Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw holds a dominating lead among players in Box-Toppers points since 2011.
Box-Toppers points leaders for 2011-16
| OVERALL LEADERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 150.2 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 111.3 |
| 3 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 100.0 |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 95.5 |
| 5 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 91.4 |
| 6 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 89.5 |
| 7 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 84.8 |
| 8 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 84.4 |
| 9 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 84.3 |
| 10 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 80.4 |
| AL PITCHERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 91.4 |
| 2 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 89.5 |
| 3 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 84.8 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 84.4 |
| 5 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 84.3 |
| 6 | Shields, James 2157 | pi sp | chi al | 68.6 |
| 7 | Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 67.0 |
| 8 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 65.4 |
| 9 | Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | tor al | 63.4 |
| 10 | Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi sp | kc al | 60.5 |
| AL BATTERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 65.3 |
| 2 | Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b | bal al | 49.4 |
| 3 | Trout, Mike 2949 | cf | ana al | 49.0 |
| 4 | Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 47.9 |
| 5 | Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh 1b | tor al | 46.6 |
| 6 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 45.0 |
| 7 | Ortiz, David | dh | bos al | 43.9 |
| 8 | Cano, Robinson 2092 | 2b | sea al | 43.5 |
| 9 | Upton, Justin 2411 | lf | det al | 42.6 |
| 10 | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | 3b | tor al | 39.6 |
| NL PITCHERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 150.2 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 111.3 |
| 3 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 100.0 |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 95.5 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 80.4 |
| 6 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 80.3 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 75.2 |
| 8 | Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 72.8 |
| 9 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 72.5 |
| 10 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 61.3 |
| NL BATTERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | cf | pit nl | 48.2 |
| 2 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | lf | mil nl | 46.5 |
| 3 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | rf | col nl | 45.7 |
| 4 | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | cf lf | nym nl | 39.9 |
| 5 | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 39.9 |
| 6 | Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | atl nl | 38.7 |
| 7 | Holliday, Matt 1836 | 1b lf dh | stl nl | 37.7 |
| 8 | Kemp, Matt 2151 | rf lf | atl nl | 37.5 |
| 9 | Gonzalez, Adrian 2193 | 1b | lad nl | 36.4 |
| 10 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 33.7 |
What are those numbers after players' names?
Kershaw has 150.2 Box-Toppers points over the period 2011-16, 38.9 points ahead of the second place player in that span, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (111.3 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).
It also exceeds the lead Kershaw had last year over the previous six seasons. At the end of 2015, Kershaw had a 36.1-point lead over players from 2010-2015.
Kershaw has built his lead by being ranked either first or second among all players in Box-Toppers points for each of the past six seasons:
- 2011: 26.1, first among all players, tied for the 16th-highest single-season total since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
- 2012: 20.8, second among all players, first among National League pitchers.
- 2013: 21.7, first among all players.
- 2014: 31.5, first among all players, tied for the fourth-highest single-season total since Box-Toppers tracking began.
- 2015: 25.7, second among all players, second among NL pitchers, tied for the 20th-highest single-season total since Box-Toppers tracking began.
- 2016: 24.4, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.
Kershaw has held the rolling six-season lead in Box-Toppers points for four straight years:
- At the end of 2015, Kershaw had 141.9 Box-Toppers points over 2010-2015, ahead of second-place player Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (105.8) by 36.1 points.
- At the end of 2014, Kershaw had 129.6 Box-Toppers points over 2009-2014, ahead of second-place player Hernandez (105.5) by 24.1 points.
- At the end of 2013, Kershaw had 102.1 Box-Toppers points over 2008-2013, ahead of second-place player Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (93.6) by 8.5 points.
- In 2012, Kershaw ranked ninth among players in Box-Toppers points over 2007-2012 with 80.4, trailing the leader for the period, Sabathia (102.0), by 21.6 points.
The players who make these top 10 charts over the period 2011-16 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.
There is one new category leader on the rolling six-season list from last year: Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates now leads NL batters over 2011-2016 with 48.2 Box-Toppers points, ahead of second-place player Ryan Braun of the Brewers (46.5). Last year, Braun led NL batters over 2010-2015 with 51.0 Box-Toppers points. McCutchen ranked third on that list with 43.9 points.
Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez maintains his lead among American League pitchers over the past six seasons. Hernandez has 91.4 Box-Toppers points over 2011-2016, ahead of second-place player David Price of the Red Sox (89.5). However, Hernandez had a career-low season in 2016 with just 6.0 Box-Toppers points. In 2015, his lead over second-place Price over 2010-2015 was 17.0 points (105.8 to 88.8). Plus, Hernandez fell from second place last year to fifth place this year among all players in the six-season rolling total rankings.
This is the third straight season Hernandez has led AL pitchers in Box-Toppers’ six-season rolling total: In 2014, Hernandez had 105.5 Box-Toppers points over 2009 to 2014, ahead of second-place player Justin Verlander of the Tigers (92.1).
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers leads AL batters over 2011-2016 with 65.3 Box-Toppers points, ahead of second-place player Chris Davis of the Orioles (49.4). Cabrera has now led AL batters in Box-Toppers’ six-season rolling rankings for three straight seasons: In 2015, he had 60.8 points over 2010-2015 and in 2014, he had 72.6 points over 2009-2014.
Other notable players:
- Mike Trout of the Angels rises onto the rolling six-season top 10 list among AL batters for the first time in his career at the end of 2016. Trout has 49.0 Box-Toppers points over 2011-2016, third among AL batters over that span. Last season, Trout ranked 14th among AL batters over 2010-2015 with 36.5. Trout made his Box-Toppers debut Aug. 30, 2011, earning 1.5 Box-Toppers points in 2011. He has ranked among the top 10 AL batters four times over the past six seasons. In 2012, he was fifth with 11.0 points, in 2014, he was seventh with 8.5, in 2015, he was second with 12.0 and in 2016, he was second with 12.5.
- Prince Fielder falls out of the top 10 among AL batters over the past six seasons. Fielder, 32, who played for the Rangers until August, when he announced that injuries forced him to stop playing baseball, has 43.2 Box-Toppers points over 2011-2016 (none in 2016), which would rank him ninth among AL batters on the list. But since Fielder is essentially retired and has no team affiliation, he does not appear on the list of AL batters. Last season, Fielder ranked fourth among AL batters over 2010-2015 with 47.7 Box-Toppers points. Fielder ranks 60th among all players over 2011-2016, a list that includes all players, including those who have retired, are free agents or have no current team affiliation.
- Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta rises onto the rolling six-season top 10 list among NL pitchers for the first time in his career at the end of 2016. Arrieta has 72.5 Box-Toppers points over 2011-2016, ninth among NL pitchers over that span. Last season, Arrieta ranked 13th among NL pitchers over 2010-2015 with 59.8 Box-Toppers points. Arrieta made his Box-Toppers debut in 2010, but had no more than 6.0 Box-Toppers points in his first four seasons. However, in 2014, he had 14.7 Box-Toppers points, eighth among NL pitchers. In 2015, he led all players in Box-Toppers points with 29.1. And in 2016, he had 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers.
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: Top 100 players for 2011-16