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

One in a series

One in a series

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 seventh of the series:

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.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1995nyy al3.0 
1996nyy al8.4BTP-77, BTP-AL pi-11, CYA-3, MVP-12
1997nyy al5.0AS, MVP-25
1998nyy al4.0 
1999nyy al8.0AS, BTP-82, BTP-AL pi-13, CYA-3, MVP-14
2000nyy al4.0AS
2001nyy al12.0AS, BTP-30, BTP-AL pi-8, MVP-11
2002nyy al4.0AS
2003nyy al6.0MVP-27
2004nyy al5.0AS, BTP-189, BTP-AL pi-37, CYA-3, MVP-9
2005nyy al11.0AS, BTP-37, BTP-AL pi-9, CYA-2, MVP-9
2006nyy al4.0AS, MVP-26
2007nyy al12.0BTP-27, BTP-AL pi-11
2008nyy al14.0AS, BTP-17, BTP-AL pi-8, CYA-5
2009nyy al8.0AS, BTP-84, BTP-AL pi-18, MVP-14
2010nyy al7.0AS
2011nyy al6.0AS, CYA-8
2012nyy al0.0 
2013nyy al5.0AS
Total 126.4BTP-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.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1993fla nl/sd nl* 
1994sd nl* 
1995sd nl9.0BTP-42, BTP-NL pi-8
1996sd nl14.7BTP-12, BTP-NL pi-5, CYA-5, MVP-22
1997sd nl14.0BTP-17, BTP-Nl pi-7
1998sd nl11.0AS, BTP-31, BTP-NL pi-12, CYA-2, MVP-7
1999sd nl7.0AS, BTP-111, BTP-NL pi-27, CYA-6, MVP-28
2000sd nl11.0AS, BTP-30, BTP-NL pi-8
2001sd nl12.0BTP-29, BTP-NL pi-13
2002sd nl8.0AS, BTP-88, BTP-NL pi-30
2003sd nl0.0 
2004sd nl8.7BTP-65, BTP-NL pi-22
2005sd nl7.0MVP-17
2006sd nl7.0AS, BTP-115, BTP-NL pi-33, CYA-2, MVP-10
2007sd nl3.0AS
2008sd nl9.0BTP-69, BTP-NL pi-27
2009mil nl7.0AS
2010mil nl1.0 
Total 129.4BTP-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.

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.

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

One in a series

One in a series

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 sixth of the series:

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.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1995nyy al0.0 
1996nyy al4.5RoY-1
1997nyy al2.0MVP-24
1998nyy al10.0AS, BTP-51, BTP-AL bat-9, MVP-3
1999nyy al2.0AS, BTP-409, MVP-3
2000nyy al2.5AS, BTP-400, MVP-6
2001nyy al5.0AS, BTP-200, MVP-10
2002nyy al5.0AS
2003nyy al2.5MVP-21
2004nyy al8.7AS, BTP-68, BTP-AL bat-16, MVP-3
2005nyy al4.0BTP-238, MVP-10
2006nyy al6.7AS, BTP-135, MVP-2
2007nyy al7.0AS, BTP-112, BTP-AL bat-29, MVP-11
2008nyy al3.0AS
2009nyy al1.0AS, BTP-571, MVP-3
2010nyy al5.0AS
2011nyy al4.5AS
2012nyy al3.0AS, BTP-319, MVP-7
2013nyy al0.0 
Total 76.4BTP-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.

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.

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

One in a series

One in a series

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 fifth of the series:

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.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1991cle al* 
1992cle al* 
1993cle al* 
1994cle al* 
1995cle al5.0 
1996cle al16.2BTP-6, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-15
1997cle al8.5AS, BTP-65, BTP-AL bat-18, MVP-6
1998cle al8.5AS, BTP-82, BTP-AL bat-19, MVP-21
1999cle al8.0AS
2000cle al11.5BTP-27, BTP-AL bat-8
2001cle al9.2BTP-78, BTP-AL bat-16, MVP-7
2002cle al16.0BTP-7, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-7
2003phi nl10.5BTP-40, BTP-NL bat-8, MVP-4
2004phi nl6.5AS, BTP-127, BAT-NL bat-33, MVP-19
2005phi nl1.0 
2006chi al7.7AS, BTP-104, BTP-AL bat-24, MVP-12
2007chi al7.0 
2008chi al7.5 
2009chi al/lad nl10.4BTP-45, BTP-NL bat-7
2010min al5.2BTP-190, BTP-AL bat-41, MVP-18
2011min al/cle al5.5 
2012phi nl/bal al2.5 
2013did not play0.0 
Total 146.7BTP-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.

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.

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

One in a series

One in a series

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 fourth of the series:

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.

YearTeamBTP Notes
2000min al0.0 
2001min al1.7 
2002min al10.0 
2003min al10.7CYA-7
2004min al26.8BTP-1, CYA-1, MVP-6
2005min al24.1AS, BTP-1, CYA-3
2006min al25.7AS, BTP-1, CYA-1, MVP-7
2007min al18.1AS, CYA-5, BTP-4, BTP-AL pi-1
2008nym nl15.4BTP-9, BTP-NL pi-5, CYA-3, MVP-14
2009nym nl11.4 
2010nym nl12.0 
2011nym nl0.0 
2012nym nl10.7 
2013nym nl0.0 
Total 166.6BTP-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. 

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.

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

One in a series

One in a series

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 third of the series:

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.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1993cle al* 
1994cle al* 
1995cle al11.0AS, BTP-23, BTP-AL bat-7, MVP-12
1996cle al5.7 
1997cle al7.7 
1998cle al16.2AS, BTP-10, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-6
1999cle al19.9AS, BTP-3, BTP-AL bat-1, MVP-3
2000cle al13.2AS, BTP-19, BTP-AL bat-5, MVP-6
2001bos al7.0AS, BTP-111, BTP-AL bat-22, MVP-9
2002bos al12.5AS, BTP-25, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-9
2003bos al7.9AS, BTP-92, BTP-AL bat-27, MVP-6
2004bos al11.2AS, BTP-26, BTP-AL bat-5, MVP-3
2005bos al14.0AS, BTP-15, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-4
2006bos al10.0AS, BTP-51, BTP-AL bat-11, MVP-18
2007bos al7.5AS
2008bos al/lad nl13.9AS, BTP-18, BTP-NL bat-3, MVP-4
2009lad nl5.5 
2010lad nl/chi al4.0 
2011tb al0.0 
Total 167.2BTP-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.

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.

Coming next in the series: Johan Santana

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

One in a series

One in a series

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 second of the series:

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.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1998tor al2.0 
1999tor al4.7 
2000tor al0.0 
2001tor al6.7 
2002tor al12.7AS, BTP-24, BTP-AL pi-6
2003tor al14.1AS, BTP-15, BTP-AL pi-5, CYA-1
2004tor al6.7 
2005tor al16.4AS, BTP-8, BTP-AL pi-3
2006tor al8.7AS, BTP-79, BTP-AL pi 25, CYA-3
2007tor al11.4BTP-36, BTP-AL pi-14, CYA-5
2008tor al15.7AS, BTP-7, BTP-AL pi-3, CYA-2
2009tor al16.4AS, BTP-10, BTP-AL pi 5, CYA-5
2010phi nl23.4AS, BTP-2, BTP-NL pi-1, CYA-1, MVP-6
2011phi nl24.1AS, BTP-4, BTP-NL pi-3, CYA-2, MVP-9
2012phi nl6.7 
2013phi nl1.0 
Total 170.7BTP-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.

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.

Coming next in the series: Manny Ramirez

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

First in a series

First in a series

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.

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.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1994sea al* 
1995sea al0.0 
1996sea al11.2AS, BTP-32, BTP-AL bat-9, MVP-2
1997sea al6.2AS
1998sea al5.0AS, MVP-9
1999sea al13.7BTP-18, BTP-AL bat-7, MVP-15
2000sea al17.0AS, BTP-7, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-3
2001tex al12.5AS, BTP-25, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-6
2002tex al15.2AS, BTP-11, BTP-AL bat-4, MVP-2
2003tex al6.7AS, BTP-121, BTP-AL bat-33, MVP-1
2004nyy al4.5AS, MVP-14
2005nyy al11.9AS, BTP-28, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-1
2006nyy al12.5AS, BTP-27, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-13
2007nyy al18.9AS, BTP-2, BTP-AL bat-1, MVP-1
2008nyy al11.2AS, BTP-34, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-8
2009nyy al6.9MVP-10
2010nyy al13.7AS, BTP-23, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-15
2011nyy al4.7AS
2012nyy al4.5 
2013nyy al3.0 
Total 179.3BTP-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

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).

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).

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.

 

Coming next in the series: Roy Halladay 

Clayton Kershaw tops Box-Toppers' short- and long-term leader boards

Box-Toppers player rankings graphic.png

Clayton Kershaw, who Wednesday agreed to the richest-ever contract for a pitcher, was not only the best player of 2013, he was the best player the past two seasons and has been the most reliable and consistent player for the past six seasons.

Kershaw, 25, and the Dodgers agreed on a seven-year, $215 million deal Wednesday. He will make the highest average annual salary in baseball history at $30.7 million.

The Dodgers pitcher sits atop three of Box-Toppers’ four leader boards at the end of the 2013 season:

• He led all players in the 2013 season with 21.7 Box-Toppers points.

• He led all players for the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons with 42.5 Box-Toppers points.


• He led all players over the period from 2008 to 2013 with 102.1 Box-Toppers points.

Clayton Kershaw


Here are Kershaw's career Box-Toppers statistics. He made his debut as a starting pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008. The middle column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) for each season. The next column shows his rank among all players for that season. The final column shows his rank among all NL pitchers for the season.

Kershaw has been top overall player in Box-Toppers points in 2011 and 2013 and was top NL pitcher in 2012.

YearPosTeam BTPRankNL pitcher rank
2008pi splad nl4.027673
2009pi splad nl13.1228
2010pi splad nl16.1128
2011pi splad nl26.111
2012pi splad nl20.821
2013pi splad nl21.711
Career  102.15434*
2008-13  102.111
2012-13  42.511

BTP: Box-Toppers points

* Kershaw ranked 34th among all pitchers on the "all-time" Box-Toppers points list, 1995-2013.

In fact, the only Box-Toppers leader board in which Kershaw fails to prevail is the “all-time” list, topped by retired pitcher Randy Johnson with 278.8 points. In this leader board, which tracks all games since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, Kershaw ranks 54th. Kershaw, who made his Major League debut in 2008, has 102.1 career Box-Toppers points, just behind Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and just ahead of Tim Wakefield (101.4).

During the 2013 season, Kershaw passed more than 40 players on the all-time list. At the end of 2012, he was in 98th place with 80.4 Box-Toppers points and rose to 54th after 2013. His strong 2013 season also helped him rise to the top of both the two-year and six-year leader boards.

At the end of the 2012 season, Kershaw was in second place in the two-season leader board. He had 46.9 Box-Toppers points over 2011-2012, behind leader Justin Verlander with 49.2 points. Verlander, the Tigers pitcher, fell to third place in the two-season leader board after 2013—he had 34.8 Box-Toppers points over 2012-2013. (See charts at the bottom of this post for comparisons of leader boards from the end of 2012 and the end of 2013.)


Kershaw made a big jump in the six-season leader board from 2012 to 2013. At the end of 2012, Kershaw was in ninth place with 80.4 Box-Toppers points from 2007 to 2012. Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia topped the list with 102.0 points. Sabathia fell behind Kershaw to second place in the six-season list after 2013—he had 93.6 points from 2008-2013.

Some other observations from the newly posted updated leader board lists:

• Kershaw tops all National League pitchers in the six-year leader board (2008-2013) with 102.1 Box-Toppers points. He was in fourth place in the six-year leader board after 2012, with 80.4 Box-Toppers points over the 2007-2012 period, behind leader Roy Halladay with 97.7 points. Halladay fell to fifth among NL pitchers in the six-year leader board after last season, with 87.3 points.

• Sabathia remains the leader among American League pitchers in the six-year leader board (2008-2013), though his point total decreased. From 2007-2012, he had 102.0 Box-Toppers points and from 2008-2013, he had 93.6 points. While he still leads among AL pitchers, his lead narrowed over the second-place pitcher, Justin Verlander. Verlander had 93.5 Box-Toppers points from 2007-2012, trailing Sabathia by 8.5. But after 2013, Verlander was only 0.5 behind Sabathia in the six-year leader board from 2008-2013, with 93.1 Box-Toppers points.

• Albert Pujols maintained his lead among American League batters in the six-year leader board, though his point total decreased from last season. From 2007-2012, Pujols had 73.5 Box-Toppers points and from 2008-2013, he had 69.8. Like Sabathia, Pujols’ lead in this category also narrowed over the second-place AL batter, Miguel Cabrera. After 2012, Cabrera, with 67.8 Box-Toppers points, trailed Pujols by 5.7. But after 2013, Cabrera closed the gap to 0.1—he had 69.7 Box-Toppers points from 2008-2013.

• Ryan Braun still leads among National League batters in the six-year leader board and though his point total is down and he was inactive with injury and drug suspension most of 2013, his lead in the category has actually increased since last season. Braun had 64.7 Box-Toppers points from 2007-2012 and 63.0 points from 2008-2013. In second place in the category after 2012 was Ryan Howard with 60.5 points. Howard remains in second after 2013, but with 52.8. So Braun, despite earning only 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2013, went from having a 4.2-point lead after 2012 to a 7.7-point lead after 2013.

• Max Scherzer of the Tigers supplants teammate Justin Verlander atop the leader board for AL pitchers for the past two seasons. Scherzer has 35.1 Box-Toppers points over 2012 and 2013, narrowly beating Verlander in second place with 34.8. Verlander led AL pitchers over the 2011-2012 period with 49.2 Box-Toppers points. Scherzer was in 10th place on that list with 24.4.

• Miguel Cabrera supplants Prince Fielder atop the leader board for AL batters for the past two seasons. Cabrera has 28.6 Box-Toppers points over 2012 and 2013, while Fielder is in 10th place on that list with 15.0. However, Fielder led the two-year AL batter list over 2011-2012 with 22.2 Box-Toppers points—Cabrera was in third place on that list with 19.2.

• Carlos Gonzalez supplants Ryan Braun atop the leader board for NL batters for the past two seasons. Gonzalez has 20.2 Box-Toppers points over 2012 and 2013, while Braun is in fifth place with 16.0. But Braun led the two-year NL batter list over 2011-2012 with 23.0 Box-Toppers points—Gonzalez was in eighth place with 16.2.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. The player on the winning team with the highest Box-Toppers game score is Player of the Game and receives 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The Player of the Game with the highest overall Box-Toppers game score for all the games played that day is Player of the Day and earns a total of 2.0 Box-Toppers points. The top player of the day in the opposite league receives a total of 1.7 Box-Toppers points. If both the day’s top overall player and top player in the opposite league are pitchers, then the top American League and top National League batter of the day receive a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points each.

Single season leaders comparison, 2012 vs. 2013


Here is a comparison of single season leaders in Box-Toppers points for 2012 (left) and 2013 (right):

2012 LEADERSPOSTEAMBTP 2013 LEADERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al24.8 Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl21.7
2Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl20.8 Wainwright, Adam 2150pi spstl nl20.2
3Strasburg, Stephen 2736pi spdc nl20.4 Greinke, Zack 1871pi splad nl19.4
4Dickey, R.A. 1734pi spnym nl19.1 Fernandez, Jose 3147pi spfla nl19
5Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al18.7 Scherzer, Max 2588pi spdet al18.1
6Gonzalez, Gio 2626pi spdc nl17.7 Corbin, Patrick 3027pi spari nl17.4
7Bumgarner, Madison 2753pi spsf nl17.7 Sanchez, Anibal 2187pi spdet al17.1
8Lynn, Lance 2992pi spstl nl17.7 Cabrera, Miguel 17763bdet al16.9
9Scherzer, Max 2588pi spdet al17 Liriano, Francisco 2104pi sppit nl16.7
10Medlen, Kris 2596pi sp mr cpatl nl17 Masterson, Justin 2462pi spcle al16.4
          
 TOP AL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP AL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al24.8 Scherzer, Max 2588pi spdet al18.1
2Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al18.7 Sanchez, Anibal 2187pi spdet al17.1
3Scherzer, Max 2588pi spdet al17 Masterson, Justin 2462pi spcle al16.4
4Darvish, Yu 3003pi sptex al16.8 Sale, Chris 2806pi spchi al16.1
5Sale, Chris 2806pi spchi al15.7 Moore, Matt 2975pi sptb al16.1
6Weaver, Jered 2178pi spana al15.4 Iwakuma, Hisashi 3048pi spsea al16.1
7Kuroda, Hiroki 2401pi spnyy al15.4 Darvish, Yu 3003pi sptex al16
8Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al15.1 Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al14.8
9Shields, James 2157pi sptb al14.7 Jimenez, Ubaldo 2349pi spcle al14.5
10Price, David 2593pi sptb al14.1 Colon, Bartolopi spoak al13.1
          
 TOP AL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP AL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Beltre, Adrian 11413btex al13.5 Cabrera, Miguel 17763bdet al16.9
2Davis, Chris 24781b lf dh rfbal al12 Soriano, Alfonso 1445lfnyy al12.9
3Cabrera, Miguel 17763bdet al11.7 Davis, Chris 24781bbal al12.7
4Hamilton, Josh 2332cf lftex al11.5 Cano, Robinson 20922bnyy al12.5
5Trout, Mike 2949cf rf lfana al11 Ortiz, Daviddhbos al12.4
6Rios, Alex 1989rfchi al9.9 Raburn, Ryan 2340rf dh lf phcle al9.5
7Butler, Billy 2330dhkc al9.7 Donaldson, Josh 31443boak al9.5
8Mauer, Joe 1869ca dh 1bmin al9 Butler, Billy 2330dhkc al9
9Granderson, Curtis 2051cfnyy al8.7 Encarnacion, Edwin 20981b dhtor al8.7
10Trumbo, Mark 2851lf 1b rf dhana al8.7 Fielder, Prince 20291bdet al8.5
          
 TOP NL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP NL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl20.8 Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl21.7
2Strasburg, Stephen 2736pi spdc nl20.4 Wainwright, Adam 2150pi spstl nl20.2
3Dickey, R.A. 1734pi spnym nl19.1 Greinke, Zack 1871pi splad nl19.4
4Gonzalez, Gio 2626pi spdc nl17.7 Fernandez, Jose 3147pi spfla nl19
5Bumgarner, Madison 2753pi spsf nl17.7 Corbin, Patrick 3027pi spari nl17.4
6Lynn, Lance 2992pi spstl nl17.7 Liriano, Francisco 2104pi sppit nl16.7
7Medlen, Kris 2596pi sp mr cpatl nl17 Lynn, Lance 2992pi spstl nl16.1
8Latos, Mat 2644pi spcin nl15.4 Bumgarner, Madison 2753pi spsf nl15.7
9Kimbrel, Craig 2825pi cpatl nl15 Miller, Shelby 3134pi spstl nl15.4
10Cain, Matt 2081pi spsf nl14.7 Harvey, Matt 3075pi spnym nl15
          
 TOP NL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP NL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Braun, Ryan J. 2300lfmil nl12.5 Goldschmidt, Paul 29351bari nl13.7
2Holliday, Matt 1836lfstl nl11.7 Freeman, Freddie 28871batl nl11.5
3Kemp, Matt 2151cflad nl10 Cuddyer, Michael 1826rfcol nl11.5
4Freese, David 27103bstl nl9.7 Gonzalez, Carlos 2460lfcol nl11
5Uggla, Dan 21582batl nl9.5 Harper, Bryce 3011lfdc nl9.4
6Wright, David 19113bnym nl9.5 Zimmerman, Ryan 21803bdc nl9.2
7Phillips, Brandon 16912bcin nl9.5 Venable, Will 2621rf cfsd nl9
8Gonzalez, Carlos 2460lfcol nl9.2 Murphy, Daniel 25892bnym nl8.5
9Hill, Aaron 20562bari nl9 Alvarez, Pedro 28173bpit nl7.7
10LaRoche, Adam 19101bdc nl9 Phillips, Brandon 16912bcin nl7.5

BTP: Box-Toppers points
What are those numbers after players' names?

Two-season leaders comparison, 2012 vs. 2013


Here is a comparison of two-season leaders in Box-Toppers points. At left are the leaders in Box-Toppers points for the combined 2011 and 2012 seasons. At right are the points leaders in the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons:

2011-12 LEADERSPOSTEAMBTP 2012-13 LEADERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al49.2 Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl42.5
2Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl46.9 Scherzer, Max 2588pi spdet al35.1
3Weaver, Jered 2178pi spana al38.2 Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al34.8
4Shields, James 2157pi sptb al34.8 Lynn, Lance 2992pi spstl nl33.8
5Gonzalez, Gio 2626pi spdc nl33.4 Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al33.5
6Gallardo, Yovani 2333pi spmil nl32.9 Bumgarner, Madison 2753pi spsf nl33.4
7Lee, Cliff 1798pi spphi nl32.8 Darvish, Yu 3003pi sptex al32.8
8Bumgarner, Madison 2753pi spsf nl31.7 Greinke, Zack 1871pi splad nl32.1
9Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl30.8 Sale, Chris 2806pi spchi al31.8
10Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al30.4 Gonzalez, Gio 2626pi spdc nl30.4
          
 TOP AL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP AL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al49.2 Scherzer, Max 2588pi spdet al35.1
2Weaver, Jered 2178pi spana al38.2 Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al34.8
3Shields, Jamie (James) 2157pi sptb al34.8 Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al33.5
4Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al30.4 Darvish, Yu 3003pi sptex al32.8
5Price, David 2593pi sptb al29.2 Sale, Chris 2806pi spchi al31.8
6Greinke, Zack 1871pi spana al29.2 Dickey, R.A. 1734pi sptor al27.5
7Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al29.1 Kuroda, Hiroki 2401pi spnyy al25.8
8Morrow, Brandon 2264pi sptor al25.7 Weaver, Jered 2178pi spana al25.1
9Kuroda, Hiroki 2401pi spnyy al25.1 Shields, James 2157pi spkc al24.4
10Scherzer, Max 2588pi spdet al24.4 Masterson, Justin 2462pi spcle al24.1
          
 TOP AL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP AL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Fielder, Prince 20291bdet al22.2 Cabrera, Miguel 17763bdet al28.6
2Granderson, Curtis 2051cfnyy al21.4 Davis, Chris 24781bbal al24.7
3Cabrera, Miguel 17763bdet al19.2 Beltre, Adrian 11413btex al21.4
4Hamilton, Josh 2332cf lftex al19 Butler, Billy 2330dhkc al18.7
5Pujols, Albert 14381bana al18.5 Ortiz, Daviddhbos al17.4
6Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362sscle al18.2 Soriano, Alfonso 1445lfnyy al17.1
7Beltre, Adrian 11413btex al18 Cano, Robinson 20922bnyy al16.5
8Teixeira, Mark 17381bnyy al17.2 Rios, Alex 1989rftex al15.9
9Napoli, Mike 2161catex al17.2 Encarnacion, Edwin 20981b dhtor al15.2
10Reynolds, Mark 22971b 3bbal al15.2 Fielder, Prince 20291bdet al15
          
 TOP NL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP NL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl46.9 Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl42.5
2Gonzalez, Gio 2626pi spdc nl33.4 Lynn, Lance 2992pi spstl nl33.8
3Gallardo, Yovani 2333pi spmil nl32.9 Bumgarner, Madison 2753pi spsf nl33.4
4Lee, Cliff 1798pi spphi nl32.8 Greinke, Zack 1871pi splad nl32.1
5Bumgarner, Madison 2753pi spsf nl31.7 Gonzalez, Gio 2626pi spdc nl30.4
6Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl30.8 Wainwright, Adam 2150pi spstl nl29.4
7Kennedy, Ian 2723pi spari nl29.1 Latos, Mat 2644pi spcin nl28.8
8Hamels, Cole 2135pi spphi nl28.8 Zimmermann, Jordan 2612pi spdc nl28.4
9Dickey, R.A. 1734pi spnym nl28.1 Strasburg, Stephen 2736pi spdc nl28.4
10Lincecum, Tim 2288pi spsf nl27.1 Medlen, Kris 2596pi spatl nl28
          
 TOP NL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP NL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Braun, Ryan J. 2300lfmil nl23 Gonzalez, Carlos 2460lfcol nl20.2
2Uggla, Dan 21582batl nl21 Goldschmidt, Paul 29351bari nl18.2
3Wright, David 19113bnym nl19.5 Holliday, Matt 1836lfstl nl18.2
4McCutchen, Andrew 2637cfpit nl18.2 Phillips, Brandon 16912bcin nl17
5Kemp, Matt 2151cflad nl17 Braun, Ryan J. 2300lfmil nl16
6Tulowitzki, Troy 2308sscol nl16.5 Harper, Bryce 3011lfdc nl15.4
7Holliday, Matt 1836lfstl nl16.2 Freese, David 27103bstl nl15.2
8Gonzalez, Carlos 2460lfcol nl16.2 Freeman, Freddie 28871batl nl15
9Phillips, Brandon 16912bcin nl16 McCutchen, Andrew 2637cfpit nl14.5
10Gonzalez, Adrian 21931blad nl14.5 Zimmerman, Ryan 21803bdc nl13.2

BTP: Box-Toppers points
What are those numbers after players' names?

Six-season leaders comparison, 2012 vs. 2013


Here is a comparison of six-season leaders in Box-Toppers points. At left are the leaders in Box-Toppers points over the period from 2007 to 2012. At right are the points leaders over the period from 2008 to 2013 seasons:

2007-12 LEADERSPOSTEAMBTP 2008-13 LEADERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al102 Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl102.1
2Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl97.7 Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al93.6
3Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al93.5 Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al93.1
4Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al90.3 Lee, Cliff 1798pi spphi nl92.6
5Lincecum, Tim 2288pi spsf nl90.2 Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al92.1
6Weaver, Jered 2178pi spana al87 Weaver, Jered 2178pi spana al91
7Lee, Cliff 1798pi spphi nl83.9 Greinke, Zack 1871pi splad nl90.8
8Greinke, Zack 1871pi spana al81.1 Lincecum, Tim 2288pi spsf nl89.9
9Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl80.4 Lester, Jon 2173pi spbos al88.7
10Hamels, Cole 2135pi spphi nl78 Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl87.3
          
 TOP AL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP AL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al102 Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al93.6
2Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al93.5 Verlander, Justin 2112pi spdet al93.1
3Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al90.3 Hernandez, Felix 2064pi spsea al92.1
4Weaver, Jered 2178pi spana al87 Weaver, Jered 2178pi spana al91
5Greinke, Zack 1871pi spana al81.1 Lester, Jon 2173pi spbos al88.7
6Lester, Jon 2173pi spbos al78 Shields, James 2157pi spkc al64.6
7Haren, Danny 1787pi spana al67 Scherzer, Max 2588pi spdet al62.9
8Shields, James 2157pi sptb al61.6 Kuroda, Hiroki 2401pi spnyy al61.5
9Peavy, Jake 1635pi spchi al61.5 Jimenez, Ubaldo 2349pi spcle al57.7
10Dempster, Ryan 1109pi sptex al53.8 Garza, Matt 2343pi sptex al57.4
          
 TOP AL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP AL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Pujols, Albert 14381bana al73.5 Pujols, Albert 1438dh 1bana al69.8
2Cabrera, Miguel 17763bdet al67.8 Cabrera, Miguel 17763bdet al69.7
3Rodriguez, Alex3b dhnyy al59.9 Ortiz, Daviddhbos al52.9
4Fielder, Prince 20291bdet al51.9 Fielder, Prince 20291bdet al51.9
5Teixeira, Mark 17381bnyy al49.7 Rodriguez, Alex3b dhnyy al44
6Ortiz, Daviddhbos al49 Teixeira, Mark 17381bnyy al43.7
7Hunter, Torii 1190rfana al47.4 Mauer, Joe 1869camin al43.2
8Granderson, Curtis 2051cfnyy al45.8 Hunter, Torii 1190rfdet al41.9
9Mauer, Joe 1869ca dh 1bmin al45.1 Hamilton, Josh 2332dh cf lfana al41.7
10Pena, Carlos 15501b phtb al44.9 Lind, Adam 22381btor al41.6
          
 TOP NL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP NL PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl97.7 Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl102.1
2Lincecum, Tim 2288pi spsf nl90.2 Lee, Cliff 1798pi spphi nl92.6
3Lee, Cliff 1798pi spphi nl83.9 Greinke, Zack 1871pi splad nl90.8
4Kershaw, Clayton 2494pi splad nl80.4 Lincecum, Tim 2288pi spsf nl89.9
5Hamels, Cole 2135pi spphi nl78 Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl87.3
6Cain, Matt 2081pi spsf nl68 Hamels, Cole 2135pi spphi nl77.3
7Santana, Johan 1448pi spnym nl67.6 Wainwright, Adam 2150pi spstl nl70.1
8Rodriguez, Wandy 2117pi sphou nl65.6 Cain, Matt 2081pi spsf nl68
9Gallardo, Yovani 2333pi spmil nl64.3 Gallardo, Yovani 2333pi spmil nl66.7
10Beckett, Josh 1544pi splad nl58.7 Haren, Danny 1787pi spdc nl65
          
 TOP NL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP NL BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Braun, Ryan J. 2300lfmil nl64.7 Braun, Ryan J. 2300lfmil nl63
2Howard, Ryan 20401bphi nl60.5 Howard, Ryan 20401bphi nl52.8
3Holliday, Matt 1836lfstl nl52.9 Votto, Joey 23661bcin nl46.2
4Uggla, Dan 21582batl nl45.7 Holliday, Matt 1836lfstl nl43.2
5Wright, David 19113bnym nl45.7 Gonzalez, Adrian 21931blad nl42.5
6Votto, Joey 23661bcin nl44.2 Wright, David 19113bnym nl42.2
7Gonzalez, Adrian 21931blad nl43.2 Bruce, Jay 2453rfcin nl41.6
8Kubel, Jason 2177lfari nl40.1 Gonzalez, Carlos 2460lfcol nl40.2
9Ramirez, Aramis 13643bmil nl39.5 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308sscol nl39.2
10Ramirez, Hanley 21193blad nl38.6 Phillips, Brandon 16912bcin nl38

BTP: Box-Toppers points
What are those numbers after players' names?

"All-time" Box-Toppers leader comparison


Here is a comparison of the "all-time" Box-Toppers leaders from the end of 2012 (left) to the end of 2013 (right). There was not much movement by players in this leader board covering the 19 seasons since Box-Toppers record keeping began. Note: This leader board does not divide players by league since many players spent their careers in both the American and National Leagues.

1995-12 LEADERSPOSTEAMBTP 1995-13 LEADERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Johnson, randypi sp 278.8 Johnson, randypi sp 278.8
2Martinez, Pedro J.pi sp 244.8 Martinez, Pedro J.pi sp 244.8
3schilling, curtpi sp 194.1 schilling, curtpi sp 194.1
4Rodriguez, Alex3b dhnyy al176.3 Rodriguez, Alex3b dhnyy al179.3
5Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl169.7 Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al172.3
6Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al167.6 Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl170.7
7Ramirez, mannylf dhfree agent167.2 Ramirez, mannylf dh 167.2
8Santana, Johan 1448pi spnym nl166.6 Santana, Johan 1448pi spnym nl166.6
9clemens, rogerpi spindy164.8 clemens, rogerpi sp 164.8
10smoltz, johnpi sp 160.9 smoltz, johnpi sp 160.9
          
 TOP PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP PITCHERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Johnson, randypi sp 278.8 Johnson, randypi sp 278.8
2Martinez, Pedro J.pi sp 244.8 Martinez, Pedro J.pi sp 244.8
3schilling, curtpi sp 194.1 schilling, curtpi sp 194.1
4Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl169.7 Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al172.3
5Sabathia, C.C. 1492pi spnyy al167.6 Halladay, Roy 1178pi spphi nl170.7
6Santana, Johan 1448pi spnym nl166.6 Santana, Johan 1448pi spnym nl166.6
7clemens, rogerpi spindy164.8 clemens, rogerpi sp 164.8
8smoltz, johnpi sp 160.9 smoltz, johnpi sp 160.9
9mussina, Mikepi sp 155.6 mussina, Mikepi sp 155.6
10maddux, gregpi sp 151.7 maddux, gregpi sp 151.7
          
 TOP BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP TOP BATTERSPOSTEAMBTP
1Rodriguez, Alex3b dhnyy al176.3 Rodriguez, Alex3b dhnyy al179.3
2Ramirez, mannylf dhfree agent167.2 Ramirez, mannylf dh 167.2
3Pujols, Albert 14381bana al155.8 Pujols, Albert 1438dh 1bana al159.8
4bonds, barrylf 153.2 bonds, barrylf 153.2
5jones, chipper3batl nl149 jones, chipper3bretired149
6thome, jimdhbal al146.7 thome, jimdhfree agent146.7
7giambi, jasondh 1b phcol nl129.9 giambi, jasondh phcle al133.4
8Guerrero, Vladimirdh 128.3 Guerrero, Vladimirrf dhretired128.3
9sheffield, garylf 124.1 Ortiz, Daviddhbos al126.4
10Delgado, Carlos1b 117.7 sheffield, garylf 124.1

BTP: Box-Toppers points
What are those numbers after players' names?

How 2014's Hall of Fame class fared in career Box-Toppers points

Box-Toppers Hall of Fame.png

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were elected Wednesday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

All three, in their first year of eligibility, received the necessary 75 percent threshhold from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to be elected into the hall and will be inducted in July.

All three of the inductees (and in fact, nearly all of the eligible hall candidates) have careers that began before Box-Toppers record keeping started in 1995. But still, the top three candidates rank high among all-time Box-Toppers rankings.

Maddux, whose career lasted from 1986 to 2008, has 151.7 Box-Toppers points since 1995, ranking 14th on the all-time list and 10th among all pitchers.

Glavine, who pitched from 1987 to 2008, has 110.6 Box-Toppers points, ranking 40th on the all-time list and 26th among pitchers.

Thomas, who played from 1990 to 2008, has 106.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking 48th all-time. He ranks ninth among all designated hitters—though he ranks fourth among all players who primarily played the position over the careers, behind Jim Thome, Jason Giambi and David Ortiz. Thomas, who also played first base, ranks fourth in all-time Box-Toppers points at that position, behind Albert Pujols, Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton.

Narrowly missing induction was Craig Biggio with 74.8 percent of the vote. Biggio, in his second year of eligibility, played from 1988 to 2007 and had 54.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking 233rd among all players since 1995, eighth among all second basemen.

Two players who lead their position in all-time Box-Toppers points also failed to be elected to the hall:

  • Mike Piazza, in his second year of eligibility, received 62.2 percent of the vote. He played from 1992 to 2007 and recorded 95.7 Box-Toppers points, 67th among all players and first among all catchers.
  • Jeff Kent, in his first year of eligibility, received only 15.2 percent of the vote. He played from 1992 to 2008 and earned 109.7 Box-Toppers points, 41st among all players and first by far among all second basemen. In second place among all second basemen in all-time Box-Toppers points is Chase Utley with 67.1.

The player eligible for induction with the highest all-time Box-Toppers point total was Curt Schilling. Schilling is third in all-time Box-Toppers points with 194.1, behind only Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez, both of whom will be eligible for induction next year. Schilling is also third in all-time Box-Toppers points among pitchers, behind Johnson and Martinez. However, Schilling finished 12th among players eligible for the hall with only 29.2 percent of the vote.

Though Box-Toppers has kept track of the game’s top players for 19 seasons, a couple of players eligible for the hall had careers that mostly preceded that:

  • Pitcher Jack Morris, in fact, never received a Box-Toppers point because his career ended in 1994, the season before Box-Toppers record keeping began. Morris finished sixth among eligible players with 61.5 percent of the vote in his 15th and final year of eligibility in the writers’ vote.
  • Left fielder Tim Raines received 46.1 percent of the vote in his seventh year of eligibility. Most of his career was before Box-Toppers started (1979 to 2002) and he has 17.7 Box-Toppers points.

Other notable players, whose candidacies were all affected by the performance enhancing drug scandal, were again not elected to the hall:

  • Roger Clemens received 35.4 percent of the vote in his second year of eligibility. His career began in 1984 and since 1995, he has 164.8 Box-Toppers points, ninth all-time and seventh among all pitchers. 
  • Barry Bonds received 34.7 percent of the vote in his second year of eligibility. His career began in 1986 and since 1995, he has 153.2 Box-Toppers points, 13th all-time and second among all outfielders (behind only Manny Ramirez). 
  • Mark McGwire received 11.0 percent of the vote in his eighth year of eligibility. His career began in 1986 and since 1995, he has 77.3 Box-Toppers points, 115th all-time and 15th among all first basemen.
  • Sammy Sosa received 7.2 percent of the vote in his second year of eligibility. His career began in 1989 and since 1995, he has  113.2 Box-Toppers points, 38th all-time and fifth among all outfielders.
  • Rafael Palmeiro received 4.4 percent of the vote in his fourth year of eligibility. His career began in 1986 and since 1995, he has 77.9 Box-Toppers points, 111th all-time and 13th among all first basemen. Palmeiro did not receive enough votes to remain eligible for next year’s writers’ hall of fame ballot.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. The player on the winning team with the highest Box-Toppers game score is Player of the Game and receives 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The Player of the Game with the highest overall Box-Toppers game score for all the games played that day is Player of the Day and earns a total of 2.0 Box-Toppers points. The top player of the day in the opposite league receives a total of 1.7 Box-Toppers points. If both the day’s top overall player and top player in the opposite league are pitchers, then the top American League and top National League batter of the day receive a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points each.

How Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers 

Here are the results of Baseball Hall of Fame voting, with players listed from highest to lowest vote totals. Most The far right columns show how many Box-Toppers points (BTP) they earned during their careers (since 1995), their overall rank in Box-Toppers points (BT rank) and their rank among players at their position. Thirty-six players were eligible for the hall and 30 received at least one vote. Included here are the top 10 and other selected players:

RankNameVotes (Pct.)Yrs on ballotPosYrs activeBTPBT rankBT pos rank
*1Greg Maddux555 (97.2%)1pi sp86-08151.71410
*2Tom Glavine525 (91.9)1pi sp87-08110.64026
*3Frank Thomas478 (83.7)1dh 1b90-08106.2489
4Craig Biggio427 (74.8)22b88-0754.22338
5Mike Piazza355 (62.2)2ca92-0795.7671
6Jack Morris351 (61.5)15pi sp77-940--
7Jeff Bagwell310 (54.3)41b91-05100.4575
8Tim Raines263 (46.1)7lf79-0217.7900199
9Roger Clemens202 (35.4)2pi sp84-07164.897
10Barry Bonds198 (34.7)2lf86-07153.2132
12Curt Schilling167 (29.2)2pi sp88-07194.133
15Mike Mussina116 (20.3)1pi sp91-08155.6129
16Jeff Kent87 (15.2)12b92-08109.7411

* Denotes the player received the necessary 75 percent of the vote to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Note: All players had careers that preceded Box-Toppers record keeping, especially Jack Morris and Tim Raines.

Source: Baseball Writers' Association of America.