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On April 25, 1995, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins, 8-7, to open the 1995 regular season.
That game 25 years ago today marked the beginning of Box-Toppers. Through the past 25 seasons—1995 to 2019—I’ve analyzed each of the approximately 60,000 regular season games played, determining a top player in each game, rewarding points to the top players and tracking those points for the past quarter century.
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How impressive was Madison Bumgarner’s postseason performance?
The ace starting pitcher earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors five times in the Giants’ World Series-winning playoff run. That means he was top player in 15 percent of the 32 postseason games played. He was top player in 29 percent of the 17 postseason games the Giants played. He was top player in 42 percent of the 12 postseason games the Giants won. And he was top player in 71 percent of the seven games in which he appeared.
By comparison, Bumgarner earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors 15 times in his 33 regular season starts. Bumgarner ranked third among all players in regular season Box-Toppers points with 22.6 (see Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings), so his regular season was pretty impressive. But if he were to maintain his pace this October throughout a regular season, he would have something like 45.0 Box-Toppers points for a season. That would shatter the all-time record for Box-Toppers points in a single season of 33.7 set by Randy Johnson in both 2000 and 2002. (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).
See a recap of who earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in all 32 of the 2014 postseason games in the chart below. Bumgarner’s five top player honors are highlighted in red text.
Bumgarner’s five Player of the Game honors were far and away the most by any player in the 2014 postseason. Four other players were each Player of the Game twice during the postseason:
• Travis Ishikawa of the Giants: In National League Championship Series Game 3 and Game 5.
• Yusmeiro Petit of the Giants: In NL Division Series Game 2 and NLCS Game 4.
• Wade Davis of the Royals: In American League Championship Series Game 1 and World Series Game 3.
• Lorenzo Cain of the Royals: In ALCS Game 2 and World Series Game 6.
Nineteen players each earned Player of the Game honors once during the 2014 postseason.
Bumgarner also had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Player of the Game in all 32 postseason games. On Oct. 1, in the NL Wild Card Game, Bumgarner had a Box-Toppers game score of +14.0—he pitched a complete game 8-0 shutout over the Pirates, striking out 10.
Bumgarner also had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score of the postseason’s 32 Players of the Game (+13.0 in his World Series Game 5 shutout of the Royals, 5-0). In fact, Bumgarner had five of the 10 highest Box-Toppers game scores of all 2014 postseason Player of the Game honorees (see the chart of the top 10 at the bottom of the post).
Three of Bumgarner’s five Player of the Game honors came during the World Series as the Giants defeated the Royals four games to three.
Wade Davis had the highest Box-Toppers game score for a Player of the Game honoree among Royals players in the postseason. His game score of +6.0 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series ranks as 10th-highest in the 2014 postseason among Player of the Game honorees.
Pitchers monopolized the top 10 chart for highest Box-Toppers game score among Player of the Game honorees. The highest game score among batters was +3.0 by Hunter Pence of the Giants when he was Player of the Game in World Series Game 4.
The lowest Box-Toppers game score to win Player of the Game honors was +1.0 by Travis Ishikawa in Game 3 of the NLCS. The second-lowest Box-Toppers game score to win Player of the Game honors was +2.0 by Oscar Taveras of the Cardinals, who hit a pinch-hit home run in Game 2 of the NLCS. Taveras was killed in a car accident Oct. 26, 12 days after the game.
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.
Listings below are chronological, starting from the first Wild Card Game on Sept. 30 to the final World Series Game on Oct. 29—32 games in all (out of a total of 43 possible games if all series went the distance). On days where more than one game was played, players are listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score. There is a different background color for each postseason round—Wild Card round in yellow, League Division Series round in green, League Championship Series round in blue and World Series in red. Madison Bumgarner’s name is highlighted in red text in his five Player of the Game postseason honors.
| Date | Round | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/30 | ALWC | 2.0 | Royals | Eric Hosmer 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/1 | NLWC | 14.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 10/2 | ALDS | 3.0 | Orioles | Nelson Cruz DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/2 | ALDS | 3.0 | Royals | Greg Holland (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10/3 | ALDS | 4.0 | `Royals | Yordano Ventura | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 10/3 | NLDS | 3.2 | Giants | Jake Peavy (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 10/3 | NLDS | 3.0 | Cardinals | Matt Carpenter 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/3 | ALDS | 3.0 | Orioles | Delmon Young PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/4 | NLDS | 10.0 | `Dodgers | Zack Greinke | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 10/4 | NLDS | 9.0 | Giants | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| 10/5 | ALDS | 8.1 | Orioles | Bud Norris (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 10/5 | ALDS | 3.0 | Royals | Norichika Aoki RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/6 | NLDS | 7.0 | Cardinals | John Lackey (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 10/6 | NLDS | 3.0 | Nationals | Doug Fister (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |
| 10/7 | NLDS | 3.2 | `Giants | Ryan Vogelsong | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 10/7 | NLDS | 2.0 | Cardinals | Matt Adams 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/10 | ALCS | 6.0 | Royals | Wade Davis (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 10/11 | NLCS | 9.2 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 10/11 | ALCS | 2.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF, RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/12 | NLCS | 2.0 | Cardinals | Oscar Taveras PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/14 | ALCS | 3.0 | `Royals | Kelvin Herrera (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10/14 | NLCS | 1.0 | Giants | Travis Ishikawa LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/15 | NLCS | 5.0 | Giants | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 10/15 | ALCS | 4.1 | Royals | Jason Vargas (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 10/16 | NLCS | 2.0 | Giants | Travis Ishikawa LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/21 | WS | 6.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 10/22 | WS | 3.0 | Royals | Omar Infante 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/24 | WS | 3.0 | `Royals | Wade Davis (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 10/25 | WS | 3.0 | Giants | Hunter Pence RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/26 | WS | 13.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 10/28 | WS | 3.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF, RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 10/29 | WS | 7.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Here are the top 10 Box-Toppers game scores for 2014 postseason Player of the Game honorees, representing the most dominating performances in the 32 playoff games. Madison Bumgarner of the Giants had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Player of the Game in the 2014 postseason (+14.0) and also had five of the top 10 game scores among 2014 postseason Player of the Game honorees.
| Date | Round | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/1 | NLWC | 14.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 10/26 | WS | 13.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 10/4 | NLDS | 10.0 | `Dodgers | Zack Greinke | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 10/11 | NLCS | 9.2 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 10/4 | NLDS | 9.0 | Giants | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| 10/5 | ALDS | 8.1 | Orioles | Bud Norris (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 10/6 | NLDS | 7.0 | Cardinals | John Lackey (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 10/29 | WS | 7.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 10/21 | WS | 6.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 10/10 | ALCS | 6.0 | Royals | Wade Davis (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
The Box-Toppers All-Star teams for the 2014 regular season are led by overall top player for the second straight season, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
Nine teams each have two different players on the teams and a total of 20 teams are represented on the American League and National League teams.
The All-Star teams are comprised of the players with the highest Box-Toppers point totals by position in each league. In addition to the batters—eight in the NL and nine (including the designated hitter) in the AL—are the top four starting pitchers in each league, the top player who was predominately a middle-reliever and the top closing pitcher.
Kershaw was Box-Toppers Player of the Season, the top overall player, with 31.5 Box-Toppers points. Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is the top AL player with 25.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked second overall.
The top AL batter is White Sox rookie first baseman Jose Abreu with 15.5 points, ranked 14th overall. The top NL batter is Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki with 11.6 points, ranked 39th overall. (Tulowitzki was out with injuries nearly half the season, but still surpassed all other NL batters in Box-Toppers points—second among NL batters is Giants catcher Buster Posey with 8.5 points.)
Nine teams each had two players make the teams. In the AL, the Mariners, Angels, Orioles, Indians and Tigers each had two players. In the NL, the Giants, Braves, Marlins and Cardinals each had two players.
Three players from the All-Star teams are still active in the World Series:
• Wade Davis of the Royals, who led AL middle relief pitchers with 7.0 Box-Toppers points.
• Madison Bumgarner of the Giants, who ranked second among NL pitchers with 22.6 points.
• Buster Posey of the Giants, who led NL catchers with 8.5 points.
Six players were on Box-Toppers’ 2013 All-Star teams and returned to the 2014 teams:
• AL 2B: Robinson Cano, last year with the Yankees, this year with the Mariners (12.5 points in 2013, 6.5 in 2014).
• AL OF: Adam Jones, Orioles (8.0 points in 2013, 11.5 in 2014).
• AL Starting pitcher: Max Scherzer, Tigers (18.1 points in 2013, 22.1 in 2014).
• NL Starting pitcher: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (21.7 points in 2013, 31.5 in 2014).
• NL Starting pitcher: Adam Wainwright, Cardinals (20.2 points in 2013, 18.7 in 2014).
• NL Closing pitcher: Craig Kimbrel, Braves (12.7 points in 2013, 11.0 in 2014).
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.
Here are the Box-Toppers All-Stars by position for both leagues. It includes players with the highest Box-Toppers points (BTP) by position in each league. Also included is the players' overall rank among all players.
| Pos | American League | Team | BTP | Rank | National League | Team | BTP | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Jose Abreu | White Sox | 15.5 | 14 | Lucas Duda | Mets | 8.5 | 79 | ||
| 2B | Robinson Cano | Mariners | 6.5 | 135 | Jedd Gyorko | Padres | 7.2 | 103 | ||
| SS | Erick Aybar | Angels | 6.0 | 155 | Troy Tulowitzki | Rockies | 11.6 | 39 | ||
| 3B | Josh Donaldson | Athletics | 10.5 | 40 | Aramis Ramirez | Brewers | 5.0 | 194 | ||
| CA | Brian McCann | Yankees | 6.5 | 136 | Buster Posey | Giants | 8.5 | 76 | ||
| OF | Adam Jones | Orioles | 11.5 | 40 | Justin Upton | Braves | 8.2 | 80 | ||
| OF | Nelson Cruz | Orioles | 8.5 | 77 | Marcell Ozuna | Marlins | 8.0 | 88 | ||
| OF | Mike Trout | Angels | 8.5 | 78 | Matt Holliday | Cardinals | 7.5 | 97 | ||
| DH | Edwin Encarnacion | Blue Jays | 9.5 | 63 | ||||||
| SP | Corey Kluber | Indians | 25.8 | 2 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 31.5 | 1 | ||
| SP | Max Scherzer | Tigers | 22.1 | 5 | Madison Bumgarner | Giants | 22.6 | 3 | ||
| SP | Felix Hernandez | Mariners | 20.8 | 6 | Johnny Cueto | Reds | 22.4 | 4 | ||
| SP | David Price | Tigers | 19.1 | 7 | Adam Wainwright | Cardinals | 18.7 | 8 | ||
| MR | Wade Davis | Royals | 7.0 | 117 | Michael Dunn | Marlins | 6.0 | 159 | ||
| CP | Carlos Carrasco | Indians | 10.7 | 52 | Craig Kimbrel | Braves | 11.0 | 45 |
My Kansas City Royals are in the World Series.
That’s actually a weird thing to say since it’s been more than 30 years since I actively rooted for the Royals.
The Royals were my boyhood team. I celebrated their wins and I was in a funk over their losses. Did I cry when they lost? Oh yes, when they lost year after year to the hated New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series—in 1976, in 1977, in 1978—I sobbed inconsolably.
Where did my fandom go?
Did I grow up and grow out of it?
Was I upset at having my heart broken so many times that I could never commit so loyally to a team for fear of being hurt again?
Was it just that in high school and college, I was too busy?
Was it the baseball strike of 1981? During the strike, which lasted from June to August, I lost interest in baseball. When baseball came back, I didn’t. I never made any angry declaration I was done with the sport, but at age 16, I stopped collecting baseball cards, my subscription to The Sporting News lapsed and I impassively moved on.
So for me to say “my” Royals are in the World Series seems funny. Let’s face it, they were “my” team for only six years, starting in 1975 when I made my one and only visit to Royals (now Kauffman) Stadium. Today, six years in the dim, dark past is a tiny sample of my life. But at 16, that was a long time. I could barely remember a time before I was a Royals fan. It seemed to be part of my core being.
The pinnacle of my fandom was 1980 when the Royals finally beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. I’m not sure what it says about me, but I don’t remember a lot of that series. Somehow, I remember the losing more than the winning. In my memory, the Royals always lost to the Yankees in the playoffs. I see Chris Chambliss hitting the game- and series-winning homer for the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5 in 1976 and getting mobbed by fans as he tries to round the bases. But I know the Royals beat the Yankees in 1980 because I do vividly remember the Royals losing that year's World Series to the Phillies.
I didn’t lose my fandom because the Royals stopped being successful. In fact, after I stopped being a fan, they had their greatest success. In 1985, the Royals won the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. That Royals team still had a core group of players who stuck around from 1980. It was a team I would have still known well.
But by then, they weren’t really “my” Royals. I was aware of the Royals’ win but paid little attention. I remember thinking that “after all those years of my suffering,” the Royals had “at long last” won a World Series. Again, my fandom was only six years, the Royals in 1985 were only in their 17th season of existence. (For comparison and to drive the point home at how temporally naive I was, the Chicago Cubs at the time were only in their 77th year without a World Series title—the streak is now at 106 years.)
While the 1981 strike seemed to end my baseball fandom, I became a fan again in 1994, oddly, the same year as an even more devastating strike cancelled much of the season and the entire postseason.
I came back to baseball not really a fan of any team. The only thing I was able to commit myself to was a hatred of the Yankees, which has sort of been my baseball constant, thanks to my being a Royals fan. Hating the Yankees, I became a casual fan of their rivals—the Atlanta Braves of the 1990s and the Boston Red Sox of the 2000s.
Of course, it would not have been easy to be a Royals fan for the 20 years since I turned my attention back to baseball. Royals teams languished and were downright bad. Until this year, they had the longest playoff drought (29 years, since the 1985 World Series) of any team in the four major sports.
Since my return to baseball, I have never been able to fully love any team like I loved the Royals. Why? What is holding me back?
Fear of embarrassment for aligning oneself with a potential loser?
Fear of the pain when they will inevitably lose? (Even the Yankees lose.)
Fear of appearing childish for tying my emotional fortunes to one team?
Plus, if I finally decide to root for the Royals, I would hate to appear like a fair-weather fan jumping on the bandwagon. But I never jumped on the bandwagon in 1985 when it would have been so easy—I knew the team, I knew most of the players.
“Team loyalty is a hard thing to justify. The players are always changing. You’re actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it. You are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city. Laundry! We’re rooting, we’re screaming about laundry here.”
Frankly, I knew very little about this 2014 Royals team prior to the postseason. My ties to this team are tenuous. My only connection to the past is George Brett—the Hall-of-Fame Royals third baseman and favorite player of my youth. He’s now a team executive, seen on TV cheering each time Kansas City advances in the playoffs.
If I root for the Royals am I simply, as Jerry Seinfeld says, rooting for the laundry?
“Team loyalty is a hard thing to justify,” he says. “The players are always changing. You’re actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it. You are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city. Laundry! We’re rooting, we’re screaming about laundry here.”
So, just for argument’s sake, let’s say I still can lay claim to being a fan of the Royals. What made me a Royals fan in the first place?
Was it simply geography? I grew up in southeast Iowa, far from any Major League city but there were six teams within a six-hour driving radius—Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Twins, Cardinals, Royals.
Was it because Royals Stadium is where I went for my first Major League game? I saw the Royals beat the Yankees (who I hadn’t yet learned to hate) in August 1975.
Was it because I listened to the Royals on a local affiliate of the team’s radio network most summer nights? (I only recently began listening to Royals broadcasts again on the Internet and was pleasantly surprised to hear Denny Matthews still doing play-by-play all these years later, a voice that transported me back to my 1970s bedroom radio.)
Or was it simply because I wore glasses like Darrell Porter’s, the Royals catcher of the era?
If I can lay claim to being a fan of any team, it’s the Royals. It helps that this year’s team, as I’ve gotten to know them in the postseason, is both exciting and humble. They play as a team. Unlike a team with a high payroll that can buy free agents who hit for power and pitchers who rack up strikeouts, the Royals are largely a homegrown team with a strong work ethic and know their strengths. They are speedy on the bases. Their speed contributes to their defense. They lay down the bunt and sacrifice themselves for the good of the team. And they have the three-headed monster of a bullpen of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland that can shut teams down after the sixth inning. And they hang out in Kansas City bars with their fans after games to celebrate playoff series victories. How cool is that?
On the one hand, you don’t want fans to jump on your team’s bandwagon just because they are winning. But on the other hand, if the way the team is winning attracts fans to your cause, how can you do anything as a true fan but help pull new converts aboard the bandwagon and say, “Welcome!”
There can be a great joy in returning to the things you loved as a child. I returned to baseball as a fan in 1994 because it reminded me of my childhood. But without a team of my own, I never really fully came back.
So maybe it’s time to change that. Maybe it’s time to fully commit again. It is crazy to try to justify my fandom with logic, since fandom can be so illogical. But it’s logical I root for the Royals. I just need to relax, forget whatever reservations, whatever fear of pain or loss I have and say simply: Go Royals!
Shawn Plank writes the Box-Toppers blog (at Box-Toppers.com/blog) covering Major League Baseball and created the Box-Toppers points statistic it is based on in 1995.
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.
Royals sweep Giants in series—in regular season, interleague series back in August, that is
On Friday, Aug. 8, two teams that seemed destined to meet in the World Series began a regular season interleague series.
Yes, the Baltimore Orioles faced the St. Louis Cardinals. The Orioles, up five games in the American League East and the Cardinals, a game out in the National League Central.
Incidentally, two other teams faced each other in another interleague series beginning that night. But these were two ragtag teams struggling to hold on to their Wild Card spots, both in second place in their division. Few people were likely touting this as a possible World Series preview, few even could find intrigue in matching up two teams from different leagues with no trace of geographical or historical rivalry of any kind.
But it was on the schedule, so the San Francisco Giants traveled to Kansas City to face the Royals in a three-game series. A little more than two months later, these two unlikely teams have made their way to the World Series to face each other again.
The Royals swept the three-game series in August. Here is a series recap with Box-Toppers Players of the Game for each game:
Player of the Game: Billy Butler of the Royals hit a home run and went 2-for-3, driving in three runs. Butler earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game and finished the season with 2.5 Box-Toppers points.
Madison Bumgarner was starting pitcher for the Giants and picked up the loss. He pitched a complete game (eight innings) and allowed seven hits and four runs, striking out five. Bumgarner finished the season with 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players, second among NL pitchers.
Complete Box-Toppers results for Aug. 8.
Player of the Game: Royals pitcher James Shields pitched a complete game shutout, allowing four hits and striking out five. Shields earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game and finished the season with 13.7 Box-Toppers points.
Giants pitcher Tim Hudson (6IP 6H 3R K) picked up the loss.
Complete Box-Toppers results for Aug. 9.
Player of the Game: Norichika Aoki of the Royals went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in a run. Aoki earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game and finished the season with 2.0 Box-Toppers points. Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum (3.1IP 7H 6R 2K) picked up the loss.
Complete Box-Toppers results for Aug. 10.
That same weekend, as mentioned previously, the Orioles and the Cardinals met—two teams that seemed more likely to go to the World Series, but two teams that would both go on to lose their league championship series. For what it’s worth, the Orioles took two out of three in that series.
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.
Here are the Players of the Game from each of the three games played between the Giants and Royals in August. The Royals swept the series, 3-0.
| Date | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/8 | 3.0 | Royals | Billy Butler 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 8/9 | 9.0 | Royals | James Shields (W, 11-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 8/10 | 3.0 | Royals | Norichika Aoki RF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Previously: Box-Toppers World Series preview: Giants have clear Box-Toppers advantage over Royals in World Series, but since 2014 is underdog year, watch out for David slaying 'Giant'
The San Francisco Giants have the clear Box-Toppers advantage over the Kansas City Royals in the upcoming 2014 World Series.
Giants players accumulated more Box-Toppers points during the regular season and position-by-position match-ups tend to favor Giants in both batting and pitching.
But in a postseason dominated by underdog Davids beating baseball’s Goliaths, it would be folly to rule out the Royals slaying these Giants.
The best-of-seven game World Series begins Tuesday in Kansas City.
Both teams entered the postseason as Wild Cards with no division title. Both had to endure a one-game Wild Card playoff. Both went on to beat the top-seeded team in their league in their League Division Series. All around them, the mighty teams fell, leaving two final teams no one could have predicted.
The Giants have the fewest Box-Toppers points of any team to qualify to play in one of the National League Division Series—they are ranked eighth among all teams with 110.8 Box-Toppers points. The Royals have the fewest Box-Toppers points of any American League team to qualify for the playoffs—they are ranked 10th, with 101.1 Box-Toppers points.
With the downtrodden, underdog quality of both teams, it’s hard to cast the Giants as “Goliath.” If anything, the 2014 World Series between the Royals and Giants will not be a contest of David and Goliath, but one of David and a slightly-larger David.
But is it possible that in this topsy-turvy postseason that being the lesser team actually is the thing that gives a team the advantage? If so, then the Royals are bound to win. They are the bigger underdog, having not won a World Series since 1985 and have endured a playoff drought ever since. Meanwhile, the Giants win the Fall Classic every even-numbered year. (But the Royals bigger underdog status does have one flaw—they actually won more games during the regular season than did the Giants—89 to 88.)
The Royals may also have the advantage in the bullpen with three pitchers closing down teams at the end of playoff games. They may also have an advantage with speed on the bases and defense, factors Box-Toppers doesn’t directly measure.
Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the highest-rated starting pitchers in Box-Toppers points, the top closing pitcher and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player’s Box-Toppers points earned in 2014, along with their overall rank among all players.
Matching up 15 key players against each other position-by-position, the Giants have the advantage in nine spots, the Royals only in six spots (the players with the advantage below are denoted with a checkmark in the “Adv” column). The Giants have the advantage in both batting and pitching. In the nine key batting positions, the Giants have the advantage in five spots, the Royals four. In six key pitching spots, the Giants have the advantage, 4-2.
When adding the Box-Toppers points of those 15 key players together, the Giants have the advantage over the Royals—92.1 Box-Toppers points to 83.1.
The Giants have two players who will be on Box-Toppers end-of-season NL All-Star team:
• Madison Bumgarner, starting pitcher, 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players and second among NL pitchers.
• Buster Posey, catcher, 8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among NL batters.
The Royals have one player who will be on Box-Toppers end-of-season AL All-Star team:
• Wade Davis, middle relief pitcher, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, first among AL middle relievers.
We have taken some liberties with the “starting” players listed below. We’ve plugged Michael Morse into the designated hitter spot for the Giants (when they play in Kansas City) because he is the batter with the most regular season Box-Toppers points who hasn’t regularly started in postseason games. Tim Lincecum has not pitched yet this postseason and hasn’t started a game since August, but he is listed because he is still on postseason rosters and still has the second-most Box-Toppers points among Giants starters this season (he pitched a no-hitter on June 25). Sergio Romo is listed as closer for the Giants (even though Santiago Casilla has been closing games recently) because Romo has more Box-Toppers points.
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Giants: Madison Bumgarner, 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players, second among NL pitchers.
Royals: James Shields, 13.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 22nd among all players, 11th among AL pitchers.
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.
Likely starting players for the Giants and Royals listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2014 regular season and their overall player rank among all players. The column "Adv" shows which team's position player has a higher Box-Toppers player ranking.
| Giants | BTP | Rank | Adv | Royals | BTP | Rank | Adv | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Brandon Belt | 2.0 | 412 | Eric Hosmer | 2.5 | 368 | ✓ | ||
| 2B | Joe Panik | 1.0 | 701 | Omar Infante | 4.0 | 243 | ✓ | ||
| SS | Brandon Crawford | 3.0 | 322 | Alicides Escboar | 5.0 | 190 | ✓ | ||
| 3B | Pablo Sandoval | 4.5 | 220 | ✓ | Mike Moustakas | 4.0 | 251 | ||
| CA | Buster Posey | 8.5 | 76 | ✓ | Salvador Perez | 4.7 | 210 | ||
| CF | Gregor Blanco | 3.0 | 346 | ✓ | Lorenzo Cain | 2.0 | 421 | ||
| LF | Travis Ishikawa | 1.0 | 644 | Alex Gordon | 3.0 | 203 | ✓ | ||
| RF | Hunter Pence | 2.5 | 367 | ✓ | Norichika Aoki | 2.0 | 443 | ||
| DH | Michael Morse | 6.5 | 144 | ✓ | Billy Butler | 2.5 | 365 | ||
| SP | Madison Bumgarner | 22.6 | 3 | ✓ | James Shields | 13.7 | 22 | ||
| SP | Tim Lincecum | 10.4 | 54 | ✓ | Danny Duffy | 10.0 | 58 | ||
| SP | Tim Hudson | 8.7 | 71 | ✓ | Yordano Ventura | 8.7 | 75 | ||
| SP | Ryan Vogelsong | 8.7 | 74 | ✓ | Jason Vargas | 7.0 | 107 | ||
| CP | Sergio Romo | 4.0 | 242 | Greg Holland | 7.0 | 106 | ✓ | ||
| PI | Jake Peavy | 5.7 | 165 | Jeremy Guthrie | 7.0 | 113 | ✓ |
BOX-TOPPERS EXTRA
Andrew McCutchen may be selected as National League’s Most Valuable Player, but only ranks 18th among NL batters in Box-Toppers points. Mike Trout may be voted American League MVP but ranks seventh among AL batters in Box-Toppers points.
| Player | Team | BTP | Rank | Honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Jeter | Yankees | 0.0 | 996 | |
| Yasiel Puig | Dodgers | 1.0 | 593 | |
| Andrew McCutchen | Pirates | 6.5 | 137 | |
| Mike Trout | Angels | 8.5 | 78 | |
| Troy Tulowitzki | Rockies | 11.6 | 39 | 1st NL batter |
| Jose Abreu | White Sox | 15.5 | 14 | 1st AL batter |
| Corey Kluber | Indians | 25.8 | 2 | 1st AL pitcher |
| Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 31.5 | 1 | 1st NL pitcher |
Meanwhile, unexpected players—Jose Abreu and Troy Tulowitzki—who may have no chance at even being considered for postseason honors, are among Box-Toppers points leaders.
Why?
Why do some unexpected players excel in Box-Toppers points? And why do some star players seem to lag behind with fewer Box-Toppers points?
This season, Box-Toppers set to demonstrate why by focusing on a limited number of players and their daily performances. These watched players—featured in Box-Toppers Facebook posts and specially hashtagged Box-Toppers Twitter posts—showed when a player was deserving of earning Box-Toppers points or showed how other players in their game beat them out for points.
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. 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.
At the end of the season, Box-Toppers was watching eight players—four of them lead key Box-Toppers categories (NL and AL pitching and batting) and four others are players who often do not score well in Box-Toppers points but who are frequently highly touted, considered for postseason honors and are considered to be stars.
Here is a look at the eight players (including the Twitter hashtag (#) used in daily “watched” posts):
Jeter, 40, is surely a future Hall-of-Famer, but in 145 games, he did not earn Player of the Game honors in any of the Yankees wins in his retirement season.
Box-Toppers watched him this season because he announced his retirement prior to the season and we thought it would be interesting to see how he fared in his last year. But Box-Toppers also watched him because he tended not to score as highly in Box-Toppers as his reputation as a star would indicate.
In his career, he scored 76.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 127th among all players. To give some perspective, he trails DH Travis Hafner (in 123rd place with 76.9 points), who is not exactly on the glidepath to Cooperstown that Jeter is.
But to be fair, Jeter ranks second among all shortstops all-time, trailing Miguel Tejada (102.3 Box-Toppers points). The shortstop position is generally not called upon for the offensive numbers required to win Player of the Game honors and earn Box-Toppers points.
Jeter’s Box-Toppers points total have also likely been impacted over the years because of the caliber of the talent on his own team—players like Roger Clemens, CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi, who have been his teammates, have more career Box-Toppers points than Jeter and likely beat him out on occasion for Player of the Game honors.
For example, Jeter did not even earn Player of the Game honors in his final game at Yankee Stadium Sept. 25. While Jeter drove in the winning run on a dramatic, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth (and was 2-for-5 with a run and three RBIs), he was beat out for Player of the Game by pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who struck out nine over eight innings in the win over the Orioles.
Also, Jeter’s star power does not come from putting together performances that frequently make him Player of the Game. It often comes from anecdotal (but real) flashes of brilliance that make the highlight reel, that do contribute to the win, that wows the fans to the point of deserved admiration, but do not translate well to the scorecard, the box score—or to Box-Toppers points.
Box-Toppers watched Puig this year because of the buzz he created. True, he led the NL in on-base percentage and had the NL’s eighth-best batting average—but he only once was Dodger’s top player in a win, on May 12. He has only earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors twice in his career and has only 2.5 career Box-Toppers points in two seasons.
Is Puig overrated and not living up to the hype, at least in terms of helping the Dodgers win games? Or is Puig perhaps overshadowed by other players on his team who contributed more to Dodgers wins, especially pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who were among the overall Box-Toppers points leaders?
A leader in new-fangled baseball statistics, such as Wins Above Replacement and on-base plus slugging, the 2013 NL MVP is touted by many to repeat the feat in 2014.
But in 2013, he finished 22nd among NL batters in Box-Toppers points with 6.0. This year, he is slightly improved, with 6.5 points—18th among NL batters. According to Box-Toppers, he is not the NL batter who most helped his team win the most games. In fact, he is not even the top Pirates batter, an honor that goes to Neil Walker (7.0 Box-Toppers points).
Another sabermetrician favorite and leader in wins above replacement, Trout actually had a decent season Box-Toppers-wise—just not among the top five of AL batters.
Trout was watched this season because he has been touted as an MVP candidate for two seasons, finishing behind Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers both times. With Cabrera ostensibly out of the limelight since he is not having another Triple Crown season, the door has been opened for Trout to finally claim MVP this year. However, it should be noted that Cabrera has 12.5 Box-Toppers points this season, in second among AL batters and ahead of Trout.
But ahead of both Trout and Cabrera in Box-Toppers points is rookie Jose Abreu of the White Sox with 15.5 points.
In 2013, Trout had only 3.5 Box-Toppers points and yet finished second in AL MVP voting. This year is his second-best ever (he had 11.0 points in 2012) and he is the leading batter among Angels players in Box-Toppers points, third-best among all Angels players.
Rookie Jose Abreu has been a Box-Toppers watched player since he assumed the lead among AL batters in June. He hit 36 home runs and led the AL in slugging percentage (.581) and handily won Box-Toppers AL Batter of the Year honors—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers finished second with 12.5 Box-Toppers points.
Abreu should win AL Rookie of the Year honors. But despite his performance, it is unclear whether he is even being taken seriously as a candidate for AL MVP.
Tulowitzki played only 91 games this season—he last played July 19 and was out with injury and hip surgery after that. No one in their right mind would consider that anyone who missed nearly half the season should be considered as NL MVP.
And yet, according to Box-Toppers, no other NL batter playing an entire season even came close the the 11.6 Box-Toppers points Tulowitzki earned in his short time. Second-place Buster Posey of the Giants had 8.5.
Early in the season, Tulowitzki was the rare batter among Box-Toppers top 10 overall players. But even as he fell down to 39th among all players, he never fell from first among NL batters in Box-Toppers points.
It could be argued that NL batters were so lackluster and so overshadowed by NL pitchers in 2014 that no batter should win MVP and the honor should go instead to Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. More on him in a second.
Kluber came on late to take the AL pitching lead from Max Scherzer of the Tigers (22.1 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers).
Kluber became one of only 11 players in Box-Toppers’ 20 years of record keeping to reach 25 Box-Toppers points in a season.
Kershaw’s season was dominant. Despite missing six weeks with injury at the start of the season, Kershaw racked up the fourth-best single-season Box-Toppers point total in 20 years.
It was a year so dominant in a year in an overall down year for NL batters, Kershaw is being touted for the NL MVP.
BOX-TOPPERS EXTRA
Jason Giambi of the Indians had been the only player to earn at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in each season since record keeping began in 1995.
However, in 2014, Giambi failed to earn Player of the Game honors even once and so earned no Box-Toppers points for the season. That means his streak of 19 straight seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point, which lasted from 1995 to 2013, has come to an end.
Giambi, 43, was hampered by injury this season and played in only 26 games, making 70 plate appearances.
Giambi has 133.4 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks eighth among all batters since record keeping began in 1995. During his 19-season streak, Giambi has had as many as 17.0 Box-Toppers points (he did it twice—in 2000 with the Athletics and in 2002 with the Yankees) and as few as 1.0 (in 2012 with the Rockies). In 2013, he had 3.5 with the Indians.
Giambi broke into the Majors in 1995, the same year as Box-Toppers record keeping began. He started as primarily a first baseman and late in his career has been primarily a designated hitter.
Giambi hasn’t decided whether to retire at the end of this season. He is a free agent.
With Giambi’s streak of 19 seasons at an end, the longest current streak of seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point is 17, held by Paul Konerko of the White Sox. Konerko has scored at least 1.0 point in each season from 1998 to 2014—he scored 1.0 point each in 2013 and 2014.
However, Konerko’s 17-year streak is now at an end because he played his last game Sunday and retired.
That means the longest streak is now 16 seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point held by three veteran players:
• Pitcher Tim Hudson of the Giants.
• Outfielder Carlos Beltran of the Yankees.
• Outfielder Torii Hunter of the Tigers.
All three players have at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in each season from 1999 to 2014.
Derek Jeter of the Yankees had a streak of 17 seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point from 1996 to 2012. However, he scored no Box-Toppers points in either 2013 or 2014.
Three other players had 18-year streaks with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point come to an end after the 2012 season: Jim Thome, Chipper Jones and Johnny Damon. Alex Rodriguez had an 18-year streak with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point come to an end after the 2013 season.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.
SPECIAL REPORT
| Start | BTP /gm |
Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 22, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 2 | May 6, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 3 | May 11, 2014 | 0.0 | ND |
| 4 | May 17, 2014 | 0.0 | L |
| 5 | May 23, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 6 | May 28, 2014 | 0.0 | L |
| 7 | Jun 2, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 8 | Jun 8, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 9 | Jun 13, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 10 | Jun 18, 2014 | 2.0 | W* |
| 11 | Jun 24, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 12 | Jun 29, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 13 | Jul 4, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 14 | Jul 10, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 15 | Jul 20, 2014 | 0.0 | ND |
| 16 | Jul 26, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 17 | Jul 31, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 18 | Aug 5, 2014 | 0.0 | ND |
| 19 | Aug 10, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 20 | Aug 16, 2014 | 0.0 | L |
| 21 | Aug 21, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 22 | Aug 27, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 23 | Sep 2, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 24 | Sep 8, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 25 | Sep 14, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 26 | Sep 19, 2014 | 0.0 | W |
Clayton Kershaw’s chance to break the single-season Box-Toppers point record took a hit Friday, even though his team won the game and he earned his 20th win of the season.
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Year | BTP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2000 | 33.7 |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 33.7 |
| 3 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2000 | 33.5 |
| 4 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 1999 | 31.5 |
| 5 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 1999 | 31.4 |
| 6 | *Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2014 | 30.5 |
| 7 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2001 | 29.4 |
| 8 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2002 | 28.8 |
| 9 | Curt Schilling | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 28.4 |
| 10 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1997 | 27.4 |
Kershaw failed to earn Player of the Game honors in the Dodgers’ 14-5 win over the Cubs. While he leads the Majors in Box-Toppers points with 30.5, his chances to break Randy Johnson’s all-time single-season record of 33.7 (set with the Diamondbacks in 2000 and 2002) seem greatly diminished. With likely only one start remaining this season, the most he can earn is 2.0 more Box-Toppers points (for being Player of the Day in his next start), which would give him 32.5 for the season.
There is an outside chance Kershaw could squeeze two more starts into the Dodgers’ final eight games of the season, pitching one of the starts on short rest. If so, Kershaw may still have a chance to pass Johnson’s single-season record, but only if he earns at least National League Player of the Day honors (worth 1.7 Box-Toppers points each) in both starts.
While Kershaw earned the win—his 20th of the season—it was the first time this season in which he failed to earn at least Player of the Game honors when he earned the win. He pitched five innings and gave up seven hits and three runs (all earned), walked three and struck out nine. His Box-Toppers game score Friday was −2.
Player of the Game was catcher A.J. Ellis, who homered twice and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs. He had the high Box-Toppers game score among Dodgers players of +5. It is the first time this season Ellis has earned Player of the Game honors. Ellis earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. More on Friday's games.
Kershaw has made 26 starts this season and earned Player of the Game honors in 19 of them—all his previous wins. Of the 19 times he earned Player of the Game, he was NL Player of the Day five times and overall Player of the Day eight times.
Kershaw’s 30.5 Box-Toppers points ranks sixth among the highest Box-Toppers points recorded in a single season (going back to 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began). Only two other players have earned at least 30 Box-Toppers points in a single season—Johnson (who did it three times—in 1999, 2000 and 2002) and Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox (who did it twice—1999 and 2000).
SPECIAL REPORT
Albert Pujols of the Angels rose from 10th to seventh place on the “all-time” career Box-Toppers points list this past week.
Pujols, who was American League batter of the day twice in the past week, picked up 3.0 Box-Toppers points, increasing his career Box-Toppers points total from 164.3 to 167.3. In the process, he passed three players on the all-time top list:
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | 278.8 | |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | 244.8 | |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | 194.1 | |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b dh | susp | 179.3 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | Yankees | 173.3 |
| 6 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | 170.7 | |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | dh 1b | Angels | 167.3 |
| 8 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | Cubs | 167.2 |
| 9 | Johan Santana | pi sp | Orioles | 166.6 |
| 10 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | 164.8 |
• Retired pitcher Roger Clemens (164.8 Box-Toppers points, now in 10th place).
• Pitcher Johan Santana, currently on the disabled list with the Orioles (166.6 Box-Toppers points, now ranked ninth).
• Left fielder/designated hitter Manny Ramirez, currently a minor league player/coach for the Cubs (167.2 Box-Toppers points, now at number eight).
Pujols also moved from third to second among all batters, passing Ramirez. He now trails only overall batting leader, Alex Rodriguez (179.3 Box-Toppers points), currently suspended from baseball under the performance enhancing drug policy.
The only currently active, non-suspended player ahead of Pujols on Box-Toppers career top 10 list is Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, who is in fifth place with 173.3 Box-Toppers points.
Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.
SPECIAL REPORT
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Year | BTP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2000 | 33.7 |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 33.7 |
| 3 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2000 | 33.5 |
| 4 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 1999 | 31.5 |
| 5 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 1999 | 31.4 |
| 6 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2001 | 29.4 |
| 7 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2002 | 28.8 |
| 8 | Curt Schilling | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 28.4 |
| 9 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1997 | 27.4 |
| 10 | Johan Santana | Twins | pi sp | 2004 | 26.8 |
| 11 | Pedro Martinez | Expos | pi sp | 1997 | 26.7 |
| 11 | CC Sabathia | Indians/Brewers | pi sp | 2008 | 26.7 |
| 13 | Randy Johnson | Mariners/Astros | pi sp | 1998 | 26.4 |
| 14 | John Smoltz | Braves | pi sp | 1996 | 26.1 |
| 14 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2011 | 26.1 |
| 16 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1998 | 25.8 |
| 16 | *Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2014 | 25.8 |
| 18 | Johan Santana | Twins | pi sp | 2006 | 25.7 |
| 19 | Cliff Lee | Phillies | pi sp | 2011 | 25.4 |
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has a chance to become the “all-time” leader in Box-Toppers points in a single season.
Kershaw, Wednesday’s Player of the Day, now has 25.8 Box-Toppers points this season and has an outside chance of catching the “all-time” single season leader, Randy Johnson, who scored 33.7 points in a season twice when he was pitching for the Diamondbacks—in 2000 and 2002.
| Start | BTP /gm |
Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 22, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 2 | May 6, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 3 | May 11, 2014 | 0.0 | ND |
| 4 | May 17, 2014 | 0.0 | L |
| 5 | May 23, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 6 | May 28, 2014 | 0.0 | L |
| 7 | Jun 2, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 8 | Jun 8, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 9 | Jun 13, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 10 | Jun 18, 2014 | 2.0 | W* |
| 11 | Jun 24, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 12 | Jun 29, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 13 | Jul 4, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 14 | Jul 10, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 15 | Jul 20, 2014 | 0.0 | ND |
| 16 | Jul 26, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
| 17 | Jul 31, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 18 | Aug 5, 2014 | 0.0 | ND |
| 19 | Aug 10, 2014 | 1.0 | W |
| 20 | Aug 16, 2014 | 0.0 | L |
| 21 | Aug 21, 2014 | 1.7 | W |
| 22 | Aug 27, 2014 | 2.0 | W |
With a month to go in the season, Kershaw likely has four or five more starts remaining. He would need to earn 8.0 Box-Toppers points—equivalent to earning Player of the Day honors four times—to pass Johnson’s 33.7. While that seems unlikely, he did have a stretch of five starts this season (from his June 18 no-hitter through July 10) in which he scored 9.4 Box-Toppers points, earning Player of the Day three times (2.0 Box-Toppers points each) and NL Player of the Day twice (1.7 Box-Toppers points each).
Kershaw’s accomplishment this season is all the more remarkable because he missed six weeks on the disabled list from late March through early May. In his 22 starts this season, he has been Player of the Day seven times (earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points each time), NL Player of the Day four times (earning 1.7 points each time) and Player of the Game five times (earning 1.0 each time). In only six of his 22 starts has he failed to earn at least Player of the Game honors.
Johnson has the most Box-Toppers points in a single season, however, record keeping began in 1995, so his “all-time” record covers only the past 20 seasons. Only 19 times in the past 20 seasons has a player earned more than 25.0 Box-Toppers points in a season. And this season is the second time Kershaw has achieved that. In 2011, Kershaw had his best season when he earned 26.1 Box-Toppers points.
While Kershaw’s current 25.8 Box-Toppers points is currently tied for 16th place in Box-Toppers highest points for a season, it is only one of five times in the past 10 seasons that a player has reached 25.0 points. The other four times:
• In 2008, CC Sabathia, pitching for the Indians and Brewers, had 26.7 Box-Toppers points.
• In 2011, Kershaw had 26.1.
• In 2006, Johan Santana of the Twins had 25.7 Box-Toppers points.
• In 2011, Cliff Lee of the Phillies had 25.4 Box-Toppers points.
All 14 other instances in which a player had 25.0 or more Box-Toppers points happened from 1995 to 2004. The top eight times happened from 1999 to 2002. Johnson earned four of those top eight top spots in four consecutive seasons, leading all players in Box-Toppers points in each of those seasons. All 19 players on the list are starting pitchers.
Box-Toppers normally updates weekly team rankings and weekly top player lists each Friday. This week’s updates will be delayed until Monday, July 14, during the All-Star break. There will also be no weekly update next Friday (because there will be no regular baseball games played to update during the week because of the All-Star break). Regular Friday weekly updates will resume July 25.
During the All-Star break, look for Box-Toppers special reports, which could include the top 100 players of the season in Box-Toppers points, the top 100 players of “all time” in Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when record keeping began), the Box-Toppers points leaders on each team—or whatever else sounds interesting and we have time for.
Angels pitcher Garrett Richards and Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo are the most deserving players to be chosen in the All-Star Game Final Vote, according to their Box-Toppers point total.
| AL players | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garrett Richards | pi sp | ana al | 10.7 |
| 2 | Corey Kluber | pi sp | cle al | 10.4 |
| 3 | Chris Sale | pi sp | chi al | 10.0 |
| 4 | Dallas Keuchel | pi sp | hou nl | 8.7 |
| 5 | Rick Porcello | pi sp | det al | 5.0 |
| NL players | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Anthony Rizzo | 1b | chi nl | 5.5 |
| 2 | Justin Upton | lf | atl nl | 5.2 |
| 3 | Casey McGehee | 3b | fla nl | 3.5 |
| 4 | Anthony Rendon | 2b | dc nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Justin Morneau | 1b | col nl | 1.5 |
Richards has the most points among the five American League players on the ballot and Rizzo has the most among the five National League players on the ballot in which fans vote for the 34th and final roster spots for both teams in the July 15 All-Star Game. Voting ends Thursday.
Richards has 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 10th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers, narrowly ahead of Indians pitcher Corey Kluber (10.4 Box-Toppers points, 12th among all players).
Richards is also the top-ranked AL player in Box-Toppers points who was not selected to the All-Star team.
Rizzo is the top player among the five NL players on the Final Vote ballot, but is far from the top-ranked NL player in Box-Toppers points who was not selected to the All-Star team. That honor would go to non-All-Star Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who has 9.0 Box-Toppers points and ranks eighth among NL players.
Rizzo, by comparison, with 5.5 Box-Toppers points, ranks 29th among NL players. However, he ranks third among NL batters and is the top-ranked NL batter not selected to the All-Star team.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.
The trade Friday sending Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija from the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics sends the Athletics to the top of Box-Toppers team rankings and the Cubs to the bottom.
These players were traded from the Cubs to the Athletics:
• Pitcher Jason Hammel, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, previously ranked ninth among National League pitchers, now ranked 10th among American League pitchers. (Hammel had been the Cubs leader in Box-Toppers points.)
• Pitcher Jeff Samardzija, 3.0 Box-Toppers points.
These players were reported to have been traded from the Athletics to the Cubs:
• Shortstop prospect Addison Russell, who has yet to make his Major League debut.
• Outfield prospect Billy McKinney, who has yet to make his Major League debut.
• Pitcher Dan Straily, who has 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season.
In the short term, the Athletics have a net gain of 10.7 Box-Toppers points—picking up the 11.7 points from the Cubs and losing Straily’s 1.0 point.
For Box-Toppers rankings, each team inherits the total points of players acquired and loses the points of players traded away. This provides the Athletics a huge boost. At the July 3 team rankings report, the Athletics were the second-ranked team with 59.9 Box-Toppers points, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (61.6). The trade would boost that total to 70.6, giving them a 9.0-point lead over the Dodgers.
Conversely, the trade puts the Cubs at the bottom of Box-Toppers rankings. As of July 3, the Cubs rank 20th among all teams with 45.9 Box-Toppers points. Their net loss of 10.7 points (nearly a quarter of their season total) gives them 35.2 for the season, below the current lowest-ranked team, the Arizona Diamondbacks (41.1 Box-Toppers points).
But of course, the Cubs are playing for the long term, hoping the prospects pan out to be stars, racking up huge Box-Toppers points in the coming seasons.
If Box-Toppers points rather than fan voting were used to determine Major League All-Star teams, you’d have very different teams, very pissed-off fans and one very stunned baseball blogger.
For example, if Box-Toppers points were used to determine All-Stars, there would be no Yasiel Puig, no Mike Trout, no Jose Bautista and no Derek Jeter in the game. And you would have players in the line-up, such as Daniel Murphy, Freddie Freeman and Erick Aybar, among others.
The All-Star Game is July 15. Online fan voting ends July 3, less than a week away.
Box-Toppers may have a different perspective on All-Stars because it tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Players only earn points if they are deemed to be Player of the Game, based on a simple box score formula.
So players such as Puig, Trout and Bautista, while they often put up impressive numbers, have not regularly been top player in games their teams have won recently. So while their fan All-Star vote may be high, their Box-Toppers point totals lately have been lower.
Another example of Box-Toppers not matching baseball’s conventional thinking is Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates. Last year, baseball writers voted him National League Most Valuable Player. But in Box-Toppers, he ranked 22nd among NL batters. However, this year, McCutchen has earned Player of the Game four times and picked up 5.0 Box-Toppers points and ranks fifth among NL batters and second among NL outfielders.
Box-Toppers looks at the All-Star team in two different ways. First, it considers players on their performance during the 2014 season. But since this season is still a small data sample, it looks at last season, too, and considers players on their performance since the start of 2013.
For example, if you look at Box-Toppers points for just this season, Chris Colabello of the Twins is the second-ranked outfielder based on his early season performance. But Colabello slumped and has been in the minors for more than a month—which does not speak well for his All-Star credentials.
But looking at player’s performance since 2013 can be misleading, too. For example, Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees leads AL outfielders since the start of 2013 with 13.9 Box-Toppers points. But 12.9 of those were earned in 2013. Despite his strong 2013, he probably would not be considered an All-Star in 2014.
But then there’s a player like Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks. He actually is leading currently in NL voting for first basemen. And in fact, in 2013, he led all NL batters in Box-Toppers points, with 13.7. But this year, while his numbers are generally good, he is playing for a bad team and has earned only 1.5 Box-Toppers points. Despite his great 2013 in Box-Toppers, he is overshadowed in the NL at first base by Freddie Freeman of the Braves. Freeman leads all NL first basemen in Box-Toppers points for both 2014 and 2013-14.
But enough prelude. Here is a look a the All-Star teams. First, it’s the Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league for 2014. Then, it’s Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league for 2013-14. And finally, a look at current All-Star vote leaders, showing their current Box-Toppers point total and their rank in Box-Toppers by position and league.
Jose Abreu of the White Sox leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points. He is on the AL All-Star ballot as first baseman and not as a designated hitter, but since he has played DH this season, we will break the “rules” and put him at DH and put Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, last year’s Box-Toppers AL batting leader, at first.
In the American League, only four of the nine starters are even among the top vote-getters at their positions.
The National League is a little better—six of the eight Box-Toppers leaders for starting positions are among the All-Star voting leaders.
And though fan voters don’t get to pick pitchers, included here for both leagues are Box-Toppers leaders for starting pitchers (the top four starters) along with the top middle reliever and top closing pitcher.
Box-Toppers pick for All-Star starters based on 2014 stats? Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees for the AL and Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals for the NL.
| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 7.5 | 1 |
| 2B | Rodriguez, Sean 2729 | tb al | 5.0 | - |
| SS | Aybar, Erick 2416 | ana al | 6.0 | - |
| 3B | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | oak al | 6.5 | 1 |
| CA | Perez, Salvador 2972 | kc al | 3.7 | - |
| OF | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | oak al | 5.5 | 4 |
| OF | Colabello, Chris 3235 | min al | 5.2 | - |
| OF | Hunter, Torii 1190 | det al | 4.5 | 10 |
| DH | Abreu, Jose 3308 | chi al | 8.5 | - |
| SP | Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 | nyy al | 12.7 | * |
| SP | Scherzer, Max 2588 | det al | 11.4 | * |
| SP | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | oak al | 9.7 | * |
| SP | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 8.8 | * |
| MR | Duffy, Danny 2915 | kc al | 6.0 | * |
| CP | Uehara, Koji 2802 | bos al | 6.0 | * |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
| 1B | Freeman, Freddie 2887 | atl nl | 6.2 | 3 |
| 2B | Murphy, Daniel 2589 | nym nl | 4.5 | - |
| SS | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | col nl | 10.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Ramirez, Aramis 1364 | mil nl | 3.5 | 1 |
| CA | Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 | mil nl | 3.7 | 2 |
| OF | Morse, Michael 2020 | sf nl | 5.5 | - |
| OF | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | pit nl | 5.0 | 2 |
| OF | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | fla nl | 4.7 | 4 |
| SP | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | stl nl | 13.0 | * |
| SP | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 12.7 | * |
| SP | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | sf nl | 12.5 | * |
| SP | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | cin nl | 11.7 | * |
| MR | Collmenter, Josh 2863 | ari nl | 4.0 | * |
| CP | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | atl nl | 5.0 | * |
What are those numbers after players' names?
These are Box-Toppers points leaders by position since the start of 2013.
In the American League, the Box-Toppers leaders agree a little better with voters—seven of the nine Box-Toppers leaders are among the leaders in fan voting and three (Cabrera, Robinson Cano of the Mariners and Josh Donaldson of the Athletics) are vote leaders for their positions.
In the National League, five of the Box-Toppers position leaders are also among the vote leaders. However, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies is the only player who leads his position in both Box-Toppers points and fan voting.
And though fan voters don’t get to pick pitchers, included here for both leagues are Box-Toppers leaders for starting pitchers (the top four starters) along with the top middle reliever and top closing pitcher.
Box-Toppers pick for starters based on 2013-14 stats? Max Scherzer of the Tigers for the AL and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers for the NL.
| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 24.4 | 1 |
| 2B | Cano, Robinson 2092 | sea al | 15.5 | 1 |
| SS | Aybar, Erick 2416 | ana al | 11.0 | - |
| 3B | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | oak al | 16.0 | 1 |
| CA | McCann, Brian 2179 | nyy al | 9.5 | 3 |
| OF | Soriano, Alfonso 1445 | nyy al | 13.9 | - |
| OF | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | oak al | 12.5 | 4 |
| OF | Choo, Shin-Soo 2267 | tex al | 11.0 | 14 |
| DH | Ortiz, David | bos al | 16.4 | 2 |
| SP | Scherzer, Max 2588 | det al | 29.5 | * |
| SP | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 24.4 | * |
| SP | Sale, Chris 2806 | chi al | 24.1 | * |
| SP | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 23.6 | * |
| MR | Smyly, Drew 3009 | det al | 10.7 | * |
| CP | Holland, Greg 2906 | kc al | 14.0 | * |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
| 1B | Freeman, Freddie 2887 | atl nl | 17.7 | 3 |
| 2B | Murphy, Daniel 2589 | nym nl | 13.0 | - |
| SS | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | col nl | 14.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Alvarez, Pedro 2817 | pit nl | 10.2 | - |
| CA | Posey, Buster 2745 | sf nl | 10.0 | 3 |
| OF | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 12.5 | - |
| OF | Cuddyer, Michael 1826 | col nl | 11.5 | 14 |
| OF | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | pit nl | 11.0 | 2 |
| SP | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 34.4 | * |
| SP | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | stl nl | 33.2 | * |
| SP | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | sf nl | 28.2 | * |
| SP | Greinke, Zack 1871 | lad nl | 26.8 | * |
| MR | Collmenter, Josh 2863 | ari nl | 12.0 | * |
| CP | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | atl nl | 17.7 | * |
What are those numbers after players' names?
A case can be made for any of these players to be on the All-Star team.
Numbers? Performance? Yes, players like Yadier Molina, Yasiel Puig and Mike Trout have that. Though they may not register very highly on Box-Toppers, it’s hard to argue that they’re not All-Star worthy.
And a case can even be made for a player like Derek Jeter of the Yankees—is he an All-Star? Well, technically, there ARE probably better and more deserving AL shortstops based on any metric you put forth for this season and last season. But then, this is Derek Jeter. The Captain. His final season. Even Yankee haters may be forced to put the numbers aside for a moment and vote with their heart on this one.
Here are the leaders as of June 22 and 23 in All-Star voting by position. Also included in the chart are each of the leaders’ Box-Toppers points total for 2014 and their current rank among their position in their league.
Only three players who lead for their position in All-Star voting also lead their position in Box-Toppers points:
• AL 3B Josh Donaldson of the Athletics.
• NL SS Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies.
• NL 3B Aramis Ramirez of the Pirates.
| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | BTP rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Miguel Cabrera | det al | 7.5 | 2 |
| 2B | Robinson Cano | sea al | 3.0 | 4 |
| SS | Derek Jeter | nyy al | 0.0 | 22 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson | oak al | 6.5 | 1 |
| CA | Matt Wieters | bal al | 1.5 | 7 |
| OF | Jose Bautista | tor al | 2.5 | 15 |
| OF | Mike Trout | ana al | 2.0 | 23 |
| OF | Melky Cabrera | tor al | 3.0 | 10 |
| DH | Nelson Cruz | bal al | 3.0 | 10 |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | BTP rank |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | ari nl | 1.5 | 13 |
| 2B | Chase Utley | phi nl | 2.0 | 10 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki | col nl | 10.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Aramis Ramirez | mil nl | 3.5 | 1 |
| CA | Yadier Molina | stl nl | 0.0 | 20 |
| OF | Yasiel Puig | lad nl | 1.0 | 44 |
| OF | Andrew McCutchen | pit nl | 5.0 | 2 |
| OF | Carlos Gomez | mil nl | 2.5 | 14 |
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.
Ryan Braun, the top National League batter in Box-Toppers points over the past five seasons, has been suspended for the rest of the year by Major League Baseball under its performance-enhancing drug policy.
Braun was suspended Monday without pay and did not contest the suspension, which will run the final 65 games of the season and any postseason games that his team, the Milwaukee Brewers, may play in.
Braun has been one of the most productive players in Box-Toppers scoring in his seven seasons (see the chart below for season-by-season statistics and their context).
He has the most points among NL batters from 2008 to the present (63.0). He scored 10.0 or more points in five consecutive seasons (2008-2012) and was in the top 10 among NL batters each year. Last year, in 2012, he led all NL batters with 12.5 Box-Toppers points. Despite his time away this year with injury and bereavement leave, he is still in second place among NL batters in points since the start of the 2012 season (16.0).
Braun was named NL Most Valuable Player in 2011. He had 10.5 Box-Toppers points that year and was in sixth place among NL batters, behind category leader and then-Brewers teammate Prince Fielder, with 15.7 points.
Braun has led all NL outfielders in points for four straight seasons (from 2009-2012).
Braun has 68.2 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 146th among all players since Box-Toppers record-keeping began in 1995 (here is a recent look at the top 100 since 1995 ).
A season-by-season look at his numbers and their context
| YEAR | POS | TEAM | BTP | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 3b | mil nl | 5.2 | NL Rookie of the Year |
| 2008 | lf | mil nl | 11 | 9th among NL batters, 3rd among NL OF |
| 2009 | lf | mil nl | 10.5 | 5th among NL batters, 1st among NL OF |
| 2010 | lf | mil nl | 15 | 2nd among NL batters (Albert Pujols 15.4), 1st among NL OF |
| 2011 | lf | mil nl | 10.5 | 6th among NL batters (Prince Fielder had 15.7), 1st among NL OF, NL MVP |
| 2012 | lf | mil nl | 12.5 | 1st among NL batters, NL home run leader |
| 2013 | lf | mil nl | 3.5 | Ranked 164th overall as of 7/22, ranked 13th among NL OF as of 7/22 |
| TOTAL | 68.2 | Ranked 146th overall, ranked 32nd among OF | ||
| 2008-13 | 63 | Ranked 16th overall, ranked 1st among all NL batters, OF | ||
| 2012-13 | 16 | Ranked 41st overall, ranked 2nd among NL batters |
BTP: Box-Toppers points
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.