Fourteen players whose careers are done (or may be done) — plus eight honorable mention retirees

Shawn Plank March 12, 2014

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series has looked at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is a summary of the 14 players featured with links to more detailed posts on each. Also included are eight honorable mention players who have announced their retirements:

It is rare for a baseball player to have the luxury of a formal news conference to announce his retirement. It is rare if they even issue a press release.

Most players who are skillful and lucky enough to make it even to the big leagues toil in relative obscurity. Their career fades, they are released, they are designated for assignment, no other team signs them—and the fact that their career is over is an almost personal, private matter that an overwhelming majority of the time goes unregistered even on baseball’s copious and comprehensive transactions wires.

Many players active in 2013 will not play in 2014. Some notable players have been given the grand treatment of a formal retirement, with ceremonies, gifts, retrospectives and news conferences—namely Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton and Roy Halladay. But other players may not be back in 2014. Some players may be limited by injury (Johan Santana). Some who still want to play another year may be limited by age (Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez, both of whom did not play in 2013). And some may be limited by drug suspension (Alex Rodriguez and maybe Manny Ramirez, come to think of it).

This summary features the 14 players featured in the Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series in recent weeks. It includes players whose careers are done or may be done. Not every player in this series has announced his retirement. In fact, some are continuing to try to play—even if they haven’t been on active rosters for more than a year.

1. Alex Rodriguez

The New York Yankees third baseman is suspended for the 2014 season under baseball’s drug policy. The earliest he could come back to the game is 2015, when he will be 39. But will he come back? Will he be too old? Will any team give him the chance given the baggage he brings?

If it is the end for A-Rod, baseball loses the player who has helped his team to more wins than any other active player, according to Box-Toppers statistics. Rodriguez is the active leader in Box-Toppers points with 179.3, ahead of Yankees teammate and starting pitcher CC Sabathia, with 172.3. Since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, Rodriguez is also the leading batter in points, ahead of Manny Ramirez with 167.2. Rodriguez ranks fourth on the “all-time” Box-Toppers points list among all players (from 1995 to 2013).

He is a three-time American League Most Valuable Player (2003 with the Rangers and 2005 and 2007 with the Yankees). However, only once did he lead the league in Box-Toppers points—in 2007, he led AL players with 18.9.

2. Roy Halladay

Halladay, 36, announced his retirement in December after injuries cut short his 2013 season. He won the Cy Young in both the American and National Leagues. He was Box-Toppers’ top NL pitcher in 2010 and among the top five pitchers in his league in Box-Toppers points in six different seasons.

He had 170.7 career Box-Toppers points, fifth among all pitchers and sixth among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He was the second-ranked active pitcher in Box-Toppers points until his retirement (CC Sabathia, with 172.3 is No. 1).

He won the AL Cy Young in 2003 with the Blue Jays and NL Cy Young in 2010 with the Phillies. In 2010, he also had the most Box-Toppers points of any NL player with 23.4.

3. Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez, 41, has not played in the Major Leagues since 2011 but he’s attempted comebacks in 2012 and 2013 and reports say he is not ruling out another try in 2014.

He is the second-ranked batter in career Box-Toppers points with 167.2, behind only Alex Rodriguez with 179.3 (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Ramirez is ranked seventh among all players since 1995.

Ramirez had the most Box-Toppers points of any AL batter in 1999 (19.9 with the Indians). He’s been among the top 10 batters in his league in Box-Toppers season points eight times.

Ramirez’ glory years were with the Indians from 1993 to 2000, the Red Sox from 2001 to 2008 and the Dodgers from 2008 to 2010. In 2010 and 2011, he also played with the White Sox and Rays and late in his career was twice suspended under baseball’s drug policy.

4. Johan Santana

Johan Santana, Box-Toppers’ most dominant player of the mid-2000s, is attempting a comeback after a second shoulder injury that wiped out his 2011 and 2013 seasons.

Santana, 34, recently signed with the Orioles, though reports for the past year have questioned whether he will be able to continue pitching.

While with the Twins, Santana led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and led all American League pitchers in 2007. He won two Cy Young Awards during this period (2004 and 2006).

He has 166.6 career Box-Toppers points, sixth among pitchers and eighth among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He is ranked second among currently active pitchers, behind CC Sabathia with 172.3 Box-Toppers points.

Santana’s biggest year was in 2004 (26.8 Box-Toppers points). He was with the Twins from 2000-2007 and with the Mets from 2008 to 2013, where he has largely missed two of the last three seasons.

5. Jim Thome

Jim Thome, 43, last played in the Major Leagues in 2012 for the Orioles and in 2014, the Indians will erect a statue in his honor. But in December, he said he would not rule out a comeback. He is currently unsigned.

Thome has 146.7 Box-Toppers points, sixth among all batters and 17th among all players. He was among the season’s overall top 10 players in Box-Toppers points twice and among his league’s top 10 batters in five different seasons. (His career began in 1991, so his first four seasons are unrecorded by Box-Toppers, which didn’t begin record keeping until 1995).

Thome never led his league’s batters in Box-Toppers points, but finished as high as second among American League batters in 2002 with the Indians. He had 16.0 Box-Toppers points, just behind Jason Giambi of the Yankees with 17.0.

6. Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter will retire at the end of the 2014 season at the age of 40, ending a 20-year career, all with the Yankees.

He has 76.4 career Box-Toppers points, second among all shortstops, behind only Miguel Tejada with 102.3 (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Jeter’s 76.4 Box-Toppers points ranks 60th among batters and 121st among all players on the career list.

Jeter is a five-time World Series champion, 2000 World Series Most Valuable Player, 1996 Rookie of the Year, a member of the 3,000-hit club (3,316 at the start of 2014) and Yankees team captain since 2003.

Jeter had one season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points—he had exactly 10.0 in 1998, ninth among American League batters that year.

7. Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera retired at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 43 and ranks second among closing pitchers in career Box-Toppers points.

The all-time saves king has 126.4 career Box-Toppers points, just behind closing pitcher Trevor Hoffman with 129.4. Rivera, who spent his entire 19-season career with the Yankees, ranks 25th among all players and 16th among all pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

Rivera, with a reputation for postseason dominance, helped the Yankees to five World Series championships and earned World Series Most Valuable Player in 1999 and American League Championship Series MVP in 2003.

Rivera finished in the top 10 in Box-Toppers points among American League pitchers three times, he had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and scored at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 17 straight seasons. His best year was 2008 when he had 14.0 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL pitchers that year.

8. Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt, 36, has retired after finishing five times among the top 10 National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

He had 127.2 career Box-Toppers points, 23rd among all players and 15th among pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He played for the Astros from 2001 to 2010 and moved to the Phillies in 2010. He struggled with injuries from 2011 forward, spending 2012 with the Rangers and 2013 with the Rockies.

His best year was his rookie season, 2001, when he had 17.1 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL pitchers and seventh among all players.

He had seven seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and three seasons with 15.0 or more.

9. Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte, 41, who retired at the end of the 2013 season, was among his league’s top 10 pitchers in Box-Toppers points five different seasons.

He had 138.4 career Box-Toppers points, 19th among all players and 13th among all pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Pettitte pitched for the Yankees from 1995 to 2003 before moving to the Astros from 2004 to 2006. He rejoined the Yankees from 2007 to 2010 and was retired for the 2011 season before returning to the Yankees for 2012 and 2013.

His best season was 2005 when he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points with the Astros, eighth among National League pitchers and 21st among all players. He had three seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and 16 straight seasons with at least 1.0 point.

10. Todd Helton

Todd Helton, who retired at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 40, led National League batters in Box-Toppers points in two seasons and was among the league’s top three batters four seasons in a row.

Despite the impressive numbers, Helton never won an NL Most Valuable Player Award.

Helton, who played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies, had 116.4 career Box-Toppers points, the third-most among first basemen on Box-Toppers “all-time” list (record keeping began in 1995). He ranks 12th among all batters and 33rd among all players.

Helton’s most impressive period of his career was a four-season stretch from 1999 to 2002, when he was among the top three NL batters in Box-Toppers points and was the top batter two straight years, 2000 and 2001.

In 2000, he led NL batters with 15.2 Box-Toppers points and in 2001, he again led NL batters with 17.0 points (his best season).

11. Barry Zito

Barry Zito, 35, is taking a year off from pitching but says he is not retired.

Zito won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and was the No. 2 AL pitcher in Box-Toppers points in both 2001 and 2002.

He has 117.4 career Box-Toppers points from 2000 to 2013, ranking 21st among all pitchers and 31st among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He pitched for the Athletics from 2000 to 2006 and for the Giants from 2007 to 2013, where he was on the 2010 and 2012 World Series-winning teams.

In 2001, he had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers. In 2002, he had 20.1 points (his best season), and again ranked second among AL pitchers (though he won the Cy Young).

Zito had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, two seasons with 15.0 or more and one season with more than 20.0. He has scored at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in each of the 14 seasons he’s played.

12. Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter, 38, who retired at the end of the 2013 season, led National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2005, the same year he won the NL Cy Young Award.

Carpenter had 113.3 career Box-Toppers points, 24th among all pitchers and 37th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He began his career in 1997 with the Blue Jays, moving to the Cardinals in 2004. He was NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2009 with the Cardinals and a two-time World Series champion with the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011.

Carpenter was among the top 10 NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points four times.

His best year was 2005, when he had 21.0 Box-Toppers points, first among NL pitchers and second among all players. He won the NL Cy Young Award that year. Carpenter had six seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, three seasons with 15.0 or more and one season with 20.0 or more.

13. Lance Berkman

Lance Berkman led all National League batters in Box-Toppers points in 2006 and finished among the top five NL batters three times, but never won the NL Most Valuable Player Award.

Berkman, who retired in January and is now 38, has 108.1 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 16th among batters and 46th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Berkman played most of his career with the Astros (1999-2010). He moved to the Yankees to end the 2010 season. He played 2011 and 2012 with the Cardinals (where in 2011, he won a World Series title and NL Comeback Player of the Year). He finished his career in 2013 with the Rangers.

His best season was 2006 with the Astros, when he had 20.8 Box-Toppers points, first among NL batters and second among all players. (He finished third in NL Most Valuable Player voting.)

Berkman had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and one season with more than 20.0.

14. Ryan Dempster

Ryan Dempster, 36, says he will not pitch in 2014 but did not announce his formal retirement.

He has 95.2 career Box-Toppers points, 42nd among pitchers and 70th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He began his career in 1998 with the Marlins, moved to the Reds in midseason 2002, played for the Cubs from 2004 to 2012 and finished 2012 with the Rangers before playing for the Red Sox in 2013. He won a World Series title in 2013 with the Red Sox.

His career best season was 2008 with the Cubs, when he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among National League pitchers and 22nd among all players. Dempster had two seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Honorable mention

Derek Lowe

Derek Lowe, 40, retired during the 2013 season.

Lowe, who spent most of his career as a starting pitcher, had 91.5 Box-Toppers points over 16 seasons, scoring at least 1.0 point in each season he was active. He ranks 82nd among players and 47th among pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).

He pitched for the Red Sox (1998-2004), the Dodgers (2005-2008), the Braves (2009-2011), the Indians (2012), the Yankees (2012) and the Rangers (2013). His best season was 2002, when he had 14.4 Box-Toppers points with the Red Sox, ranking fourth among AL pitchers.

Mark Prior

Mark Prior had not made a Major League appearance since 2006, yet he made several efforts in subsequent years to come back. However, in December, he made it official and retired at the age of 33.

Prior played for the Cubs from 2002 to 2006. In 2003, he had 20.1 Box-Toppers points, second among National League pitchers. He had 44.2 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 315th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He scored his last Box-Toppers point on Aug. 19, 2005.

Prior helped lead the Cubs to the NL Championship Series in 2003 (which they lost to the Marlins). Injuries hampered his career from 2004 on, though he attempted a comeback as recently as 2013 with the Reds—he was released in June 2013.

Ted Lilly

Ted Lilly, 38, retired at the end of the 2013 season after a 14-year career as a starting pitcher.

He had 93.3 career Box-Toppers points, 76th among all players and 44th among all pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).

His best season was 2010, when he had 13.7 Box-Toppers points. He recorded 6.7 points with the Cubs before being traded in midseason to the Dodgers, where he recorded 7.0 more points. He ranked 12th among National League pitchers and 22nd among all players that season.

Lilly had two seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He recorded his last point May 18, 2012, with the Dodgers.

Michael Young

Michael Young, 37, retired prior to the 2014 season after a 14-year career mainly with the Rangers, primarily at shortstop and third base.

He had 73.1 career Box-Toppers points, 67th among batters and 132nd among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He ranks fourth among shortstops on Box-Toppers “all-time” list (since 1995), behind Miguel Tejada, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra.

His best season was 2006 with the Rangers when he had 8.5 Box-Toppers points. He was American League batting champion in 2005.

Aubrey Huff

Aubrey Huff, 37, who led American League batters in Box-Toppers points in 2008, announced his retirement in January after a 13-year career.

Huff had 61.6 Box-Toppers points for his career, 91st among batters and 184th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).

But his best season was 2008 with the Orioles when he led AL batters with 12.5 Box-Toppers points. (He finished just ahead of Torii Hunter of the Angels with 12.4.) Huff finished 16th in AL Most Valuable Player Award voting, which was won by Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox. Pedroia had 3.7 Box-Toppers points, 76th among AL batters.

Huff finished seventh in AL MVP voting in 2010, when he had 7.5 Box-Toppers points. He split that year between the Orioles and the Tigers.

Huff played primarily for the Rays, but also had stints with the Orioles, Giants (where he won two World Series titles in 2010 and 2012), Astros and Tigers. He played a variety of positions also, including third base, designated hitter, first base and outfield.

Huff did not play in 2013. He scored his final Box-Toppers point on July 23, 2011 with the Giants.

Mark DeRosa

Mark DeRosa, 39, retired in November after a 16-year career.

DeRosa, who played primarily third base and second base, had 47.1 career Box-Toppers points, 288th among all players since 1995. He played from 1998 to 2013 primarily for the Braves (1998-2004), but also had stints with the Cubs, Rangers, Blue Jays and Giants.

His best season was 2006 with the Rangers when he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points. He had 6.5 points in 2013, his final season, with the Blue Jays.

Carl Pavano

Carl Pavano, 38, the starting pitcher who helped the Marlins to the 2003 World Series title, announced his retirement in February.

Pavano had 55.8 career Box-Toppers points, 221st among all players since 1995.

His best year was the 2003 championship season when he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th among National League pitchers. In 2004, he had his second-best season with 10.7 Box-Toppers points, also with the Marlins, 13th among NL pitchers. He also finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting that year.

Pavano played 14 seasons from 1998-2012 primarily with the Twins, but also had stints with the Marlins, Expos, Yankees and Indians. He did not play in 2013. His final game was June 1, 2012. He scored his last Box-Toppers point on Sept. 28, 2011.

Rick Ankiel

Rick Ankiel, 34, retired this month after an 11-year career begun as a starting pitcher and improbably resurrecting himself in mid-career as an outfielder.

Ankiel had 32.6 career Box-Toppers points, 490th among all players since 1995. But he goes down in history as the first player since Babe Ruth to win 10 games and hit 50 home runs.

He was a starting pitcher from 1999 to 2004. His best season was 2000 with the Cardinals when he had 13.4 Box-Toppers points, sixth among National League pitchers. He finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. However, in the 2000 postseason, Ankiel began to pitch wildly and ineffectively. After being sent down to the minors and after injuries, he took a chance of switching positions to the outfield and gradually worked his way back to the Majors.

He did not play in 2002 with injury and in 2005 and 2006, did not play in the Majors as he developed in his new position.

He debuted as an outfielder for the Cardinals in 2007 and had his best season at the plate that year with 6.5 Box-Toppers points.

During his career, he recorded 14.4 Box-Toppers points as a pitcher and 18.2 as a batter.

He played primarily for the Cardinals, but also had stints with the Nationals, Braves, Royals, Astros and Mets. He played his last game with the Mets on June 8, 2013. He scored his last Box-Toppers point July 4, 2012, with the Nationals.

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 Dempster to sit out 2014, not retiring, but return to mound seems unlikely

Shawn Plank March 11, 2014

[NOTE: Ryan Dempster announced his official retirement Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, after sitting out the 2014 season. At the close of the 2014 season, he had 95.2 career Box-Toppers points, which at the time ranked him 75th among all players and 45th among all pitchers. Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.]

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the 14th of the series:

14. Ryan Dempster

Ryan Dempster, 36, citing health and family concerns, says he will not pitch in 2014, but did not announce his formal retirement.

Coming back to the game seems unlikely given what he said as quoted in The Boston Globe in February: “I’m just looking at the 2014 season and know that I won’t be playing this year. If something changes, then obviously something changes. I don’t see that changing anywhere in the future, but I also don’t want to close the door on that. If this is the end, what a great way to go out.”

Ryan Dempster

Here are Ryan Dempster's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1998	fla nl	1.0
1999	fla nl	6.0
2000	fla nl	9.7	AS, BTP-56, BTP-NL pi-16
2001	fla nl	7.0
2002	fla nl/cin nl	2.0
2003	cin nl	2.7
2004	chi nl	0.0
2005	chi nl	6.0
2006	chi nl	3.0
2007	chi nl	6.0
2008	chi nl	12.7	AS, BTP-22, BTP-NL pi-9, CYA-6
2009	chi nl	7.7
2010	chi nl	7.7
2011	chi nl	8.7
2012	chi nl/tex al	11.0	BTP-41, BTP-AL pi-15
2013	bos al	4.0
Total		95.2	BTP-70, BTP-pi-42

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Dempster won a World Series championship with the Red Sox in 2013.

Dempster has 95.2 career Box-Toppers points, 42nd among pitchers and 70th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He began his career in 1998 with the Marlins, moved to the Reds in midseason 2002, played for the Cubs from 2004 to 2012 and finished 2012 with the Rangers before playing for the Red Sox in 2013.

Some career highlights:

• In 2000 with the Marlins, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 16th among National League pitchers and 56th among all players.

• In 2008 with the Cubs, he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, a career season high, ninth among NL pitchers and 22nd among all players. He finished sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting, the only season he received votes. Tim Lincecum of the Giants won the award; he had 17.7 Box-Toppers points, second among NL pitchers. CC Sabathia of the Brewers led NL pitchers with 26.7 Box-Toppers points.

• In 2012 with the Cubs and the Rangers, he had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, 15th among American League pitchers and 41st among all players.

Dempster had two seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Coming next in the series: Series recap, featuring 14 players plus honorable mention retirees

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Todd Helton, Barry Zito, Chris Carpenter, Lance Berkman

Lance Berkman retires; he led NL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2006

Shawn Plank March 5, 2014

13. Lance Berkman

Lance Berkman led all National League batters in Box-Toppers points in 2006 and finished among the top five NL batters three times, but never won the NL Most Valuable Player Award.

Lance Berkman

Here are Lance Berkman's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1999	hou nl	2.0
2000	hou nl	5.0	RoY-6
2001	hou nl	6.5	AS, BTP-134, BTP-NL bat-38, MVP-5
2002	hou nl	8.5	AS, BTP-80, BTP-NL bat-18, MVP-3
2003	hou nl	7.5
2004	hou nl	11.2	AS, BTP-27, BTP-NL bat-5, MVP-7
2005	hou nl	7.0	MVP-14
2006	hou nl	20.8	AS, BTP-2, BTP-NL bat-1, MVP-3
2007	hou nl	4.5
2008	hou nl	12.9	AS, BTP-20, BTP-NL bat-5, MVP-5
2009	hou nl	6.5
2010	hou nl/nyy al	4.5
2011	stl nl	10.2	AS, BTP-48, BTP-NL bat-7, MVP-7
2012	stl nl	0.0
2013	tex al	1.0
Total		108.1	BTP-46, BTP-bat-16

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-NL bat Finish among all NL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Rookie of the Year

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Some career highlights:

• In 2001, he had 6.5 Box-Toppers points, 38th among NL batters and 134th among all players. He finished fifth in NL MVP voting.

• In 2002, he had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, 18th among NL batters and 80th among all players. He finished third in NL MVP voting.

• In 2004, he had 11.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among NL batters and 27th among all players. He finished seventh in NL MVP voting. (Barry Bonds of the Giants was voted NL MVP. He had 12.5 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL batters. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals led NL batters with 15.9 Box-Toppers points.)

• In 2006, he had 20.8 Box-Toppers points, his most in a single season. He finished first among NL batters and second among all players (behind only Johan Santana of the Twins with 25.7 points). However, Berkman finished third in NL MVP voting. Ryan Howard of the Phillies, who won the award, had 14.0 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL batters.

• In 2008, he had 12.9 Box-Toppers points, fifth among NL batters and 20th among all players. He finished fifth in NL MVP voting. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals, who won the award, had 15.2 Box-Toppers points, most among NL batters.

• In 2011, he had 10.2 Box-Toppers points with the Cardinals, seventh among NL batters and 48th among all players. He finished seventh in NL MVP voting. Ryan Braun of the Brewers, who won the award, had 10.5 Box-Toppers points, sixth among NL batters. (Prince Fielder of the Brewers led NL batters in 2011 with 15.7 points.)

Berkman had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and one season with more than 20.0.

Coming next in the series: Ryan Dempster

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Todd Helton, Barry Zito, Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter retires; he led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2005

Shawn Plank March 4, 2014

12. Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter, who retired at the end of the 2013 season, led all National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2005, the same year he won the NL Cy Young Award.

Chris Carpenter

Here are Chris Carpenter's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1997	tor al	1.0
1998	tor al	5.7
1999	tor al	5.0
2000	tor al	2.0
2001	tor al	10.0	BTP-67, BTP-AL pi-21
2002	tor al	1.0
2003	stl nl	0.0
2004	stl nl	10.7	BTP-41, BTP-NL pi-17
2005	stl nl	21.0	AS, BTP-2, BTP-NL pi-1, CYA-1, MVP-8
2006	stl nl	15.4	AS, BTP-9, BTP-NL pi-4, CYA-3, MVP-19
2007	stl nl	0.0
2008	stl nl	1.0
2009	stl nl	15.7	BTP-14, BTP-NL pi-4, CYA-2, MVP-14
2010	stl nl	16.1	AS, BTP-10, BTP-NL pi-6
2011	stl nl	8.7
2012	stl nl	0.0
2013	stl nl	0.0
Total		113.3	BTP-37, BTP-pi-24

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Carpenter, 38, was also among the top 10 NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points four times in his 17-year career and three times among the top three in NL Cy Young voting.

Carpenter recorded 113.3 career Box-Toppers points, 24th among all pitchers and 37th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He battled injury several times during his career but consistently battled back to pitch effectively and rank among the league’s top players in Box-Toppers points.

He was NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2009 with the Cardinals and a two-time World Series champion with the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011.

He began his career in 1997 with the Blue Jays and moved to the Cardinals in 2004. Injuries prevented him from playing in 2003 and 2013, his final season. He played in only three games in 2012. And he earned his final Box-Toppers points Sept. 28, 2011, when he was Player of the Day.

Some career highlights:

• In 2001 with the Blue Jays, he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 21st among American League pitchers and 67th among all players.

• In 2004 with the Cardinals, he had 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 17th among NL pitchers and 41st among all players. He had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the previous two seasons—2002 and 2003.

• In 2005, he had 21.0 Box-Toppers points, a career high, the most among NL pitchers and second among all players (behind only Johan Santana of the Twins, with 24.1.) Carpenter won the NL Cy Young Award over Dontrelle Willis of the Marlins (Willis had 18.7 Box-Toppers points, third among NL pitchers).

• In 2006, he had 15.4 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL pitchers and ninth among all players. He finished third in NL Cy Young voting. (Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks won the NL Cy Young. Webb had 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ninth among NL pitchers. John Smoltz of the Braves led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 19.1.)

• In 2009, he had 15.7 Box-Toppers points after scoring only 1.0 point the previous two seasons—2007 and 2008. Carpenter ranked fourth among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points and 14th among all players. He finished second in NL Cy Young voting. (Tim Lincecum of the Giants won the NL Cy Young and led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 19.7.)

• In 2010, he had 16.1 Box-Toppers points, sixth among NL pitchers and 10th among all players. Though it was his second-best season in Box-Toppers points, he received no NL Cy Young votes. Roy Halladay won the NL Cy Young and led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 23.4.

Carpenter had six seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, three seasons with 15.0 or more and one season with 20.0 or more.

Coming next in the series: Lance Berkman

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Todd Helton, Barry Zito

Barry Zito takes a twilight career break—he was No. 2 AL pitcher in Box-Toppers points twice

Shawn Plank February 26, 2014

11. Barry Zito

Barry Zito, 35, is taking a year off from pitching but says he is not retired.

Zito won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and was the No. 2 AL pitcher in Box-Toppers points in both 2001 and 2002.

Barry Zito

Here are Barry Zito's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
2000	oak al	2.0	RoY-6
2001	oak al	18.1	BTP-5, BTP-AL pi-2, MVP-21
2002	oak al	20.1	AS, BTP-5, BTP-AL pi-2, CYA-1, MVP-13
2003	oak al	9.7	AS, BTP-49, BTP-AL pi-15
2004	oak al	5.7
2005	oak al	11.4	BTP-32, BTP-AL pi-8
2006	oak al	9.0	AS, BTP-72, BTP-AL pi-22
2007	sf nl	7.0
2008	sf nl	6.0
2009	sf nl	10.0	BTP-48, BTP-NL pi-17
2010	sf nl	7.7
2011	sf nl	1.0
2012	sf nl	6.7
2013	sf nl	3.0
Total		117.4	BTP-31, BTP-pi-21

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Finish in Rookie of the Year voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

He has 117.4 career Box-Toppers points from 2000 to 2013, ranking 21st among all pitchers and 31st among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).

Zito, who pitched for the Athletics from 2000 to 2006 and for the Giants from 2007 to 2013, has only received Cy Young Award votes once during his career—the year he won the prize. He is a two-time World Series champion with the Giants in 2010 and 2012.

Some career highlights:

• In 2001, he had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers and fifth among all players. However, he received no Cy Young votes that season. Roger Clemens of the Yankees won the AL Cy Young. Clemens had 12.4 Box-Toppers points, sixth among AL pitchers. Zito’s Athletics teammate Tim Hudson, who led AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 18.8, finished sixth in Cy Young voting with one vote.

• In 2002, he had 20.1 Box-Toppers points, his best season, finishing second among AL pitchers and fifth among all players. He won the AL Cy Young. Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox had the most Box-Toppers points among AL pitchers (28.8) and finished second in Cy Young voting.

• In 2003, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 15th among AL pitchers and 49th among all players.

• In 2004, he had 11.4 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL pitchers and 32nd among all players.

• In 2006, he had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 22nd among AL pitchers and 72nd among all players.

• In 2009 with the Giants, he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 17th among National League pitchers and 48th among all players.

Coming next in the series: Chris Carpenter

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Todd Helton

Todd Helton topped NL batters twice in Box-Toppers points, but never won NL MVP

Shawn Plank February 25, 2014

10. Todd Helton

Todd Helton never won the Most Valuable Player Award, but was the top National League batter in Box-Toppers points twice and among the top three NL batters four seasons in a row.

Todd Helton

Here are Todd Helton's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1997	col nl	0.0
1998	col nl	7.5
1999	col nl	14.7	BTP-12, BTP-NL bat-2
2000	col nl	15.2	AS, BTP-11, BTP-NL bat-1, MVP-5
2001	col nl	17.0	AS, BTP-9, BTP-NL bat-1, MVP-9
2002	col nl	14.0	AS, BTP-15, BTP-NL bat-3, MVP-19
2003	col nl	11.0	AS, BTP-32, BTP-NL bat-6, MVP-7
2004	col nl	6.5	AS, BTP-126, BTP-NL bat-32, MVP-16
2005	col nl	6.5
2006	col nl	4.5
2007	col nl	5.5
2008	col nl	2.0
2009	col nl	4.0	BTP-259, BTP-NL bat-66, MVP-13
2010	col nl	2.0
2011	col nl	4.5
2012	col nl	0.0
2013	col nl	1.5
Total		116.4	BTP-33, BTP-bat-12

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-NL bat Finish among all NL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Helton, who retired at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 40, spent his entire 17-year Major League career with the Colorado Rockies. He had 116.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranking third among first basemen in the “all-time” Box-Toppers list (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Ahead of him on the first baseman list—Albert Pujols (159.8) and Carlos Delgado (117.7).

Helton ranks 12th among all batters on Box-Toppers “all-time” list and 33rd among all players.

• In 1999, he had 14.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking second among NL batters and 12th among all players. He finished just behind Barry Bonds of the Giants (15.2). Chipper Jones of the Braves was voted NL MVP. He had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 16th among NL batters. Helton received no MVP votes in 1999.

• In 2000, he had 15.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking first among NL batters and 11th among all players. (Gary Sheffield of the Dodgers was second among NL batters with 14.2.) Jeff Kent of the Giants, who was voted NL MVP, had 12.9 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL batters. Helton finished fifth in NL MVP voting.

• In 2001, Helton’s best season, he had 17.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking first among NL batters and ninth among all players. (Chipper Jones of the Braves was second among NL batters with 16.7.) However, Helton finished ninth in NL MVP voting. Barry Bonds of the Giants, who won the award, had 15.5 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL batters.

• In 2002, he had 14.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking third among NL batters and 15th among all players. He finished 19th in NL MVP voting. Barry Bonds, who won NL MVP voting, was also Box-Toppers’ NL batting leader with 20.7 points.

Other career highlights for Helton:

• In 2003, he had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among NL batters, 32nd among all players. He finished seventh in NL MVP voting.

• In 2004, he had 6.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking 32nd among NL batters and 126th among all players and finished 16th in NL MVP voting.

• In 2009, while he finished 13th in NL MVP voting, he had only 4.0 Box-Toppers points, 66th among NL batters and 259th among all players.

Helton had five consecutive seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points (1999-2003), including two seasons with 15.0 or more (2000 and 2001).

Coming next in the series: Barry Zito

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte, retired after 2013, was a Box-Toppers top 10 pitcher in 5 different seasons

Shawn Plank February 24, 2014

9. Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte, who was among his league’s top 10 pitchers in Box-Toppers points five different seasons, retired at the end of 2013 at the age of 41.

Pettitte had 138.4 Box-Toppers points for his career, ranking 19th among all players and 13th among all pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, Pettitte’s rookie year).

Andy Pettitte

Here are Andy Pettitte's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1995	nyy al	7.7	RoY-3
1996	nyy al	9.4	AS, BTP-54, BTP-AL pi-8, CYA-2, MVP-14
1997	nyy al	9.7	BTP-53, BTP-AL pi-10, CYA-5
1998	nyy al	7.7
1999	nyy al	5.0
2000	nyy al	7.7	BTP-96, BTP-AL pi-12, CYA-4
2001	nyy al	5.0	AS
2002	nyy al	11.7	BTP-30, BTP-AL pi-8
2003	nyy al	11.1	BTP-31, BTP-AL pi-9, CYA-6
2004	hou nl	6.0
2005	hou nl	12.7	BTP-21, BTP-NL pi-8, CYA-5, MVP-24
2006	hou nl	9.4
2007	nyy al	6.0
2008	nyy al	8.7
2009	nyy al	9.0
2010	nyy al	4.7	AS
2011	retired	0.0
2012	nyy al	3.0
2013	nyy al	4.0
Total		138.5	BTP-19, BTP-pi-13

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Finish in Rookie of the Year voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Pettitte pitched for the Yankees from 1995 to 2003 before moving to the Astros from 2004 to 2006. He rejoined the Yankees from 2007 to 2010 and was retired for the 2011 season before returning to the Yankees for 2012 and 2013.

Some career highlights:

• In 1996, he had 9.4 Box-Toppers points, eighth among American League pitchers and 54th among all players. He finished second in Cy Young Award voting (his highest finish). Pat Hentgen of the Blue Jays won the award—he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points that season, fifth among AL pitchers.

• In 1997, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 10th among AL pitchers and 53rd among all players. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting. Roger Clemens of the Blue Jays won the AL Cy Young. He had 27.4 Box-Toppers points that season, the most of any player.

• In 2000, he had 7.7 Box-Toppers points, 12th among AL pitchers and 96th among all players. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting. Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox won the Cy Young. Martinez had 33.5 Box-Toppers points, the most of any AL pitcher.

• In 2002, he had 11.7 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL pitchers and 30th among all players. He received no Cy Young votes.

• In 2003, he had 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ninth among AL pitchers and 31st among all players. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting. Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays won the Cy Young. Halladay had 14.1 Box-Toppers points, fifth among AL pitchers.

• In 2005, with the Astros, Pettitte had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, a career-high for a season. He finished eighth among National League pitchers and 21st among all players and was fifth in NL Cy Young voting. Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals won the NL Cy Young and had the most Box-Toppers points of any NL pitcher, 21.0.

Pettitte had three seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He came close in four other seasons when he had 9.0 or more points. He scored at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 16 straight seasons (the streak ended when he retired the first time in 2011) and scored at least 1.0 point in each of the 18 seasons in which he was active.

Coming next in the series: Todd Helton

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt

Retiring Roy Oswalt among best pitchers in Box-Toppers season rankings

Shawn Plank February 21, 2014

8. Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt

Here are Roy Oswalt's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
2001	hou nl	17.1	BTP-7, BTP-NL pi-4, CYA-5, MVP-22, RoY-2
2002	hou nl	10.8	BTP-42, BTP-NL pi-15, CYA-4, MVP-23
2003	hou nl	6.0
2004	hou nl	13.7	BTP-16, BTP-NL pi-8, CYA-3, MVP-23
2005	hou nl	16.1	AS, BTP-9, BTP-NL pi-6, CYA-4, MVP-23
2006	hou nl	12.4	AS, BTP-28, BTP-NL pi-10, CYA-4
2007	hou nl	6.7	AS
2008	hou nl	11.0	BTP-42, BTP-NL pi-17
2009	hou nl	7.7
2010	hou nl/phi nl	17.0	BTP-6, BTP-NL pi-3, CYA-6
2011	phi nl	5.7
2012	tex al	3.0
2013	col nl	0.0
Total		127.2	BTP-23, BTP-pi-15

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Finish in Rookie of the Year voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Roy Oswalt, who in five different seasons finished among the top 10 National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points and Cy Young Award voting, retired this month after 13 years.

Oswalt, 36, was always one of baseball’s best starting pitchers, but was never “the” very best pitcher, finishing as high as third place in both Cy Young voting and Box-Toppers points among his league’s pitchers. He struggled with injuries from 2011 forward and in 2013, he earned no Box-Toppers points when he pitched nine games for the Colorado Rockies and went 0-6 with an ERA of 8.63.

Oswalt earned 127.2 Box-Toppers points over his career from 2001 to 2013, ranking 23rd among all players and 15th among all pitchers. (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) Oswalt spent his career primarily with the Houston Astros from 2001-2010.

Some career highlights:

• In 2001, Oswalt had 17.1 Box-Toppers points, a career season-high in his rookie year. He finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting, seventh among all players in Box-Toppers points and fourth among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points. (Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks won the NL Cy Young that year and also led all players in Box-Toppers points with 29.4.)

• In 2002, he had 10.8 Box-Toppers points, 15th among all NL pitchers and 42nd among all players. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. (Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks won the NL Cy Young and also led all players in Box-Toppers points with 33.7.)

• In 2004, he had 13.7 Box-Toppers points, eighth among all NL pitchers and 16th among all players. He finished third in NL Cy Young voting. (Astros teammate Roger Clemens won the NL Cy Young that year. Clemens had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, third-most among NL pitchers. Eric Gagne of the Dodgers led NL pitchers in 2004 with 19.7 points.)

• In 2005, Oswalt had 16.1 Box-Toppers points, sixth among NL pitchers and ninth among all players. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. (Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals won the NL Cy Young and had the most Box-Toppers points of any NL pitcher, 21.0.)

• In 2006, Oswalt had 12.4 Box-Toppers points, 10th among NL pitchers and 28th among all players. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. (Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks won the NL Cy Young. Webb had 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ninth among NL pitchers. John Smoltz of the Braves led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 19.1.)

• In 2008, Oswalt had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, 17th among NL pitchers and 42nd among all players. He received no Cy Young Award votes that season.

• In 2010, he had 17.0 Box-Toppers points, beginning the season with the Astros and ending with the Phillies. He ranked third among NL pitchers and sixth among all players. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting. (Phillies teammate Roy Halladay, who also retired after 2013, won the award. Halladay also ranked first among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 23.4.)

Oswalt had seven seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and three seasons with 15.0 or more.

Coming next in the series: Andy Pettitte

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera

Retired saves king Mariano Rivera ranks as 2nd-best all-time closer in Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank February 19, 2014

7. Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera, considered the greatest closing pitcher of all time, is only the second-best closer in career Box-Toppers points.

Mariano Rivera

Here are Mariano Rivera's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1995	nyy al	3.0
1996	nyy al	8.4	BTP-77, BTP-AL pi-11, CYA-3, MVP-12
1997	nyy al	5.0	AS, MVP-25
1998	nyy al	4.0
1999	nyy al	8.0	AS, BTP-82, BTP-AL pi-13, CYA-3, MVP-14
2000	nyy al	4.0	AS
2001	nyy al	12.0	AS, BTP-30, BTP-AL pi-8, MVP-11
2002	nyy al	4.0	AS
2003	nyy al	6.0	MVP-27
2004	nyy al	5.0	AS, BTP-189, BTP-AL pi-37, CYA-3, MVP-9
2005	nyy al	11.0	AS, BTP-37, BTP-AL pi-9, CYA-2, MVP-9
2006	nyy al	4.0	AS, MVP-26
2007	nyy al	12.0	BTP-27, BTP-AL pi-11
2008	nyy al	14.0	AS, BTP-17, BTP-AL pi-8, CYA-5
2009	nyy al	8.0	AS, BTP-84, BTP-AL pi-18, MVP-14
2010	nyy al	7.0	AS
2011	nyy al	6.0	AS, CYA-8
2012	nyy al	0.0
2013	nyy al	5.0	AS
Total		126.4	BTP-25, BTP-pi-16

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Rivera retired amid great fanfare at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 43. He recorded more saves than any other pitcher with 652. He helped the New York Yankees, the team with which he spent his entire 19-season career, win five World Series championships, earning World Series Most Valuable Player once (in 1999) and American League Championship Series MVP once (in 2003).

And yet, despite all this, Rivera trails one other closing pitcher in all-time Box-Toppers points. Rivera recorded 126.4 Box-Toppers points, ranking 25th among all players and 16th among all pitchers. But ahead of him, with 129.4 Box-Toppers points, ranking 21st among all players and 14th among all pitchers is Trevor Hoffman.

Hoffman, who pitched primarily for the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers from 1993 to 2010, has 601 career saves—he was passed by Rivera in 2011. And even though Rivera was only 3.0 Box-Toppers points from tying him, Hoffman would likely have a higher point total since his career began before Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995—Hoffman picked up 25 of his career saves in 1993 and 1994.

More about the comparison of Rivera and Hoffman ahead, but first a look back at the career of Rivera, who finished among the top 10 in AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points for a season three times during his career. Here are some career highlights:

• In 1996, he had 8.4 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting. (Pat Hentgen of the Blue Jays won the award—he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points that season, fifth among AL pitchers.)

• In 1999, he had 9.0 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox won the award—he had 31.4 Box-Toppers points, the most of any AL pitcher.)

• In 2001, he had 12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among AL pitchers. (He received no Cy Young votes.)

• In 2004, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins won the award—he had 26.8 Box-Toppers points, the most of any player that season.)

• In 2005, he had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking ninth among AL pitchers and finishing second in Cy Young voting, his highest finish ever. (Bartolo Colon of the Angels won the award—he had 9.4 Box-Toppers points that year, ranking 13th among AL pitchers.)

• In 2007, he had 12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking 11th among AL pitchers. (He received no Cy Young votes.)

• In 2008, he had a career-high-for-a-season 14.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among AL pitchers and finishing fifth in Cy Young voting. (Cliff Lee of the Indians won the award —he had 15.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among AL pitchers.)

• In 2011, he had 6.0 Box-Toppers points and finished eighth in Cy Young voting. (Justin Verlander of the Tigers won the award—he had 24.4 Box-Toppers points, first among AL pitchers.)

Rivera had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He had 17 straight seasons in which he earned at least one Box-Toppers point. That streak was cut short in 2012, when he was injured for the season in May and earned no Box-Toppers points that year. He came back from that injury in 2013 to earn 5.0 Box-Toppers points in his final season.

Rivera vs. Hoffman

Trevor Hoffman

Here are Trevor Hoffman's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1993	fla nl/sd nl	*
1994	sd nl	*
1995	sd nl	9.0	BTP-42, BTP-NL pi-8
1996	sd nl	14.7	BTP-12, BTP-NL pi-5, CYA-5, MVP-22
1997	sd nl	14.0	BTP-17, BTP-Nl pi-7
1998	sd nl	11.0	AS, BTP-31, BTP-NL pi-12, CYA-2, MVP-7
1999	sd nl	7.0	AS, BTP-111, BTP-NL pi-27, CYA-6, MVP-28
2000	sd nl	11.0	AS, BTP-30, BTP-NL pi-8
2001	sd nl	12.0	BTP-29, BTP-NL pi-13
2002	sd nl	8.0	AS, BTP-88, BTP-NL pi-30
2003	sd nl	0.0
2004	sd nl	8.7	BTP-65, BTP-NL pi-22
2005	sd nl	7.0	MVP-17
2006	sd nl	7.0	AS, BTP-115, BTP-NL pi-33, CYA-2, MVP-10
2007	sd nl	3.0	AS
2008	sd nl	9.0	BTP-69, BTP-NL pi-27
2009	mil nl	7.0	AS
2010	mil nl	1.0
Total		129.4	BTP-21, BTP-pi-14

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Hoffman appeared in 67 games in 1993 and 47 games in 1994, recording 25 of his 601 career saves.

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

So why does Rivera have fewer Box-Toppers points than Hoffman?

First: Box-Toppers measures which player most contributes to a team’s win. While Rivera was with the Yankees, there was a cavalcade of stars who made contributions who regularly edged out Rivera to earn Player of the Game honors (and thus, Box-Toppers points)—Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi … the names roll off the tongue and are among all-time career leaders in Box-Toppers points. But Hoffman did not have as many stars around him (his San Diego teammate Jake Peavy is the only one that comes to mind at present) and so the competition among team members to earn Box-Toppers points was less, allowing Hoffman to, perhaps, put up bigger numbers.

In addition, it’s simply harder for a closer to accumulate a lot of Box-Toppers points. When they pitch only one inning, it is hard for them to amass a large enough Box-Toppers game score in comparison with their teammates. For a closer to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors, they almost have to dominate their inning, striking out the side and allowing no hits, while their teammates either completely fail or make only minor contributions to the win. The closer may only win Player of the Game honors because the starting pitcher got shelled and no batter had a decent hitting line.

Box-Toppers doesn’t give credence to the so-called “clutch” or late-inning situation in which most closers find themselves. In the view of the Box-Toppers statistic, the first inning is as important as the ninth and the first game is as important as the 162nd. So, a closer who pitches one inning and faces just three batters may do it well and may give his team an emotional boost, but it is hard for him to compete statistically with the pitcher who goes seven innings or the batter who makes four plate appearances and gets three hits.

Given all those obstacles, it is really remarkable that Rivera and Hoffman could accumulate so many points over their careers—for comparison here are the next highest-ranked closers on the all-time Box-Toppers points list:

• Billy Wagner (1996-2010), 108.7, ranked 44th overall.

• Troy Percival (1995-2009), 80.7, ranked 102nd overall.

• Rob Nen (1993-2004), 66.0, ranked 157th overall.

Given his status as “saves king” and his reputation for postseason dominance, it may be true to say Rivera is the greatest closer of all time. But it can also be fair to say that Hoffman is actually the closer who contributed most often to his teams’ wins.

Coming next in the series: Roy Oswalt

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter, retiring at season's end, is Box-Toppers' 2nd-ranked all-time shortstop

Shawn Plank February 14, 2014

6. Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter said this week he will retire at the end of the 2014 season, ending a 20-year career at the age of 40.

Jeter, who has 76.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranks second among all shortstops (Box-Toppers record keeping began when he made his Major League debut in 1995), 60th among all batters and 121st among all players. He finished among the top 10 American League batters only once (1998) and finished as high as second place in AL Most Valuable Player award voting once (2006).

Derek Jeter

Here are Derek Jeter's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1995	nyy al	0.0
1996	nyy al	4.5	RoY-1
1997	nyy al	2.0	MVP-24
1998	nyy al	10.0	AS, BTP-51, BTP-AL bat-9, MVP-3
1999	nyy al	2.0	AS, BTP-409, MVP-3
2000	nyy al	2.5	AS, BTP-400, MVP-6
2001	nyy al	5.0	AS, BTP-200, MVP-10
2002	nyy al	5.0	AS
2003	nyy al	2.5	MVP-21
2004	nyy al	8.7	AS, BTP-68, BTP-AL bat-16, MVP-3
2005	nyy al	4.0	BTP-238, MVP-10
2006	nyy al	6.7	AS, BTP-135, MVP-2
2007	nyy al	7.0	AS, BTP-112, BTP-AL bat-29, MVP-11
2008	nyy al	3.0	AS
2009	nyy al	1.0	AS, BTP-571, MVP-3
2010	nyy al	5.0	AS
2011	nyy al	4.5	AS
2012	nyy al	3.0	AS, BTP-319, MVP-7
2013	nyy al	0.0
Total		76.4	BTP-121, BTP-bat-60

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL bat Finish among all AL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Rookie of the Year

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Jeter, of course, has spent his entire career with the New York Yankees—so far. (This season has yet to play out, so there’s always the chance Jeter will be dealt to the Astros—or the Red Sox … OK, probably not.)

Miguel Tejada is the only shortstop with more career Box-Toppers points than Jeter. Tejada, currently a free agent who has played primarily for the Athletics and the Orioles, has 102.3 points. Jeter is just ahead of the third-place shortstop on the “all-time” list—Nomar Garciaparra has 74.9 Box-Toppers points.

Jeter’s Box-Toppers point totals seem a little low given his longevity, his profile and his accomplishments—five-time World Series champion, 2000 World Series MVP, 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, membership in the 3,000-hit club (he has 3,316 at present) and Yankees team captain since 2003. Plus, his seasonal point totals are lower than expected given his general Jeterian-ness—he has only one season with 10.0 Box-Toppers points.

Why doesn’t he have more Box-Toppers points? A couple of reasons: Box-Toppers tends to favor players with fat batting lines—lots of hits, runs and runs batted in. No doubt, Jeter has a lot of hits, but because he has hit early in the line-up and because he doesn't necessarily hit for power, he does not rack up RBIs as quickly as some. (For example, Jeter has 1,261 career RBIs over 19 seasons. Just behind him on the all-time RBI list is Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who has nearly as many RBIs as Jeter in just over half the time—1,260 RBIs over 11 seasons.)

Plus, Box-Toppers awards only one player for each game—the one who most contributes to his team’s win. Jeter has had a lot of competition for Player of the Game in a Yankees’ lineup stocked with All-Stars. He played on a team that had a lot of power hitters—Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams, for example. Those players were more likely to drive in runs, which drove the Box-Toppers formula to give them Player of the Game honors more often and thus, earn more Box-Toppers points.

He also competed for points against some of the all-time great pitchers on his team—Roger Clemens, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. With so much talent around him, competition for Box-Toppers points (though they probably had no idea they were competing for Box-Toppers points!) was fierce.

Shortstops also generally don't receive as many Box-Toppers points because they are hired mainly for their fielding—which Box-Toppers ignores—and not for their bat. That all supposedly changed in the 1980s when Cal Ripken Jr. of the Orioles brought power hitting to the shortstop position (Box-Toppers tracking didn't begin until the end of Ripken's career, but he did record 26.9 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2001.) In the 1990s, three phenom players ran with Ripken's shortstops-that-can-really-hit model—Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, then of the Red Sox and Alex Rodriguez, then of the Mariners.

Garciaparra, as previously mentioned, accumulated 74.9 Box-Toppers points from 1996 to 2009 (though late in his career, he played first and third base). Rodriguez played shortstop for his first eight seasons with the Mariners and the Rangers, racking up 87.5 Box-Toppers points over that time, which is more than the 76.4 Jeter has over 19 seasons. Rodriguez switched to third base in deference to Jeter when he signed with the Yankees in 2004 and has accumulated 91.8 more Box-Toppers points over those 10 seasons, giving him 179.3 for his career. But the most successful shortstop of the Box-Toppers era (since 1995) is none of those three, but Miguel Tejada, with 102.3 points (a few of the points earned while playing third base and designated hitter).

On Box-Toppers all-time batting ranks, Jeter ranks 60th, just behind these five players—John Olerud (77.8), Shawn Green (77.6), Edgar Martinez (77.5), Mark McGwire (77.3) and Travis Hafner (76.9). He is just ahead of these five players—Pat Burrell (76.0), Jermaine Dye (76.0), Vernon Wells (75.8), Luis Gonzalez (75.3) and Garciaparra (74.9).

Jeter scored at least one Box-Toppers point in 17 straight seasons, from 1996 until 2012. He did not score any points in his injury-shortened 2013 season, ending the streak. Some other career highlights for Jeter:

• In 1998, he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points, the most he had in any season. He finished ninth among all AL batters and 51st among all players in Box-Toppers points, both rankings were his highest for a season. He finished third in AL MVP voting. (The winner, Juan Gonzalez of the Rangers, had 16.3 Box-Toppers points, second among AL batters to Albert Belle of the White Sox with 16.4.)

• In 1999, he had only 2.0 Box-Toppers points, but finished third in AL MVP voting.

• In 2004, he had 8.7 Box-Toppers points and was again third in AL MVP voting. (Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels was voted MVP. He had 14.4 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all AL players.)

• In 2006, he had 6.7 Box-Toppers points and was second in AL MVP voting, his highest finish. (Justin Morneau of the Twins was voted MVP—he had 12.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all AL batters.)

• In 2007, he had 7.0 Box-Toppers points and was 11th in AL MVP voting.

• In 2009, he had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point and was ranked 571st among all players in Box-Toppers season rankings. Yet, he still finished third in AL MVP voting.

Jeter’s Box-Toppers numbers often don’t correlate well with baseball writers voting for MVP, especially in years like 2009, when Jeter had but 1.0 Box-Toppers point, yet finished third in MVP voting. Again, Jeter’s point totals may have been kept low because he has not been a power hitter and has competed with an all-star Yankee line-up for points. But Jeter’s play was often spectacular, flipping impossible relays, diving into stands for a foul ball, hitting dramatic World Series-game winning homers. It’s hard to ignore that, but unless it shows up in a box score batting line during a regular season game, Box-Toppers does, indeed, ignore it. Plus, Jeter had the squishy intangibles working in his favor—he was a clubhouse leader, a heckuva guy writers liked and fans admired. Box-Toppers really doesn’t pay attention to that either. It also doesn’t hurt that Jeter is playing in New York and able to attract a lot of attention. But Box-Toppers doesn’t award bonus points for performing well in the media hub of the world.

Box-Toppers is another metric through which players can be compared. Jeter has done well in Box-Toppers points, not so much as a dominant player season-by-season, but more for his long-term legacy and for what he has accomplished over a two-decade career.

Coming next in the series: Mariano Rivera

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome

Jim Thome, 6th-ranked batter in Box-Toppers points, seems retired, but hints at return in '14

Shawn Plank February 13, 2014

5. Jim Thome

Jim Thome

Here are Jim Thome's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1991	cle al	*
1992	cle al	*
1993	cle al	*
1994	cle al	*
1995	cle al	5.0
1996	cle al	16.2	BTP-6, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-15
1997	cle al	8.5	AS, BTP-65, BTP-AL bat-18, MVP-6
1998	cle al	8.5	AS, BTP-82, BTP-AL bat-19, MVP-21
1999	cle al	8.0	AS
2000	cle al	11.5	BTP-27, BTP-AL bat-8
2001	cle al	9.2	BTP-78, BTP-AL bat-16, MVP-7
2002	cle al	16.0	BTP-7, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-7
2003	phi nl	10.5	BTP-40, BTP-NL bat-8, MVP-4
2004	phi nl	6.5	AS, BTP-127, BAT-NL bat-33, MVP-19
2005	phi nl	1.0
2006	chi al	7.7	AS, BTP-104, BTP-AL bat-24, MVP-12
2007	chi al	7.0
2008	chi al	7.5
2009	chi al/lad nl	10.4	BTP-45, BTP-NL bat-7
2010	min al	5.2	BTP-190, BTP-AL bat-41, MVP-18
2011	min al/cle al	5.5
2012	phi nl/bal al	2.5
2013	did not play	0.0
Total		146.7	BTP-17, BTP-bat-6

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Thome played 27 games in 1991, 40 games in 1992, 47 in 1993 and 98 in 1994.
AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL bat Finish among all AL batters in BTP
BTP-NL bat Finish among all NL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Jim Thome, who ranks sixth among all batters in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995), was among the season’s overall top 10 players twice and among his league’s top 10 batters in five different seasons.

Thome, 43, last played in the Major Leagues in 2012 for the Baltimore Orioles, worked in the front office for the Chicago White Sox in 2013 and in 2014, the Cleveland Indians will erect a statue in his honor. He seems retired. But during 2013, he was listed as a free agent all season. And in December, he said he would not rule out a comeback in 2014.

So if he is done, he leaves among the top 10 of all batters in Box-Toppers points. He has 146.7 points, ranking sixth among all batters and 17th among all players. (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, so Thome’s first four seasons in the big leagues are unrecorded by Box-Toppers—he played 27 games in 1991, 40 games in 1992, 47 in 1993 and 98 in 1994.)

Thome never won a league Most Valuable Player honor (his highest finish in voting was 2003, when he finished fourth in National League voting with the Philadelphia Phillies). Thome also never ranked first among batters in his league in Box-Toppers points (his best finish was ranking second among American League batters in 2002 with the Cleveland Indians).

Among Thome’s best seasons:

• 1996 with the Indians: He had 16.2 Box-Toppers points, a career-high for a season. He ranked sixth among all players and third among AL batters—finishing behind then-teammate Albert Belle (20.4) and Mo Vaughn of the Boston Red Sox (18.6). Thome finished in 15th place in AL MVP voting.

• 2000 with the Indians: He had 11.5 Box-Toppers points, finishing eighth among all AL batters and 27th overall. (Frank Thomas of the White Sox was first among AL batters with 17.9 points.)

• 2002 with the Indians: He had 16.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking seventh among all players and second among AL batters. (Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees finished ahead of him with 17.0 Box-Toppers points.) Thome finished seventh in AL MVP voting that year.

• 2003 with the Phillies: He had 10.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among NL batters and 40th among all players. He finished fourth in NL MVP voting.

• 2009 with the White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers: He had 10.4 Box-Toppers points, ranking seventh among NL batters and 45th among all players.

Thome had 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points in a season five different times. He scored more than 15.0 in a season twice.

Coming next in the series: Derek Jeter

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana

Johan Santana, Box-Toppers' dominant player in mid-2000s, attempting comeback after injury

Shawn Plank February 11, 2014

4. Johan Santana

Johan Santana was Box-Toppers’ dominant player in the mid-2000s as he led all players in Box-Toppers points three consecutive years and all American League pitchers for four straight years.

Santana, 34, missed the entire 2013 season after re-injuring his shoulder and undergoing surgery. He missed the 2011 season with a similar injury and there are questions whether he will be able to continue pitching. He is currently an unsigned free agent.

Johan Santana

Here are Johan Santana's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
2000	min al	0.0
2001	min al	1.7
2002	min al	10.0
2003	min al	10.7	CYA-7
2004	min al	26.8	BTP-1, CYA-1, MVP-6
2005	min al	24.1	AS, BTP-1, CYA-3
2006	min al	25.7	AS, BTP-1, CYA-1, MVP-7
2007	min al	18.1	AS, CYA-5, BTP-4, BTP-AL pi-1
2008	nym nl	15.4	BTP-9, BTP-NL pi-5, CYA-3, MVP-14
2009	nym nl	11.4
2010	nym nl	12.0
2011	nym nl	0.0
2012	nym nl	10.7
2013	nym nl	0.0
Total		166.6	BTP-8, BTP-pi-6

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Santana has 166.6 Box-Toppers points, putting him in eighth place among players on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” rankings (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995) and sixth among all pitchers. At the end of 2013, he ranked third among all active pitchers, behind CC Sabathia (172.3) and Roy Halladay (170.7), who announced his retirement in December.

Santana’s Box-Toppers numbers suggest he should have won four straight American League Cy Young Awards while pitching for the Minnesota Twins from 2004 through 2007, however, he only won two. He led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and led all AL pitchers in points in 2007:

• In 2004, his best season, he earned 26.8 Box-Toppers points, more than any other player that year, won the Cy Young Award and also finished sixth in AL Most Valuable Player voting. (Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels was voted MVP. He had 14.4 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all AL players.)

• In 2005, Santana had 24.1 Box-Toppers points, more than any other player that season. However, he finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Bartolo Colon of the Angels won the Cy Young—he had 9.4 Box-Toppers points that year, ranking 13th among AL pitchers.)

• In 2006, Santana had 25.7 Box-Toppers points, again more than any other player that year, winning the AL Cy Young Award and finishing seventh in AL MVP voting. (Twins teammate Justin Morneau was voted MVP—he had 12.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all AL batters.)

• In 2007, Santana had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, the most of any AL pitcher and the fourth most of any player. However, he finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting, with only one vote. (CC Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians won the award—he had 13.1 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL pitchers.)

Santana moved to the New York Mets in 2008 and while he finished fifth among National League pitchers and ninth among all players in Box-Toppers points with 15.4, he has never again equalled the success he had over the previous four years with the Twins.

However, when he has been healthy and active, he has surpassed 10.0 Box-Toppers points each season—he has 10 such seasons in his 14-year career. He surpassed 15.0 points in five seasons and scored more than 20.0 points in three seasons.

Coming next in the series: Jim Thome

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez, hinting at baseball comeback at 41, ranks second among all batters in career Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank February 7, 2014

3. Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez was Box-Toppers’ top American League batter in 1999 and ranks second in Box-Toppers points among all batters since 1995, trailing only Alex Rodriguez.

Manny Ramirez

Here are Manny Ramirez' Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1993	cle al	*
1994	cle al	*
1995	cle al	11.0	AS, BTP-23, BTP-AL bat-7, MVP-12
1996	cle al	5.7
1997	cle al	7.7
1998	cle al	16.2	AS, BTP-10, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-6
1999	cle al	19.9	AS, BTP-3, BTP-AL bat-1, MVP-3
2000	cle al	13.2	AS, BTP-19, BTP-AL bat-5, MVP-6
2001	bos al	7.0	AS, BTP-111, BTP-AL bat-22, MVP-9
2002	bos al	12.5	AS, BTP-25, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-9
2003	bos al	7.9	AS, BTP-92, BTP-AL bat-27, MVP-6
2004	bos al	11.2	AS, BTP-26, BTP-AL bat-5, MVP-3
2005	bos al	14.0	AS, BTP-15, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-4
2006	bos al	10.0	AS, BTP-51, BTP-AL bat-11, MVP-18
2007	bos al	7.5	AS
2008	bos al/lad nl	13.9	AS, BTP-18, BTP-NL bat-3, MVP-4
2009	lad nl	5.5
2010	lad nl/chi al	4.0
2011	tb al	0.0
Total		167.2	BTP-7, BTP-bat-2

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Ramirez played 22 games in 1993 and 91 games in 1994.
AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL bat Finish among all AL batters in BTP
BTP-NL bat Finish among all NL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Ramirez, 41, is No. 3 on Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them look at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. (See previous posts about Alex Rodriguez and Roy Halladay.) Reports say Ramirez is interested in making a comeback in 2014, though he hasn’t played in the Major Leagues since 2011.

He retired that year (after playing five games for the Tampa Bay Rays) rather than face a 100-game suspension for his second violation of baseball’s drug policy. He attempted comebacks in both 2012 and 2013, never making it to the big leagues. Most recently, in July 2013, he signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers but was released in August.

Ramirez accumulated 167.2 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2010. (He also played 22 games in 1993 and 91 games in 1994, before Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) He ranks seventh among all players on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” list (since 1995) and second among all batters (Rodriguez, first among batters, has 179.3 points).

Ramirez never won a league Most Valuable Player Award, though he finished in the top 10 in voting nine times, finishing as high as third place twice in AL MVP voting (1999 with the Cleveland Indians and 2004 with the Boston Red Sox).

However, Ramirez led AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 1999 with 19.9, his best season. Ramirez finished third in AL MVP voting that year. Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers was voted MVP—he had 14.2 Box-Toppers points that year, in sixth among AL batters. Ramirez was third in overall Box-Toppers points in 1999, behind only pitcher Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks (31.5 points) and pitcher Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox (31.4 points).

Ramirez was among the top 10 batters in his league in Box-Toppers points eight different times—seven times in the AL and once, in 2008 in the National League when he finished his season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He was among the top 10 overall players in Box-Toppers points twice—in 1999, as previously mentioned, and in 1998, when he finished in 10th place overall with 16.2 points. He had nine seasons with more than 10.0 Box-Toppers points.

Ramirez was suspended 50 games in 2009 for violating baseball’s performance enhancing drug policy. He was suspended a second time under the policy in 2011 and faced a 100-game suspension. He chose to retire instead. When he attempted a comeback in 2012, he was able to reach an agreement to reduce that suspension to 50 games.

Coming next in the series: Johan Santana

Retiring Roy Halladay was No. 2 among active pitchers in Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank February 5, 2014

2. Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay won the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues. He was Box-Toppers’ top NL pitcher in 2010 and among the top five pitchers in his league in Box-Toppers points in six different seasons.

Roy Halladay

Here are Roy Halladay's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1998	tor al	2.0
1999	tor al	4.7
2000	tor al	0.0
2001	tor al	6.7
2002	tor al	12.7	AS, BTP-24, BTP-AL pi-6
2003	tor al	14.1	AS, BTP-15, BTP-AL pi-5, CYA-1
2004	tor al	6.7
2005	tor al	16.4	AS, BTP-8, BTP-AL pi-3
2006	tor al	8.7	AS, BTP-79, BTP-AL pi 25, CYA-3
2007	tor al	11.4	BTP-36, BTP-AL pi-14, CYA-5
2008	tor al	15.7	AS, BTP-7, BTP-AL pi-3, CYA-2
2009	tor al	16.4	AS, BTP-10, BTP-AL pi 5, CYA-5
2010	phi nl	23.4	AS, BTP-2, BTP-NL pi-1, CYA-1, MVP-6
2011	phi nl	24.1	AS, BTP-4, BTP-NL pi-3, CYA-2, MVP-9
2012	phi nl	6.7
2013	phi nl	1.0
Total		170.7	BTP-6, BTP-pi-5

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Halladay, 36, announced his retirement on Dec. 9, 2013, after injuries cut short his 2013 season. He is No. 2 on Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them look at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. (See previous post about No. 1 on the list: Alex Rodriguez.)

Over 16 seasons, Halladay racked up 170.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth on the “all-time” list (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He ranks fifth among all pitchers on the “all-time” list and was second among active pitchers until his retirement. (CC Sabathia passed Halladay on the “all-time” active pitcher’s list during the 2013 season and now has 172.3 Box-Toppers points.)

At his retirement, Halladay ceremonially signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team where he began his career in 1998. In 2003, he won the American League Cy Young Award with the Blue Jays. However, that year he finished fifth among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 14.1. (Pedro Martinez was the top AL pitcher in Box-Toppers points with 23.4; he finished third in Cy Young voting.)

Halladay moved to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 and won the National League Cy Young Award that year. He also finished first among all NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 23.4—he was second among all players (finishing behind pitcher Jon Lester of the Red Sox, who also had 23.4 Box-Toppers points, but who held the advantage in a tie-breaker).

Halladay’s best year in Box-Toppers points was 2011, when he accumulated 24.1 points. However, he finished third among NL pitchers (Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers had 26.1) and fourth among all players.

Halladay was among the top 10 pitchers in his league in Box-Toppers points in six different seasons (2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). He was among the overall top 10 players in Box-Toppers points five times (2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). He scored more than 20.0 Box-Toppers points in a season twice, more than 15.0 five times and more than 10.0 eight times.

His numbers fell off in 2012 and in 2013, he scored only 1.0 Box-Toppers point on April 19 when he pitched a rain-shortened complete game and was Box-Toppers’ Player of the Game in an 8-2 win over the Cardinals.

Coming next in the series: Manny Ramirez

Alex Rodriguez leads Box-Toppers' series on players who have (or may have) played their final game

Shawn Plank February 3, 2014

It is rare for a baseball player to have the luxury of a formal news conference to announce his retirement. It is rare if they even issue a press release.

Alex Rodriguez

Here are Alex Rodriguez' Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1994	sea al	*
1995	sea al	0.0
1996	sea al	11.2	AS, BTP-32, BTP-AL bat-9, MVP-2
1997	sea al	6.2	AS
1998	sea al	5.0	AS, MVP-9
1999	sea al	13.7	BTP-18, BTP-AL bat-7, MVP-15
2000	sea al	17.0	AS, BTP-7, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-3
2001	tex al	12.5	AS, BTP-25, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-6
2002	tex al	15.2	AS, BTP-11, BTP-AL bat-4, MVP-2
2003	tex al	6.7	AS, BTP-121, BTP-AL bat-33, MVP-1
2004	nyy al	4.5	AS, MVP-14
2005	nyy al	11.9	AS, BTP-28, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-1
2006	nyy al	12.5	AS, BTP-27, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-13
2007	nyy al	18.9	AS, BTP-2, BTP-AL bat-1, MVP-1
2008	nyy al	11.2	AS, BTP-34, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-8
2009	nyy al	6.9	MVP-10
2010	nyy al	13.7	AS, BTP-23, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-15
2011	nyy al	4.7	AS
2012	nyy al	4.5
2013	nyy al	3.0
Total		179.3	BTP-4, BTP-bat-1

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Rodriguez played 17 games in 1994.
AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL bat Finish among all AL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Here is the first in a series of Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them look at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. Not every player in this series has announced his retirement. In fact, some are continuing to try to play—even if they haven’t been on active rosters for more than a year.

1. Alex Rodriguez

The New York Yankees third baseman has been suspended for the upcoming season under baseball’s drug policy. His legal challenge to the suspension has been given a poor chance of succeeding. The soonest he could come back to the game is 2015, when he will be 39.

So the question is: Even if and when he is cleared to return to baseball, will he? Will he be too old? Will any team be willing to let someone so thoroughly viewed as a pariah actually take the field? Will shame for his transgressions keep him away? (Yeah, that one seemed unlikely to me, too.)

Is it possible that we’ve seen the last of A-Rod in baseball?

If so, then baseball loses the player who most helped his team to more wins than any other active player, according to Box-Toppers statistics. Rodriguez is the active leader in Box-Toppers points with 179.3, ahead of Yankees teammate and starting pitcher CC Sabathia, with 172.3.

Since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, Rodriguez is also the leading batter in points, ahead of Manny Ramirez with 167.2. Rodriguez ranks fourth on the “all-time” Box-Toppers points list among all players (from 1995 to 2013).

Rodriguez’ career began just before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995—he played 17 games in 1994.

He is a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, in 2003 with the Texas Rangers and in 2005 and 2007 with the Yankees. However, only once did he lead the league in Box-Toppers points—in 2007, he led AL players with 18.9 and was ranked second overall to then-San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy with 23.4 points.

Also in 2007, he accumulated more Box-Toppers points than he did in any other season with 18.9. It was one of three seasons where he had more than 15.0 Box-Toppers points and one of 10 seasons where he had more than 10.0 points.

Rodriguez finished twice among all players in Box-Toppers’ top 10 list for the season. In 2000, he ranked seventh among all players with 17.0 and in 2007, as mentioned previously, he finished second.

He finished in the top 10 among all American League batters on the season-ending list 10 times, finishing as high as second three times (in 2000 with 17.0 Box-Toppers points, in 2001 with 12.5 and in 2010 with 13.7).

Interestingly, two of his three MVP seasons were far from his best in terms of Box-Toppers points:

• In 2003, Rodriguez was voted MVP though he scored only 6.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 121st among all players and 33rd among AL batters. (Carlos Delgado was Box-Toppers’ top AL batter with 17.7; he finished second in AL MVP voting.)

• In 2005, Rodriguez was voted MVP though he scored 11.9 Box-Toppers points, ranked 28th among all players and sixth among AL batters. (David Ortiz was Box-Toppers’ top AL batter with 14.7; he finished second in AL MVP voting.)

The past three seasons have seen Rodriguez’ Box-Toppers numbers fall off, scoring fewer than 5.0 each year. In 2013, he scored 3.0 Box-Toppers points, however, he played only 44 games, limited by injury and playing all his games while appealing his 211-game drug suspension (later reduced to 162 games).

1. Alex Rodriguez

2. Roy Halladay

3. Manny Ramirez

4. Johan Santana

5. Jim Thome

6. Derek Jeter

7. Mariano Rivera

8. Roy Oswalt

9. Andy Pettitte

10. Todd Helton

11. Barry Zito

12. Chris Carpenter

13. Lance Berkman

14. Ryan Dempster

Honorable mention

Derek Lowe

Mark Prior

Ted Lilly

Michael Young

Aubrey Huff

Mark DeRosa

Carl Pavano

Rick Ankiel

14. Ryan Dempster

Ryan Dempster

Coming next in the series: Series recap, featuring 14 players plus honorable mention retirees

13. Lance Berkman

Lance Berkman

Coming next in the series: Ryan Dempster

12. Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter

Coming next in the series: Lance Berkman

11. Barry Zito

Barry Zito

Coming next in the series: Chris Carpenter

10. Todd Helton

Todd Helton

Coming next in the series: Barry Zito

9. Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte

Coming next in the series: Todd Helton

8. Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt

Coming next in the series: Andy Pettitte

7. Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera

Rivera vs. Hoffman

Trevor Hoffman

Coming next in the series: Roy Oswalt

6. Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter

Coming next in the series: Mariano Rivera

5. Jim Thome

Jim Thome

Coming next in the series: Derek Jeter

4. Johan Santana

Johan Santana

Coming next in the series: Jim Thome

3. Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez

Coming next in the series: Johan Santana

2. Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay

Coming next in the series: Manny Ramirez

Alex Rodriguez

1. Alex Rodriguez

Coming next in the series: Roy Halladay

Box-Toppers

Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.