How did baseball’s statistical leaders do in Box-Toppers points?
The leaders in pitching statistical categories in general did better than leaders in batting statistical categories.
For example, overall Box-Toppers points leader for 2014, Clayton Kershaw (31.5 Box-Toppers points) also led all pitchers in earned run average (1.77) and wins (21). (Kershaw finished third in strikeouts among National League pitchers with 239.)
Meanwhile, the overall leader in Box-Toppers points for batters, Jose Abreu of the White Sox (15.5 Box-Toppers points), did not lead any single category. However, he was fifth among American League batters in batting average (.317), third in the AL in home runs (36) and fourth in the AL in runs batted in (107).
How 2014 statistical leaders did in Box-Toppers points
Here are leaders in six key statistical areas for the 2014 baseball season. American League leaders are on the left and National League leaders are on the right with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2014 season and their rank in Box-Toppers points among all players. Wins leaders are shown with the difference (Diff) between their Box-Toppers point total and their win total. (More analysis below the chart.)
| Batting average | ||||||||||||
| AL leader | Team | Pos | Avg | BTP | Rank | NL leader | Team | Pos | Avg | BTP | Rank | |
| Jose Alture | Astros | 2b | .341 | 3.5 | 291 | Justin Morneau | Rockies | 1b | .319 | 3.2 | 303 | |
| Home runs | ||||||||||||
| AL leader | Team | Pos | HR | BTP | Rank | NL leader | Team | Pos | HR | BTP | Rank | |
| Nelson Cruz | Orioles | dh lf | 40 | 8.5 | 77 | Giancarlo Stanton | Marlins | rf | 37 | 6.7 | 130 | |
| Runs batted in | ||||||||||||
| AL leader | Team | Pos | RBI | BTP | Rank | NL leader | Team | Pos | RBI | BTP | Rank | |
| Mike Trout | Angels | cf | 111 | 8.5 | 78 | Adrian Gonzalez | Dodgers | 1b | 116 | 7.2 | 101 | |
| Earned run average | ||||||||||||
| AL leader | Team | Pos | ERA | Rank | Rank | NL leader | Team | Pos | ERA | BTP | Rank | |
| Felix Hernandez | Mariners | pi sp | 2.13 | 20.8 | 6 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 1.77 | 31.5 | 1 | |
| Wins | ||||||||||||
| AL leaders | Team | W | BTP | Rank | Diff† | NL leader | Team | W | BTP | Rank | Diff† | |
| Corey Kluber | Indians | 18 | 25.8 | 2 | 7.8 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 21 | 31.5 | 1 | 10.5 | |
| *Max Scherzer | Tigers | 18 | 22.1 | 5 | 4.1 | |||||||
| *Jered Weaver | Angels | 18 | 6.7 | 126 | -11.3 | |||||||
| Strikeouts | ||||||||||||
| AL leader | Team | Pos | K | BTP | Rank | NL leaders | Team | Pos | K | BTP | Rank | |
| David Price | Rays/Tigers | pi sp | 271 | 19.1 | 7 | Johnny Cueto | Reds | pi sp | 242 | 22.4 | 4 | |
| *Stephen Strasburg | Nationals | pi sp | 242 | 16.7 | 10 | |||||||
* Indicates the player was tied with a player listed above them in rankings. In cases of ties, players are listed in order of their Box-Toppers point total for the season.
† Diff: The difference between a pitcher's Box-Toppers point total their win total. A positive number indicates they had more Box-Toppers points than wins.
Batting average
In 2014, batting average leaders had low Box-Toppers point totals. Why? They came from losing teams, did not hit for power and were not often integral in their team’s (few) wins.
Jose Altuve of the Astros led all players in batting average at .341, but had only 3.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking 291st among all players. Justin Morneau of the Rockies led National League players with .319, but had only 3.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking 303rd overall.
Home runs
Most home run leaders in 2014 also ranked high among batters in Box-Toppers points.
Nelson Cruz of the Orioles led all players in home runs with 40. He had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among AL batters and 77th among all players. Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins led National League players in home runs with 37. He had 6.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking 130th among all players.
Runs batted in
In general, more RBIs translate into more Box-Toppers points. But some players among RBI leaders were not among Box-Toppers points leaders.
Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers led all players with 116 RBIs. He had 7.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking 10th among NL batters and 101st among all players. Mike Trout of the Angels led AL players with 111 RBIs. He had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking seventh among AL batters and 78th among all players.
More details on RBI leaders, including how the top 10 in both leagues fared in Box-Toppers points.
ERA leaders
Clayton Kershaw had a dominating lead among pitchers in earned run average and a dominating lead in Box-Toppers points. The top three pitchers in ERA in both leagues are among Box-Toppers’ top 10 overall players.
More details on ERA leaders, including how the top 10 in both leagues fared in Box-Toppers points.
Wins leaders
Wins leaders—Clayton Kershaw and Corey Kluber—also led their leagues in Box-Toppers points. Also, pitchers like Kershaw and Kluber had more Box-Toppers points than wins, indicating their wins were more sincere and deserved than players whose wins outnumbered their Box-Toppers point total.
For example, Kershaw had 10.5 more Box-Toppers points than wins (see under “Diff” in the Wins area in the chart above), while Kluber had 7.8 more Box-Toppers points than wins.
More details on wins leaders, including how the top 10 in both leagues fared in Box-Toppers points.
Strikeout leaders
The top four pitchers who led each league in strikeouts were among Box-Toppers’ top 10 players for 2014.
David Price of the Rays and the Tigers led all players with 271 strikeouts. He had 19.1 Box-Toppers points, ranking fourth among AL pitchers and seventh overall. Johnny Cueto of the Reds and Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals tied to lead the NL with 242 strikeouts each. Cueto had 22.4 Box-Toppers points, third among NL pitchers and fourth overall. Strasburg had 16.7 Box-Toppers points, fifth among NL pitchers and 10th overall.