Box-Toppers top outfielders by time frame (after 2017)

Here are the top outfielders in Box-Toppers points (BTP) over the past season (2017), the past two seasons (2016-17), the past six seasons (2012-17) and “all-time”—the past 23 seasons (since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began). For the most recent seasons, the top 10 outfielders in each league are shown. For the “all-time” rankings, the top 10 overall outfielders (including retired players) are shown at left and the top 10 active outfielders in career Box-Toppers points are shown at right. Some players played more than one position, but even if their primary position was not catcher, they are listed here.
 

 American League National League
’17 Player Pos Team BTP Player Pos Team BTP
1 Judge, Aaron 3767 rf nyy al 11.2 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 14.2
2 Bruce, Jay 2453 rf cle al 10.0 Ozuna, Marcell 3190 lf fla nl 9.2
3 Reddick, Josh 2936 rf lf cf hou al 8.0 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 9.0
4 Upton, Justin 2411 lf ana al 7.5 Parra, Gerardo 2746 rf lf col nl 9.0
5 Benintendi, Andrew 3815 lf bos al 7.2 Fowler, Dexter 2698 cf stl nl 9.0
6 Mancini, Trey 3766 lf 1b bal al 7.2 Bellinger, Cody 3781 1b rf lf lad nl 8.7
7 Garcia, Avisail 3256 rf chi al 6.7 Grichuk, Randal 3474 rf stl nl 8.0
8 Gonzalez, Marwin 3078 lf hou al 6.7 Altherr, Aaron 3563 lf rf cf phi nl 7.5
9 Gallo, Joey 3485 3b lf 1b tex al 6.5 Harper, Bryce 3011 rf dc nl 7.0
10 Rosario, Eddie 3542 lf min al 6.2 Inciarte, Ender 3360 cf atl nl 6.5
American League National League
’16‑17 Player Pos Team BTP Player Pos Team BTP
1 Bruce, Jay 2453 rf cle al 18.5 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 20.7
2 Trout, Mike 2949 cf ana al 17.5 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 16.0
3 Upton, Justin 2411 lf ana al 14.2 Ozuna, Marcell 3190 lf fla nl 14.2
4 Betts, Mookie 3404 rf bos al 12.2 Braun, Ryan J. 2300 lf mil nl 14.0
5 Cain, Lorenzo 3171 cf kc al 12.0 Kemp, Matt 2151 lf atl nl 12.0
6 Mazara, Nomar 3614 rf tex al 12.0 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf nym nl 12.0
7 Reddick, Josh 2936 rf lf cf hou al 11.5 Parra, Gerardo 2746 rf lf col nl 11.5
8 Springer, George 3337 rf cf hou al 11.5 Conforto, Michael 3622 cf nym nl 11.0
9 Judge, Aaron 3767 rf nyy al 11.2 Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 rf col nl 11.0
10 Davis, Khris 3242 lf oak al 11.2 Polanco, Gregory 3361 rf lf pit nl 11.0
American League National League
’12‑17 Player Pos Team BTP Player Pos Team BTP
1 Trout, Mike 2949 cf ana al 52.5 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 47.5
2 Upton, Justin 2411 lf ana al 40.4 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 44.9
3 Jones, Adam 2347 cf bal al 38.0 Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 rf col nl 44.2
4 Holliday, Matt 1836 dh 1b lf nyy al 36.2 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf nym nl 43.9
5 Bruce, Jay 2453 rf cle al 35.7 Braun, Ryan J. 2300 lf mil nl 39.5
6 Reddick, Josh 2936 rf lf cf hou al 31.4 Kemp, Matt 2151 lf atl nl 35.0
7 Trumbo, Mark 2851 dh rf bal al 29.9 Harper, Bryce 3011 rf dc nl 34.4
8 Choo, Shin-Soo 2267 rf dh tex al 27.0 Ozuna, Marcell 3190 lf fla nl 27.7
9 Bautista, Jose 2169 rf tor al 26.5 Fowler, Dexter 2698 cf stl nl 24.5
10 Cain, Lorenzo 3171 cf kc al 26.2 Granderson, Curtis 2051 rf lf lad nl 23.9
All players (including retired) All active players
’95‑17 Player Pos Team BTP Player Pos Team BTP
1 Ramirez, manny lf Retired 167.2 Holliday, Matt 1836 dh 1b lf nyy al 100.8
2 bonds, barry lf Retired 153.2 Braun, Ryan J. 2300 lf mil nl 91.7
3 Guerrero, Vladimir rf Retired 128.3 Granderson, Curtis 2051 rf lf lad nl 69.0
4 sheffield, gary lf Retired 124.1 Bruce, Jay 2453 rf cle al 68.8
5 Hunter, Torii 1190 cf Retired 115.9 Bautista, Jose 2169 rf tor al 65.4
6 sosa, sammy rf Retired 113.2 Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 rf col nl 64.2
7 Berkman, Lance 1261 1b lf rf Retired 108.1 Kemp, Matt 2151 lf atl nl 63.6
8 griffey, ken jr. cf Retired 102.2 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 62.9
9 Holliday, Matt 1836 dh 1b lf nyy al 100.8 Upton, Justin 2411 lf ana al 58.6
10 walker, larry rf Retired 100.1 Pence, Hunter 2287 rf sf nl 55.7
What are those numbers after players' names?
Active players are shown on the team with whom they finished the 2017 season.

Manny Ramirez leads outfielders in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995); Matt Holliday leads active outfielders

Manny Ramirez has the most Box-Toppers points of any outfielder since tracking began in 1995.

Ramirez, who played from 1993 to 2011, primarily for the Red Sox, Indians and Dodgers, but also for the White Sox and Rays, earned 167.2 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to his last game played in 2011.

That puts Ramirez 14.0 Box-Toppers points ahead of the second-place outfielder since 1995, Barry Bonds (153.2 points). However, if Bonds entire career had been tracked, he would have been more than 50 Box-Toppers points ahead of any the 10 outfielders on the career “all-time” list.

Meanwhile, Matt Holliday, who played for the Yankees in 2017, leads all active outfielders in career Box-Toppers points (100.8), which ranks ninth among all outfielders since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.

The chart above shows the top 10 outfielders over several time frames—over the past season (2017), the past two seasons (2016-17), the past six seasons (2012-17) and “all-time”—the past 23 seasons (since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began). For the most recent seasons, the top 10 outfielders in each league are shown. For the “all-time” rankings, the top 10 overall outfielders (including retired players) are shown at left and the top 10 active outfielders in career Box-Toppers points are shown at right.

While Ramirez ranks first in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, Bonds would actually have more career Box-Toppers points if his entire career from 1986 were tracked. Rough projections put his career total at about 230 Box-Toppers points and a dominant lead over the top 10 outfielders currently on the “all-time” list.

Bonds’ lead would dominate even if other outfielders with experience prior to 1995 had their Box-Toppers point totals similarly projected. The five other outfielders on the list who played prior to 1995 are Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Ken Griffey Jr., Larry Walker and Sammy Sosa. Here is how they would rank based on projected Box-Toppers points:

  1. Bonds 230
  2. Ramirez 173
  3. Sheffield 155
  4. Griffey 140
  5. Walker 135
  6. Sosa 135
  7. Vladimir Guerrero 128.3
  8. Torii Hunter 115.9
  9. Lance Berkman 108.1
  10. Matt Holliday 100.8

The first six players on the list include projected career Box-Toppers point totals. The outfielders ranked seventh through 10th all played in 1995 or later, so their entire careers were tracked by Box-Toppers and the numbers are actual career point totals.

The top three players on the projected points list are all tainted by baseball’s performance enhancing drug scandal. All put up Hall of Fame numbers and all have not been voted into the Hall mainly due to the drug taint. Griffey, the fourth-ranked outfielder based on projected points, was voted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2016. 

Vladimir Guerrero, who ranks third among all outfielders in Box-Toppers points since 1995, was voted into the Hall of Fame in January and will be inducted this summer. While he is Box-Toppers’ highest-ranked outfielder to be inducted to the Hall, he actually ranks below another Hall inductee, Griffey, based on projected Box-Toppers points.

At the end of the 2016 season, Carlos Beltran ranked first among active outfielders in career Box-Toppers points. And while Beltran remained active in 2017, playing for the Astros, he played mainly as a designated hitter, lost his status as an outfielder and so is not listed here. However, because Beltran retired at the end of 2017, he will be listed at the position he primarily played in his career—centerfield. That means moving forward, Beltran, with 108.6 career Box-Toppers points, will be listed in seventh place among all outfielders in career points since 1995.

While Matt Holliday is listed as the leader among active outfielders in career Box-Toppers points, he barely qualified to be listed at outfield in 2017. In fact, he actually played no outfield in 2017—he played in 105 games during the season with 90 at designated hitter and eight at first base. He earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors only twice during the season, once on April 28 at DH and once on May 8 at first base. Both times he earned AL Batter of the Day honors, worth 1.5 Box-Toppers points each, giving him 3.0 Box-Toppers points for the season. However, Box-Toppers still lists Holliday as an outfielder since he earned points there in 2016 and since he did not earn enough Player of the Game honors to firmly establish himself at any other position.

Holliday is primarily listed as a designated hitter and ranks third among active players at that position. Holliday is also listed at first base, since he earned Player of the Game honors twice there in his career (both during the previous two seasons), though he has only played there 18 games in his 1,716-game career. Still, he also ranks second among active first basemen in career Box-Toppers points, behind Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (146.9).

Were Holliday to retire, he would be listed at the position he played the majority of his career—left field.

Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins leads all outfielders in Box-Toppers points over the past season (14.2 in 2017) and past two seasons (20.7 over 2016-17). Stanton ranks second among National League outfielders over the past six seasons (44.9 from 2012-17). Stanton was traded to the Yankees in the offseason, moving to the American League.

Rookie Aaron Judge of the Yankees led AL outfielders in Box-Toppers points over the past season (11.2 in 2017). And though he earned no points in 2016, Judge still ranks ninth among AL outfielders over the past two seasons (11.2 over 2016-17).

Jay Bruce, who finished 2017 with the Indians, leads AL outfielders over the past two seasons (18.5 over 2016-17). Bruce ranks second among AL outfielders over the past season (10.0 in 2017), fifth among AL outfielders over the past six seasons (35.7 from 2012-17) and fourth in career points among active outfielders (68.8). Bruce is returning to the NL and the Mets in 2018, the team with whom he began the 2017 season. (And Bruce is listed as an AL outfielder because he finished 2017 with the Indians, even though he only played a couple of months there and spent the entire rest of his career with NL teams.)

Mike Trout of the Angels all outfielders in Box-Toppers points over the past six seasons (52.5 from 2012-17) and ranks second among AL outfielders over the past two seasons (17.5 from 2016-17). However, Trout only had 5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2017 and ranked outside the top 10 AL outfielders for the season. Also, Trout’s 54.0 career Box-Toppers points ranks 12th among active outfielders, just 1.7 points behind Hunter Pence of the Giants, who is 10th place on that list.

Andrew McCutchen, who played for the Pirates in 2017, led NL outfielders in Box-Toppers points over the past six seasons (47.5 from 2012-17). He also ranked third among NL outfielders over the past season (9.0 in 2017), second among NL outfielders over the past two seasons (16.0 over 2016-17) and eighth in career points among active outfielders (62.9). McCutchen will stay in the NL in 2018, but will play for the Giants.

Of the 10 outfielders with the most career Box-Toppers points since 1995, only Holliday was active at the close of 2017. However, Holliday, 38, is listed as a free agent, though he has said he wants to continue playing in 2018.

All 10 of active outfielders with the most career Box-Toppers points earned points during 2017. Fourth-ranked Bruce earned the most with 10.0. Fifth-ranked Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays earned the fewest with 2.5.

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: 

Related Box-Toppers High by Position posts showing Box-Toppers points leaders by position over several time frames—past season (2017), past two seasons (2016-17), past six seasons (2012-17) and “all-time” (since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began):

  • First base: Miguel Cabrera leads all-time (career Box-Toppers points since 1995). He also leads all active first basemen in career points and leads all first basemen over the past six seasons. Anthony Rizzo leads past season.
  • Second base: Jeff Kent leads all-time. Scooter Gennett leads past season.
  • Shortstop: Miguel Tejada leads all-time over Derek Jeter. Elvis Andrus leads past season (and also past two seasons).
  • Third base: Alex Rodriguez leads all-time. Jose Ramirez leads past season.
  • Catcher: Mike Piazza leads all-time. Buster Posey leads past season (and also past two and past six seasons).
  • Outfield: Manny Ramirez leads all-time. Giancarlo Stanton leads past season (and also past two seasons).
  • Designated hitter: Albert Pujols leads all-time (and also leads active DHs in career points). Edwin Encarnacion leads past season (and also past two seasons and past six seasons).
  • Pitcher: Randy Johnson leads all-time. Clayton Kershaw leads active pitchers in career points (and also leads over past six seasons). Chris Sale leads past season. Max Scherzer leads past two seasons.
  • Closing pitcher: Trevor Hoffman leads all-time over all-time saves leader Mariano Rivera. Craig Kimbrel leads active closers in career points (and also leads over past two seasons and past six seasons). Edwin Diaz leads over past six seasons.
  • Overall: Johnson leads all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995. Kershaw leads active players in career points and also leads all players over the past six seasons. Chris Sale led players in 2017. Max Scherzer leads players over the past two seasons.