The Chicago Cubs are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers 2016 preseason rankings.
Players on the Cubs current roster accumulated 124.1 Box-Toppers points during the 2015 season, more than any other team.
Box-Toppers 2016 preseason team rankings
The Chicago Cubs are the top-ranked preseason team in Box-Toppers rankings. Players on their preseason roster accumulated 124.1 Box-Toppers points in the 2015 season, more than any other team. Shown below in the 2016 column is the accumulated 2015 Box-Toppers point total for each player on that team’s current roster. Also shown in the 2015 column is each team’s Box-Toppers point total at the end of last season. The final column (+/-) shows the change in team rosters’ Box-Toppers points from the end of last season until now.| Team | 2015 | 2016 | +/- | |
| 1 | Cubs | 127.4 | 124.1 | -3.3 |
| 2 | Blue Jays | 124.1 | 123.5 | -0.6 |
| 3 | Cardinals | 124.3 | 116.4 | -7.9 |
| 4 | Angels | 103.9 | 113.9 | 10.0 |
| 5 | Dodgers | 122.5 | 111.0 | -11.5 |
| 6 | Mets | 122.0 | 110.0 | -12.0 |
| 7 | Astros | 118.4 | 108.9 | -9.5 |
| 8 | Dbacks | 83.5 | 104.7 | 21.2 |
| 9 | Nationals | 106.7 | 104.2 | -2.5 |
| 10 | Red Sox | 77.6 | 103.9 | 26.3 |
| 11 | Royals | 127.5 | 103.4 | -24.1 |
| 12 | Mariners | 88.9 | 103.2 | 14.3 |
| 13 | Indians | 96.8 | 102.8 | 6.0 |
| 14 | Rangers | 107.2 | 101.7 | -5.5 |
| 15 | Yankees | 99.8 | 101.1 | 1.3 |
| 16 | Pirates | 129.6 | 97.4 | -32.2 |
| 17 | White Sox | 90.0 | 96.2 | 6.2 |
| 18 | Giants | 110.8 | 95.8 | -15.0 |
| 19 | Orioles | 99.6 | 91.9 | -7.7 |
| 20 | Rays | 89.2 | 86.2 | -3.0 |
| 21 | Marlins | 72.6 | 81.8 | 9.2 |
| 22 | Tigers | 63.4 | 79.4 | 16.0 |
| 23 | Twins | 94.5 | 76.5 | -18.0 |
| 24 | Rockies | 73.4 | 74.4 | 1.0 |
| 25 | Athletics | 78.3 | 71.7 | -6.6 |
| 26 | Braves | 63.1 | 63.1 | 0.0 |
| 27 | Brewers | 62.3 | 58.3 | -4.0 |
| 28 | Padres | 81.3 | 56.8 | -24.5 |
| 29 | Phillies | 56.8 | 54.4 | -2.4 |
| 30 | Reds | 58.7 | 39.8 | -18.9 |
The Toronto Blue Jays, close behind, are the top-ranked American League team—their current roster players accumulated 123.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015.
Both the Cubs and the Blue Jays lost in their respective league championship series in 2015 and both finished high in Box-Toppers season-ending rankings—the Cubs were third with 127.4 Box-Toppers points and the Blue Jays were fifth with 124.1.
The Kansas City Royals, the 2015 World Series champion, have a net loss of 24.1 Box-Toppers points since the end of last season, with their players accumulating 103.4 Box-Toppers points, 11th-most among all teams. Their drop in points from last season is the third-biggest among all teams. Among notable losses: Pitcher Johnny Cueto (12.8 Box-Toppers points) signed with the Giants and closer Greg Holland (8.0 points) is a free agent and injured, not expected to play in 2016. The Royals did pick up pitcher Ian Kennedy (6.7 Box-Toppers points) from the Padres and closer Joakim Soria (5.7 points) from the Pirates. The Royals ranked second in Box-Toppers team rankings at the end of 2015 with 127.5 points.
The National League champion New York Mets rank sixth in Box-Toppers team rankings, fourth among NL teams, with 110.0 Box-Toppers points. That’s a drop of 12.0 points since the end of the 2015 season. Most notably, the Mets lost starting pitcher Jon Niese (6.0 Box-Toppers points) to the Pirates. The Mets ranked seventh in Box-Toppers team rankings at the end of 2015 with 122.0 points.
The Cubs and the Blue Jays, the top two teams in preseason rankings, were fairly steady in Box-Toppers points from the end of the season until now. The Cubs lost 3.3 points and the Blue Jays lost 0.6.
Notable losses on the Cubs roster: Pitcher Dan Haren (5.0 Box-Toppers points) retired and infielder Starlin Castro (4.7 points) is now on the Yankees. Notable gain for the Cubs: John Lackey (9.7 points) from the Cardinals.
The Blue Jays notably lost David Price (21.1 Box-Toppers points, second-most among AL pitchers) to the Red Sox, but picked up pitcher J.A. Happ (13.1 Box-Toppers points) from the Pirates and Jesse Chavez (8.4 points) from the Athletics.
Biggest team gains & drops
The Boston Red Sox picked up the most Box-Toppers points on its roster in the offseason (+26.3) while the Pittsburgh Pirates lost the most (-32.2). The Red Sox notably gained pitcher David Price (21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2015). The Pirates notably lost pitcher J.A. Happ (13.1 Box-Toppers points) to the Blue Jays, plus about a half dozen other players, including four with 5.7 or more Box-Toppers points.| Biggest gains | ||||
| Team | 2015 | 2016 | +/- | |
| 1 | Red Sox | 77.6 | 103.9 | 26.3 |
| 2 | Dbacks | 83.5 | 104.7 | 21.2 |
| 3 | Tigers | 63.4 | 79.4 | 16.0 |
| 4 | Mariners | 88.9 | 103.2 | 14.3 |
| 5 | Angels | 103.9 | 113.9 | 10.0 |
| Biggest drops | ||||
| Team | 2015 | 2016 | +/- | |
| 1 | Pirates | 129.6 | 97.4 | -32.2 |
| 2 | Padres | 81.3 | 56.8 | -24.5 |
| 3 | Royals | 127.5 | 103.4 | -24.1 |
| 4 | Reds | 58.7 | 39.8 | -18.9 |
| 5 | Twins | 94.5 | 76.5 | -18.0 |
The Boston Red Sox, who picked up Price from the Blue Jays, were the biggest gainer in Box-Toppers points from the end of last season until now. The Red Sox gained 26.3 points, giving them 103.9, 10th-most among all teams. (At the end of 2015, the Red Sox were ranked 23rd with 77.6 points.) Besides Price, other notable Red Sox gains: Outfielder Chris B. Young (4.5 Box-Toppers points) from the Yankees and closer Craig Kimbrel (6.0 points) from the Padres. Notable Red Sox losses: Pitcher Wade Miley (7.0 Box-Toppers points) to the Mariners.
The Arizona Diamondbacks were the second-biggest gainer in Box-Toppers points, picking up 21.2, largely on the strength of signing pitcher Zack Greinke (20.7 Box-Toppers points) from the Dodgers. Greinke ranked fifth among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2015. The Diamondbacks rise from 20th at the end of last season to eighth in Box-Toppers 2016 preseason team rankings.
The Pittsburgh Pirates lost the most Box-Toppers points from the end of last season until now. The Pirates were ranked first in Box-Toppers team rankings at the end of 2015 with 129.6 points. But losing 32.2 points in the offseason, they now have 97.4 points and fall to 16th place. The Pirates notably lost pitcher J.A. Happ (13.1 Box-Toppers points) to the Blue Jays, plus about a half dozen other players, including four with 5.7 or more Box-Toppers points—Aramis Ramirez (6.0), A.J. Burnett (6.0), Joakim Soria (5.7) and Charlie Morton (6.7). The Pirates did pick up pitchers Ryan Vogelsong (10.0) from the Giants and Jon Niese (6.0) from the Mets.
The Cincinnati Reds are the lowest-ranked team on Box-Toppers preseason list—with 39.8 Box-Toppers points, they lost 18.9 in the offseason, the fourth-biggest drop among teams. Reds notable losses: Closer Aroldis Chapman (8.0 Box-Toppers points) to the Yankees and third baseman Todd Frazier (8.9) to the White Sox. The Reds did not pick up any players in the offseason who earned Box-Toppers points in 2015.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers points are a measure of how much a player provides key contributions to his team’s wins. Specifically, 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.