Here is a look at Box-Toppers choices for the All-MLB Team for 2021.
Voting is open here until Friday, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Winners will be announced Nov. 23 with a first and second All-MLB team.
Box-Toppers All-MLB team choices
Here are Box-Toppers’ choices for the All-MLB team. Voting is underway until Nov. 19 at mlb.com/allmlb. Players chosen are the Box-Toppers points leader at each position regardless of league. Only one player Box-Toppers would have chosen for the All-MLB team did not appear on the ballot—Ian Kennedy of the Phillies was not listed among candidates for All-MLB team relief pitcher, despite him earning more Box-Toppers points, 8.7, than any other reliever. Box-Toppers instead voted for Box-Toppers’ third-ranked reliever, Craig Kimbrel of the White Sox. Shown here are the Box-Toppers points leader at each position, their point total and their rank among all players in Box-Toppers points for 2021.| Pos | Player | Team | BTP | Rank |
| 1B | Joey Votto | Reds | 9.7 | 53 |
| 2B | Brandon Lowe | Rays | 10.5 | 42 |
| SS | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Padres | 10.2 | 45 |
| 3B | Jose Ramirez | Indians | 13.0 | 21 |
| CA | J.T. Realmuto | Phillies | 7.2 | 94 |
| OF | Nick Castellanos | Reds | 11.5 | 35 |
| OF | Aaron Judge | Yankees | 9.0 | 60 |
| OF | Adam Duvall | Braves | 8.0 | 76 |
| DH | J.D. Martinez | Red Sox | 10.7 | 40 |
| SP | Max Scherzer | Dodgers | 25.1 | 1 |
| SP | Gerrit Cole | Yankees | 22.4 | 2 |
| SP | Zack Wheeler | Phillies | 21.1 | 3 |
| SP | Julio Uras | Dodgers | 19.1 | 4 |
| SP | Corbin Burnes | Brewers | 18.1 | 5 |
| RP | Ian Kennedy* | Phillies | 8.7 | 70 |
| RP | Liam Hendriks | White Sox | 7.0 | 96 |
| RP | Craig Kimbrel* | White Sox | 6.7 | 116 |
* Ian Kennedy of the Phillies led all relievers with 8.7 Box-Toppers points, but was not among the candidates for the All-MLB team. Since the ballot required picking two relievers, we chose Liam Hendriks of the White Sox, ranked second among relievers with 7.0 Box-Toppers points and Craig Kimbrel of the White Sox, ranked third among relievers with 6.7 points.
Unlike the midseason All-Star Game choices, players are chosen regardless of league, meaning the All-MLB Teams will likely be a mix of both American League and National League players. Box-Toppers did choose end-of-season 2021 All-Star teams based on league in October.
Here are Box-Toppers choices:
First base
Joey Votto of the Reds led at the position with 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 53rd among all players and third among NL batters.
Second base
Brandon Lowe of the Rays led at the position with 10.5 Box-Toppers points, 42nd among all players and third among AL batters.
Shortstop
Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres led at the position with 10.2 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players and second among AL batters.
Third base
Jose Ramirez of the Indians led at the position with 13.0 Box-Toppers points, 21st among all players and first among AL batters.
Catcher
J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies led at the position with 7.2 Box-Toppers points, 94th among all players and 12th among NL batters.
Outfield
Box-Toppers chose the three outfielders with the most Box-Toppers points in 2021:
Nick Castellanos of the Reds led at the position with 11.5 Box-Toppers points, 35th among all players and first among NL batters.
Aaron Judge of the Yankees ranked second at the position with 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 60th among all players and fourth among AL batters.
Adam Duvall of the Braves ranked third at the position with 8.0 Box-Toppers points, 76th among all players and seventh among NL batters.
Designated hitter
Box-Toppers selections for All-MLB Team.
J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox led at the position with 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 40th among all players and second among AL batters.
While Shohei Ohtani of the Angels had more 2021 Box-Toppers points (16.1, third among AL players), he earned only 4.0 as a designated hitter, the other 12.1 as a starting pitcher. And because he earned such an overwhelming majority of his Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors as a pitcher, he did not qualify to be ranked among designated hitters or batters.
Starting pitchers
The All-MLB Team ballot requires voting for five starting pitchers. These five had the most 2021 Box-Toppers points among all starting pitchers:
Max Scherzer of the Dodgers had 25.1 Box-Toppers points, first among all players and first among NL pitchers.
Gerrit Cole of the Yankees had 22.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players and first among AL pitchers.
Zack Wheeler of the Phillies had 21.1 Box-Toppers points, third among all players and second among NL pitchers.
Julio Urias of the Dodgers had 19.1 Box-Toppers points, fourth among all players and third among NL pitchers.
Corbin Burnes of the Brewers had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players and fourth among NL pitchers.
Of the five top pitchers, Cole is the only American League pitcher. The second-place AL pitcher, Robbie Ray of the Blue Jays, ranked sixth overall, just behind Burnes, with 17.7 Box-Toppers points.
Relievers
Box-Toppers’ top-ranked relief pitcher, Ian Kennedy of the Phillies, was not among the 16 candidates on the All-MLB Team ballot.
Kennedy led all relievers with 8.7 Box-Toppers points, 70th among all players and 35th among NL pitchers.
Kennedy had 26 saves in 2021, 11th among all closers. He began the season with the Rangers, earning 5.0 Box-Toppers points, before being traded to the Phillies at midseason, earning his final 3.7 points. Perhaps Kennedy was left off the ballot because nominators were more familiar with his role as a starting pitcher from 2010 to 2018 with the Diamondbacks, Padres and Royals, including 2011 with Arizona, when he earned 19.4 points as a starter, eighth among all players and fifth among NL pitchers.
So because Kennedy did not appear on the ballot and since the ballot requires choosing two relievers, we chose Box-Toppers’ second- and third-ranked players at the position:
Liam Hendriks of the White Sox ranked second at the position with 7.0 Box-Toppers points, 96th among all players, 33rd among AL pitchers and first among AL closing pitchers.
Craig Kimbrel of the White Sox ranked third at the position with 6.7 Box-Toppers points, 116th among all players, 41st among AL pitchers and second among AL closing pitchers. It should be noted that Kimbrel earned all of his 2021 Box-Toppers points during the first half of the season when he was with the National League Cubs and did not earn any additional points after his midseason trade to the White Sox. But since he ended his season with the White Sox, his points are ranked among AL players.
Kennedy and Hendriks were also Box-Toppers’ choices for Reliever of the Year.
Neither Kennedy nor the second-ranked NL closer, Alex Reyes of the Cardinals (6.7 points) appear on the All-MLB ballot for relievers. The highest-ranking NL reliever who appears on the ballot is third-ranked Kenley Jansen of the Dodgers with 6.0 points, who ranks fifth among all closers in 2021.
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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