Analyzing 26 years of Box-Toppers points leaders among American League and National League pitchers and batters each season.
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A look at Box-Toppers' ‘all-time' top 10 lists—top overall players, top pitchers, top batters—since tracking began in 1995
After massive reshuffling during the 2019 season, Box-Toppers’ “all-time” career points top 10 list remained unchanged during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
There were also few changes among the top 10 pitchers and top 10 batters in career Box-Toppers points. Cubs pitcher Jon Lester rises to ninth place among all pitchers in career points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, with 176.3. Lester had ranked 11th among pitchers at the end of 2019 with 172.6.
Read MoreMax Scherzer leads players in Box-Toppers points since start of 2015
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer leads players in Box-Toppers points since the start of 2015.
Scherzer has 116.2 Box-Toppers points over the period 2015-2020, 14.6 points ahead of Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has 101.6 points over that span.
Read MoreGerrit Cole leads players in Box-Toppers points over past 2 seasons (2019-20)
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole has more Box-Toppers points over the past two seasons than any other player.
Cole has earned 39.6 Box-Toppers points over 2019 and 2020. He led all players in 2019 with 32.2 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he had 7.4 Box-Toppers points, 12th among all players and fifth among American League pitchers.
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers top 100 players of ‘all-time’ after the 2020 season
Randy Johnson leads all players in career Box-Toppers points and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Johnson earned 282.5 Box-Toppers points from the time Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995 until he retired in 2009. The most likely rival to Johnson’s throne at the moment is Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw who has 235.2 career Box-Toppers points, third among all players since 1995 and most among active players.
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers’ top 100 players for 2019-20 and 2015-20
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is Box-Toppers’ top-ranked player over the past two seasons while Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer ranks first in points over the past six seasons.
Cole earned 39.6 Box-Toppers points combined in 2019 and 2020 to lead all players in that span, while Scherzer earned 116.2 from 2015-2020, most in that span.
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers’ top 100 players for 2020
Indians pitcher Shane Bieber tops Box-Toppers list of the top 100 players of 2020.
Bieber had 11.4 Box-Toppers points during the pandemic-shortened regular season. And because it was such a short season—reduced from 162 games to 60—it is the lowest total to lead all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, beating the previous low set by Royals pitcher Zack Greinke, who led all players with 21.5 points in 2009.
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Update: 2020 saw biggest decline in managers who have won World Series with their current team
On Jan. 14, 2020, for the sixth time ever and the first time in more than 40 years, there was only one manager who had won a World Series on the team he currently managed (Dave Martinez of the Nationals).
Dave Roberts of the Dodgers became the second active incumbent World Series-winning manager on Oct. 27. Still, going from six such managers at the end of 2019 to just two in 2020 is the biggest-ever decline from the end of one season to the next.
Read MorePlayers named to ‘All-MLB’ teams rarely coincided with 2020 Box-Toppers points leaders
Selections for Major League Baseball’s 2020 “All-MLB” teams announced this past week rarely coincided with the season’s Box-Toppers points leaders.
Only one All-MLB First Team batter was among the Box-Toppers points leaders at his position—Marcell Ozuna of the Braves led all designated hitters with 4.5 Box-Toppers points. However, three of the four All-MLB First Team starting pitchers were also among the top three players in Box-Toppers points for 2020—Shane Bieber of the Indians (11.4), Trevor Bauer of the Reds (10.0) and Yu Darvish of the Cubs (9.7).
Read MoreA look at players who made biggest gains in Box-Toppers points from 2019 to 2020—Brewers’ Corbin Burnes leads list
Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes had the biggest gain in Box-Toppers point totals from 2019 to 2020.
Burnes earned 7.7 Box-Toppers points in 2020 after earning no points in 2019. Burnes had earned 3.0 Box-Toppers points in his 2018 rookie season.
Read MoreBox-Toppers’ big dippers—players whose 2020 point total declined most from 2019: Justin Verlander leads list
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2019 to 2020.
Verlander, who earned 27.5 Box-Toppers points in 2019 (second among all players), earned 1.0 point in 2020. His decline of 26.5 points was ahead of Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole, whose 7.4 points in 2020 represented a 24.8-point drop from the 32.2 points he earned to lead all players in 2019.
Read MoreA detailed look at Box-Toppers points leaders for 2020: Top players by position in each league
A detailed look at Box-Toppers points leaders for 2020, including overall top 10 leaders and the top 10 in both the American League and National League. Also includes the top 10 overall batters, plus top 10 in both AL and NL, plus top batters by position in each league. Also includes top 10 biggest dippers and risers—players whose Box-Toppers point increased and decreased most from 2019.
Read MoreBox-Toppers selects seven players for 2021 Hall of Fame induction in internet writers’ ballot
Box-Toppers is voting for seven players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot—Todd Helton, Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Jeff Kent, Aramis Ramirez, Curt Schilling and Billy Wagner.
Read MoreAwards wrap-up: Box-Toppers points leaders win 2 of 6 major postseason awards in 2020
Box-Toppers points leaders won two of the six major postseason awards for 2020.
Both Cy Young Award winners also led their league’s pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2020—AL winner Shane Bieber of the Indians led AL pitchers with 11.4 and NL winner Trevor Bauer of the Reds led NL pitchers with 10.0. Bieber and Bauer also were Box-Toppers top two ranked players in 2020, the only two who earned 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points in the pandemic-shortened season.
Read MoreAbreu, Freeman win MVP Awards ahead of Box-Toppers batting leaders Voit, Ozuna
Jose Abreu of the White Sox and Freddie Freeman of the Braves were voted 2020 Most Valuable Players Thursday, ahead of other Box-Toppers points leaders.
Abreu, who ranked sixth in Box-Toppers points among American League batters with 4.5, was voted AL MVP. Freeman, who ranked eighth in Box-Toppers points among National League batters with 3.5, was voted NL MVP.
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Box-Toppers points leaders Shane Bieber, Trevor Bauer win 2020 Cy Young Awards
Box-Toppers’ two top-ranked pitchers in 2020 won this season’s Cy Young Awards.
Shane Bieber of the Indians, who led all American League players with 11.4 Box-Toppers points, was named Cy Young winner in the AL. And Trevor Bauer of the Reds, who led all National League players with 10.0 Box-Toppers points, was named winner in the NL.
Read MoreRookie of the Year: Short 2020 season limited opportunity to shine for newcomers
Kyle Lewis of the Mariners and Devin Williams of the Brewers were voted 2020 Rookies of the Year by baseball writers.
Neither were among Box-Toppers’ top-ranked rookies in 2020. Plus, none of Box-Toppers’ top-ranked rookies even received votes from baseball writers for top rookie.
Read MoreHow 2020 Silver Sluggers winners fared in Box-Toppers rankings
Only three of the 18 batters winning Silver Slugger Awards this week also were among the leaders at their positions in 2020 Box-Toppers point totals.
The awards are given to the top batter in each position in both leagues, voted on by Major League Baseball coaches and managers. Box-Toppers analyzes traditional box scores and tracks which player most helps his team win the most games, awarding points for the top player in each game.
Read MoreA look at 2020 baseball awards finalists and how they fared in Box-Toppers rankings
Julio Urias tops players in World Series Game 6, as Dodgers win first title since 1988
Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Tuesday’s World Series Game 6.
The Los Angeles Dodgers win 3-1 to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2 in the best-of-seven game series, winning their first World Series since 1988.
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