The two pitchers with the most wins in 2020 were also among the top three in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Wins leaders’ Box-Toppers points
Here is how 2020 wins leaders fared in Box-Toppers points. Players are listed by most wins. Also shown are their 2020 Box-Toppers points (BTP) and their rank in Box-Toppers points among all players.| Player | Team | Wins | BTP | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane Bieber | Indians | 8 | 11.4 | 1 |
| 1 | Yu Darvish | Cubs | 8 | 9.7 | 3 |
| 3 | Marco Gonzales | Mariners | 7 | 5.7 | 27 |
| 3 | Zach Davies | Padres | 7 | 2.0 | 172 |
| 3 | Gerrit Cole | Yankees | 7 | 7.4 | 12 |
| 3 | Max Fried | Braves | 7 | 5.7 | 26 |
| 7 | Mike Fiers | Athletics | 6 | 1.7 | 236 |
| 7 | Matt Foster | White Sox | 6 | 4.0 | 60 |
| 7 | Lance Lynn | Rangers | 6 | 9.1 | 4 |
| 7 | Kyle Hendricks | Cubs | 6 | 6.0 | 18 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 6 | 7.7 | 9 |
| 7 | Pete Fairbanks | Rays | 6 | 2.0 | 222 |
| 7 | Dallas Keuchel | White Sox | 6 | 1.0 | 333 |
| 7 | Kenta Maeda | Twins | 6 | 8.4 | 7 |
| 7 | Dylan Bundy | Angels | 6 | 7.0 | 15 |
| 7 | Randy Dobnak | Twins | 6 | 3.0 | 102 |
| 7 | Pablo Lopez | Marlins | 6 | 6.0 | 20 |
| 7 | David Peterson | Mets | 6 | 2.0 | 232 |
Shane Bieber of the Indians and Yu Darvish of the Cubs both had eight wins in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, most among all pitchers. Bieber had 11.4 Box-Toppers points, most of all players and Darvish had 9.7 points, third-most and second among National League pitchers. (Trevor Bauer of the Reds, who ranked second overall in Box-Toppers points and first among NL pitchers with 10.0, won five games in 2020, tied for 19th-most.)
Meanwhile, Dinelson Lamet of the Padres had Box-Toppers’ highest Sincere Win Differential (SWD) of +6.0, which is figured by subtracting a pitchers’ win total from their Box-Toppers point total. Lamet had 9.0 Box-Toppers points and three wins, resulting in the +6.0 SWD. Not all wins are created equal. Sometimes pitchers pick up a win in a game in which they perform poorly. Sometimes pitchers perform extraordinarily well and do not pick up the win. The SWD compares their Box-Toppers point total to their win total, giving a more reflective statistic of a pitcher’s success.
While Lamet earned the win in just three games in 2020, he won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors six times, including three games in which he picked up a no decision. In his three wins, he earned 5.0 Box-Toppers points, including earning Player of the Day honors (worth 2.0 total points) on both Aug. 9 and Sept. 14. In his three no-decisions, he earned 4.0 Box-Toppers points, including earning Player of the Day honors Sept. 7.
Box-Toppers’ sincere win differential leaders
Dinelson Lamet of the Padres had Box-Toppers’ highest sincere win differential (SWD) of any pitcher in 2020. Lamet had an SWD of +6.0, figured by subtracting his win (W) total (3) from his Box-Toppers point (BTP) total (9.0). The higher the SWD, the more sincere and deserved are a pitcher’s wins. Here are the SWDs of all 98 pitchers with either four or more wins or 3.0 or more Box-Toppers points in 2020, ranked from highest to lowest SWD.| Player | Team | Wins | BTP | SWD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinelson Lamet | sd nl | 3 | 9.0 | +6.0 |
| 2 | Trevor Bauer | cin nl | 5 | 10.0 | +5.0 |
| 3 | Jacob deGrom | nym nl | 4 | 8.7 | +4.7 |
| 4 | Walker Buehler | lad nl | 1 | 5.7 | +4.7 |
| 5 | Brandon Woodruff | mil nl | 3 | 7.0 | +4.0 |
| 6 | Corbin Burnes | mil nl | 4 | 7.7 | +3.7 |
| 7 | Shane Bieber | cle al | 8 | 11.4 | +3.4 |
| 8 | Lance Lynn | tex al | 6 | 9.1 | +3.1 |
| 9 | Tyler Glasnow | tb al | 5 | 8.0 | +3.0 |
| 10 | Lucas Giolito | chi al | 4 | 7.0 | +3.0 |
| 11 | Frankie Montas | oak al | 3 | 6.0 | +3.0 |
| 11 | Zac Gallen | ari nl | 3 | 6.0 | +3.0 |
| 13 | Steven Brault | pit nl | 1 | 4.0 | +3.0 |
| 13 | Trevor Rosenthal | sd nl | 1 | 4.0 | +3.0 |
| 15 | Aaron Nola | phi nl | 5 | 7.7 | +2.7 |
| 16 | Tony Gonsolin | lad nl | 2 | 4.7 | +2.7 |
| 17 | Keegan Akin | bal al | 1 | 3.7 | +2.7 |
| 18 | Kenta Maeda | min al | 6 | 8.4 | +2.4 |
| 19 | Taijuan Walker | tor al | 4 | 6.0 | +2.0 |
| 20 | Carlos Carrasco | cle al | 3 | 5.0 | +2.0 |
| 21 | J.A. Happ | nyy al | 2 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| 21 | Triston McKenzie | cle al | 2 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| 23 | Ryan Yarbrough | tb al | 1 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| 23 | Daniel Ponce de Leon | Stl nl | 1 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| 23 | Ryan Pressly | hou al | 1 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| 26 | Yu Darvish | chi nl | 8 | 9.7 | +1.7 |
| 27 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 6 | 7.7 | +1.7 |
| 28 | Jesus Luzardo | oak al | 3 | 4.7 | +1.7 |
| 29 | Tyler Chatwood | chi nl | 2 | 3.7 | +1.7 |
| 30 | Chris Bassitt | oak al | 5 | 6.4 | +1.4 |
| 31 | Dylan Bundy | ana al | 6 | 7.0 | +1.0 |
| 32 | Hyun Jin Ryu | tor al | 5 | 6.0 | +1.0 |
| 32 | Brad Keller | kc al | 5 | 6.0 | +1.0 |
| 34 | Luis Castillo | cin nl | 4 | 5.0 | +1.0 |
| 35 | Merrill Kelly | ari nl | 3 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| 35 | Liam Hendriks | oak al | 3 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| 37 | Garrett Richards | sd nl | 2 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| 37 | Mike Mayers | ana al | 2 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| 37 | Rafael Dolis | tor al | 2 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| 37 | Dane Dunning | chi al | 2 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| 41 | Jack Flaherty | stl nl | 4 | 4.7 | +0.7 |
| 42 | Jon Lester | chi nl | 3 | 3.7 | +0.7 |
| 43 | Gerrit Cole | nyy al | 7 | 7.4 | +0.4 |
| 44 | Zach Plesac | cle al | 4 | 4.4 | +0.4 |
| 45 | Kyle Hendricks | chi nl | 6 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| 45 | Pablo Lopez | fla nl | 6 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| 47 | Daniel Bard | col nl | 4 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| 47 | Nathan Eovaldi | bos al | 4 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| 47 | Spencer Turnbull | det al | 4 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| 47 | Brady Singer | kc al | 4 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| 51 | Sandy Alcantara | fla nl | 3 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| 51 | Seth Lugo | nym nl | 3 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| 51 | Greg Holland | kc al | 3 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| 51 | Travis Lakins | bal al | 3 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| 51 | Sixto Sanchez | fla nl | 3 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| 56 | Sonny Gray | cin nl | 5 | 4.7 | -0.3 |
| 57 | Framber Valdez | hou al | 5 | 4.7 | -0.3 |
| 58 | Blake Snell | tb al | 4 | 3.7 | -0.3 |
| 59 | Andrew Heaney | ana al | 4 | 3.4 | -0.6 |
| 60 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 5 | 4.0 | -1.0 |
| 60 | Alec Mills | chi nl | 5 | 4.0 | -1.0 |
| 62 | German Marquez | col nl | 4 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| 62 | Chris Paddack | sd nl | 4 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| 62 | Justin Dunn | sea al | 4 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| 65 | Max Fried | atl nl | 7 | 5.7 | -1.3 |
| 65 | Marco Gonzales | sea al | 7 | 5.7 | -1.3 |
| 67 | Adam Wainwright | stl nl | 5 | 3.7 | -1.3 |
| 68 | Tyler Anderson | sf nl | 4 | 2.7 | -1.3 |
| 68 | Zach Eflin | phi nl | 4 | 2.7 | -1.3 |
| 68 | Justus Sheffield | sea al | 4 | 2.7 | -1.3 |
| 68 | Aaron Civale | cle al | 4 | 2.7 | -1.3 |
| 72 | Matt Foster | chi al | 6 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
| 73 | Jose Berrios | min al | 5 | 3.0 | -2.0 |
| 73 | Antonio Senzatela | col nl | 5 | 3.0 | -2.0 |
| 75 | Brett Anderson | mil nl | 4 | 2.0 | -2.0 |
| 75 | Jake Arrieta | phi nl | 4 | 2.0 | -2.0 |
| 75 | Craig Stammen | sd nl | 4 | 2.0 | -2.0 |
| 75 | Danny Duffy | kc al | 4 | 2.0 | -2.0 |
| 75 | Tyler Matzek | atl nl | 4 | 2.0 | -2.0 |
| 75 | Sean Manaea | oak al | 4 | 2.0 | -2.0 |
| 81 | Randy Dobnak | min al | 6 | 3.0 | -3.0 |
| 82 | Jonathan Hernandez | tex al | 5 | 2.0 | -3.0 |
| 82 | Cristian Javier | hou al | 5 | 2.0 | -3.0 |
| 82 | Josh Fleming | tb al | 5 | 2.0 | -3.0 |
| 85 | Jeremy Jeffress | chi nl | 4 | 1.0 | -3.0 |
| 85 | Zack Wheeler | phi nl | 4 | 1.0 | -3.0 |
| 85 | Devin Williams | mil nl | 4 | 1.0 | -3.0 |
| 85 | Genesis Cabrera | stl nl | 4 | 1.0 | -3.0 |
| 89 | David Peterson | nym nl | 6 | 2.0 | -4.0 |
| 89 | Pete Fairbanks | tb al | 6 | 2.0 | -4.0 |
| 91 | Caleb Baragar | sf nl | 5 | 1.0 | -4.0 |
| 92 | Anibal Sanchez | dc nl | 4 | 0.0 | -4.0 |
| 92 | Darren O’Day | atl nl | 4 | 0.0 | -4.0 |
| 92 | Raisel Iglesias | cin nl | 4 | 0.0 | -4.0 |
| 95 | Mike Fiers | oak al | 6 | 1.7 | -4.3 |
| 96 | Zach Davies | sd nl | 7 | 2.0 | -5.0 |
| 97 | Dallas Keuchel | chi al | 6 | 1.0 | -5.0 |
| 98 | Dylan Cease | chi al | 5 | 0.0 | -5.0 |
SWD: Sincere win differential, figured by subtracting win total from Box-Toppers point total.
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On the opposite side, White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease earned five wins, but had 0.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, failing to earn Player of the Game honors in any of his appearances. That gave him a -5.0 sincere win differential, the lowest among the 98 players who had either four or more wins or 3.0 or more Box-Toppers points in 2020 (see the chart on this page Box-Toppers’ sincere win differential leaders to see all 98 pitchers ranked by SWD). While Cease pitched in five wins, his performance wasn’t the key component in any of them—another White Sox player who won Player of the Game honors did more to help the team win those games.
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Of the 18 pitchers with six or more wins in 2020, five of them rank among the top 10 in Box-Toppers points for the season and 11 of them rank among the top 30 in Box-Toppers points.
Bieber, the American League leader in wins and also AL Cy Young Award winner, started 12 games in 2020; the Indians won 10 of those. In those 10 victories, Bieber earned the win in eight of the games and earned Player of the Game honors in seven of those wins. He earned a total of 9.7 Box-Toppers points in the seven games in which he earned a win—earning 1.0 point for each Player of the Game honor, plus 0.7 bonus points once for earning AL Player of the Day honors and 1.0 bonus points twice for earning overall Player of the Day honors. Bieber also won AL Player of the Day honors (worth 1.7 total points) on Sept. 23, a game the Indians won but in which he picked up a no-decision. That gives him 11.4 total Box-Toppers points, most of all players.
His 11.4 points against eight wins gives him a sincere win differential of +3.4, ranked seventh on the SWD list.
Darvish also had eight wins in 2020. He started 12 games in 2020 and the Cubs won nine of them. In those nine victories, Darvish earned the win in eight of them and earned Player of the Game honors in seven of them. He earned National League Player of the Day honors once (worth 1.7 total points) and overall Player of the Day honors twice (worth 2.0 total points), giving him 9.7 total points, third-most overall and second among NL pitchers.
Darvish’s 9.7 points against his eight wins gives him a sincere win differential of +1.7, putting him in 26th place on the SWD list for 2020.
Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer ranked second in Box-Toppers points with 10.0, leading NL pitchers. He also won the NL Cy Young Award.
Bauer won five games in 2020, tied for 19th-most among all players. Bauer ranked second in sincere win differential with a +5.0 SWD. He won Player of the Game honors in each of his five wins (including winning Player of the Day honors worth 2.0 points a total of four times) and earned Player of the Game honors in a no-decision on Sept. 14.
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The five pitchers with six or more wins who were among the top 10 in Box-Toppers points for 2020 are:
Bieber ranked tied for first with eight wins, also ranked first in Box-Toppers points with 11.4.
Darvish ranked tied for first with eight wins, also ranked third in Box-Toppers points with 9.7
Rangers pitcher Lance Lynn ranked tied for seventh with six wins, also ranked fourth in Box-Toppers points with 9.1
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw ranked tied for seventh with six wins, also ranked ninth in Box-Toppers points with 7.7.
Twins pitcher Kenta Maeda ranked tied for seventh with six wins, also ranked seventh in Box-Toppers points with 8.4.
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On Box-Toppers’ sincere win differential (SWD) leaders list, there are 98 pitchers with either four or more wins or 3.0 or more Box-Toppers points in 2020. Of those, 44 had a positive SWD, that is, one that was greater than 0.0. Eleven had a 0.0 SWD, meaning their win total matched their Box-Toppers point total. And there were 43 that had a negative SWD, or less than 0.0.
Ranking third in SWD for 2020, behind Lamet and Bauer is Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom, with an SWD of +4.7. deGrom won four games in 2020, but had 8.7 Box-Toppers points, sixth overall and fourth among NL pitchers. deGrom won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors six times in 2020, including three times when he earned the win and three times when he picked up a no-decision.
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler ranked fourth with a +4.7 SWD despite earning only one win in 2020. Buehler had 5.7 Box-Toppers points in 2020. He earned Box-Toppers Player of the Day honors in his one win on Aug. 21 and earned Player of the Game honors in two no-decisions, once earning NL Player of the Day honors on Sept. 2 and once earning overall Player of the Day honors on Sept. 24.
In addition to Buehler, there are six other pitchers in 2020 who had just one win and 3.0 or more Box-Toppers points and are among the 98 pitchers on the sincere wins differential list. Three of those six are relief pitchers who do not earn the win as frequently. The six are:
Steven Brault of the Pirates, who had 4.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him a +3.0 SWD, ranked tied for 13th among sincere win differential leaders.
Trevor Rosenthal of the Padres, a reliever, who had 4.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him a +3.0 SWD, tied for 13th. (Rosenthal also earned 11 saves in 2020, tied for seventh-most, behind overall leader Brand Hand of the Indians with 16.)
Keegan Akin of the Orioles, who had 3.7 Box-Toppers points, giving him a +2.7 SWD, ranked 17th
Ryan Yarbrough of the Rays, primarily a reliever, who had 3.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him a +2.0 SWD, tied for 23rd.
Daniel Ponce de Leon of the Cardinals, who had 3.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him a +2.0 SWD, tied for 23rd.
Ryan Pressly of the Astros, a reliever, who had 3.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him a +2.0 SWD, tied for 23rd. (Pressly also earned 12 saves in 2020, tied for fourth-most.)
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There are three pitchers with seven wins (tied for third-most wins) who all had negative SWDs:
Mariners pitcher Marco Gonzales and Braves pitcher Max Fried both had 5.7 Box-Toppers points and seven wins for a -1.3 SWD, tied for 65th place on 2020’s sincere win differential list.
Padres pitcher Zach Davies had 2.0 Box-Toppers points and seven wins for a -5.0 SWD, 96th out of 98 pitchers on 2020’s sincere win differential list.
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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