Box-Toppers’ top NL relief pitcher Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals wins 2024 NL Reliever of the Year. Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians wins AL Reliever of the Year ahead of Box-Toppers’ top AL reliever Josh Hader of the Astros. Details.

Box-Toppers points leaders among 2024 free agents include Blake Snell, Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and Clayton Kershaw. Details.

About Box-Toppers

Who are the best players in baseball? How do you even measure such a thing?
One way is to determine which players most help their teams win the most games. That’s what Box-Toppers does.
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.

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Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Monday, Sept. 30:
  Player Pos Team BTP
1 Zack Wheeler pi sp Phillies 21.4
2 Tarik Skubal pi sp Tigers 21.1
3 Dylan Cease pi sp Padres 21.1
4 Shota Imanaga pi sp Cubs 20.7
5 Chris Sale pi sp Braves 19.1
6 Luis Gil pi sp Yankees 17.4
7 Blake Snell pi sp Giants 15.7
8 Bryce Miller pi sp Mariners 15.7
9 George Kirby pi sp Mariners 15.4
10 Framber Valdez pi sp Astros 15.4
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Past posts

Hover over highlighted dates in calendar to see what was posted that day.

All-time leaders

Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:
  Player Pos Team BTP
1 Randy Johnson pi sp Retired 282.5
2 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 272.4
3 Max Scherzer pi sp Rangers 253.7
4 Justin Verlander pi sp Astros 247.0
5 Pedro Martinez pi sp Retired 244.8
6 Zack Greinke pi sp Free agent 224.5
7 Albert Pujols 1b Retired 207.8
8 CC Sabathia pi sp Retired 203.4
9 Curt Schilling pi sp Retired 194.1
10 Alex Rodriguez 3b Retired 187.0
11 Jon Lester pi sp Retired 179.3
12 Felix Hernandez pi sp Retired 175.1
13 Cole Hamels pi sp Retired 174.2
14 Chris Sale pi sp Braves 172.4
15 Roy Halladay pi sp Retired 170.7
16 Johan Santana pi sp Retired 166.6
17 Manny Ramirez lf dh Retired 166.2
18 Gerrit Cole pi sp Yankees 165.0
19 Roger Clemens pi sp Retired 164.8
20 John Smoltz pi sp Retired 160.9
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Box-Toppers Players of the Year

Here are Box-Toppers Player of the Year winners in each season of Box-Toppers tracking since 1995. Player of the Year is the player with the season’s highest Box-Toppers point total:

Year Player Pos Team BTP
1995 Randy Johnson pi sp Mariners 23.7
1996 John Smoltz pi sp Braves 26.1
1997 Roger Clemens pi sp Blue Jays 27.4
1998 Randy Johnson pi sp Astros† 26.4
1999 Randy Johnson pi sp Dbacks 31.5
2000 Randy Johnson pi sp Dbacks 33.7
2001 Randy Johnson pi sp Dbacks 29.4
2002 Randy Johnson pi sp Dbacks 33.7
2003 Jason Schmidt pi sp Giants 24.7
2004 Johan Santana pi sp Twins 26.8
2005 Johan Santana pi sp Twins 24.1
2006 Johan Santana pi sp Twins 25.7
2007 Jake Peavy pi sp Padres 23.4
2008 CC Sabathia pi sp Brewers* 26.7
2009 Zack Greinke pi sp Royals 21.5
2010 Jon Lester pi sp Red Sox 23.4
2011 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 26.1
2012 Justin Verlander pi sp Tigers 24.8
2013 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 21.7
2014 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 31.5
2015 Jake Arrieta pi sp Cubs 29.1
2016 Max Scherzer pi sp Nationals 25.7
2017 Chris Sale pi sp Red Sox 25.1
2018 Blake Snell pi sp Rays 27.2
2019 Gerrit Cole pi sp Astros 32.2
2020 Shane Bieber pi sp Indians 11.4§
2021 Max Scherzer pi sp Dodgers** 25.1
2022 Justin Verlander pi sp Astros 26.0
2023 Spencer Strider pi sp Braves 21.1
2024 Zack Wheeler pi sp Phillies 21.4
† Played for Mariners before trade to Astros.
* Played for the Indians before trade to the Brewers.
** Played for the Nationals before trade to the Dodgers.
§ Season shortened from 162 to 60 games due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Box-Toppers tag cloud

Here are Box-Toppers most popular topics, arranged by how often names, teams and topics are tagged in blog posts. Scroll over each link to see how many blog posts in which it has been tagged. Click on the link for an archive of blog posts on that topic. To see the top 100 most popular Box-Toppers topics, click here.

Box-Toppers social media



Best seasons

Randy Johnson holds the record for most Box-Toppers points in a single season with 33.7, which he achieved twice—in 2000 and 2002. Here are all players who have earned 25 or more Box-Toppers points in a single season since 1995, ranked by their single-season Box-Toppers point total.
 
Player Team Pos Year BTP
1 Randy Johnson Diamondbacks pi sp 2000 33.7
1 Randy Johnson Diamondbacks pi sp 2002 33.7
3 Pedro Martinez Red Sox pi sp 2000 33.5
4 Gerrit Cole Astros pi sp 2019 32.2
5 Randy Johnson Diamondbacks pi sp 1999 31.5
5 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers pi sp 2014 31.5
7 Pedro Martinez Red Sox pi sp 1999 31.4
8 Randy Johnson Diamondbacks pi sp 2001 29.4
9 Jake Arrieta Cubs pi sp 2015 29.1
10 Pedro Martinez Red Sox pi sp 2002 28.8
11 Curt Schilling Diamondbacks pi sp 2002 28.4
12 Justin Verlander Astros pi sp 2019 27.5
13 Roger Clemens Blue Jays pi sp 1997 27.4
14 Blake Snell Rays pi sp 2018 27.2
15 Johan Santana Twins pi sp 2004 26.8
16 Pedro Martinez Expos pi sp 1997 26.7
16 CC Sabathia Indians/Brewers pi sp 2008 26.7
18 Randy Johnson Mariners/Astros pi sp 1998 26.4
19 John Smoltz Braves pi sp 1996 26.1
19 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers pi sp 2011 26.1
21 Justin Verlander Astros pi sp 2022 26.0
22 Roger Clemens Blue Jays pi sp 1998 25.8
22 Corey Kluber Indians pi sp 2014 25.8
24 Johan Santana Twins pi sp 2006 25.7
24 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers pi sp 2015 25.7
24 Max Scherzer Nationals pi sp 2016 25.7
27 Cliff Lee Phillies pi sp 2011 25.4
28 Chris Sale Red Sox pi sp 2017 25.1
28 Max Scherzer Nationals pi sp 2018 25.1
28 Max Scherzer Nationals/Dodgers pi sp 2021 25.1
31 Max Scherzer Nationals pi sp 2017 25.0

Best seasons for batters

Lance Berkman holds the record for most Box-Toppers points (BTP) in a single season by a batter with 20.8 in 2006. Here are all batters who have earned 16.0 or more Box-Toppers points in a single season since 1995, ranked by their single-season Box-Toppers point total.
NOTE: All 36 instances of batters earning 16.0 or more points happened in 2013 or earlier. In fact, there has only been one such instance since 2009 (Miguel Cabrera with 16.9 in 2013).
◼︎ A look at how batters with high single-season Box-Toppers point totals fared in voting for Most Valuable Player awards
◼︎ A look at how and why batters’ share of Box-Toppers points plummeted in the decade of the 2010s
 
Player Team Pos Year BTP
1 Lance Berkman Astros 1b 2006 20.8
2 Barry Bonds Giants lf 2002 20.7
3 Albert Belle Indians lf dh 1996 20.4
4 Manny Ramirez Indians rf dh 1999 19.9
5 Alex Rodriguez Yankees 3b 2007 18.9
6 Mo Vaughn Red Sox 1b 1996 18.6
7 Larry Walker Rockies rf 1997 18.5
8 Ellis Burks Rockies lf cf 1996 18.4
9 Barry Bonds Giants lf 1996 18.2
10 Frank Thomas White Sox dh 1b 2000 17.9
11 Carlos Delgado Blue Jays 1b 2003 17.7
12 Bernie Williams Yankees cf 1999 17.2
12 Magglio Ordonez White Sox rf 2007 17.2
14 Todd Helton Rockies 1b 2001 17.0
14 Jason Giambi Yankees 1b dh 2002 17.0
14 Alex Rodriguez Mariners ss 2000 17.0
14 Jason Giambi Athletics 1b 2000 17.0
18 Miguel Cabrera Tigers 3b 2013 16.9
19 Chipper Jones Braves 3b 2001 16.7
19 David Ortiz Red Sox dh 2006 16.7
19 Albert Pujols Cardinals 1b 2009 16.7
22 Albert Pujols Cardinals lf 1b 2003 16.5
22 Miguel Cabrera Tigers 1b 2009 16.5
24 Albert Belle White Sox lf 1998 16.4
24 Adam Lind Blue Jays dh lf ph 2009 16.4
26 Juan Gonzalez Rangers dh rf 1997 16.3
26 Juan Gonzalez Rangers rf dh 1998 16.3
28 Jim Thome Indians 3b 1996 16.2
28 Manny Ramirez Indians rf 1998 16.2
28 Albert Belle Orioles rf 1999 16.2
28 Gary Sheffield Yankees rf 2004 16.2
28 Matt Holliday Rockies lf 2007 16.2
33 Jeff Bagwell Astros 1b 1997 16.0
33 Sammy Sosa Cubs rf 2001 16.0
33 Jim Thome Indians 1b 2002 16.0
33 Albert Pujols Cardinals 1b 2006 16.0