Khris Davis of the Athletics led all players in home runs in 2018 but ranked relatively low in Box-Toppers player rankings—just 47th among American League batters.
Home run leaders’ Box-Toppers points
Here is how 2018 home run leaders fared in Box-Toppers points. Players are listed by most home runs. Also shown are their 2018 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their rank in Box-Toppers tops among all players.| Player | Team | HR | BTP | Rank | |
| 1 | Khris Davis | Athletics | 48 | 4.5 | 222 |
| 2 | J.D. Martinez | Red Sox | 43 | 12.5 | 28 |
| 3 | Joey Gallo | Rangers | 40 | 5.0 | 184 |
| 4 | Mike Trout | Angels | 39 | 8.0 | 76 |
| 4 | Jose Ramirez | Indians | 39 | 6.0 | 135 |
| 6 | Nolan Arenado | Rockies | 38 | 5.0 | 180 |
| 6 | Francisco Lindor | Indians | 38 | 9.6 | 57 |
| 6 | Giancarlo Stanton | Yankees | 38 | 6.5 | 120 |
| 9 | Manny Machado | Dodgers | 37 | 5.7 | 156 |
| 9 | Nelson Cruz | Mariners | 37 | 2.5 | 374 |
| 9 | Trevor Story | Rockies | 37 | 6.0 | 145 |
Meanwhile, J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox, who led all batters in Box-Toppers points in 2018 with 12.5, ranked second in home runs. And just three of the top 10 home run hitters in 2018 are among the top 100 ranked players in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Davis led all players with 48 home runs, but had just 4.5 Box-Toppers points, which ranks 222nd among all players. Normally, the top home run hitter is among the top batters in Box-Toppers points and has been at least among the overall top 100 players in each of the past four seasons. Home runs generally help a player earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors more frequently and rack up more Box-Toppers points, but it wasn’t the case this year. Davis, in fact, has the second-fewest Box-Toppers points of any of the top 10 home run hitters. Only Nelson Cruz of the Mariners (37 home runs, tied for ninth place) has fewer (2.5 Box-Toppers points, 374th among all players).
Martinez hit 43 home runs, five fewer than Davis, but led all batters with 12.5 Box-Toppers points, 28th among all players. Martinez is the only top 10 home run hitter with at least 10 Box-Toppers points in 2018. Not too surprising considering only five batters earned 10 or more points in 2018, tying the record for fewest batters to reach that mark (2014) since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
The other two players in both the top 10 in home runs and top 100 in Box-Toppers points are:
Mike Trout of the Angels, who ranks tied for fourth with 39 home runs and 76th among all players in Box-Toppers points with 8.0.
Francisco Lindor of the Indians, who ranks tied for sixth with 38 home runs and 57th among all players in Box-Toppers points with 9.6.
Both Trout and Lindor rank among the top 10 American League batters in 2018 Box-Toppers points—Trout ranks fifth and Lindor ranks third.
Nolan Arenado or the Rockies led National League players in home runs with 38, tied for sixth among all players. Arenado earned 5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2018, 180th among all players and 31st among NL batters.
Fewer top 10 home run leaders rank among the top 100 in Box-Toppers points than in recent years. In 2018, it was three. In 2017, it was four. In 2016, it was seven. And in 2015, eight of the top 10 home run leaders ranked among the top 100.
Overall, batters are earning a smaller share of overall Box-Toppers points compared to pitchers. Prior to 2010, batters earned about 50 percent or more of all points awarded, but since then, their share has slipped to less than half and as low as 39 percent in 2018. Also, in 2009 and before, there were never fewer than 16 batters who earned at least 10 Box-Toppers points in a season. But since 2010, the highest number of batters with 10 or more points in a season is 12. There have been 10 or fewer batters with 10 or more points in eight seasons, all since 2010.
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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