The Houston Astros rocketed to a huge lead in Box-Toppers team rankings this week, mainly due to acquiring Zack Greinke and other players at the July 31 trade deadline.
Team rankings
Here are Box-Toppers 2019 season team rankings, through the games of Thursday, Aug. 1. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team accumulated this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams accumulated from July 26 to Aug. 1. The column Wk ago shows the team's rank as of July 25.| Teams | BTP | BTP/wk | Wk ago | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astros | 106.9 | +23.2 | 1 |
| 2 | Dodgers | 87.8 | +6.5 | 2 |
| 3 | Nationals | 87.4 | +13.0 | 5 |
| 4 | Rays | 85.8 | +11.5 | 6 |
| 5 | Athletics | 82.1 | +8.7 | 7 |
| 6 | Yankees | 78.6 | +2.0 | 3 |
| 7 | Phillies | 78.0 | +14.2 | 13 |
| 8 | Indians | 77.9 | +2.6 | 4 |
| 9 | Twins | 77.5 | +6.7 | 9 |
| 10 | Braves | 77.3 | +6.0 | 8 |
| 11 | Cubs | 73.8 | +5.5 | 11 |
| 12 | Red Sox | 73.1 | +3.0 | 10 |
| 13 | Brewers | 70.7 | +7.9 | 14 |
| 14 | Mets | 65.3 | +10.7 | 20 |
| 15 | Cardinals | 65.1 | +3.0 | 15 |
| 16 | Rockies | 62.7 | +3.5 | 17 |
| 17 | Rangers | 61.2 | +1.0 | 16 |
| 18 | Reds | 60.2 | +6.2 | 21 |
| 19 | Diamondbacks | 58.6 | -5.5 | 12 |
| 20 | Angels | 58.4 | +2.5 | 19 |
| 21 | Padres | 54.8 | -2.5 | 18 |
| 22 | Giants | 54.2 | +1.0 | 22 |
| 23 | White Sox | 53.4 | +1.0 | 23 |
| 24 | Pirates | 45.4 | -6.2 | 24 |
| 25 | Mariners | 45.0 | -4.8 | 25 |
| 26 | Marlins | 43.4 | -3.7 | 26 |
| 27 | Royals | 38.5 | -1.5 | 28 |
| 28 | Blue Jays | 38.5 | -7.6 | 27 |
| 29 | Orioles | 37.4 | +2.5 | 29 |
| 30 | Tigers | 31.4 | -1.0 | 30 |
The Astros lead for the second week, but last week’s narrow lead has exploded to an enormous lead this week, as they gained the most Box-Toppers points of any team in the past week.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers maintain their lead among National League teams and their overall second-place ranking, holding off other teams that made rankings leaps with trade deadline deals, including the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers.
Astros players have accumulated 106.9 Box-Toppers points, picking up 23.2 in the past week, most among all teams. It is their second week in first place ahead of the Dodgers. Last week they led by 2.4 points; this week, they lead by 19.1.
While the Astros hold an overwhelming lead in Box-Toppers points, they have baseball’s second-best winning percentage (.636) behind the Dodgers (.649).
The Astros picked up 5.0 points in four wins in the past week. The bulk of their point gain came from acquiring pitcher Zack Greinke in a trade from the Diamondbacks. Greinke has 13.2 Box-Toppers points this season, 10th among all players. His points are subtracted from the Diamondbacks total and added to the Astros. Other key players the Astros added in the past week:
Pitcher Aaron Sanchez (2.0 points) from the Blue Jays.
Pitcher Joe Biagini (2.0) from the Blue Jays.
Catcher Martin Maldonado (1.0) from the Cubs.
The Astros are led by pitcher Justin Verlander, who has 18.8 Box-Toppers points, first among all players and AL pitchers. Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole is second in Box-Toppers player rankings (17.1 points) and new acquisition Greinke (13.2) ranks 10th. Top batter is Alex Bregman (8.0 points, first among AL batters). Twenty-four different Astros players have earned Box-Toppers points so far this season.
This is the fourth straight week the Astros have led AL teams. They’ve led AL teams 10 of the past 11 weeks, including leading all teams for five straight weeks from May 16 to June 13.
The Dodgers made few significant moves at the trade deadline but maintain their second-place rank overall and lead NL teams for the 12th straight week. Dodgers players have accumulated 87.8 Box-Toppers points this season, picking up 6.5 in the past week.
The Dodgers are led by pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu with 13.7 Box-Toppers points, eighth among all players and fourth among NL pitchers. Top batter is Cody Bellinger (10.2 Box-Toppers points), who ranks 16th among all players and first among NL batters. Twenty-three different Dodgers players have earned Box-Toppers points so far this season.
Here is a look at other teams whose rise or fall was propelled by trade deadline deals:
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies had the second-biggest point gain of the week (+14.2) and tied with the New York Mets for the biggest rise in rankings since last week, rising six spots from 13th to seventh place with 78.0 points. In the past week, the Phillies:
Signed free agent pitcher Blake Parker (4.0), who was released by the Twins.
Acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson (3.0) from the Pirates.
Acquired pitcher Jason Vargas (2.7) from the Mets.
Acquired pitcher Dan Straily (1.0) from the Orioles.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals gained 13.0 points, rising from fifth to third in team rankings with 87.4 points. In the past week, the Nationals:
Acquired closing pitcher Roenis Elias (5.0) from the Mariners.
Acquired relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (4.0) from the Blue Jays.
Acquired closing pitcher Hunter Strickland (2.0) from the Mariners.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays gained 11.5 points, rising from sixth to fourth in team rankings with 85.8 points. In the past week, the Rays:
Acquired first baseman Jesus Aguilar (2.5) from the Brewers.
Acquired pitcher Trevor Richards (2.0) from the Marlins.
Acquired reliever Nick Anderson (2.0) from the Marlins.
Acquired infielder Eric Sogard (1.0) from the Blue Jays.
New York Mets
The Mets gained 10.7 points, and tied with the Phillies for the biggest rise in rankings since last week, rising six spots from 20th to 14th with 65.3 points. The Mets acquired pitcher Marcus Stroman (5.0) from the Blue Jays.
Oakland Athletics
The Athletics gained 8.7 points, rising from seventh to fifth in team rankings with 82.1 points. The Athletics acquired pitcher Tanner Roark (4.7) from the Reds.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers gained 7.9 points, rising from 14th to 13th in team rankings with 70.7 points. In the past week, the Brewers:
Acquired pitcher Jordan Lyles (5.7) from the Pirates.
Acquired pitcher Drew Pomeranz (2.0) from the Giants.
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There were eight teams that had a net loss in points, led by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays had a net loss of 7.6 points, falling from 27th to 28th place with 38.5 points. In the past week, the Blue Jays:
Traded pitcher Marcus Stroman (5.0) to the Mets.
Traded relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (4.0) to the Nationals.
Traded pitcher Aaron Sanchez (2.0) to the Astros.
Traded pitcher Joe Biagini (2.0) to the Astros.
Traded infielder Eric Sogard (1.0) to the Rays.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates had a net loss of 6.2 points, maintaining their 24th-place rank with 45.4 points. In the past week, the Pirates:
Traded pitcher Jordan Lyles (5.7) to the Brewers.
Traded outfielder Corey Dickerson (3.0) to the Phillies.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks had a net loss of 5.5 points and had the biggest ranking decline among all teams, falling seven spots from 12th to 19th place with 58.6 points. The biggest impact came from trading pitcher Zack Greinke (13.2) to the Astros. The Diamondbacks also won two games this week and acquired players at the trade deadline, including pitcher Mike Leake (3.0) from the Mariners and pitcher Zac Gallen (2.7) from the Marlins.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners had a net loss of 4.8 points, maintaining their 25th-place team ranking with 45.0 points. In the past week, the Mariners:
Traded closing pitcher Roenis Elias (5.0) to the Nationals.
Traded pitcher Mike Leake (3.0) to the Diamondbacks.
Traded closing pitcher Hunter Strickland (2.0) to the Nationals.
Miami Marlins
The Marlins had a net loss of 3.7 points, maintaining their 26th-place team ranking with 43.4 points. In the past week, the Marlins:
Traded pitcher Zac Gallen (2.7) to the Diamondbacks.
Traded pitcher Trevor Richards (2.0) to the Rays.
Traded reliever Nick Anderson (2.0) to the Rays.
Traded closer Sergio Romo (1.0) to the Twins.
San Diego Padres
The Padres had a net loss of 2.5 points, falling from 18th to 21st in team rankings with 54.8 points. In the past week, the Padres:
Traded outfielder Franmil Reyes (4.0) to the Indians.
Traded pitcher Logan Allen (1.0) to the Indians.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals had a net loss of 1.5 points, yet rose from 28th to 27th place in team rankings with 38.5 points. The Royals designated for assignment infielder Lucas Duda (1.5) and reliever Brian Flynn (1.0).
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers had a net loss of 1.0 point, maintaining 30th and last place in team rankings with 31.4 points. The Tigers traded outfielder Nicholas Castellanos (3.0) to the Cubs.
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Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians
Two teams involved in what was probably the second-biggest deal at the trade deadline did not experience huge swings in their teams’ Box-Toppers point totals.
The Cincinnati Reds acquired pitcher Trevor Bauer (10.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 14th among all players) from the Cleveland Indians. The Indians received outfielder Yasiel Puig (3.5) from the Reds. It was part of a three-team deal with the Padres, which also included the Indians acquiring outfielder Franmil Reyes (4.0) and pitcher Logan Allen (1.0). The deal also included prospects.
The Reds meanwhile traded pitcher Tanner Roark (4.7) to the Athletics. Overall, the Reds had a net gain of 6.2 points over the past week, rising from 21st to 18th in team rankings with 60.2 points.
The Indians had a net gain of 2.6 points in the past week, falling from fourth to eighth in team rankings with 77.9 points.
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As mentioned previously, the Tigers maintain 30th and last place in Box-Toppers team rankings for the second week with 31.4 points, with a net loss of 1.0 point in the past week. For comparison, the Tigers’ 31.4 point total for the entire 2019 season is just 8.2 points more than the 23.2 points the first-place Astros picked up in just the past week.
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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