| All-Time All-Stars | Team | BTP | Rank | Active Career All-Stars | Team | BTP | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 147.9 | 26 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 147.9 | 26 | |
| 2B | kent, jeff | Retired | 109.7 | 60 | Cano, Robinson 2092 | sea al | 83.4 | 121 | |
| SS | Tejada, Miguel | Retired | 102.3 | 74 | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | tor al | 59.8 | 258 | |
| 3B | Rodriguez, Alex | Retired | 187.0 | 8 | Beltre, Adrian 1141 | tex al | 116.8 | 48 | |
| CA | piazza, mike | Retired | 95.7 | 90 | McCann, Brian 2179 | hou al | 62.4 | 228 | |
| OF | Ramirez, manny | Retired | 167.2 | 13 | Holliday, Matt 1836 | col nl | 100.8 | 79 | |
| OF | bonds, barry | Retired | 153.2 | 22 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | mil nl | 96.7 | 88 | |
| OF | Guerrero, Vladimir | Retired | 128.3 | 34 | Granderson, Curtis 2051 | mil nl | 77.2 | 145 | |
| DH | Pujols, Albert 1438 | ana al | 190.8 | 6 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | ana al | 190.8 | 6 | |
| SP | Johnson, randy | Retired | 278.8 | 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 214.8 | 3 | |
| SP | Martinez, Pedro J. | Retired | 244.8 | 2 | Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | nyy al | 200.4 | 4 | |
| SP | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 214.8 | 3 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | ari nl | 189.2 | 7 | |
| SP | Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | nyy al | 200.4 | 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | dc nl | 181.8 | 9 | |
| CP | hoffman, trevor | Retired | 129.4 | 33 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | bos al | 74.4 | 162 |
(Note: This post does not take into account any Box-Toppers statistics from the 2019 season. It is our annual all-time All-Star team story that was meant to be compiled and posted prior to the start of the 2019 season. Other projects sidetracked us, so we’re playing catch up and just now getting around to compiling and posting it. Last year’s all-time All-Star team story for 1995-2017 was posted in January 2018.)
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw led the list of Box-Toppers Active Career All-Stars at the end of the 2018 season.
Kershaw was one of four active players to be included on Box-Toppers All-Time All-Star team at the end of 2018.
The Box-Toppers All-Time All-Star team consists of the best players by position since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 and includes 12 players who have retired and four who are still active—Kershaw, along with Albert Pujols of the Angels, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, who joined the All-Time All-Star team in 2018.
Box-Toppers Active Career All-Stars consists of players active at the close of the 2018 season who led in career Box-Toppers points at their position. It includes those four active players from the “all-time” list among the 14 players on the team.
However, it also includes three players who are not—as of the mid-2019 season—currently active: shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, third baseman Adrian Beltre and outfielder Matt Holliday. Tulowitzki was with the Blue Jays but signed with the Yankees before retiring this season. Beltre was with the Rangers but retired at the close of the 2018 season. Holliday was with the Rockies and is now coaching at the college level.
Other players on the active list have changed teams since the close of 2018. Second baseman Robinson Cano closed 2018 with the Mariners but is now on the Mets. Catcher Brian McCann was with the Astros but is now with the Braves. Outfielder Curtis Granderson was with the Dodgers but is now with the Marlins. Starting pitcher Zack Greinke was with the Diamondbacks but was traded July 31 to the Astros. And closer Craig Kimbrel was with the Red Sox but is now with the Cubs.
The player with the most career Box-Toppers points at all nine batting positions (including designated hitter) are included on both the all-time and active teams. Also included for both teams are the top four pitchers and the top closing pitcher in career Box-Toppers points.
Pitcher Randy Johnson leads the list of all-time All-Stars with 278.8 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2009. (He would likely have more Box-Toppers points if his entire career beginning in 1988 were tracked.)
Pitcher Clayton Kershaw led players in active career Box-Toppers points at the close of 2018 with 214.8. Kershaw also is on the all-time career list, ranking third among pitchers and third in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995.
Three other players are on both the All-Time All-Stars and the Active Career All-Stars, pitcher CC Sabathia, designated hitter Albert Pujols of the Angels and first basemen Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers:
Sabathia ranked fourth among all pitchers since 1995 with 200.4 points at the close of 2018. He ranked second among active pitchers, behind Kershaw.
Pujols led all designated hitters with 190.8 Box-Toppers points at the close of 2018, also first among active designated hitters.
Cabrera led all first basemen with 147.9 Box-Toppers points at the close of 2018, also first among active first basemen.
Interestingly, in 2019 Pujols is primarily playing first base and Cabrera is primarily a designated hitter, so as the season has progressed, Pujols is now the all-time and active leader among first basemen while Cabrera is now the all-time and active leader among designated hitters.
Sabathia is the only player to join the All-Time All-Stars list during 2018. He ranked fourth among all pitchers since 1995 with 200.4 Box-Toppers points, displacing Curt Schilling (194.1). Sabathia had been on the All-Time All-Star team at the close of 2016 in fourth place with 185.0 Box-Toppers points, but was displaced from the list during 2017 by Kershaw.
Max Scherzer of the Nationals was the only player to join the Active Career All-Star team during 2018, ranking fourth among active pitchers with 181.8 career points, displacing Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (171.4).
One note: Box-Toppers’ All-Time All-Star teams are not separated by American League and National League as are Box-Toppers’ All-Star teams for the past season (2018), past two seasons (2017-18) and past six seasons (2013-18). All players on the All-Time All-Star team are grouped together on one team, regardless of league, since most of the players are retired and since many of those players played in both in the AL and NL during their careers.
Box-Toppers probably could have separate AL and NL teams for Active Career All-Stars, since those players were active in either the AL or NL at the end of 2018. But to keep it relatively simple and to better make comparisons to the All-Time All-Star team, Box-Toppers also groups Active Career All-Stars together on one team, without regard to their league. The Active Career All-Stars include eight players who ended 2018 in the AL and six who ended 2018 in the NL.
About Box-Toppers—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. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point 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.
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Related:
Top 100 players of “all-time,” 1995-2018
Top 10 players by category “all-time,” 1995-2018 (AL, NL pitching and batting)
Box-Toppers All-Star teams for past six seasons, 2012-18
Box-Toppers All-Star teams for past two seasons, 2017-18
Box-Toppers All-Star teams for past season, 2018
Last year’s all-time All-Stars: Box-Toppers all-time All-Star teams, 1995-2017