Box-Toppers season streaks
Here are the players who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. Jason Giambi earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 19 straight seasons from 1995 to 2013, more than any other player. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.) Players are listed by duration of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.| Streak | Player | Pos | Duration | Career BTP |
|
| 1 | 19 | Jason Giambi | 1b | 1995-2013 | 133.4 |
| 2 | 18 | Jim Thome | 1b dh | 1995-2012 | 146.7 |
| 2 | 18 | Chipper Jones | 3b | 1995-2012 | 149.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Johnny Damon | lf | 1995-2012 | 63.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | 1996-2013 | 187.0 |
| 6 | 17 | Mariano Rivera | pi cp | 1995-2011 | 126.4 |
| 6 | 17 | Derek Jeter | ss | 1996-2012 | 76.4 |
| 6 | 17 | Paul Konerko | 1b | 1998-2014 | 100.7 |
| 6 | 17 | Tim Hudson** | pi sp | 1999-2015 | 157.0 |
| 6 | 17 | Carlos Beltran* | rf | 1999-2015 | 98.9 |
| 6 | 17 | Torii Hunter** | cf | 1999-2015 | 115.9 |
| 12 | 16 | Manny Ramirez | lf | 1995-2010 | 167.2 |
| 12 | 16 | Andy Pettitte | pi sp | 1995-2010 | 138.5 |
| 12 | 16 | Jamie Moyer | pi sp | 1995-2010 | 104.0 |
| 12 | 16 | Scott Rolen | 3b | 1996-2011 | 97.6 |
| 12 | 16 | Kevin Millwood | pi sp | 1997-2012 | 108.3 |
| 12 | 16 | Derek Lowe | pi sp | 1998-2013 | 91.5 |
| 12 | 16 | David Ortiz* | dh | 2000-2015 | 137.9 |
| 12 | 16 | Aramis Ramirez** | 3b | 2000-2015 | 105.8 |
| 12 | 16 | Mark Buehrle* | pi sp | 2000-2015 | 116.7 |
| 21 | 15 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | 1995-2009 | 278.8 |
| 21 | 15 | Garret Anderson | lf | 1995-2009 | 86.5 |
| 21 | 15 | Ivan Rodriguez | ca | 1995-2009 | 79.0 |
| 21 | 15 | Tony Clark | 1b | 1995-2009 | 63.8 |
| 21 | 15 | Gary Sheffield | lf | 1995-2009 | 124.1 |
| 21 | 15 | Jason Kendall | ca | 1996-2010 | 40.9 |
| 21 | 15 | Vladimir Guerrero | rf | 1997-2011 | 128.3 |
| 21 | 15 | Bobby Abreu | rf | 1997-2011 | 95.5 |
| 21 | 15 | Mike Cameron | cf | 1997-2011 | 70.3 |
| 21 | 15 | Miguel Tejada | ss | 1997-2011 | 102.3 |
| 21 | 15 | Jorge Posada | ca | 1997-2011 | 79.5 |
| 21 | 15 | Livan Hernandez | pi sp | 1997-2011 | 76.7 |
| 21 | 15 | Albert Pujols* | dh 1b | 2001-2015 | 174.3 |
| 21 | 15 | CC Sabathia* | pi sp | 2001-2015 | 179.0 |
| 21 | 15 | Ichiro Suzuki* | rf | 2001-2015 | 51.7 |
| 21 | 15 | Kyle Lohse* | pi sp | 2001-2015 | 89.0 |
* Active streak of a player who plans to be active in 2016.
** Active streak of a player who announced their retirement at the end of 2015.
Jason Giambi earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 19 consecutive seasons, the longest streak by any player in Box-Toppers tracking history.
Three players have the longest active streak, earning their 17th consecutive season with Box-Toppers points in 2015—Carlos Beltran of the Yankees, Torii Hunter of the Twins and Giants pitcher Tim Hudson. But two of those three players—Hunter and Hudson—retired at the close of the 2015 season, meaning only Beltran has a chance of extending the streak to 18 straight seasons in 2016.
The chart shows the 36 players who have streaks of 15 or more seasons earning Box-Toppers points. Since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, that means all players listed have missed earning Box-Toppers points in only six or fewer seasons. The list is an indication of baseball’s most durable, consistent and injury-free players over the past 21 seasons.
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.
Giambi, who tops the list with 19 straight seasons, earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in each season from 1995 to 2013. Giambi began his career in 1995, the same year Box-Toppers tracking began, and missed earning Box-Toppers points in only one season—his final year before retiring—in 2014.
Giambi ranks eighth among all batters in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 133.4. He twice earned 17.0 Box-Toppers points in a single season—in 2000 with the Athletics and in 2002 with the Yankees, when he led American League batters in Box-Toppers points. And while he had seven seasons with 7.5 or more Box-Toppers points, he also had seasons in which he barely kept the streak alive. He earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors only once in each of the 2011 and 2012 seasons—he had 1.5 Box-Toppers points in 2011 and 1.0 point in 2012.
Many players on the list began their consecutive seasons streak in 1995. Several of those players could likely have had longer streaks if Box-Toppers tracking extended earlier than 1995. For example, Jim Thome ranks second with a streak of 18 straight seasons, but he began his career in 1991. Jamie Moyer (16 straight seasons) and Randy Johnson (15 straight seasons) both began their careers in the late 1980s and would also likely have longer streaks.
Carlos Beltran of the Yankees is the only active player with an opportunity to extend his streak to 18 straight seasons in 2016. Beltran has earned Box-Toppers points in 17 straight seasons from 1999 to 2015. Beltran has five seasons with 7.5 or more Box-Toppers points (including his best year, 2003 with the Royals, when he had 13.9 Box-Toppers points, second among AL batters), but has had two seasons with only 1.0 Box-Toppers point—2010 with the Mets and 2014 with the Yankees. Beltran has 98.9 career Box-Toppers points, 26th among all batters since 1995 and sixth among currently active batters.
Two players who had streaks of 17 straight seasons earning Box-Toppers points announced their retirement in 2015—Giants pitcher Tim Hudson and Torii Hunter of the Twins. Both players had streaks from 1999 to 2015.
- Hudson had seven seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, including his best season, 2001 with the Athletics when he led AL pitchers with 18.8 points. He barely kept the streak alive in 2009 with the Braves when he earned only 1.0 Box-Toppers point (earned for batting). Hudson had 4.0 points in 2015, his final season. Hudson ranks 14th among all players in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 157.0. He ranks 11th among all pitchers. Hudson’s streak of 17 straight years with Box-Toppers points is tied for the most by a pitcher—closing pitcher Mariano Rivera also had a streak of 17 years from 1995 to 2011.
- Hunter had six seasons with 7.5 or more Box-Toppers points, including his best season, 2008 with the Angels when he had 12.4 points, second among AL batters. He had only three seasons with fewer than 5.0 Box-Toppers points. His lowest season was 1999 with 2.0 points with the Twins. In 2015, Hunter had 8.0 Box-Toppers points with the Twins, ranked 12th among AL batters. Hunter has 115.9 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 14th among all batters since 1995.
One other active player with a streak of 16 straight seasons with Box-Toppers points retired at the end of 2015—Aramis Ramirez of the Pirates.
Active season streaks
Here are players active at the start of the 2016 season who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. Carlos Beltran has earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 17 straight seasons from 1999 to 2015, more than any other currently active player. Players are listed by duration of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.| Streak | Player | Pos | Duration | Career BTP |
|
| 1 | 17 | Carlos Beltran* | rf | 1999-2015 | 98.9 |
| 2 | 16 | Mark Buehrle* | pi sp | 2000-2015 | 116.7 |
| 2 | 16 | David Ortiz* | dh | 2000-2015 | 137.9 |
| 4 | 15 | Albert Pujols* | dh 1b | 2001-2015 | 174.3 |
| 4 | 15 | CC Sabathia* | pi sp | 2001-2015 | 179.0 |
| 4 | 15 | Ichiro Suzuki* | rf | 2001-2015 | 51.7 |
| 4 | 15 | Kyle Lohse* | pi sp | 2001-2015 | 89.0 |
| 8 | 14 | Jake Peavy* | pi sp | 2002-2015 | 136.8 |
| 9 | 13 | Miguel Cabrera* | 1b | 2003-2015 | 132.9 |
| 9 | 13 | Mark Teixeira* | 1b | 2003-2015 | 97.3 |
| 9 | 13 | Francisco Rodriguez* | pi cp | 2003-2015 | 60.4 |
| 9 | 13 | A.J. Pierzynski* | ca | 2003-2015 | 47.2 |
* Active streak of a player who plans to be active in 2016.
The second chart is limited to players with active streaks who have either not announced retirement or have already made plans to play in 2016. Two players with the second-longest active streaks of 16 straight years are Mark Buehrle, with the Blue Jays in 2015, and David Ortiz of the Red Sox, who has announced he will retire after 2016. Buehrle now has the longest active streak of any pitcher.
If Beltran earns Box-Toppers points in 2015 for his 18th straight year, he will join four other players tied for second-place for the longest consecutive season streak earning Box-Toppers points:
- Jim Thome had at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point each season from 1995 to 2012. His best season was 1996 with the Indians when he had 16.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among all players and third among AL batters. He barely kept the streak alive in 2005 with the Phillies when he had 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Thome had 11 seasons with 7.5 or more Box-Toppers points and has 146.7 career Box-Toppers points, sixth among all batters since 1995.
- Chipper Jones had at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point each season from 1995 to 2012. His best season was 2001 with the Braves when he had 16.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking second among National League batters. He barely kept the streak alive in 2011 with the Braves when he had 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Jones had 11 seasons with 7.5 or more Box-Toppers points and has 149.0 career Box-Toppers points, fifth among all batters since 1995.
- Johnny Damon had at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point each season from 1995 to 2012. His best season was 2000 with the Royals when he had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking 23rd among AL batters. That was his only season with 7.5 or more Box-Toppers points. He had five seasons in which he barely kept the streak alive with 1.0 Box-Toppers point—1995 and 1996 with the Royals, 2005 with the Red Sox and 2007 and 2009 with the Yankees. Damon has 63.0 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 92nd among all batters since 1995.
- Alex Rodriguez had at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point each season from 1996 to 2013. His best season was 2007 with the Yankees when he had 18.9 Box-Toppers points, first among all AL players. During his streak, he had 10 seasons with at least 7.5 Box-Toppers points (he has since earned another—in 2015, he had 7.7 points). His lowest year was the final year of the streak in 2013 with the Yankees when he had 3.0 Box-Toppers points. Rodriguez leads all batters in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 187.0. He ranks fourth among all players in that span.
Rodriguez’s consecutive season streak was cut short by his 2014 suspension under baseball’s performance enhancing drug policy. Had he been able to play in 2014 and earn Box-Toppers points, his streak after 2015 (in which he did play and earn points) would have been at 20 seasons, breaking Giambi’s record.
While the lists generally include players who have piled up huge Box-Toppers point totals, it also includes players who have strung together consecutive seasons often barely keeping the streak alive, with very low Box-Toppers point totals. For example:
- Johnny Damon, mentioned earlier, has a streak of 18 straight seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point, but only has 63.0 career points.
- Ichiro Suzuki has an active streak of 15 straight seasons with Box-Toppers points (from 2001 to 2015) but only has 51.7 career Box-Toppers points. Suzuki’s best year was 2007 with the Mariners when he had 8.0 Box-Toppers points. He’s had three seasons with only 1.0 Box-Toppers point—2010 with the Mariners, 2014 with the Yankees and 2015 with the Marlins.
- Jason Kendall had Box-Toppers points in 15 consecutive seasons from 1996 to 2010, but only has 40.9 career Box-Toppers points. His best year was 1998 with the Pirates when he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking 15th among NL batters. But Kendall had six seasons in which he had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point—2001 and 2002 with the Pirates, 2005 and 2006 with the Athletics, 2007 with the Athletics and Cubs and 2008 with the Brewers.
Pedro Martinez is the player with the most Box-Toppers points who doesn’t appear in the consecutive streak list. Martinez ranks second among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 244.8. Martinez had a streak of 11 straight seasons with Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2006. He missed earning points in 2007 and 2008 before earning 3.7 in 2009. Martinez started his career in 1992, before Box-Toppers tracking, and would likely have had a streak of 13 straight seasons (from 1993 onward) if those seasons were tracked.
Interestingly, the list of players with the most consecutive years earning Box-Toppers points is made up largely of batters. Of the 36 players listed, 25 are batters and 11 are pitchers. In most Box-Toppers categories comparing pitchers to batters, pitchers dominate as they win Player of the Game and Player of the Day honors more frequently. But spread out over the longer period of time, batters tend to gain a few advantages. Batters’ careers tend to be longer than pitchers and with fewer interruptions because of injury. That allows them to be more likely to rank high in a list like this that prizes both longevity and consistency.