez had a 17.7-point rise in 2001 and a 15.4-point decline in 2002.
Pitcher Esteban Loaiza had a 17.8-point rise in 2003 with the White Sox and a 14.8-point decline in 2004 with the Yankees.
First baseman Lance Berkman of the Astros had a 13.8-point rise in 2006 and a 16.3-point decline in 2007.
Pitcher Jose Fernandez had a 17.7-point increase in 2016, a season he was with the Marlins and died late in the season in a boating accident. The following season, 2017, his 22.4-point decline was the biggest among all players.
This season was also the fourth time a player had the largest overall Box-Toppers point decline after leading all players the previous season (since player tracking began in 1995). Scherzer led all players in 2021 with 25.1 points and had the biggest decline of 15.1 points in 2022. The other three instances:
Mariners pitcher Randy Johnson led all players with a 17.7-point decline in 1996, the year after leading all players in 1995 with 23.7 points. (Note: Ongoing auditing provisionally revises Johnson’s 1995 total to 27.4.)
Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson (same player, different team) led all players with a 28.7-point decline in 2003, the year after leading all players in 2002 with 33.7 points.
Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander led all players with a 14.8-point decline in 2013, the year after leading all players in 2012 with 24.8 points.
About Box-Toppers—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.
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Related
Past Box-Toppers top 25 big dippers lists: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
To see lists of Box-Toppers top 10 big dippers season-by-season from 1995 onward, see the Details leaders page. Scroll down near the bottom of the charts to find the top 10 “dippers” per season, just above the top 10 “risers” per season.
Box-Toppers top 25 most improved players lists: 2022 (Justin Verlander), 2021 (Max Scherzer), 2020 (Corbin Burnes), 2019 (Chris Paddack), 2018 (Blake Snell), 2017 (Luis Severino), 2016 (Jose Fernandez), 2015 (Matt Harvey).