| 2010-2015 | 2011-2016 | ||||||||
| Top players overall | Pos | Team | BTP | Top players overall | Pos | Team | BTP | ||
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 141.9 | ⬌Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 125.8 | |
| 2 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 105.8 | ⬆Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 87.0 | |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 99.0 | ⬆Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 85.8 | |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 94.8 | ⬇Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 85.6 | |
| 5 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 92.7 | ⬇Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 85.4 | |
| 6 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 88.8 | ⬌Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 77.1 | |
| 7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 83.4 | ⬆Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 71.0 | |
| 8 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 82.0 | ⬇Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 69.6 | |
| 9 | Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 81.7 | ⬇Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 67.0 | |
| 10 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 81.6 | ⬆Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 66.8 | |
| • Weaver falls to 13th (62.3 BTP). • Lester falls to 15th (58.2). |
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Clayton Kershaw tops players in Box-Toppers points over both 2010-2015 and 2011-2016
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Box-Toppers’ dominant player over the period 2010-2015, remains Box-Toppers’ dominant player over the period 2011-2016.
In fact, after moving the rolling six-year frame of reference up one year, Kershaw is even more dominant—in the 2010-2015 timeframe, he led by 36.1 Box-Toppers points. In the 2011-2016 timeframe, he leads by 38.8.
Kershaw accumulated 141.9 Box-Toppers points from 2010-2015, leading second-place player Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (105.8). Kershaw has 125.8 Box-Toppers points from 2011-2016 and leads that period’s second-place player Madison Bumgarner of the Giants (87.0).
Essentially, Kershaw’s 2011-2016 total (and all players’ totals) comes from dropping the points earned in the 2010 season from the 2010-2015 total. Kershaw earned 16.1 points in 2010, bringing his 141.9 down to 125.8.
Kershaw’s dominance since 2011 is no surprise since he has led National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points four of the past five seasons (and was second in 2015) and led all players in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Here are his recent season Box-Toppers point totals:
- 2011—26.1
- 2012–20.8
- 2013—21.7
- 2014—31.5
- 2015—25.7
Obviously, Kershaw’s 2011-2016 Box-Toppers point total does not include any points from the yet-to-begin 2016 season. But even if Kershaw earns no Box-Toppers points in 2016, it is unlikely any player will challenge his spot atop this ranking during the season. The record for most Box-Toppers points in a single season belongs to Randy Johnson, who had 33.7 with the Diamondbacks in both 2000 and 2002 (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Second-place Madison Bumgarner would need 38.8 points in 2016 to catch Kershaw.
Examples of falling and rising players
The rolling six-year total is a useful tool to see how much impact a player has over a longer period—are they a flash in the pan or are they a player with proven, sustained longevity?
And at the beginning of a season, when the rolling six-year total drops the earliest year of that timeframe and picks up the most recent, a player’s change in position in the rankings can give a clue to whether that player is improving, holding steady or declining.
So when the focus shifts from 2010-2015 to 2011-2016, older players can slip and younger players can rise. Here are a few examples:
Falling: Justin Verlander
- Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander fell from seventh among all players over 2010-2015 to eighth in 2011-2016. He had 83.4 Box-Toppers points over 2010-2015 and 69.6 over 2011-2016. In some ways, it’s surprising Verlander’s fall wasn’t greater given his lackluster recent seasons—in 2014 he had only 4.0 Box-Toppers points and in 2015 only 6.4. But in the six-year rolling total, he’s still dining out on his 2011 and 2012 seasons when he led all American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points (24.4 in 2011 and 24.8 in 2012), keeping him relevant in the top 10.
Rising: Mike Trout
- Mike Trout of the Angels rises to eighth place among AL batters (see AL batters chart below) over the period 2011-2016 with 36.5 Box-Toppers points, making his debut in the rolling six-year top 10. Since Trout did not make his Major League debut until 2011 and had no 2010 Box-Toppers points, he had the same 36.5 point total over the period 2010-2015. That ranked 14th among AL batters.
Rising: Jake Arrieta
- Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta rises to 10th place among NL pitchers (see NL pitchers chart below) over the period 2011-2016 with 56.8 Box-Toppers points, making his debut in the rolling six-year top 10. Arrieta led all players with 29.1 Box-Toppers points in 2015. At the end of last season, Arrieta ranked 13th among NL pitchers over 2010-2015 with 59.8 points. His relatively lackluster 2010 season, in which he earned 3.0 Box-Toppers points, was dropped from the rolling six-year total to start the 2016 season.
Falling: Ryan Braun
- Ryan Braun of the Brewers falls from first place among NL batters (see NL batters chart below) over the period 2010-2015 to third over the period 2011-2016. Braun had 51.0 Box-Toppers points over 2010-2015 and 36.0 points over 2011-2016. In 2010, Braun had 15.0 Box-Toppers points, second among NL batters and his best season. When that total is dropped from the rolling six-year total, Braun drops in the standings. Since 2013 and his suspension under baseball’s performance enhancing drug policy, Braun’s Box-Toppers points have diminished significantly—he had 3.5 in 2013, 4.5 in 2014 and 5.0 in 2015 after a streak of 10.0 or more points each season from 2008 to 2012. And it is Braun’s 2011 and 2012 seasons (of 10.5 and 12.5 points respectively) that are still keeping him among the NL’s top 10 batters over the period 2011-2016.
Rising: Andrew McCutchen
- Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates rises from third place among NL batters over 2010-2015 (43.9 Box-Toppers points) to first over 2011-2016 (41.2 points) (see NL batters chart below). McCutchen had 2.7 Box-Toppers points in 2010 and since 2011, has had 6.0 or more points each season, including 10.5 in 2015, third among NL batters.
Leader comparisons
Here are players leading each main Box-Toppers category over the period 2010-2015 compared with the period 2011-2016. Only one main category has a new leader, NL batters—Ryan Braun, the leader over 2010-2015, has been displaced by Andrew McCutchen, the leader over 2011-2016.See complete top 10 lists below for AL and NL pitchers and batters.
| Overall | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 2010-15 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 141.9 |
| 2011-16 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 125.8 |
| AL pitchers | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 2010-15 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 105.8 |
| 2011-16 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 85.4 |
| AL batters | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 2010-15 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 60.8 |
| 2011-16 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 53.3 |
| NL pitchers | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 2010-15 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 141.9 |
| 2011-16 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 125.8 |
| NL batters | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 2010-15 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | rf | mil nl | 51.0 |
| 2011-16 | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | cf | pit nl | 41.2 |
Leaders
In four of the five player categories shown here, the leader remains consistent from the 2010-2015 time period to 2011-2016.
The only new leader is among NL batters, in which Andrew McCutchen, as just mentioned, rises from third in 2010-2015 (43.9 Box-Toppers points) to first in 2011-2016 (41.2).
McCutchen passes the previous leader, Ryan Braun and second-place player, Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies. Gonzalez nearly caught Braun for the top spot in the 2010-2015 timeframe at the end of last season—with 50.2 Box-Toppers points in that period, he was just 0.8 points behind. Gonzalez remains in second place over the 2011-2016 timeframe and with 40.2 points, is only 1.0 point behind McCutchen’s 41.2.
In the other four categories, the leader remains the same:
- Overall—Kershaw, as previously mentioned, still leads with 125.8 Box-Toppers points over 2011-2016 after leading the 2010-2015 timeframe with 141.9 points.
- NL pitchers—Kershaw also leads this category.
- AL pitchers—Felix Hernandez of the Mariners continues to lead over second-place player David Price, but that lead has narrowed. Hernandez led Price by 17.0 Box-Toppers points over 2010-2015 (105.8 vs. 88.8) but leads by only 8.3 over 2011-2016 (85.4 vs. 77.1). Price was with the Blue Jays at the end of the 2015 season but signed as a free agent with the Red Sox for 2016.
- AL batters—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers continues to lead the category and despite a lackluster 2015 season (in which he earned 4.7 Box-Toppers points, his lowest since his 2003 rookie year), he actually increased his lead over the second-place AL batter—8.4 over 2010-2015 vs. 10.1 over 2011-2016. Over 2010-2015, Cabrera had 60.8 Box-Toppers points, ahead of second-place Albert Pujols of the Angels (52.4). Over 2011-2016, Cabrera has 53.3 points ahead of second-place Prince Fielder of the Rangers (43.2).
A look at the overall top 10
While Kershaw remains on top (see the chart at the top), six players among the top 10 for 2010-2015 fell in the rankings for 2011-2016, four other players among the top 10 rose in the rankings and one other player remained in the same spot.
These players fell in the overall rankings from 2010-2015 to 2011-2016—Felix Hernandez, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Cole Hamels, Jered Weaver and Jon Lester:
- Hernandez of the Mariners was in second place with 105.8 Box-Toppers points over 2010-2015, but loses the 20.4 points he earned in 2010, giving him 85.4 for 2011-2016, dropping him to fifth place.
- Scherzer of the Nationals was in third place with 99.0 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 13.4 he earned in 2010, giving him 85.6 over 2011-2016, dropping him to fourth place.
- Verlander of the Tigers was in seventh place with 83.4 over 2010-2015, but loses the 13.8 he earned in 2010, giving him 69.6 over 2011-2016, dropping him to eighth place.
- Hamels of the Rangers was in eighth place with 82.0 over 2010-2015, but loses the 15.0 he earned in 2010, giving him 67.0 over 2011-2016, dropping him to ninth place.
- Weaver of the Angels was in ninth place with 81.7 over 2010-2015, but loses the 19.4 he earned in 2010, giving him 62.3 over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the overall top 10 to 13th place.
- Lester of the Cubs was in 10th place with 81.6 over 2010-2015, but loses the 23.4 he earned in 2010 (when he led all players in Box-Toppers points), giving him 58.2 over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the overall top 10 to 15th place.
These players rise in the overall rankings from 2010-2015 to 2011-2016—Madison Bumgarner, Zack Greinke, Chris Sale and Gio Gonzalez:
- Bumgarner of the Giants was in fifth place with 92.7 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 5.7 points he earned in 2010, giving him 87.0 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to second place.
- Greinke, who was with the Dodgers at the end of 2015 and signed with the Diamondbacks to start 2016, was in fourth place with 94.8 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 9.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 85.8 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to third place.
- Sale of the White Sox was in 12th place with 73.0 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 2.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 71.0 over 2010-2015, boosting him to seventh place.
- Gonzalez of the Nationals was in 11th place with 75.8 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 9.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 66.8 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to 10th place.
One other player, David Price, remained steady at sixth place in both the 2010-2015 and 2011-2016 standings. Price, who pitched for the Blue Jays to close 2015, had 88.8 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 11.7 he earned in 2010, giving him 77.1 over 2011-2016 as he opens the 2016 season with the Red Sox.
Top AL pitchers
| 2010-2015 | 2011-2016 | Top AL pitchers | Pos | Team | BTP | Top AL pitchers | Pos | Team | BTP |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 105.8 | ⬌Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 85.4 | |
| 2 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 88.8 | ⬌Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 77.1 | |
| 3 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 83.4 | ⬆Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 71.0 | |
| 4 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 82.0 | ⬇Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 69.6 | |
| 5 | Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 81.7 | ⬇Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 67.0 | |
| 6 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 73.0 | ⬇Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 62.3 | |
| 7 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | kc al | 71.0 | ✱ Zimmermann, Jordan 2612 | pi sp | det al | 56.4 | |
| 8 | Gallardo, Yovani 2333 | pi sp | tex al | 68.3 | ⬌Gallardo, Yovani 2333 | pi sp | bal al | 56.3 | |
| 9 | Wilson, C.J. 2074 | pi sp | ana al | 60.4 | ✱ Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi sp | kc al | 50.5 | |
| 10 | Dickey, R.A. 1734 | pi sp | tor al | 58.2 | ✱ Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 49.7 | |
| • Cueto moves to NL (Giants). • Wilson falls to 13th (48.0 BTP). • Dickey falls to 11th (49.2). * Zimmermann, Kennedy & Kimbrel moved from NL. |
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Felix Hernandez' lead among AL pitchers narrows, but holds
Hernandez and Price remain in the top two spots over both 2010-2015 and 2011-2016:
Hernandez of the Mariners was in first place with 105.8 Box-Toppers points over 2010-2015. He loses the 20.4 points he earned in 2010, giving him 85.4 for 2011-2016, maintaining his first place spot. However, his lead over second-place Price narrows from 17.0 over 2010-2015 to 8.3 over 2011-2016.
Price, who pitched for the Blue Jays to close 2015, was in second place with 88.8 points over 2010-2015. He loses the 11.7 he earned in 2010, giving him 77.1 over 2011-2016 as he opens the 2016 season with the Red Sox and maintains his second place spot.
Five AL pitchers fall from their top 10 spots over 2010-2015 to 2011-2016—Justin Verlander, Cole Hamels, Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson and R.A. Dickey:
- Verlander of the Tigers was in third place with 83.4 over 2010-2015, but loses the 13.8 he earned in 2010, giving him 69.6 over 2011-2016, dropping him to fourth place.
- Hamels of the Rangers was in fourth place with 82.0 over 2010-2015, but loses the 15.0 he earned in 2010, giving him 67.0 over 2011-2016, dropping him to fifth place.
- Weaver of the Angels was in fifth place with 81.7 over 2010-2015, but loses the 19.4 he earned in 2010, giving him 62.3 over 2011-2016, dropping him to sixth place.
- Wilson of the Angels was in ninth place with 60.4 over 2010-2015, but loses the 12.4 he earned in 2010, giving him 48.0 over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the top 10 to 13th place.
- Dickey of the Blue Jays was in 10th place with 58.2 over 2010-2015, but loses the 9.0 he earned in 2010, giving him 49.2 over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the top 10 to 11th place.
Only one AL pitcher rose in the top 10 list from 2010-2015 to 2011-2016: Chris Sale of the White Sox, who rises from sixth to third. Sale had 73.0 over 2010-2016, but loses only the 2.0 he earned in 2010, giving him 71.0 over 2010-2015, boosting him to third place.
Yovani Gallardo maintains his spot in eighth place among AL pitchers. Gallardo had 68.3 over 2010-2015 and lost the 12.0 he earned in 2010, giving him 56.3 over 2011-2016. Gallardo pitched for the Rangers at the end of 2015 and is now on the Orioles.
Three players made their debut among the top 10 AL pitchers on the list at the start of 2016 after moving from the National League in 2015—Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Kennedy and Craig Kimbrel:
- Zimmermann, formerly with the Nationals and now with the Tigers, has 56.4 Box-Toppers points from 2011-2016 and ranks seventh among AL pitchers over that period.
- Kennedy, formerly with the Padres and now with the Royals, has 50.5 points from 2011-2016 and ranks ninth on the list.
- Kimbrel, formerly with the Padres and now with the Red Sox, has 49.7 points from 2011-2016 and ranks 10th on the list. Kimbrel is the only closing pitcher among the AL top 10.
One other player moves out of the AL pitching top 10 list because he moved to the NL, Johnny Cueto, who moved from the Royals at the end of 2015, to the Giants to start 2016.
Top AL batters
| 2010-2015 | 2011-2016 | ||||||||
| Top AL batters | Pos | Team | BTP | Top AL batters | Pos | Team | BTP | ||
| 1 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 60.8 | ⬌Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 53.3 | |
| 2 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 52.4 | ⬆Fielder, Prince 2029 | dh | tex al | 43.2 | |
| 3 | Bautista, Jose 2169 | rf | tor al | 49.9 | ⬆Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b | bal al | 41.9 | |
| 4 | Fielder, Prince 2029 | dh | tex al | 47.7 | ⬆Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh | tor al | 38.6 | |
| 5 | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | ss | tor al | 45.8 | ⬆Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 38.4 | |
| 6 | Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 42.1 | ⬇Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | ss | tor al | 38.1 | |
| 7 | Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh | tor al | 42.1 | ⬇Pujols, Albert 1438 | 1b dh | ana al | 37.0 | |
| 8 | Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b | bal al | 41.9 | ⬆Trout, Mike 2949 | cf | ana al | 36.5 | |
| 9 | Cano, Robinson 2092 | 2b | sea al | 41.5 | ⬆Jones, Adam 2347 | cf | bal al | 36.5 | |
| 10 | Ortiz, David | dh | bos al | 41.4 | ✱ Upton, Justin 2411 | lf | det al | 35.9 | |
| • Bautista falls to 13th (34.7 BTP). • Cano falls to 12th (35.5). • Ortiz falls to 11th (35.9). * Upton moved from NL to AL in offseason. |
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Miguel Cabrera extends rolling six-year lead among AL batters
While Cabrera remains atop the list, five stars who were in the top 10 for the period 2010-2015 fall in the rankings for the period 2011-2016.
Albert Pujols, Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki, Robinson Cano and David Ortiz all fell in the rankings to start 2016:
- Pujols of the Angels was in second place with 52.4 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 15.4 points he earned in 2010, giving him 37.0 points over 2011-2016, dropping him to seventh place.
- Bautista of the Blue Jays was in third place with 49.9 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 15.2 points he earned in 2010, giving him 34.7 points over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the top 10 to 13th place.
- Tulowitzki of the Blue Jays was in fifth place with 45.8 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 7.7 points he earned in 2010, giving him 38.1 points over 2011-2016, dropping him to sixth place.
- Cano of the Mariners was in ninth place with 41.5 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 6.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 35.5 points over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the top 10 to 12th place.
- Ortiz of the Red Sox was in 10th place with 41.4 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 5.5 points he earned in 2010, giving him 35.9 points over 2011-2016, dropping him one spot to 11th place. (He has the same total over that period as Justin Upton but Upton is ranked ahead of him in 10th place on the list on a tiebreaker because he had more Box-Toppers points in 2015—9.0 vs. 4.5.)
Upton of the Tigers debuts on this AL batters top 10 list after moving from the NL Padres in the offseason.
Six players rise on this top 10 list at the start of the 2016 season—Prince Fielder, Chris Davis, Edwin Encarnacion, Adrian Beltre, Mike Trout and Adam Jones:
- Fielder of the Rangers was in fourth place with 47.7 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 4.5 points he earned in 2010, giving him 43.2 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to second place.
- Davis of the Orioles was in eighth place with 41.9 points over 2010-2015. He earned no points in 2010, so has the same 41.9 point total over 2011-2016, boosting him to third place.
- Encarnacion of the Blue Jays was in seventh place with 42.1 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 3.5 points he earned in 2010, giving him 38.6 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to fourth place.
- Trout of the Angels was in 14th place with 36.5 points over 2010-2015. He earned no points in 2010 (and did not make his debut until 2011), so has the same 36.5 point total over 2011-2016, boosting him to eighth place, where he makes his debut on this top 10 list.
- Jones of the Orioles was in 11th place with 39.5 points over 2010-2015. He loses the 3.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 36.5 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to ninth place.
Top NL pitchers
| 2010-2015 | 2011-2016 | ||||||||
| Top NL pitchers | Pos | Team | BTP | Top NL pitchers | Pos | Team | BTP | ||
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 141.9 | ⬌Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 125.8 | |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 99.0 | ⬆Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 87.0 | |
| 3 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 94.8 | ⬌Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 85.8 | |
| 4 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 92.7 | ⬇Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 85.6 | |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 81.6 | ⬆Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 66.8 | |
| 6 | Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 75.8 | ⬆Shields, James 2157 | pi sp | sd nl | 65.6 | |
| 7 | Shields, James 2157 | pi sp | sd nl | 71.3 | ✱ Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 64.0 | |
| 8 | Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | pit nl | 71.1 | ⬆Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 60.1 | |
| 9 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 70.8 | ⬇Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 58.2 | |
| 10 | Lincecum, Tim 2288 | pi sp | sf nl | 68.6 | ⬆Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 56.8 | |
| • Liriano falls to 12th (55.4 BTP). • Wainwright falls to 13th (51.1). • Lincecum is unsigned, would be 13th (51.9). * Cueto moved from the AL to the NL in offseason. |
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Kershaw maintains dominance among NL pitchers in rolling six-year rankings
While Kershaw maintains his dominance on this list from 2010-2015 to 2011-2016, five players fall in the rankings—Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, Francisco Liriano, Adam Wainwright and Tim Lincecum:
- Scherzer of the Nationals was in second place with 99.0 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 13.4 points he earned in 2010, giving him 85.6 over 2011-2016, dropping him to fourth place.
- Lester of the Cubs was in fifth place with 81.6 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 23.4 points he earned in 2010, giving him 58.2 points over 2011-2016, dropping him to ninth place.
- Liriano of the Pirates was in eighth place with 71.1 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 15.7 points he earned in 2010, giving him 55.4 points over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the top 10 to 12th place.
- Wainwright of the Cardinals was in ninth place with 70.8 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 19.7 points he earned in 2010, giving him 51.1 points over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the top 10 to 13th place.
- Lincecum, who was with the Giants at the close of 2015, was in 10th place with 68.6 points over 2010-2015. However, Lincecum is still listed as a free agent and has not signed with any team. Since these lists only include active players currently signed with a team, Lincecum drops from the list. However, if Lincecum does sign with an NL team, he would still be outside the top 10—he would lose the 16.7 points he earned in 2010, giving him 51.9 over 2011-2016. That would put him at 13th among NL pitchers. On the other hand, if he were to sign with an AL team, his 51.9 points would put him in ninth place among AL pitchers over 2011-2016.
Five pitchers rise on this NL pitchers list—Madison Bumgarner, Gio Gonzalez, James Shields, Stephen Strasburg and Jake Arrieta:
- Bumgarner of the Giants was in fourth place with 92.7 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 5.7 points he earned in 2010, giving him 87.0 over 2011-2016, boosting him to second place.
- Gonzalez of the Nationals was in sixth place with 75.8 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 9.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 66.8 over 2011-2016, boosting him to fifth place.
- Shields of the Padres was in seventh place with 71.3 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 5.7 points he earned in 2010, giving him 65.6 over 2011-2016, boosting him to sixth place.
- Strasburg of the Nationals was in 11th place with 67.8 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 7.7 points he earned in his 2010 rookie year, giving him 60.1 over 2011-2016, boosting him into the top 10 in eighth place.
- Arrieta of the Cubs was in 13th place with 59.8 points over 2010-2015. He lost the 3.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 56.8 over 2011-2016, boosting him into the top 10 in 10th place.
There are two others among the top 10 NL pitchers over 2011-2016:
- Zack Greinke, formerly of the Dodgers, now of the Diamondbacks, maintains his spot in third place between the two time periods. He had 94.8 points over 2010-2015, but lost the 9.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 85.8 over 2011-2016.
- Johnny Cueto was not on the list at the end of 2015 because he was with the AL Royals. He had 71.0 points over 2010-2015 (which would have put him in eighth place on the NL list). He lost the 7.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 64.0 over 2011-2016, putting him in seventh place. This marks a return to the NL for Cueto, who pitched for the Reds from 2008 until he was traded midseason in 2015 to the Royals.
Top NL batters
| 2010-2015 | 2011-2016 | ||||||||
| Top NL batters | Pos | Team | BTP | Top NL batters | Pos | Team | BTP | ||
| 1 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | rf | mil nl | 51.0 | ⬆McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | cf | pit nl | 41.2 | |
| 2 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | rf | col nl | 50.2 | ⬌Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | rf | col nl | 40.2 | |
| 3 | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | cf | pit nl | 43.9 | ⬇Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | rf | mil nl | 36.0 | |
| 4 | Gonzalez, Adrian 2193 | 1b | lad nl | 38.7 | ⬆Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 35.4 | |
| 5 | Holliday, Matt 1836 | lf dh | stl nl | 38.2 | ⬆Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | lf cf | nym nl | 31.9 | |
| 6 | Upton, Justin 2411 | lf | sd nl | 37.9 | ⬇Holliday, Matt 1836 | lf dh | stl nl | 31.7 | |
| 7 | Howard, Ryan 2040 | 1b | phi nl | 37.1 | ⬆Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | atl nl | 31.2 | |
| 8 | Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | cin nl | 35.9 | ⬇Gonzalez, Adrian 2193 | 1b | lad nl | 30.7 | |
| 9 | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 35.4 | ⬇Howard, Ryan 2040 | 1b | phi nl | 30.4 | |
| 10 | Granderson, Curtis 2051 | rf | nym nl | 34.9 | ⬆Kemp, Matt 2151 | rf | sd nl | 30.0 | |
| • Upton moves to AL (Tigers). • Bruce falls to 21st (23.2 BTP). • Granderson falls to 11th (28.9). |
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McCutchen rises to lead NL batters in six-year standings, passing previous leader Braun
Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates rises from third place over 2010-2015 (with 43.9 Box-Toppers points) to first place over 2011-2015 (with 41.2). McCutchen loses the 2.7 Box-Toppers points he earned in 2010.
Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies maintains his spot in second place. Over 2010-2015, he had 50.2 points and over 2011-2016, he has 40.2. He loses the 10.0 points he earned in 2010. Over 2010-2015, he trailed first-place player Ryan Braun by 0.8 points; over 2010-2016, he trails first-place player McCutchen by 1.0 point.
Six other NL batters fall in the standings from 2010-2015 to 2011-2016—Ryan Braun, Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Ryan Howard, Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson:
- Braun of the Brewers, as previously mentioned, was in first place with 51.0 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 15.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 36.0 points over 2011-2016, dropping him to third place.
- Gonzalez of the Dodgers was in fourth place with 38.7 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 8.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 30.7 points over 2011-2016, dropping him to eighth place.
- Holliday of the Cardinals was in fifth place with 38.2 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 6.5 points he earned in 2010, giving him 31.7 points over 2011-2016, dropping him to sixth place.
- Howard of the Phillies was in seventh place with 37.1 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 6.7 points he earned in 2010, giving him 30.4 points over 2011-2016, dropping him to ninth place.
- Bruce of the Reds was in eighth place with 35.9 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 12.7 points he earned in 2010 (his best year, when he was third among NL batters), giving him 23.2 points over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the top 10 to 21st place.
- Granderson of the Mets was in 10th place with 34.9 points over 2010-2015, but loses the 6.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 28.9 points over 2011-2016, dropping him out of the top 10 to 11th place.
Justin Upton also moves off the NL batters top 10 list because he moves from the NL Padres to the AL Tigers. Upton was in sixth place among NL batters at the end of 2015 with 37.9 points over 2010-2015. He loses the 2.0 points he earned in 2010, giving him 35.9 over 2011-2016, which puts him in 10th place on the AL batters list for that timeframe; it would have boosted him to fifth place among NL batters had he remained in the league.
Besides McCutchen, four other players rose in the rankings among NL batters from 2010-2015 to 2011-2016—Paul Goldschmidt, Yoenis Cespedes, Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp:
- Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks was in ninth place with 35.4 points over 2010-2015. He earned no Box-Toppers points in 2010, making his debut in 2011, so has the same 35.4 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to fourth place.
- Cespedes of the Mets was in 13th place with 31.9 points over 2010-2015. Cespedes did not make his Box-Toppers debut until 2012, so has no points in either 2010 or 2011, meaning he has the same 31.9 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to fifth place.
- Freeman of the Braves was in 17th place with 31.2 points over 2010-2015. He earned no Box-Toppers points in 2010, making his debut in 2011, so has the same 31.2 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to seventh place.
- Kemp of the Padres was in 12th place with 32.5 points over 2010-2015. He loses the 2.5 points he earned in 2010, giving him 30.0 points over 2011-2016, boosting him to 10th place.