How did baseball’s statistical leaders do in Box-Toppers points in 2017?
Stat leaders’ Box-Toppers points
Here are leaders in seven key statistical categories for the 2017 baseball season and how they fared in Box-Toppers points (BTP). Rank shows each player’s standing among all players in Box-Toppers points.| Batting average | ||||
| Leader | Team | Avg. | BTP | Rank |
| Jose Altuve | Astros | .346 | 2.5 | 387 |
| Home runs | ||||
| Leader | Team | HR | BTP | Rank |
| Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins | 59 | 14.2 | 17 |
| Runs batted in | ||||
| Leader | Team | RBI | BTP | Rank |
| Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins | 132 | 14.2 | 17 |
| Earned run average | ||||
| Leader | Team | ERA | BTP | Rank |
| Corey Kluber | Indians | 2.25 | 22.0 | 5 |
| Wins | ||||
| Leader | Team | W | BTP | Rank |
| Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 18 | 23.1 | 3 |
| Corey Kluber | Indians | 18 | 22.0 | 5 |
| Carlos Carrasco | Indians | 18 | 21.8 | 6 |
| Jason Vargas | Royals | 18 | 11.0 | 32 |
| Strikeouts | ||||
| Leader | Team | K | BTP | Rank |
| Chris Sale | Red Sox | 308 | 25.1 | 1 |
| Wins above replacement | ||||
| Leader | Team | WAR | BTP | Rank |
| Jose Altuve | Astros | 8.3 | 2.5 | 387 |
The leaders of five of the seven key statistics were among Box-Toppers’ overall top 100 players for 2017. However, Jose Altuve of the Astros who led the other two statistical categories—batting average and wins above replacement (WAR)—ranked far outside the overall top 100 players. Altuve ranked 387th with just 2.5 Box-Toppers points, 90th among American League batters.
Box-Toppers’ overall top-ranked player Chris Sale of the Red Sox (25.1 Box-Toppers points) led all players in strikeouts (308). Sale ranked sixth in earned run average (2.90), tied for fifth in wins (17) and ranked outside the top 10 in wins above replacement (WAR) (6.0).
Box-Toppers’ top-ranked National League player Max Scherzer of the Nationals (25.0 Box-Toppers points, second place overall), ranked third in earned run average (2.51), tied for 10th in wins (16), second in strikeouts (268) and fourth in WAR (7.6).
Box-Toppers’ top-ranked NL batter Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs (15.5 Box-Toppers points, 14th place overall), ranked tied for eighth in runs batted in (RBI) (109). Rizzo ranked outside the top 10 in other statistical categories. Rizzo ranked 71st in batting average (.273) and tied for 28th in home runs (32). Rizzo had a WAR of 4.4.
Box-Toppers’ top-ranked AL batter Edwin Encarnacion of the Indians (12.1 Box-Toppers points, 22nd place overall), ranked tied for eighth in home runs (38). Encarnacion ranked outside the top 10 in other statistical categories. Encarnacion ranked 97th in batting average (.258) and 11th in RBIs (107). Encarnacion had a WAR of 2.8.
Here is a look at the leaders in each statistical category:
Batting average
Five of the top 10 players in batting average for 2017 are among Box-Toppers’ top 100 players.
But two of the top 10 on the list were not even among the top half of players in 2017, including the overall batting average leader, Jose Altuve of the Astros, who ranked 387th among players in 2017 with just 2.5 Box-Toppers points.
Altuve was voted 2017 American League Most Valuable Player and led all players with a .346 batting average. However, he only earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors twice during the season, picking up 2.5 Box-Toppers points. Compare that to 2016, when Altuve ranked third in batting average (.338) but had 12.5 Box-Toppers points and ranked 26th among all players.
More details on batting average leaders, including how the top 10 fared in Box-Toppers points.
Home runs
Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins led all players in home runs in 2017 and ranked second among all batters in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Stanton hit 59 home runs in 2017 and earned 14.2 Box-Toppers points, behind only Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs (15.5). Since 2012, only three other batters, including Rizzo in 2017, have had a higher single-season Box-Toppers point total than Stanton’s 14.2 this season.
Stanton ranked 17th among all players in Box-Toppers points in 2017, second among National League batters behind Rizzo.
Four of the top 10 home run leaders in 2017 are among the overall top 100 players. Those four also rank among the top 10 among batters in Box-Toppers points in their leagues.
More details on home run leaders, including how the top 10 fared in Box-Toppers points.
Runs batted in
Half of the top 10 runs batted in leaders are among their league’s top 10 batters in Box-Toppers points in 2017.
Overall RBI leader Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins (132) ranked second among National League batters in Box-Toppers points with 14.2. He ranked 17th among all players in Box-Toppers points for the season. Stanton was traded to the New York Yankees in the offseason.
More details on runs batted in leaders, including how the top 10 fared in Box-Toppers points.
Earned run average
Corey Kluber of the Indians had the lowest earned run average of any pitcher in 2017 and ranked fifth in Box-Toppers player rankings.
The overall Box-Toppers points leader, Chris Sale of the Red Sox (25.1), finished sixth place in ERA (2.90).
Eight of the top 10 ERA leaders finished in the top 10 in Box-Toppers points in 2017.
Kluber led pitchers with an ERA of 2.25. He had 22.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among all players and second among AL pitchers behind Sale (25.1).
More details on earned run average leaders, including how the top 10 fared in Box-Toppers points.
Wins
Three of the four pitchers who led the Major Leagues in wins in 2017 are among Box-Toppers’ top 10 players for the season.
And seven of the top 12 pitchers in wins in 2017 are among Box-Toppers’ top 10-ranked players.
Four pitchers led the Majors this season, each with 18 wins. They were:
- Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, who ranked third in Box-Toppers points with 23.1, second among National League pitchers.
- Corey Kluber of the Indians, who ranked fifth in Box-Toppers points with 22.0, second among American League pitchers.
- Carlos Carrasco of the Indians, who ranked sixth in Box-Toppers points with 21.8, third among AL pitchers.
- And Jason Vargas of the Royals, who ranked 32nd in Box-Toppers points with 11.0, 12th among AL pitchers. Vargas is the only one among the four to rank outside the overall top 10 and to have fewer than 20 Box-Toppers points for the season.
More details on wins leaders, including how the top 10 fared in Box-Toppers points.
Strikeouts
Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale, 2017’s leader in Box-Toppers points, also was the season’s leader in strikeouts.
Six of the 10 leaders in strikeouts in 2017 were among the top 10 pitchers in their league 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.
More details on strikeout leaders, including how the top 10 fared in Box-Toppers points.
Wins above replacement
Six of the 10 leaders in baseball’s Wins Above Replacement statistic for 2017 are among the top 100 players in Box-Toppers points for the season.
However, four of the top 10 in WAR, including overall leader, Jose Altuve, rank well outside Box-Toppers’ top 100 players for 2017.
Altuve led players in 2017 with a WAR of 8.3, meaning he added 8.3 wins to the Astros compared to a replacement level player. The WAR statistics used here are compiled by BaseballReference.com.
But Altuve had just 2.5 Box-Toppers points in 2017, ranked 387th among all players and 90th among AL batters. Quite simply, Altuve played on a team rich in talent (which won the World Series) and frequently in Astros wins, he was beaten out by a teammate for Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. Altuve may have led the league in hits (204) and batting average (.346) and won the American League Most Valuable Player award, but he only earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors twice in 2017.
More details on wins above replacement leaders, including how the top 10 fared in Box-Toppers points.
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Box-Toppers
Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.