The Chicago White Sox rise to lead Box-Toppers weekly team rankings report, while the Los Angeles Dodgers tumble from first to eighth place.
Also, the Philadelphia Phillies rise to lead National League teams in Box-Toppers rankings and the New York Yankees are the week’s hottest team.
Team rankings
Here are Box-Toppers 2021 team rankings, through the games of Thursday, May 6. 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 April 30 to May 6. The column Wk ago shows the team's rank as of April 29.| Teams | BTP | BTP/wk | Wk ago | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | White Sox | 23.2 | +3.0 | 2 |
| 2 | Phillies | 22.8 | +7.4 | 13 |
| 3 | Yankees | 22.5 | +7.5 | 15 |
| 4 | Indians | 21.8 | +7.2 | 16 |
| 5 | Rays | 21.7 | +5.0 | 6 |
| 6 | Red Sox | 21.7 | +3.5 | 4 |
| 7 | Brewers | 21.6 | +2.0 | 3 |
| 8 | Dodgers | 21.5 | +1.0 | 1 |
| 9 | Athletics | 21.2 | +3.0 | 4 |
| 10 | Padres | 21.1 | +4.7 | 8 |
| 11 | Cardinals | 20.2 | +6.0 | 17 |
| 12 | Astros | 19.2 | +3.0 | 9 |
| 13 | Blue Jays | 18.7 | +6.0 | 22 |
| 14 | Marlins | 18.7 | +3.5 | 14 |
| 15 | Mariners | 18.5 | +3.0 | 12 |
| 16 | Giants | 18.5 | +2.5 | 11 |
| 17 | Rangers | 18.2 | +5.0 | 21 |
| 18 | Diamondbacks | 18.0 | +2.0 | 10 |
| 19 | Orioles | 17.5 | +5.0 | 23 |
| 20 | Royals | 17.5 | +1.0 | 7 |
| 21 | Cubs | 17.2 | +4.0 | 20 |
| 22 | Braves | 17.0 | +3.0 | 18 |
| 23 | Twins | 16.2 | +4.5 | 25 |
| 24 | Reds | 15.7 | +4.2 | 27 |
| 25 | Angels | 15.7 | +2.0 | 19 |
| 26 | Mets | 15.5 | +4.0 | 26 |
| 27 | Rockies | 13.9 | +3.7 | 28 |
| 28 | Nationals | 13.7 | +3.7 | 29 |
| 29 | Pirates | 13.5 | +1.0 | 24 |
| 30 | Tigers | 10.2 | +1.5 | 30 |
The White Sox rise from second place last week to first place this week with its players accumulating 23.2 Box-Toppers points through the games of May 6, picking up 3.0 points in the past week (since April 29).
The Dodgers had led each of the three Box-Toppers weekly team rankings reports of the 2021 season. But their April dominance turned to dust in May, perhaps exemplified most by the injury this week to pitcher Dustin May, requiring season-ending Tommy John surgery. They team picked up only 1.0 Box-Toppers point this week, tied for the lowest of any team, and have 21.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, eighth place overall.
Though the White Sox lead Box-Toppers team rankings they are second place in the American League Central division, a half game behind the Cleveland Indians. The White Sox have baseball’s seventh-best winning percentage (.552). Here are the teams with better winning percentages and how they fare in Box-Toppers team rankings:
Boston Red Sox .594, sixth place with 21.7 Box-Toppers points.
San Francisco Giants .581, 16th place with 18.5
Oakland Athletics .576, ninth place with 21.2.
Cleveland Indians .567, fourth place with 21.8.
San Diego Padres .563, 10th place with 21.1.
St. Louis Cardinals .563, 11th place with 20.2.
The White Sox are led by pitchers Carlos Rodon and Dylan Cease, both with 4.0 Box-Toppers points. Rodon ranks 20th overall, eighth among AL pitchers. Cease ranks 21st overall, ninth among AL pitchers. Yermin Mercedes leads White Sox batters with 3.0 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL batters. Ten different White Sox players have earned Box-Toppers points so far in 2021.
The New York Yankees are the second-ranked AL team in Box-Toppers rankings, third overall with 22.5 Box-Toppers points, picking up 7.5 in the past week, most of any team. The Yankees climbed 12 spots in Box-Toppers rankings in the past week, tied for the biggest climb among all teams, rising from 15th place last week to third this week.
The Phillies rise to lead NL teams with 22.8 Box-Toppers points, picking up 7.4 in the past week, rising from 13th place to second overall. The Phillies passed the Dodgers to rise to first among NL teams and now rank ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers, the second-ranked NL team in Box-Toppers standings, with 21.6 Box-Toppers points, seventh overall. The Phillies have a winning percentage of .531, tied for the fourth-best in the NL, behind the Giants, Cardinals and Dodgers.
The Phillies are led by pitchers Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, both with 4.7 Box-Toppers points in 2021. Nola ranks ninth among all players and fourth among NL pitchers. Wheeler ranks 12th among all players and seventh among NL pitchers. Didi Gregorius leads Phillies batters with 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2021, seventh among NL batters.
The Cleveland Indians rose 12 spots in Box-Toppers team rankings, tied with the Yankees for the biggest climb in team rankings. The Indians rose from 16th place to fourth place with 21.8 Box-Toppers points, picking up 7.2 in the past week.
The Kansas City Royals had the biggest decline in the past week, falling 13 spots from seventh to 20th place with 17.5 points, picking up 1.0 point in the past week.
The Detroit Tigers maintain 30th and last place in team rankings with 10.2 Box-Toppers points, picking up 1.5 points in 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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