Awards wrap-up: Box-Toppers points leaders win none of 6 major postseason awards in 2021

Here's how Box-Toppers points leaders fared in the six major postseason awards for 2021 as voted by the Baseball Writers Association of Ameica. The winners of the six major awards are listed at left with the Box-Toppers points (BTP) leader in each category listed at right. Rank shows the players’ rank among all players in 2021.

Most Valuable Player
AL winner Team Pos BTP Rank AL BTP leader Team Pos BTP Rank
Shohei Ohtani Angels pi sp† 16.1 12 Jose Ramirez Indians 3b 13.0 21
NL winner Team Pos BTP Rank NL BTP leader Team Pos BTP Rank
Bryce Harper Phillies rf 5.5 165 Nick Castellanos* Reds rf 11.5 35
Cy Young Award
AL winner Team Pos BTP Rank AL BTP leader Team Pos BTP Rank
Robbie Ray Blue Jays pi sp 17.7 6 Gerrit Cole Yankees pi sp 22.4 2
NL winner Team Pos BTP Rank NL BTP leader Team Pos BTP Rank
Corbin Burnes Brewers pi sp 18.1 5 Max Scherzer Dodgers pi sp 25.1 1
Rookie of the Year
AL winner Team Pos BTP Rank AL BTP leader Team Pos BTP Rank
Randy Arozarena Rays lf dh 4.0 238 Bobby Dalbec** Red Sox 1b 5.4 171
NL winner Team Pos BTP Rank NL BTP leader Team Pos BTP Rank
Jonathan India Reds 2b 3.7 265 Trevor Rogers Marlins pi sp 9.0 64
† Shohei Ohtani played most of his games as a designated hitter in 2021, however, he won the overwhelming majority of his Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors as a starting pitcher (nine of 12). For players to be listed at a position in Box-Toppers rankings, they need to have more than 25 percent of their Player of the Game honors at that position. Since Ohtani had only 25 percent of his Player of the Game honors at DH, he did not qualify to rank at that position or among batters. He earned 12.1 of his 16.1 Box-Toppers points as a starting pitcher and 4.0 as a DH.
* While Nick Castellanos led NL batters in Box-Toppers points, Box-Toppers actually voted Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer for NL MVP. We did this because Scherzer had more than twice as many 2021 Box-Toppers points as Castellanos (25.1 vs. 11.5).
** Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah actually led AL rookies in 2021, but Box-Toppers treats the Rookie of the Year award as primarily a batter's award and gives batters the benefit of a doubt, doubling their Box-Toppers point total when comparing them to pitchers. In this case, doubling Bobby Dalbec’s 5.4 points to 10.8 beats Manoah’s 10.7 total for the season.
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Box-Toppers points leaders won none of the six major postseason awards for 2021.

Baseball writers have awarded Most Valuable Player, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in both leagues and Box-Toppers leaders failed to win any of them.

Box-Toppers postseason honors ballot

Here is a look at the ballot selections Box-Toppers is making for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) 2021 postseason awards. The ballot requires votes out to 10 places for Most Valuable Player in both leagues, five for Cy Young Awards in each league and three for each leagues' Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year and Reliever of the Year.

Players are shown with their team and their Box-Toppers point (BTP) total for 2021.

AL Most Valuable Player  
Player Team BTP
1 Jose Ramirez Indians 13.0
2 Gerrit Cole Yankees 22.4
3 J.D. Martinez Red Sox 10.7
4 Brandon Lowe Rays 10.5
5 Aaron Judge Yankees 9.0
6 Robbie Ray Blue Jays 17.7
7 Xander Bogaerts Red Sox 8.5
8 Shohei Ohtani Angels 16.1
9 Jose Abreu White Sox 8.0
10 Matt Olson Athletics 8.0
NL Most Valuable Player  
Player Team BTP
1 Max Scherzer Dodgers 25.1
2 Nick Castellanos Reds 11.5
3 Zack Wheeler Phillies 21.1
4 Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres 10.2
5 Joey Votto Reds 9.7
6 Julio Urias Dodgers 19.1
7 Corbin Burnes Brewers 18.1
8 Nolan Arenado Cardinals 9.0
9 Paul Goldschmidt Cardinals 9.0
10 German Marquez Rockies 17.4
AL Cy Young  
Player Team BTP
1 Gerrit Cole Yankees 22.4
2 Robbie Ray Blue Jays 17.7
3 Shohei Ohtani Angels 16.1
4 Sean Manaea Athletics 15.7
5 Dylan Cease White Sox 14.4
NL Cy Young  
Player Team BTP
1 Max Scherzer Dodgers 25.1
2 Zack Wheeler Phillies 21.1
3 Julio Urias Dodgers 19.1
4 Corbin Burnes Brewers 18.1
5 German Marquez Rockies 17.4
AL Rookie of the Year  
Player Team BTP
1 Bobby Dalbec Red Sox 5.4
2 Alek Manoah Blue Jays 10.7
3 Triston McKenzie Indians 10.4
NL Rookie of the Year  
Player Team BTP
1 Trevor Rogers Marlins 9.0
2 Jonathan India Reds 3.7
3 Bryan De La Cruz Marlins 3.5
AL Manager of the Year  
Player Team Team BTP
1 Tony La Russa White Sox 124.9
2 Aaron Boone Yankees 119.8
3 Kevin Cash Rays 116.4
NL Manager of the Year  
Player Team Team BTP
1 Dave Roberts Dodgers 146.7
2 Gabe Kapler Giants 124.6
3 Craig Counsell Brewers 122.8
AL Reliever of the Year  
Player Team BTP
1 Liam Hendriks White Sox 7.0
2 Craig Kimbrel White Sox 6.7
3 Jose Suarez Angels 6.4
NL Reliever of the Year  
Player Team BTP
1 Ian Kennedy Phillies 8.7
2 Alex Reyes Cardinals 6.7
3 Kenley Jansen Dodgers 6.0
Box-Toppers gives batters a generous, if somewhat arbitrary, benefit of the doubt in these rankings. In cases where batters are directly compared to pitchers, Box-Toppers ranks batters as if their season Box-Toppers point total were doubled. For example, in rankings for AL MVP, Jose Rarmiez ranks first with 13.0 points even though several pitchers have more points (most notably, Gerrit Cole of the Yankees, ranked second in AL MVP voting with 22.4). Though Ramirez has fewer points than Cole, Box-Toppers arbitrarily doubles batters point totals in figuring these rankings, which would give Ramirez 26.0 points, beating Cole’s 22.4. While MVP is traditionally a batter's award, it has been awarded to pitchers either when they have a dominant season, no batters particularly rise to the occasion—or both.

In two cases, Box-Toppers’ second-ranked player eligible for an award took home the honor:

  • Jonathan India of the Reds, who ranked second among NL rookies in Box-Toppers points, won NL Rookie of the Year honors.

  • Robbie Ray of the Blue Jays, who ranked second among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points, won the AL Cy Young Award.

Here is a look at how Box-Toppers’ choices fared in postseason awards:

American League Most Valuable Player

Winner Shohei Ohtani of the Angels ranked third  among all AL players in Box-Toppers points (16.1). Box-Toppers’ choice for the award, Jose Ramirez of the Indians, led AL batters with 13.0 points and finished sixth in AL MVP voting.

Though Ohtani had more Box-Toppers points than Ramirez, he earned the overwhelming majority of them as a starting pitcher. Because MVP is generally considered to be a batter’s award, we give batters a generous, if arbitrary, benefit of the doubt, doubling their point total when comparing them to pitchers.

Ohtani earned 12.1 of his points as a starting pitcher and 4.0 points as a designated hitter. Though he played far more games as a DH, he earned so many of his Player of the Game honors as a starting pitcher that under Box-Toppers rules, he no longer qualified to be ranked among batters. 

Box-Toppers still had Ohtani on our AL MVP ballot for his pitching prowess, ranking him eighth among all AL players. And Box-Toppers had him in third place on our AL Cy Young Award ballot, seeing him actually more deserving of that award. (He received no AL Cy Young votes from baseball writers.)

We voted for Ramirez as AL MVP simply because, with 13.0 Box-Toppers points, he was the one AL batter who most often was the key player in his team’s wins. Ramirez earned Player of the Game honors in 11 Indians wins.

National League Most Valuable Player

Winner Bryce Harper of the Phillies ranked 28th among NL batters with 5.5 Box-Toppers points. Box-Toppers’ choice for the award, Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer, led all players with 25.1 Box-Toppers points. We chose Scherzer, a pitcher, in this award normally reserved for a batter, because he had more than twice as many Box-Toppers points as the top NL batter Nick Castellanos of the Reds (11.5).

Scherzer finished 14th in NL MVP voting. Castellanos finished 12th.

Harper’s ranking in 28th place among his league’s batters is not the lowest-ranking player to win his league’s MVP. There is at least one instance of a player ranking lower among his league’s batters to earn MVP: In 2003, Alex Rodriguez of the Rangers won AL MVP and finished 34th among AL batters with 6.7 Box-Toppers points.

American League Cy Young Award

Winner Robbie Ray of the Blue Jays ranked second among AL pitchers with 17.7 Box-Toppers points. Box-Toppers’ choice for the award, Gerrit Cole of the Yankees, ranked first with 22.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players behind Scherzer.

Cole finished second in AL Cy Young voting.

Ray’s 17.7 Box-Toppers points ranked second among AL pitchers and sixth among all players. Ray earned 13.7 of his points in the second half of the season, earning Player of the Game honors nine times. Of course this means during the first half of the season he only earned 4.0 points, earning four Player of the Game honors.

By contrast, Cole, who finished second overall with 22.4 points, led in overall Box-Toppers season player rankings more days that any other player (51), but did not earn any points or Player of the Game honors after Sept. 1.

National League Cy Young Award

Winner Corbin Burnes of the Brewers ranked fourth among NL pitchers with 18.1 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players. Box-Toppers’ choice for the award was Max Scherzer of the Dodgers, who led all players with 25.1 Box-Toppers points. Scherzer finished third in NL Cy Young voting.

Scherzer finished the season with a substantial lead in Box-Toppers points and earned 14.4 points in just the final two months of the season, more than all but nine other players earned in the complete six-month season.

In separate voting by the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA), in which Box-Toppers votes, Scherzer was voted top NL pitcher for 2021.

American League Rookie of the Year

Winner Randy Arozarena of the Rays was Box-Toppers’ eighth-ranked AL rookie with 4.0 Box-Toppers points. We chose Bobby Dalbec of the Red Sox with 5.4 Box-Toppers points. Dalbec received no votes from baseball writers for AL Rookie of the Year.

While Dalbec didn’t have the most Box-Toppers points among AL rookies, he had more than half the point total as the top AL rookie pitcher, Alek Manoah of the Blue Jays (10.7).

National League Rookie of the Year

Winner Jonathan India of the Reds was Box-Toppers’ second-ranked NL rookie with 3.7 Box-Toppers points. We chose Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers with 9.0 Box-Toppers points.

India’s 3.7 Box-Toppers points ranks 265th among all players, 48th among NL batters, fifth among NL second basemen and first among NL rookie batters.

Rogers had more than twice as many Box-Toppers points as India. Rogers’ 9.0 points ranks 64th among all players and 33rd among NL pitchers.

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Among those six awards, Box-Toppers leaders were zero-for-six. It is the second time in the past three years Box-Toppers leaders have failed to win any of the six major postseason awards. It also happened in 2019.

Box-Toppers points leaders and winners of major postseason awards usually better coincide—looking at major postseason awards—American League and National League Most Valuable Player, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards—Box-Toppers points leaders had won at least two of the six each year from 2013 to 2018:

  • In 2013, Box-Toppers and baseball writers picked the same winner for four of six awards.

  • In 2014, five of six.

  • In 2015, two of six.

  • In 2016, two of six.

  • In 2017, three of six.

  • In 2018, two (or three or four, depending on how you count) of six.

  • In 2019, zero of six.

  • In 2020, two of six.

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This season is only the fourth time in 27 chances that Box-Toppers points leaders have won none of the four major postseason awards—AL and NL Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards. Since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, at least one points leader has won at least one of the four awards in 23 of the seasons.

The other three times no Box-Toppers points leaders won one of the major awards were in 2003, 2012 and 2019.

There have been 10 seasons in which at least one of the Box-Toppers category leaders won one of the four major postseason award. There are another 10 seasons in which Box-Toppers category leaders won two of the four major awards (including 2020). And there have been three times that three of the four Box-Toppers points leaders won postseason awards, 1997, 2009 and 2013. There has never been a season in which all four Box-Toppers point category leaders won all four major postseason awards.

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In addition to these six postseason awards, Box-Toppers also participated in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) voting for four additional awards:

American League Reliever of the Year

Winner Liam Hendriks of the White Sox was also Box-Toppers choice for top AL Reliever of the Year.

Hendriks led AL closers with 7.0 Box-Toppers points, ahead of second-place Craig Kimbrel, also of the White Sox with 6.7 points.

National League Reliever of the Year

Winner Josh Hader of the Brewers was Box-Toppers’ sixth-ranked NL closer for 2021 with 4.0 Box-Toppers points. Box-Toppers chose Phillies closing pitcher Ian Kennedy, who led NL closers with 8.7 Box-Toppers points.

Managers of the Year

This award seems to be selected based on who took a team from which little was expected and performed better than anticipated.

Rays manager Kevin Cash won the award in the American League and Gabe Kapler of the Giants won the award in the National League. Neither team was expected to do as well as they did and both outperformed expectations, even though Cash won the award for the second straight year and the Rays made it to the World Series in 2020.

Box-Toppers criteria for this award is straightforward: Which teams had the most Box-Toppers points. That’s why we chose Dave Roberts of the Dodgers in the NL and Tony La Russa of White Sox in the AL.

The Dodgers led all teams with 146.7 accumulated Box-Toppers points, so Roberts is first on Box-Toppers’ NL managers ballot. The White Sox led AL teams with 124.9 Box-Toppers points, second overall, and so La Russa is first on Box-Toppers’ AL managers ballot. 

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While Box-Toppers category leaders were zero-for-six on winning MVP, Cy Young or Rookie of the Year Awards, they were one-for-10 on winning all the major postseason awards, with Liam Hendriks of the White Sox winning AL Reliever of the Year.

This was an improvement over 2019 when none of the 10 Box-Toppers leaders won any of the postseason awards.

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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