| American League | Team | BTP | Rank | Pos | National League | Team | BTP | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Pujols, Albert 1438 | ana al | 14.0 | 85 | 1B | *Freeman, Freddie 2887 | atl nl | 17.7 | 54 |
| *Torres, Gleyber 3972 | nyy al | 13.5 | 93 | 2B | *Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362 | dc nl | 12.5 | 104 |
| Bogaerts, Xander 3383 | bos al | 13.7 | 89 | SS | Baez, Javier 3395 | chi nl | 14.0 | 88 |
| *Bregman, Alex 3721 | hou al | 16.2 | 61 | 3B | *Arenado, Nolan 3306 | col nl | 14.0 | 86 |
| *Garver, Mitch 3950 | min al | 15.0 | 76 | CA | *Realmuto, J.T. 3491 | phi nl | 12.5 | 107 |
| *Martinez, J.D. 2922 | bos al | 21.0 | 33 | OF | *Yelich, Christian 3334 | mil nl | 23.2 | 24 |
| *Betts, Mookie 3404 | bos al | 19.6 | 43 | OF | Harper, Bryce 3011 | phi nl | 15.5 | 67 |
| *Trout, Mike 2949 | ana al | 16.7 | 57 | OF | Conforto, Michael 3622 | nym nl | 15.2 | 71 |
| *Cruz, Nelson 2224 | min al | 15.0 | 73 | DH | ||||
| *Verlander, Justin 2112 | hou al | 51.6 | 1 | SP | Scherzer, Max 2588 | dc nl | 40.5 | 3 |
| *Cole, Gerrit 3232 | hou al | 50.2 | 2 | SP | *deGrom, Jacob 3343 | nym nl | 35.9 | 5 |
| Snell, Blake 3688 | tb al | 37.2 | 4 | SP | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | dc nl | 32.4 | 7 |
| *Morton, Charlie 2503 | tb al | 33.6 | 6 | SP | Buehler, Walker 3943 | lad nl | 31.5 | 8 |
| Treinen, Blake 3495 | oak al | 16.0 | 62 | CP | *Hader, Josh 3881 | mil nl | 29.4 | 15 |
* Player who is also on Box-Toppers’ 2019 year-end All-Star team
The Box-Toppers All-Star teams for 2018-19 consist of the best players at each position in each league over the previous two seasons.
Among the 27 players included on the American and National League teams are 18 who are also on Box-Toppers 2019 All-Star teams (those players are denoted in the chart above with an asterisk).
Leading the 2018-19 All-Stars is Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, who ranks first in Box-Toppers points over 2018-19 with 51.8.
Three teams each have three players among the 2018-19 All-Stars, most of any team. They are the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros, which also happen to be the last three World Series champions.
The All-Star teams are composed of the players with the highest Box-Toppers point total by position in each league. In addition to the batters—eight in the National League and nine (including the designated hitter) in the American League—are the top four starting pitchers in each league and the top closing pitcher. Players are listed with the team with whom they finished the 2019 season.
The two-year view of All-Stars, as opposed to the single-season view, provides a better indication of proven players with sustained quality. Verlander, who leads all players over the past two seasons, ranked second overall in Box-Toppers points in 2019 (27.5) and third overall in 2018 (24.1). (See Box-Toppers detail leaders season-by-season for 25 seasons, including the past two—2018 and 2019.)
The second-ranked player, Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole, who has 50.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked first overall in 2019 (32.2) and eighth in 2018 (18.0). Cole is with the Yankees for 2020.
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer leads all National League players with 40.5 Box-Toppers points over 2018-19, third over that period. He ranked second overall in 2018 (25.1) and 15th overall in 2019 (15.4).
The NL batter with the most Box-Toppers points over the previous two seasons is Christian Yelich of the Brewers with 23.2. Yelich ranked first among NL batters in 2018 (11.5) and second in 2019 (11.7). He ranks 24th among all players in Box-Toppers points over 2018-19.
The AL batter with the most Box-Toppers points over the previous two seasons is J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox with 21.0. Martinez ranked first among AL batters in 2018 (12.5) and 11th among AL batters in 2019 (8.5). Martinez ranks 33rd among all players in Box-Toppers points over 2018-19.
Three teams each have three players among the 2018-19 Box-Toppers All-Stars, most of any team:
The Washington Nationals have second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera (12.5 points) and pitchers Max Scherzer (40.5) and Patrick Corbin (32.4).
The Boston Red Sox have shortstop Xander Bogaerts (13.7) and outfielders J.D. Martinez (21.0) and Mookie Betts (19.6). (Betts is with the Dodgers for 2020.)
The Houston Astros have third baseman Alex Bregman (16.2) and pitchers Justin Verlander (51.6) and Gerrit Cole (50.2). (Cole is with the Yankees for 2020.)
All eight starting pitchers on the AL and NL teams for 2018-19 are also the top eight overall players in Box-Toppers points for 2018-19. (The highest-ranked player not on the teams is ninth-ranked player, Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger, who had 31.1 Box-Toppers points over 2018-19.)
All but two of the 27 players on the All-Star teams are among the overall top 100 players in Box-Toppers points for 2018-19. The two who rank outside the top 100 are:
NL second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera of the Nationals, who with 12.5 Box-Toppers points ranks 104th over 2018-19.
NL catcher J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies, who with 12.5 Box-Toppers points ranks 107th over 2017-18. Realmuto is the lowest-ranked player on the 2018-19 AL All-Star team.
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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Related:
Box-Toppers’ 2019 year-end All-Star teams
Top 10 players by category (AL, NL pitching and batting) for 2018-19
Last year’s comparable post: Box-Toppers 2017-18 All-Star teams