While six of the top 12 home run hitters in 2021 ranked among their league’s top 10 batters in Box-Toppers points for the season, the two top home run hitters ranked low.
Home run leaders’ Box-Toppers points
Here is how 2021 home run leaders fared in Box-Toppers points. Players are listed by most home runs. Also shown are their 2021 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their rank in Box-Toppers points among all players.| Player | Team | HR | BTP | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salvador Perez | Royals | 48 | 4.5 | 222 |
| 1 | Vladimir Guerrero | Blue Jays | 48 | 3.7 | 264 |
| 3 | Shohei Ohtani | Angels | 46 | 16.1 | 12 |
| 4 | Marcus Semien | Blue Jays | 45 | 6.2 | 130 |
| 5 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Padres | 42 | 10.2 | 45 |
| 6 | Brandon Lowe | Rays | 39 | 10.5 | 42 |
| 6 | Aaron Judge | Yankees | 39 | 9.0 | 60 |
| 6 | Matt Olson | Athletics | 39 | 8.0 | 79 |
| 6 | Mitch Haniger | Mariners | 39 | 7.5 | 89 |
| 10 | Adam Duvall | Braves | 38 | 8.0 | 76 |
| 10 | Rafael Devers | Red Sox | 38 | 7.5 | 84 |
| 10 | Joey Gallo | Yankees | 38 | 5.5 | 167 |
Salvador Perez of the Royals and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays led all players with 48 home runs each in 2021, but both were the lowest ranked among the 12 top home run hitters in Box-Toppers points, both ranking outside the overall top 200 players.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, who ranked third in home runs with 46, ranked highest in Box-Toppers points among the 12 top home run leaders in 2021 (12th with 16.1). However, because he earned the overwhelming majority of his Box-Toppers points as a starting pitcher, he was not ranked among his league’s batters in Box-Toppers points.
Perez ranks 222nd overall with 4.5 Box-Toppers points, 37th among American League batters. Perez won Player of the Game honors in four of the Royals’ 74 wins in 2021. He had the third-most points of any Royals batters, behind Whit Merrifield (5.0) and Andrew Benintendi (4.7).
Guerrero ranks 264th overall with 3.7 Box-Toppers points, 52nd among AL batters. Guerrero won Player of the Game honors in just three of the Blue Jays’ 91 wins in 2021. He had the seventh-most points of any Blue Jays batters, behind another top 12 home run leader, Marcus Semien, who ranked fourth with 45 home runs and 130th overall with 6.2 Box-Toppers points.
While Ohtani had the most Box-Toppers points (16.1) among the top 12 home run hitters, he earned Player of the Game honors only three times as a designated hitter, compared to nine times as a starting pitcher. Though he had more Box-Toppers points than top AL batter Jose Ramirez of the Indians (13.0), Ohtani did not qualify to rank among batters in Box-Toppers points since so many of his Player of the Game honors came as a pitcher. In order for players to be listed at a certain position, they need to have more than 25 percent of their Player of the Game honors at that position. Ohtani earned exactly 25 percent of his Player of the Game honors as a designated hitter and so was not ranked as a batter. Ohtani ranked third among all AL players and all AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points. He was also voted AL Most Valuable Player.
Ohtani played 155 games in 2021, serving as designated hitter in 126 and starting 23 games as a pitcher.
Normally, the top home run hitters are among the top batters in Box-Toppers points. Home runs generally help a player earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors more frequently and rack up more Box-Toppers points.
Brandon Lowe of the Rays has the most 2021 Box-Toppers points of any qualified batter among the top 12 home run hitters. Lowe, who ranks tied for sixth in home runs with 39, earned 10.5 Box-Toppers points in 2021, 42nd among all players and third among AL batters.
Lowe is one of six of the top 12 home run leaders to also be among his league’s top 10 batters in Box-Toppers points for 2021. The others are:
Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres, whose 42 home runs ranks fifth and whose 10.2 Box-Toppers points ranks 45th overall, second among National League batters. (Tatis led NL batters in home runs.)
Aaron Judge of the Yankees, whose 39 home runs is tied for sixth and whose 9.0 Box-Toppers points ranks 60th overall, fourth among AL batters.
Matt Olson of the Athletics, whose 39 home runs is tied for sixth and whose 8.0 Box-Toppers points ranks 79th overall, seventh among AL batters.
Adam Duvall of the Braves, whose 38 home runs is tied for 10th and whose 8.0 Box-Toppers points ranks 76th overall, seventh among NL batters.
Rafael Devers of the Red Sox, whose 38 home runs is tied for 10th and whose 7.5 Box-Toppers points ranks 84th overall, eighth among AL batters.
In addition to these six, two other top 12 home run hitters ranked among the overall top 100 players in Box-Toppers points but did not rank among their league’s top 10 batters. Ohtani, 12th overall, who did not qualify to rank among batters is one of them. The other is Mitch Haniger of the Mariners, whose 39 home runs is tied for sixth and whose 7.5 Box-Toppers points ranks 89th overall, 11th among AL batters. (Though Haniger had the same Box-Toppers point total as Devers, he ranked behind him and two other AL batters who had more Box-Toppers points in 2020. Haniger had no Box-Toppers points in 2020, while Devers had 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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