Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale, 2017’s leader in Box-Toppers points, also was the season’s leader in strikeouts.

Strikeout leaders’ Box-Toppers points
Here is how 2017 strikeout (K) leaders fared in Box-Toppers points. Players are ranked by strikeouts. Also shown are their 2017 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their rank in Box-Toppers points among all players.



 



  
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    

    Player
    Team
    K
    BTP
    Rank
  

    1
    Chris Sale
    Red Sox
    308
    25.1
    1
  

    2
    Max Scherzer
    Nationals
    268
    25.0
    2
  

    3
    Corey Kluber
    Indians
    265
    22.0
    5
  

    4
    Chris Archer
    Rays
    249
    8.0
    72
  

    5
    Luis Severino
    Yankees
    239
    21.1
    7
  

    6
    Jacob deGrom
    Mets
    230
    15.7
    12
  

    7
    Carlos Carrasco
    Indians
    226
    21.8
    6
  

    8
    Justin Verlander
    Astros
    219
    14.7
    16
  

    9
    Robbie Ray
    Diamondbacks
    218
    16.0
    10
  

    10
    Carlos Martinez
    Cardinals
    217
    9.5
    44
  

BTP: Box-Toppers points

Six of the 10 leaders in strikeouts in 2017 were among the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points. All 10 strikeout leaders were among the overall top 100 players in Box-Toppers points.

Sale led all players with 25.1 Box-Toppers points and led all pitchers with 308 strikeouts.

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer led all National League pitchers with 238 strikeouts, second-most overall, and also led NL players in Box-Toppers points with 25.0, also second overall, just 0.1 point behind Sale.

Box-Toppers’ lowest-ranked player among the top 10 in strikeouts in 2017 is Chris Archer of the Rays, who ranked fourth with 249 strikeouts. Archer had 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 72nd among all players and 25th among American League pitchers.

The only other pitcher among the top 10 strikeouts with fewer than 10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2017 is Carlos Martinez of the Cardinals. Martinez ranked 10th in strikeouts with 217 and had 9.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 44th among all players, 22nd among NL pitchers.

In addition to Sale and Scherzer, four other pitchers are among both the top 10 overall in Box-Toppers points and top 10 overall in strikeouts. They are:

Corey Kluber of the Indians, who ranks third with 265 strikeouts. Kluber had 22.0 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players and second among AL pitchers.
Luis Severino of the Yankees, who ranks fifth with 239 strikeouts. Severino had 21.1 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all players and fourth among AL pitchers.
Carlos Carrasco of the Indians, who ranks sixth with 226 strikeouts. Carrasco had 21.8 Box-Toppers points, sixth among all players and third among AL pitchers.
Robbie Ray of the Diamondbacks, who ranks ninth with 218 strikeouts. Ray had 16.0 Box-Toppers points, 10th among all players and fifth among NL pitchers.

Two other pitchers among the top 10 strikeout leaders rank outside Box-Toppers’ overall top 10 players but still rank among their league’s overall top 10 pitchers in Box-Toppers points:

Jacob deGrom of the Mets, who ranks sixth with 230 strikeouts. deGrom had 15.7 Box-Toppers points, 12th among all players and seventh among NL pitchers.
Justin Verlander of the Astros, who ranks eighth with 219 strikeouts. Verlander had 14.7 Box-Toppers points, 16th among all players and sixth among AL pitchers.

For the second year in a row, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers is Box-Toppers’ highest-ranked pitcher who is not among the top 10 in strikeouts. Kershaw ranked third in Box-Toppers points in 2017 with 23.1. Kershaw struck out 202 batters in 2017, 16th among all pitchers. Kershaw was on the disabled list and did not pitch for about five weeks of the season from late July to Sept. 1. In 2016, Kershaw ranked second in Box-Toppers points and tied for 29th in strikeouts.

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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Strikeout leaders for 2016

Strikeout leaders for 2015

Strikeout leaders for 2014