The most notable change in Box-Toppers “all-time” career points top 10 lists at the end of 2024 is an almost complete lack of change.
Box-Toppers points leaders for 1995-2024
| OVERALL LEADERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Johnson, Randy 15 | pi sp | retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 272.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | tex al | 253.7 |
| 4 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 247.0 |
| 5 | Martinez, Pedro J. 18 | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | free agent | 224.5 |
| 7 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | 1b | retired | 207.8 |
| 8 | Sabathia, CC 1492 | pi sp | retired | 203.4 |
| 9 | Schilling, Curt 74 | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 10 | Rodriguez, Alex | 3b | retired | 187.0 |
| PITCHERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Johnson, Randy 15 | pi sp | retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 272.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | tex al | 253.7 |
| 4 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 247.0 |
| 5 | Martinez, Pedro J. 18 | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | free agent | 224.5 |
| 7 | Sabathia, CC 1492 | pi sp | retired | 203.4 |
| 8 | Schilling, Curt 74 | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 9 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | retired | 179.3 |
| 10 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | retired | 175.1 |
| BATTERS | POS | TEAM | BTP | |
| 1 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | 1b | retired | 207.8 |
| 2 | Rodriguez, Alex | 3b | retired | 187.0 |
| 3 | Ramirez, Manny 17 | lf | retired | 166.2 |
| 4 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | retired | 159.4 |
| 5 | Bonds, Barry 95 | lf | retired | 152.2 |
| 6 | Jones, Chipper 269 | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 7 | Thome, Jim 77 | 1b dh | retired | 146.7 |
| 8 | Ortiz, David | dh | retired | 145.9 |
| 9 | giambi, jason | 1b | retired | 133.4 |
| 10 | Guerrero, Vladimir | rf | retired | 128.3 |
What are those numbers after players' names?
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
No players changed position, and only three—Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander—earned any Box-Toppers points in 2024, each adding just 2.0. The lack of movement contrasts with 2023 when four players combined for 40.9 points and when Scherzer and Verlander both rose one spot in the rankings.
Also notably, for the first time since tracking began in 1995, there were no active players among the top 10 “all-time” batters in 2024 after Miguel Cabrera's 2023 retirement.
Clayton Kershaw
In 2023, Kershaw—the Dodgers pitcher and the highest-ranking active player—rose to within striking distance of top-ranked Randy Johnson’s 282.5 career point total. Kershaw opened 2024 with 270.4 career Box-Toppers points, just 12.1 points behind Johnson. But Kershaw was plagued by injury in 2024 and earned just 2.0 points, his lowest total in his 17 seasons.
Kershaw, 36, is hoping to return in late May or early June after undergoing surgeries to his left foot and left knee. His 272.4 career points is now only 10.1 points behind Johnson. He’s earned more than 10.1 points in four of the past five full seasons (excluding the 2020 pandemic-shortened season, when he had 7.7 points).
(It should be noted Johnson began his career in 1988 and his 282.5 career points are only from 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began. If Johnson’s entire career were tracked, rough projections put his career total at about 385.)
Max Scherzer
Scherzer, 40, with 253.7 career Box-Toppers points, ranks third overall, second among active players. He joins a new team this season, the Toronto Blue Jays, hoping to bounce back from his injury-marred 2024 season with the Texas Rangers when he earned just 2.0 points, his lowest total in his 16 seasons.
Scherzer is 18.7 points behind Kershaw. Could he catch him? He has earned more than 18.7 points in six seasons but he last did it in 2021 with the Nationals and Dodgers when his 25.1 points led all players.
Justin Verlander
Verlander, 42, with 247.0 career Box-Toppers points, ranks fourth overall, third among active players. He also joins a new team this season, the San Francisco Giants, also hoping to bounce back from an injury-marred 2024 season with the Houston Astros, when he earned just 2.0 points.
Verlander is 6.7 points behind Scherzer. The two have alternated leads in their duel over the seasons as their careers have run parallel since the late 2000s, including intersecting twice as teammates as Tigers and Mets. While Scherzer has led in career points among the two since May 2021, Verlander could retake the lead in 2025.
Zack Greinke
The only other active player in the “all-time” top 10 list is pitcher Zack Greinke, whose 224.5 career Box-Toppers points is sixth-most since 1995.
However, Greinke did not play in 2024 and was listed as a free agent all season, which is also his current status. Greinke, now 41, last played in 2023 with the Royals, earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points that season.
No active batters in career points top 10
With Cabrera’s 2023 retirement, there are no active players among the “all-time” top 10 list for career points by batters. Cabrera’s 159.4 career Box-Toppers points ranks fourth among batters on the “all-time” list.
Cabrera earned no points in his final season, so there have not been any changes in point totals on the list since Sept. 10, 2022, when overall leader Albert Pujols earned his final career Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor. Pujols earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point that day, giving him 207.8 career points, most by a batter since player tracking began in 1995 and seventh-most among all players. (Cabrera earned his final point on May 26, 2022.)
The highest-ranking active batter, Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers, has 91.4 points, 36.9 points behind “all-time” 10th place batter, Vladimir Guerrero’s 128.3 career points.
Here is a list of the 10 active batters at the end of 2024 with the most career Box-Toppers points:
Freeman, 91.4 (41st among all batters since 1995).
Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals, 88.0 (46th, he has moved to the Yankees for 2025).
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers, 85.7 (50th, it should be noted he has earned 45.5 of his points as a pitcher and 40.2 as a batter).
Mike Trout, Angels, 84.2 (54th).
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates, 81.9 (57th).
Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees, 78.9 (66th).
Bryce Harper, Phillies, 74.6 (84th).
Anthony Rizzo, Yankees, 71.9 (90th, he is currently a free agent in 2025).
Aaron Judge, Yankees, 68.4 (96th).
J.D. Martinez, Mets, 67.1 (102nd, he is currently a free agent in 2025).
One thing to note: In 2010 and after, batters earned a drastically lower share of overall Box-Toppers points compared to pitchers.
Overall, in the decade of the 2000s, batters earned 51.71 percent of all Box-Toppers points awarded but that fell to 42.38 percent in the 2010s.
During the decade of the 2000s, there were 35 times in which a batter earned 15.0 or more Box-Toppers points in a season. During the 2010s, there were only seven times.
During the decade of the 2000s, batters finished among the overall top 10 players in a season 23 times and there was only one year in the decade (2005) in which no batters ranked among the overall top 10. However, since 2010, there has only been one time when a player earning points exclusively as a batter finished among the season’s top 10 overall players. That was 2013, when Miguel Cabrera finished eighth overall with 16.9 points, the highest single-season point total for a batter during the decade. (Shohei Ohtani of the Angels ranked third among all players in 2023 with 19.4 points, qualifying to rank both as a pitcher and a batter, but earned 9.7 of his points as a pitcher and 9.7 as a batter.)
In 2024, batters earned the lowest share of overall Box-Toppers points (37.2) compared to pitchers in any season since 1995 when tracking began. As a result of this dropoff after 2009, today’s batters are earning far fewer points and leaving them lower in the “all-time” batting ranks.
Top 10 active pitchers
By contrast, today’s top pitchers generally rank higher in “all-time” lists of their peers.
Of course, Kershaw, Scherzer, Verlander and Greinke are all active players who rank among the “all-time” top 10 overall players and pitchers. All four began their careers prior to 2009 when there was more parity with batters but all found greatest success in the 2010s and after.
But there are active pitchers who have a realistic chance of soon entering the “all-time” top 10 list among pitchers and possibly even the top 10 overall list. Here are the 10 active pitchers with the most career Box-Toppers points:
Kershaw, 272.4.
Scherzer, 253.7.
Verlander, 247.0.
Greinke, free agent, 224.5. (Greinke, 41, has not formally announced his retirement but has not been associated with a team since leaving the Royals in 2023.)
Chris Sale, Braves, 172.4. (Sale, 35, is the highest-ranking player outside the “all-time” top 10 overall players, in 14th place, 14.6 points behind 10th-ranked Alex Rodriguez’s 187.0 career points. He is also the highest-ranking player outside the “all-time” top 10 pitchers, in 12th place, just 2.7 behind 10th-ranked Felix Hernandez’s 175.1 career points. Sale earned 19.1 points in 2024.)
Gerrit Cole, Yankees, 165.0. (Cole is 34.)
Jacob deGrom, Rangers, 140.2. (deGrom is 36.)
Yu Darvish, Padres, 139.7. (Darvish is 38.)
Lance Lynn, Cardinals, 124.5. (Lynn, 37, is currently listed as a free agent.)
Johnny Cueto, free agent, 118.2. (Cueto is 39.)
A look at Box-Toppers top 10 with projected career totals
It should be noted that several players on the “all-time” top 10 lists began their careers before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 and would likely have more actual points if their entire careers were tracked. As previously mentioned, Randy Johnson began his career in 1988. He has 282.5 points since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. If his entire career were tracked, rough projections put his Box-Toppers point total at 385.
Here is Box-Toppers top 10 list with players’ projected career totals included. (Players with projected point totals are marked with an asterisk.) To make the list, a player needed to have at least 100 Box-Toppers points since 1995:
Randy Johnson 385*
Roger Clemens 320*
Clayton Kershaw 272.4
Pedro Martinez 270*
John Smoltz 255*
Max Scherzer 253.7
Justin Verlander 247.0
Greg Maddux 240*
Curt Schilling 232*
Barry Bonds 230*
These standings with projected career totals remain unchanged from the end of 2023.
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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