Box-Toppers 2015 preseason All-Star team
Here are top players in each league by position for the 2015 season based on 2014 Box-Toppers points (BTP).| Pos | American League | Team | BTP |
| 1B | Jose Abreu | White Sox | 15.5 |
| 2B | Robinson Cano | Mariners | 6.5 |
| SS | Erick Aybar | Angels | 6.0 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson | Blue Jays* | 10.5 |
| CA | Brian McCann | Yankees | 6.5 |
| OF | Adam Jones | Orioles | 11.5 |
| OF | Nelson Cruz | Mariners* | 8.5 |
| OF | Mike Trout | Angels | 8.5 |
| DH | Edwin Encarnacion | Blue Jays | 9.5 |
| SP | Corey Kluber | Indians | 25.8 |
| SP | Felix Hernandez | Mariners | 20.8 |
| SP | David Price | Tigers | 19.1 |
| SP | Chris Sale | White Sox | 17.4 |
| MR | Wade Davis | Royals | 7.0 |
| CP | Carlos Carrasco | Indians | 10.7 |
| Pos | National League | Team | BTP |
| 1B | Lucas Duda | Mets | 8.5 |
| 2B | Jedd Gyorko | Padres | 7.2 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki | Rockies | 11.6 |
| 3B | Aramis Ramirez | Brewers | 5.0 |
| CA | Buster Posey | Giants | 8.5 |
| OF | Justin Upton | Padres* | 8.2 |
| OF | Marcell Ozuna | Marlins | 8.0 |
| OF | Matt Holliday | Cardinals | 7.5 |
| SP | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 31.5 |
| SP | Madison Bumgarner | Giants | 22.6 |
| SP | Johnny Cueto | Reds | 22.4 |
| SP | Max Scherzer | Nationals* | 22.1 |
| MR | Michael Dunn | Marlins | 6.0 |
| CP | Craig Kimbrel | Braves | 11.0 |
| * Players who changed teams in offseason. | |||
Four players in Box-Toppers’ preseason 2015 All-Star teams changed teams in the offseason.
The All-Star teams feature the players who led their position in the league in Box-Toppers points in the 2014 season.
The four players who changed teams are:
• American League third baseman Josh Donaldson, who shifted from the Athletics to the Blue Jays.
• AL outfielder Nelson Cruz, who went from the Orioles to the Mariners.
• National League outfielder Justin Upton, who moved from the Braves to the Padres.
• NL starting pitcher Max Scherzer, who went from the Tigers to the Nationals. Scherzer is the only player among the All-Stars who shifted leagues from the NL to the AL.
The All-Star teams are composed of batters—eight in the NL and nine (including the designated hitter) in the AL—plus the top four starting pitchers in each league, the top player who was predominately a middle-reliever and the top closing pitcher.
The overall leader in Box-Toppers points in 2014, leading the Box-Toppers preseason NL All-Star pitching staff is Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. Kershaw had 31.5 Box-Toppers points in 2014.
The overall leader on the AL All-Star team is pitcher Corey Kluber of the Indians. Kluber had 25.8 Box-Toppers points in 2014.
The overall leading batter in 2014 was Jose Abreu of the White Sox (15.5 Box-Toppers points), who is at first base on the AL All-Star team. The NL leading batter in 2014 was Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (11.6 Box-Toppers points) at shortstop.
The list of All-Stars looks much the same as last year’s Box-Toppers All-Stars to close the 2014 season. The only change comes because of Scherzer’s shift from the AL to the NL. His absence from the AL team moves Chris Sale of the White Sox (17.4 Box-Toppers points) to the top four rated pitchers in the league. And his move to the NL pushes Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (18.7 Box-Toppers points) off the list of the league’s top four pitchers.
The Mariners have the most representatives among the All-Stars—three—thanks to Nelson Cruz’s offseason move from the Orioles. Robinson Cano (second base) and Felix Hernandez (starting pitcher) are the other two Mariners among the All-Stars. Seven other teams have two All-Stars each—Angels, Blue Jays, Giants, Indians, Marlins, Padres and White Sox.
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.