Six of the 10 top strikeout leaders in 2021 were also among the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Strikeout leaders’ Box-Toppers points
Here is how 2021 strikeout (K) leaders fared in Box-Toppers points. Players are ranked by strikeouts. Also shown are their 2021 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their rank in Box-Toppers points among all players.| Player | Team | K | BTP | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robbie Ray | Blue Jays | 248 | 17.7 | 6 |
| 2 | Zack Wheeler | Phillies | 247 | 21.1 | 3 |
| 3 | Gerrit Cole | Yankees | 243 | 22.4 | 2 |
| 4 | Max Scherzer | Dodgers | 236 | 25.1 | 1 |
| 5 | Corbin Burnes | Brewers | 234 | 18.1 | 5 |
| 6 | Kevin Gausman | Giants | 227 | 13.7 | 18 |
| 7 | Dylan Cease | White Sox | 226 | 14.4 | 15 |
| 8 | Aaron Nola | Phillies | 223 | 10.7 | 38 |
| 9 | Charlie Morton | Braves | 216 | 12.7 | 25 |
| 10 | Walker Buehler | Dodgers | 212 | 16.7 | 10 |
Blue Jays pitcher Robbie Ray led all players with 248 strikeouts. He ranked sixth overall in Box-Toppers points with 17.7, second among American League pitchers. Ray won the AL Cy Young Award.
Box-Toppers points leader Max Scherzer of the Dodgers (25.1) ranked fourth with 236 strikeouts.
The other four strikeout leaders who were also among Box-Toppers’ top 10 players for 2021:
Zack Wheeler of the Phillies ranked second in strikeouts (247) and third in Box-Toppers points (21.1), second among National League pitchers (behind Scherzer).
Gerrit Cole of the Yankees ranked third in strikeouts (243) and second in Box-Toppers points (22.4), first among AL pitchers.
Corbin Burnes of the Brewers ranked fifth in strikeouts (234) and fifth in Box-Toppers points (18.1), fourth among NL pitchers. Burnes won the NL Cy Young Award.
Walker Buehler of the Dodgers ranked 10th in strikeouts (212) and 10th in Box-Toppers points (16.7), eighth among NL pitchers.
The remaining four strikeout leaders all ranked outside Box-Toppers’ overall top 10, but all ranked within the overall top 40 players:
Kevin Gausman of the Giants ranked sixth in strikeouts (227) and 18th in Box-Toppers points (13.7), 11th among NL pitchers.
Dylan Cease of the White Sox ranked seventh in strikeouts (226) and 15th in Box-Toppers points (14.4), fifth among AL pitchers.
Aaron Nola of the Phillies ranked eighth in strikeouts (223) and 38th in Box-Toppers points (10.7), 22nd among NL pitchers, the lowest ranked of the 10 top strikeout leaders.
Charlie Morton of the Braves ranked ninth in strikeouts (216) and 25th in Box-Toppers points (12.7), 16th among NL pitchers.
Here’s how the remaining top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (all pitchers) ranked in strikeout totals for 2021:
Julio Urias of the Dodgers, who ranked fourth with 19.1 Box-Toppers points, had 195 strikeouts, ranked 19th.
German Marquez of the Rockies, who ranked seventh with 17.4 Box-Toppers points, had 176 strikeouts, tied for 27th.
Brandon Woodruff of the Brewers, who ranked eighth with 17.1 Box-Toppers points, had 211 strikeouts, ranked 11th.
Jacob deGrom of the Mets, who ranked ninth with 16.7 Box-Toppers points, had 146 strikeouts, tied for 50th. deGrom had the fewest strikeouts among the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points for 2021.
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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