Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreMarlins’ Alcantara tops players for Saturday, Aug. 8; Rangers’ deGrom tops AL players
Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom, Jake McCarthy of the Rockies, Jac Caglianone of the Royals, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Read MoreNationals’ Cavalli tops players for Tuesday, June 30; Sánchez regains lead in 2026 points
Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, recording the third-highest Box-Toppers game score of the season.
Also Tuesday, Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez regains the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo bolsters his sixth-place spot in season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
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Eight Men Out: The 20-year blockade of baseball’s ‘Former Future Hall of Famers’
In 2026—for the 20th straight year—baseball writers maintained their blockade against Hall of Fame candidates tied to performance-enhancing drugs.
This year’s results officially extinguished the candidacy of Manny Ramírez after a decade on the ballot and once again stalled the progress of Álex Rodríguez as he reaches his five-year midpoint.
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How 2026 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers
Two players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday—Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones.
Both received the necessary 75 percent support of voters from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
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Box-Toppers supports four players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the 2026 ballot: Cole Hamels, Félix Hernández, Torii Hunter and Chase Utley.
Box-Toppers selects 4 players for 2026 Hall of Fame induction in internet writers’ ballot
Box-Toppers is voting for four players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 2026 Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.
Box-Toppers is voting for these players, listed alphabetically by last name. (To jump directly to their Box-Toppers-focused profile below, click the jump link next to their name.)
Read MoreAfter 10 years of snubs, Jeff Kent finally voted to Hall of Fame by special committee
Jeff Kent, who Box-Toppers supported for the Hall of Fame for the 10 years he fell short on the baseball writers’ ballot, finally made the Hall of Fame Sunday.
Kent was elected to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Era Players Committee.
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Little change in Box-Toppers ‘all-time’ career points top 10 lists during 2024
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 AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2024
A 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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How 2025 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers
Three players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday—Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
All three received the necessary 75 percent support of voters from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Box-Toppers supported Sabathia and Wagner in separate voting by the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA), but notably did not support Suzuki, who was a near-unanimous choice.
Read MoreBox-Toppers selects 4 players for 2025 Hall of Fame induction in internet writers' ballot
Box-Toppers is voting for four players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 2025 Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.
Box-Toppers is voting for these players: Felix Hernandez, Torii Hunter, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.
Notably, Box-Toppers is not voting for Ichiro Suzuki, who is on the Hall ballot for the first time for 2025. While Suzuki is expected to be a shoo-in for the Hall and to possibly be only the second player inducted on a unanimous vote, I devoted a previous post to why Box-Toppers doesn’t view him as a Hall of Famer. In addition, this post which will show how unfavorably he compares in Box-Toppers rankings to even this year’s Hall candidates, may even make a more stark case why I don’t see Suzuki as a Hall of Famer.
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Postseason awards wrap-up: Box-Toppers leaders win 4 of 6 major honors in 2024
Box-Toppers’ choices for baseball’s major postseason player awards won four of six 2024 honors:
Aaron Judge of the Yankees won the American League Most Valuable Player Award.
Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers won the National League Most Valuable Player Award.
Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal won the AL Cy Young Award.
Yankees pitcher Luis Gil won the AL Rookie of the Year Award.
Yankees’ Cole tops players Thursday, Sept. 26, rising to 18th on B-T career points list
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Cole struck out five over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 10-1 win over the Orioles.
Read MoreReds’ Martinez tops players Friday, Sept. 20; Ohtani earns 3rd top player honor in 6 days
Reds pitcher Nick Martinez is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers earns Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the second straight day and third time in the past week, rising to fifth place among National League batters in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
Read MorePadres’ Musgrove tops players Monday, Sept. 2; Guardians’ Williams tops AL players
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Musgrove struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 3-0 win over the Tigers.
Read MoreOrioles’ Kremer tops players for Wednesday, July 3; Braves’ Sale rises to 2nd place
Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Braves pitcher Chris Sale rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings, first among National League pitchers, after earning NL Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreMets’ Quintana tops players for Friday, June 21; Braves’ Sale rises to 2nd in rankings
Mets pitcher Jose Quintana is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Braves pitcher Chris Sale rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and first place among National League pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreOrioles’ Bradish tops players for Sunday, May 26; Braves’ Sale regains rankings lead
Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Braves pitcher Chris Sale regains the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreBraves’ Sale tops players for Monday, May 20, rising to 1st in player rankings
Braves pitcher Chris Sale is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to first place in season player rankings.
Also Monday, Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck rises to first place among American League pitchers in 2024 Box-Toppers points, sixth overall, after earning AL Player of the Day honors.
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Scherzer, Verlander rise in Box-Toppers ‘all-time’ top 10 list during 2023
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).
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