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During the 2023 season, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander each rose one spot on Box-Toppers “all-time” career points top 10 list.
They were the only player movements among Box-Toppers “all-time” career points top 10 players overall, among the top 10 pitchers and among the top 10 batters. Pitcher Randy Johnson, who retired in 2009, still leads all players in career Box-Toppers points with 282.5 (tracking began in 1995).
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During the 2022 season, Justin Verlander rose from sixth to fifth place on Box-Toppers “all-time” career points top 10 list.
It was the only player movement among Box-Toppers “all-time” career points top 10 players overall, among the top 10 pitchers and among the top 10 batters. Retired pitcher Randy Johnson still leads all players in career Box-Toppers points with 282.5 (tracking began in 1995).
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During the 2021 season, Clayton Kershaw rose to second place and Max Scherzer rose to fourth place on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” career points top 10 list.
Kershaw was ranked third overall and among all pitchers at the end of 2020 with 235.2 career Box-Toppers points. The Dodgers pitcher rose to second place on June 27, 2021, with 246.6 points, passing Pedro Martinez, who had continuously held the second-place spot for 22 years. Kershaw finished 2021 with 13.4 points for the season and 248.6 career points.
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After massive reshuffling during the 2019 season, Box-Toppers’ “all-time” career points top 10 list remained unchanged during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
There were also few changes among the top 10 pitchers and top 10 batters in career Box-Toppers points. Cubs pitcher Jon Lester rises to ninth place among all pitchers in career points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, with 176.3. Lester had ranked 11th among pitchers at the end of 2019 with 172.6.
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The Box-Toppers career points top 10 list had no new members during the 2019 season but saw a massive reshuffling among players ranked fourth through 10th.
Meanwhile, there was one new player rising into the top 10 list among pitchers in “all-time” career Box-Toppers points in 2019 (Cole Hamels of the Cubs). Plus, the top 10 “all-time” points list for batters was largely dormant during 2019 and included just two active players—Albert Pujols of the Angels and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers. However, Cabrera actually rose from sixth to fifth place, while earning just 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2019.
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With Max Scherzer’s rise into Box-Toppers career points top 10 list during 2018, there are now six active players in the top 10, the most since 2008, when there were eight.
Box-Toppers player tracking began in 1995 and the overall top 10 players in career points was composed entirely of active players until 2008. The number of active players on the list slipped to as low as two as recently as 2014, but grew to six on June 5, when Nationals pitcher Scherzer joined the list, rising to 10th place with 172.1 Box-Toppers points, displacing retired pitcher Roy Halladay. Scherzer finished the season with 181.8 points, ranked ninth.
Read MoreWith Max Scherzer’s rise into Box-Toppers career points top 10 list this month, there are now six active players in the top 10, the most since 2008, when there were eight.
Scherzer, the Nationals pitcher, became the 10th-ranked player on Box-Toppers “all-time” list on June 5 with 172.1 career points, passing Roy Halladay (170.7). Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rose to third place in Box-Toppers’ overall “all-time” list in 2017, becoming the active leader in career points. Also in 2017, Albert Pujols became the “all-time” leader in career Box-Toppers points among batters and Zack Greinke rose into the overall top 10 in career Box-Toppers points since 1995.
Read MoreRandy Johnson tops the list, but Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez joined Box-Toppers "all-time" top 10 during 2016. Miguel Cabrera rose in the top 10 "all-time" batters list.
Read MoreDuring 2015, two joined the "all-time" pitching top 10 list—Felix Hernandez of the Mariners and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera also moved up top 10 lists during 2015.
Read MoreAlex Rodriguez had one of his career-best series in the late 1990s playing in front of his estranged for the first time. That revelation comes from a recent ESPN The Magazine profile. But when was this series and how did A-Rod really do?
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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.
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.