While Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo is Box-Toppers’ most improved player in 2023, our choices for Comeback Players of the Year are Eduardo Rodriguez of the Tigers and Jason Heyward of the Dodgers.
Most improved players
Here are the players who had the biggest gains in Box-Toppers points (BTP) from 2022 to 2023, ranked by their rise in points this season. Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo had the biggest gain of 13.8 points, earning 4.0 points in 2022 and 17.8 in 2023. Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller had the biggest gain among rookie players, earning 13.1 Box-Toppers points in his first season. That 13.1-point gain is the second-biggest among all players.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | Rise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 17.8 | +13.8 |
| 2 | Miller, Bryce 4797† | pi sp | sea al | 13.1 | +13.1 |
| 3 | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | pi sp | det al | 13.0 | +13.0 |
| 4 | Senga, Kodai 4762† | pi sp | nym nl | 12.7 | +12.7 |
| 5 | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | pi sp | tb al | 12.4 | +12.4 |
| 6 | Maeda, Kenta 3609 | pi sp | min al | 11.1 | +11.1 |
| 7 | Keller, Mitch 4230 | pi sp | pit nl | 13.0 | +11.0 |
| 8 | Abbott, Andrew 4839† | pi sp | cin nl | 11.0 | +11.0 |
| 9 | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | pi sp | mil nl | 17.7 | +10.3 |
| 10 | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | pi sp | tor al | 20.1 | +9.1 |
| 11 | Brown, Hunter 4729† | pi sp | hou al | 10.1 | +9.1 |
| 12 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.7 | +8.7 |
| 13 | Bibee, Tanner 4792† | pi sp | cle al | 8.7 | +8.7 |
| 13 | Miller, Bobby 4820† | pi sp | lad nl | 8.7 | +8.7 |
| 13 | Woo, Bryan 4842† | pi sp | sea al | 8.7 | +8.7 |
| 16 | Eflin, Zach 3679 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 | +8.3 |
| 17 | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | pi sp | bal al | 14.0 | +8.0 |
| 18 | Tucker, Kyle 4277 | rf | hou al | 12.5 | +8.0 |
| 19 | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790† | pi sp | bal al | 8.0 | +8.0 |
| 20 | Strider, Spencer 4626 | pi sp | atl nl | 21.1 | +7.7 |
| 21 | Allen, Logan T. 4789† | pi sp | cle al | 7.7 | +7.7 |
| 22 | Heyward, Jason 2695 | rf cf | lad nl | 7.5 | +7.5 |
| 23 | Duran, Jarren 4783 | cf | bos al | 7.5 | +7.5 |
| 24 | Olson, Reese 4861† | pi sp | det al | 7.4 | +7.4 |
| 25 | Acuna, Ronald Jr. 3947 | rf | atl nl | 10.7 | +7.2 |
| 26 | Outman, James 4699† | cf | lad nl | 8.7 | +7.2 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
BTP—Box-Toppers points
† Rookie status in 2023
Meanwhile, the consensus choices for Comeback Players of the Year—Cody Bellinger and Liam Hendriks—did not rank very highly among Box-Toppers most improved players in 2023.
Cody Bellinger of the Cubs, the National League winner, had a gain of 3.5 Box-Toppers points from 2022 (2.0) to 2023 (5.5), 112th-best among all players.
White Sox closing pitcher Liam Hendriks, the American League winner, had a compelling story of returning to pitch after treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but actually fared worse in 2023 than 2022. He earned no Box-Toppers points in 2023 after earning 5.0 in 2022. He made only five appearances in 2023 before injury forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery in August. While the sentiment in giving the award to Hendriks, facing a life-or-death struggle and merely returning to the field to play, is understandable, the honor may be a year or two too early, awarded before he’s able to stage a true comeback to his previous level of performance.
Luzardo is Box-Toppers most improved player in 2023
Luzardo earned 17.8 Box-Toppers points in 2023, fifth among all players and second among National League pitchers. He earned 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2022. That 13.8-point increase in 2023 is largest among all players.
But while Luzardo showed the best improvement since last season, he has earned Box-Toppers points in each of his first four seasons and has demonstrated somewhat consistent growth. For Comeback Players of the Year, we look for players who are again performing well after a setback, such as an injury, that kept them from earning Box-Toppers points.
Eduardo Rodriguez is Box-Toppers AL Comeback Player
For AL Comeback Player of the Year, we choose Tigers pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who earned 13.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023, 12th among AL pitchers, after earning no points in 2022. That 13.0-point gain from 2022 to 2023 ranks third among season-to-season improvements. Rodriguez spent parts of 2022 on the injured list with a left ribcage sprain and later was placed on the team’s restricted list, removed from the roster and was absent from the team as he dealt with personal matters. During his 2023 comeback season, Rodriguez rejected a proposed trade to the Dodgers, citing family reasons.
Rodriguez in 2023 was returning to Box-Toppers point totals he had in previous seasons with the Red Sox, including 2018 (13.4, 16th among AL pitchers), 2019 (11.4, 14th among AL pitchers) and 2021 (10.0, 17th among AL pitchers).
Rodriguez ranked eighth on the 2022 Box-Toppers Big Dippers list, players whose Box-Toppers point total declined the most from 2021 to 2022. Rodriguez had a 10.0-point decline from 10.0 in 2021 to 0.0 in 2022. He’s one of two players who were among both Box-Toppers’ top 25 biggest dippers in 2022 and top 26 biggest risers in 2023.
Jason Heyward is Box-Toppers NL Comeback Player
For NL Comeback Player of the Year, we choose Jason Heyward of the Dodgers, who earned 7.5 Box-Toppers points in 2023, 13th among NL batters, after earning no points in 2022 with the Cubs. That 7.5-point gain from 2022 to 2023 is the biggest among all NL batters. But the improvement ranks 22nd among all players and eighth among NL players. Heyward played in 124 games in 2023 after he was limited to 48 games with the Cubs in 2022 with two stints on the injured list with a left quadriceps strain, the second of which kept him off the field for the second half of the season.
Heyward actually had his highest single-season Box-Toppers point total in 2023 with 7.5, but had earned points in 11 of 12 seasons from 2010 to 2021, including 2010 (6.0) and 2012 (5.5) with the Braves and 2021 (3.5) with the Cubs.
Comeback Player Awards
There are three different entities that bestow the most-widely recognized Comeback Player Awards:
The MLB Award is voted on by 30 club beat reporters from MLB.com.
The Players Choice Award is voted by members of the players’ union, the MLB Players Association.
The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award is the oldest of the three, going back to 1965, voted on by the publication’s editorial staff.
Most improved players by season
Here are the players who had the biggest gains in Box-Toppers points (BTP) each season from 1996 to 2023. Players are shown with the team with whom they finished the season, their season Box-Toppers point total and their rise in points from the previous season.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | Rise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | John Smoltz^ | pi sp | Braves | 26.1 | +17.7 |
| 1997 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Mariners | 23.0 | +17.0 |
| 1998 | Kerry Wood* | pi sp | Cubs | 18.2 | +18.2 |
| 1999 | Scott Williamson* | pi cp | Reds | 11.7 | +11.7 |
| 2000 | Chan Ho Park | pi sp | Dodgers | 18.5 | +14.8 |
| 2001 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | Expos | 23.4 | +17.7 |
| 2002 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | Red Sox | 28.8 | +17.8 |
| 2003 | Esteban Loaiza | pi sp | White Sox | 18.8 | +17.8 |
| 2004 | Johan Santana^ | pi sp | Twins | 26.8 | +16.1 |
| 2005 | Dontrelle Willis | pi sp | Marlins | 18.7 | +12.7 |
| 2006 | Lance Berkman | 1b | Astros | 20.8 | +13.8 |
| 2007 | Chad Gaudin | pi sp | Athletics | 12.7 | +12.7 |
| 2008 | Ricky Nolasco | pi sp | Marlins | 16.7 | +16.7 |
| 2009 | Chris Carpenter | pi sp | Cardinals | 15.7 | +14.7 |
| 2010 | Mat Latos | pi sp | Padres | 16.7 | +14.7 |
| 2011 | James Shields | pi sp | Rays | 20.1 | +14.4 |
| 2012 | Stephen Strasburg | pi sp | Nationals | 20.4 | +19.4 |
| 2013 | Jose Fernandez* | pi sp | Marlins | 19.0 | +19.0 |
| 2014 | Corey Kluber | pi sp | Indians | 25.8 | +20.8 |
| 2015 | Matt Harvey | pi sp | Mets | 15.4 | +15.4 |
| 2016 | Jose Fernandez | pi sp | Died† | 22.4 | +17.7 |
| 2017 | Luis Severino | pi sp | Yankees | 21.1 | +19.1 |
| 2018 | Blake Snell^ | pi sp | Rays | 27.2 | +22.2 |
| 2019 | Chris Paddack* | pi sp | Padres | 15.8 | +15.8 |
| 2020 | Corbin Burnes§ | pi sp | Brewers | 7.7 | +7.7 |
| 2021 | Max Scherzer^ | pi sp | Dodgers | 25.1 | +21.1 |
| 2022 | Justin Verlander^ | pi sp | Astros | 26.0 | +26.0 |
| 2023 | Jesus Luzardo | pi sp | Marlins | 17.8 | +13.8 |
Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
^Also led all players in season Box-Toppers points.
*Rookie season.
†Jose Fernandez played in 2016 for the Marlins, but was killed in a boating accident in late September before the season ended. Players are listed on the team for which they finished the season.
§The 2020 season was shortened from 162 to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NOTABLE FACTS
⬛️ Five players have been both Box-Toppers most improved player and Box-Toppers Player of the Year, leading all players in season points—John Smoltz (1996), Johan Santana (2004), Blake Snell (2018), Max Scherzer (2021) and Justin Verlander (2022).⬛️ Four most improved players did it in their rookie seasons—Kerry Wood (1998), Scott Williamson (1999), Jose Fernandez (2013) and Chris Paddack (2019).
⬛️ Lance Berkman is the only batter to be Box-Toppers most improved player (2006). Starting pitchers have done it the other 27 times.
⬛️ Jose Fernandez is the only player to be Box-Toppers most improved player twice—2013 and 2016. Fernandez died before the end of the 2016 season.
⬛️ Justin Verlander has the largest Box-Toppers point gain from one season to the next (+26.0), earning no points in 2021 and 26.0 in 2022.
⬛️ Four most improved players have finished the season as Marlins, the most of any team. That doesn’t count 2016, when Jose Fernandez, who played for the Marlins during the season, died before the end of the season. Five other franchises have had two most improved players each—Astros, Dodgers, Expos/Nationals, Padres and Rays.
All three agreed on the reemergent NL star, Cody Bellinger of the Cubs. But while MLB.com writers and the MLB players’ union both favored White Sox closer Liam Hendriks as the AL comeback player, the Sporting News picked Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow, which seems to me to be a choice based more on reason than sentiment.
Rays’ Glasnow makes strong case for Comeback Player
Glasnow nearly was Box-Toppers’ choice as AL Comeback Player, ranking fifth among Box-Toppers’ most improved players with a gain of 12.4 Box-Toppers points from 2022 (0.0) to 2023 (12.4). That was just behind the 13.0-point gain by Tigers pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, our choice for the AL award.
In 2021, Glasnow earned 12.7 Box-Toppers points, and in fact, earned all those points by June 8 that season, when he ranked first overall in Box-Toppers season player rankings. But Glasnow required Tommy John surgery, missing the remainder of 2021, yet still finished the season eighth among AL pitchers with those 12.7 Box-Toppers points. Glasnow spent most of 2022 rehabbing from the surgery, making only two regular season appearances and earning no Box-Toppers points. Glasnow missed the early part of 2023 with an oblique strain, returning in late May. He earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2023 as Player of the Game on June 3, nearly two years since his previous Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor, June 8, 2021. Glasnow earned 12.4 Box-Toppers points in 2023, 14th among AL pitchers.
Glasnow ranked third on the 2022 Box-Toppers Big Dippers list, players whose Box-Toppers point total declined the most from 2021 to 2022. Glasnow had a 12.7-point decline from 12.7 in 2021 to 0.0 in 2022. He’s one of two players, along with Eduardo Rodriguez, who were among both Box-Toppers’ top 25 biggest dippers in 2022 and top 26 biggest risers in 2023.
Neither Bellinger nor Hendriks had Box-Toppers revivals in 2023
While Glasnow truly had a comeback season in 2023, neither of the other two award winners had performance revivals during the season as measured by Box-Toppers.
Bellinger’s gain was just 3.5 Box-Toppers points from 2.0 in 2022 with the Dodgers, 98th among NL batters, to 5.5 in 2023, 28th among NL batters. That 3.5-point improvement ranks 112th among all players, 45th among all batters and 27th among NL batters, meaning there were 26 NL batters who had better improvement in their seasons, such as these notables—Trea Turner (+5.0), Christian Yelich (+5.7), Fernando Tatis Jr. (+6.0), Juan Soto (+6.5), Nick Castellanos (+7.0), Ronald Acuna Jr. (+7.2) and Jason Heyward (+7.5).
In 2019, Bellinger had the largest gain in Box-Toppers points among all batters from the previous season, increasing 11.2 points from 0.0 in 2018 to 11.2 in 2019. That ranked sixth among players on that year’s Box-Toppers “most improved” list.
Hendriks had a net loss in Box-Toppers points from 2022 to 2023, and in fact, ranks second among AL closing pitchers with the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from last season. Hendriks had 5.0 points in 2022, third among AL closers, but had 0.0 in 2023. One other AL closing pitcher also declined from 5.0 in 2022 to 0.0 in 2023, Dany Jimenez of the Athletics, who ranks ahead of Hendriks on the biggest decliners list because he had fewer 2021 points (0.0 vs. 7.0).
Hendriks was also more worthy of the award in 2019 when he had a net gain of 7.0 Box-Toppers points from 2018 (0.0) to 2019 (7.0) when he was with the Athletics. He ranked 29th among Box-Toppers most improved players that season, just outside the top 25.
Rookies on Box-Toppers’ most improved players list
The list of 26 Box-Toppers most improved players, players with the biggest increase in Box-Toppers points from 2022 to 2023, includes 11 rookie players, led by Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller.
Miller made his debut in 2023, so earned no points in 2022. His 13.1 Box-Toppers points in 2023 is 17th among all players, 11th among AL pitchers and first among AL rookies. His 13.1-point gain from 2022 ranks second among all players and first among all AL players, behind Luzardo’s 13.8-point gain and just ahead of Eduardo Rodriguez’s 13.0-point gain.
Mets pitcher Kodai Senga had the largest gain among NL rookies with a 12.7-point gain, sixth-best improvement among all players. He went from 0.0 points in 2022 to 12.7 in 2023, 22nd among all players and 10th among NL pitchers.
Neither Rookie of the Year winners are among Box-Toppers’ top 26 most improved players in 2023. AL winner Gunnar Henderson earned 7.5 Box-Toppers points in 2023 (eighth among AL batters), but had only a 4.3-point gain in 2023 because he earned 3.2 points in 2022, though still maintained his rookie status in 2023. That 4.3-point gain was 81st among all players.
NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll earned just 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023, 10th among all NL rookie batters. His 3.0-point gain was 149th among all players.
Box-Toppers’ choice for top NL rookie, James Outman of the Dodgers, had a 7.2-point gain from 2022 (1.5) to 2023 (8.7), which was the 26th-biggest gain. Outman’s 8.7 points in 2023 was seventh among NL batters.
Batters among Box-Toppers’ 26 most improved players
Outman is one of five batters on the 26-player list of Box-Toppers’ biggest improvers. The others:
Kyle Tucker of the Astros, who had the biggest gain among batters of 8.0 points, 18th among all players. Tucker earned 12.5 Box-Toppers points in 2023, second among AL batters, after earning 4.5 points in 2022.
Jason Heyward of the Dodgers, who had the biggest gain among NL batters of 7.5 points, 22nd among all players. Heyward earned 7.5 Box-Toppers points in 2023, 13th among NL batters, after earning 0.0 in 2022. He is our choice for NL Comeback Player of the Year.
Jarren Duran of the Red Sox, who gained 7.5 points, 23rd among all players. Duran went from 0.0 points in 2022 to 7.5 in 2023, 10th among AL batters. While Duran had the same 7.5-point as Heyward, he ranks behind him on the improvers list because he had fewer 2021 Box-Toppers points (0.0 vs. 3.5).
Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves, who gained 7.2 points, 25th among all players. Acuna went from 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2022 to 10.7 in 2023, second among NL batters. Acuna was voted NL Most Valuable Player.
Box-Toppers top players among most improved
Box-Toppers’ two top-ranked players are among the 26 most improved players:
Braves pitcher Spencer Strider, who led all players with 21.1 Box-Toppers points, ranks 20th among improvers with a 7.7-point gain from 2022, when he had 13.4 points.
Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt, who led all AL players with 20.1 Box-Toppers points, second overall, ranks 10th among improvers with a 9.1-point gain from 2022, when he had 11.0 points (with the Mets).
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
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Box-Toppers top 25 most improved players lists: 2022 (Justin Verlander), 2021 (Max Scherzer), 2020 (Corbin Burnes), 2019 (Chris Paddack), 2018 (Blake Snell), 2017 (Luis Severino), 2016 (Jose Fernandez), 2015 (Matt Harvey).
See top 10 most improved players list from 1996-2022 on Box-Toppers Details page. Scroll about three-quarters down the page and look for yearly “Risers” or do a search for “Risers” to find the lists.