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On April 25, 1995, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Florida Marlins, 8-7, to open the 1995 regular season.
That game 30 years ago today marked the beginning of Box-Toppers. Now in its 31st season, Box-Toppers has analyzed box scores from more than 70,000 regular season games and determining a top player in each game.
Read MoreWelcome to Opening Day of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.
This marks the start of Box-Toppers’ 31st season tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score statistics. Here is an introduction to Box-Toppers.
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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.
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.
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers season-by-season leaders chart for each of the past 30 seasons, including the leaders in Box-Toppers points each season among four main categories—American League and National League pitchers and batters.
Also, a look at how often Box-Toppers leaders win major postseason awards (Cy Young and Most Valuable Player), what players have led a Box-Toppers season category most often since tracking began in 1995 and what teams have had the most category leaders in 30 seasons. Also, a look at the lowest point totals to lead a season category, which includes 2024 leaders.
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Braves pitcher Spencer Strider had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2023 to 2024.
Strider led all players in 2023 with 21.1 Box-Toppers points but earned just 1.0 point in 2024, a 20.1-point decline, which is also the fifth-largest decline (in regular-length seasons) since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
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Box-Toppers points leaders among 2024 free agents include Blake Snell, Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and Clayton Kershaw.
Blake Snell and Juan Soto are among this season’s free-agent players with the most 2024 Box-Toppers points.
Snell leads the entire class, earning 15.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024 with the Giants, most among all free-agent players, seventh among all players and fifth among National League pitchers.
Soto has the most 2024 Box-Toppers points among all free-agent batters, earning 11.0 with the Yankees, seventh among all free agents, 43rd among all players in 2024 and second among American League batters (behind only teammate Aaron Judge’s 13.0).
Read MoreBraves pitcher Max Fried is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers rises to first place among National League batters in 2024 Box-Toppers points (11.0) after earning NL Batter of the Day honors, making a meteoric rise from completely outside the top 10 among NL batters until Sept. 19 and earning 6.0 of his 11.0 points for the season in a 13-day explosion.
Read MoreAstros pitcher Framber Valdez is Sunday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Valdez struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk in the 2-0 win over the White Sox.
Read MoreBraves pitcher Chris Sale is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to sixth place in season player rankings.
Also Monday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extended his streak of earning Box-Toppers points to 17 straight seasons—tied for the longest active streak—after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2024.
Read MorePadres pitcher Dylan Cease is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, pitching a no-hitter and increasing his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
Cease allowed no hits in a complete game shutout, striking out nine and allowing three walks in the 3-0 win over the Nationals. He threw 114 pitches.
Read MoreWelcome to Opening Day of the 2024 Major League Baseball season.
This marks the start of Box-Toppers’ 30th season tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score statistics.
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During the 2023 season, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander each rose one spot on Box-Toppers “all-time” career points top 10 list.
They were the only player movements among Box-Toppers “all-time” career points top 10 players overall, among the top 10 pitchers and among the top 10 batters. Pitcher Randy Johnson, who retired in 2009, still leads all players in career Box-Toppers points with 282.5 (tracking began in 1995).
Read MoreAnalyzing 29 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching and batting in both leagues.
In 2023, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, American League Most Valuable Player, was the only player who won a major postseason award and also led his Box-Toppers category (leading AL batters with 19.4). Also, Pete Alonso of the Mets became the ninth batter since 1995 to lead his league’s batters in Box-Toppers points more than once, leading NL batters for the second straight season.
Read MoreYankees pitcher Carlos Rodon had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2022 to 2023.
Rodon had 19.8 Box-Toppers points in 2022 with the Giants, sixth among all players and third among National League pitchers. But moving to the Yankees in 2023, he earned only 1.0 Box-Toppers point. That 18.8-point decline was the biggest among all players.
Read MoreAdolis Garcia of the Rangers is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Monday’s American League Championship Series Game 7.
Also Monday, Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the National League Championship Series Game 6.
Read MoreThough the Texas Rangers finished first overall in Box-Toppers team rankings for 2023, Box-Toppers favors the Houston Astros to beat them in the American League Championship Series.
Read MoreYankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to seventh place in season player rankings.
Also Wednesday, Pete Alonso of the Mets rises to first place among National League batters in 2023 Box-Toppers points after earning NL Batter of the Day honors, passing previous leader Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves.
Read MoreWhite Sox pitcher Dylan Cease is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Cease struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing six hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Red Sox.
Read MoreBrewers pitcher Freddy Peralta is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to third in season player rankings.
Also Tuesday, Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer maintains his eight place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MorePhillies pitcher Zack Wheeler is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels regains the Box-Toppers season player rankings lead one day after losing it to Braves pitcher Spencer Strider. In addition, two other players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after earning Player of the Game honors—Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta rises to fifth place and Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer rises to sixth.
Read MoreBox-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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.
