The two pitchers with the lowest earned run averages in 2020 were also Box-Toppers’ two top-ranked players for the season.
ERA leaders’ Box-Toppers points
Here is how 2020 earned run average leaders fared in Box-Toppers points. Players are listed from lowest ERA. Also shown are their 2020 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their rank in Box-Toppers points among all players.| Player | Team | ERA | BTP | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane Bieber | Indians | 1.63 | 11.4 | 1 |
| 2 | Trevor Bauer | Reds | 1.73 | 10.0 | 2 |
| 3 | Dallas Keuchel | White Sox | 1.99 | 1.0 | 333 |
| 4 | Yu Darvish | Cubs | 2.01 | 9.7 | 3 |
| 5 | Dinelson Lamet | Padres | 2.09 | 9.0 | 5 |
| 6 | Chris Bassitt | Athletics | 2.29 | 6.4 | 16 |
| 7 | Jacob deGrom | Mets | 2.38 | 8.7 | 6 |
| 8 | Hyun Jin Ryu | Blue Jays | 2.69 | 6.0 | 17 |
| 9 | Kenta Maeda | Twins | 2.70 | 8.4 | 7 |
| 10 | Zach Davies | Padres | 2.73 | 2.0 | 172 |
In fact, six of the seven ERA leaders for 2020 rank among the top 10 overall players in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Indians pitcher Shane Bieber had both the lowest ERA for 2020 (1.63) and the highest Box-Toppers point total for the season (11.4). Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer had both the second-lowest ERA for 2020 (1.73) and the second-highest Box-Toppers point total for the season (10.0). Bieber led all American League players in both ERA and Box-Toppers points; Bauer led all National League players in both ERA and Box-Toppers points.
Bieber and Bauer were also both their league’s Cy Young Award winners for 2020.
There are four other players who were among the top 10 in both lowest ERA and highest Box-Toppers point totals for the season:
Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish, who ranked fourth in ERA (2.01) and third in Box-Toppers points (9.7).
Padres pitcher Dinelson Lamet, who ranked fifth in ERA (2.09) and fifth in Box-Toppers points (9.0).
Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom, who ranked seventh in ERA (2.38) and sixth in Box-Toppers points (8.7).
Twins pitcher Kenta Maeda, who ranked ninth in ERA (2.70) and seventh in Box-Toppers points (8.4).
Six of the seven players with the most Box-Toppers points in 2020 are among the top 10 ERA leaders. The only player among the top seven in Box-Toppers points not among the ERA leaders is Lance Lynn of the Rangers, who ranked fourth with 9.1 Box-Toppers points. Lynn had an ERA of 3.32, 22nd-lowest.
Two other players ranked among the top 20 in overall Box-Toppers points ranked among the top 10 ERA leaders for 2020:
Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt ranked sixth in ERA (2.29) and 16th in Box-Toppers points (6.4).
Blue Jays pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu ranked eighth in ERA (2.69) and 17th in Box-Toppers points (6.0). Ryu had the lowest ERA in 2019 (2.32) and ranked 10th in Box-Toppers points that season (17.4).
Two other top 10 ERA leaders ranked far outside the overall top 100 in Box-Toppers points for 2020:
Padres pitcher Zach Davies ranked 10th in ERA (2.73) but 172nd in Box-Toppers points (2.0).
White Sox pitcher Dallas Keuchel ranked third in ERA (1.99) and 333rd in Box-Toppers points (1.0). Keuchel made 11 appearances in 2020, pitching in seven White Sox victories (earning six wins), but earned Player of the Game honors just once on Sept. 6, in an 8-2 win over the Royals. Keuchel’s 1.0 Box-Toppers point ranked 87th among AL pitchers.
The 2020 season was shortened from 162 to 60 games after the start of the season was delayed three months by the coronavirus pandemic.
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
Earned run average leaders: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.