Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer holds the lead in five of Box-Toppers’ main leaderboards at the end of 2021, most of any player.
Box-Toppers’ leaderboard overview
Here are Box-Toppers points category leaders over different time frames. Overall leaders and leaders for AL and NL pitchers and batters are shown for 2021, for 2020-21 (past two seasons), for 2016-21 (past six seasons) and for 1995-2021 (“all-time,” since the start of Box-Toppers tracking). Each top-ranked player is shown with their category timeframe-leading Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.| OVERALL | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 2021 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Dodgers | 25.1 |
| 2020‑21 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 29.8 |
| 2016‑21 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Dodgers | 120.3 |
| 1995‑21 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Retired | 282.5 |
| AL PITCHERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 2021 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 22.4 |
| 2020‑21 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 29.8 |
| 2016‑21 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 93.5 |
| AL BATTERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 2021 | Jose Ramirez | 3b | Indians | 13.0 |
| 2020‑21 | Jose Ramirez | 3b | Indians | 16.5 |
| 2016‑21 | J.D. Martinez | dh | Red Sox | 42.7 |
| NL PITCHERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 2021 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Dodgers | 25.1 |
| 2020‑21 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Dodgers | 29.1 |
| 2016‑21 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Dodgers | 120.3 |
| NL BATTERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 2021 | Nick Castellanos | rf | Reds | 11.5 |
| 2020‑21 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | ss | Padres | 13.2 |
| 2016‑21 | Nolan Arenado | 3b | Cardinals | 43.9 |
| PITCHERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1995‑21 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Retired | 282.5 |
| BATTERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1995‑21 | Albert Pujols | 1b | Dodgers | 204.8 |
NOTE: Players are listed with their playing status at the close of 2021. Only active players are included in the 2021, 2020-21 and 2016-21 lists. All players, including retired and released players, are included in the “all-time” list, 1995-2021. Since retired and released players have no current team or league affiliation, there are no separate AL and NL lists for 1995-2021 leaders—all players are grouped into a single batting or pitching list.
Scherzer, who led all players in Box-Toppers points during 2021 with 25.1, also leads in these categories:
Most overall points over the past six seasons (2016-21)—120.3.
Most points by a National League pitcher in 2021—25.1.
Most points by NL pitcher over past two seasons (2020-21)—29.1.
Most points by NL pitcher over past six seasons (2016-21)—120.3.
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole leads four Box-Toppers leaderboards, second most of any player:
Most overall points over the past two seasons (2020-21)—29.8.
Most points by an American League pitcher in 2021—22.4
Most points by AL pitcher over the past two seasons (2020-21)—29.8.
Most points by AL pitcher over the past six seasons (2016-2021)—93.5
Here is a look at leaders in Box-Toppers’ main 18 leaderboards—the Box-Toppers points leaders broken down by time (2021, 2020-21, 2016-21 and 1995-2021), position (batters and pitchers) and league (American League and National League).
Pitcher Randy Johnson, who retired in 2009, leads players (and all pitchers) in Box-Toppers points since 1995 (when player tracking began) with 282.5. (Johnson started his career before Box-Toppers tracking began. If his entire career from 1988 were tracked, rough projections put his career Box-Toppers point total at 385.)
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.
Other highlights from the leaderboards:
Jose Ramirez of the Indians led AL batters in 2021 (13.0 points) and over 2020-21 (16.5).
J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox led AL batters over 2016-21 (42.7).
Nick Castellanos of the Reds led NL batters in 2021 (11.5).
Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres led NL batters over 2020-21 (13.2).
Nolan Arenado of the Cardinals led NL batters over 2016-21 (43.9).
Albert Pujols of the Dodgers has the most Box-Toppers points of any batter (204.8) since tracking began in 1995.
Box-Toppers maintains separate AL and NL categories for three of the main leaderboards—2021, 2020-21 and 2016-21. But the 1995-2021 “all-time” leaderboard includes players who are retired, released or not currently affiliated with a team, so all players are grouped into single pitching leader or batting leader lists with no separate league affiliations.
Pandemic affect on points
One interesting thing to note: There is not much difference in the 2021 and 2020-21 point totals. For example, Scherzer leads NL pitchers in the past season with 25.1 and also leads NL pitchers over the past two seasons with 29.1, just 4.0 more points. The 2020 season was shortened from 162 games to 60 games by the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in players having far fewer Box-Toppers points, skewing that season’s statistics when compared with the others.
The most glaring example of pandemic point deflation over the past two seasons came in the NL batting category. Castellanos led over the past season with 11.5 points but Tatis led over the past two seasons with 13.2, just 1.7 points more.
Each of the combined totals in the 2020-21 leaderboard are lower than many players have earned in a single season and far lower than the record totals one player has earned in a single season in the categories:
Most overall points in a single season and most by an NL pitcher—Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks, 33.7 in both 2000 and 2002.
Most points by an AL pitcher—Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox, 33.5 in 2000.
Most points by an NL batter—Lance Berkman of the Astros, 20.8 in 2006.
Most points by an AL batter–Albert Belle of the Indians, 20.4 in 1996.
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Detailed leaderboards
Box-Toppers leaderboards, showing the top 10 players in each category (overall and AL and NL pitchers and batters):