| Year | No. 1 pick | Draft team | Drafted | Played | BTPs | Rank | Rank pitcher | Rank batter | Debut | Last yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Chipper Jones | Braves | ss | 3b | 149.0 | 25 | - | 6 | 1993 | 2012 |
| 1991 | Brien Taylor* | Yankees | pi sp | -* | 0.0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1992 | Phil Nevin | Astros | 3b | 3b | 46.8 | 402 | - | 185 | 1995 | 2006 |
| 1993 | Alex Rodriguez | Mariners | ss | 3b | 187.0 | 10 | - | 2 | 1994 | 2016 |
| 1994 | Paul Wilson | Mets | pi sp | pi sp | 25.4 | 875 | 422 | - | 1996 | 2005 |
| 1995 | Darin Erstad | Angels | of | lf | 40.4 | 486 | - | 226 | 1996 | 2009 |
| 1996 | Kris Benson | Pirates | pi sp | pi sp | 35.8 | 563 | 288 | - | 1999 | 2010 |
| 1997 | Matt Anderson | Tigers | pi cp | pi cp | 9.0 | 1816 | 880 | - | 1998 | 2005 |
| 1998 | Pat Burrell | Phillies | of | lf | 76.0 | 159 | - | 69 | 2000 | 2011 |
| 1999 | Josh Hamilton | Devil Rays | of | cf | 52.4 | 336 | - | 155 | 2007 | 2015 |
| 2000 | Adrián González | Marlins | 1b | 1b | 74.8 | 166 | - | 75 | 2004 | 2018 |
| 2001 | Joe Mauer | Twins | ca | ca | 82.6 | 127 | - | 49 | 2004 | 2018 |
| 2002 | Bryan Bullington | Pirates | pi sp | pi sp | 2.0 | 3277 | 1660 | - | 2005 | 2010 |
| 2003 | Delmon Young | Devil Rays | of | lf | 35.9 | 561 | - | 274 | 2006 | 2015 |
| 2004 | Matt Bush | Padres | ss | pi cp | 3.0 | 2854 | 1421 | - | 2016 | Active |
| 2005 | Justin Upton | Diamondbacks | ss | lf | 63.6 | 227 | - | 109 | 2007 | Active |
| 2006 | Luke Hochevar | Royals | pi sp | pi sp | 31.8 | 667 | 333 | - | 2007 | 2016 |
| 2007 | David Price | Rays | pi sp | pi sp | 131.0 | 34 | 25 | - | 2008 | Active |
| 2008 | Tim Beckham | Rays | ss | ss | 10.0 | 1701 | - | 876 | 2013 | Active |
| 2009 | Stephen Strasburg | Nationals | pi sp | pi sp | 132.8 | 33 | 24 | - | 2010 | Active |
| 2010 | Bryce Harper | Nationals | of ca | rf | 49.9 | 363 | - | 170 | 2012 | Active |
| 2011 | Gerrit Cole | Pirates | pi sp | pi sp | 93.1 | 100 | 62 | - | 2013 | Active |
| 2012 | Carlos Correa | Astros | ss | ss | 26.4 | 831 | - | 427 | 2015 | Active |
| 2013 | Mark Appel* | Astros | pi sp | -* | 0.0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2014 | Brady Aiken† | Astros | pi sp | -† | 0.0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2015 | Dansby Swanson | Diamondbacks | ss | ss | 12.5 | 1517 | - | 778 | 2016 | Active |
| 2016 | Mickey Moniak† | Phillies | of | -† | 0.0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2017 | Royce Lewis† | Twins | ss | -† | 0.0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2018 | Casey Mize† | Tigers | pi sp | -† | 0.0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2019 | Adley Rutschman† | Orioles | ca | -† | 0.0 | - | - | - | - | - |
* Player never played in Major Leagues.
† Active player who has yet to make Major League debut.
Alex Rodriguez has most career Box-Toppers points of all top overall draft picks since 1990
Alex Rodriguez has the most career Box-Toppers points of all Major League Baseball number-one draft picks since 1990.
Rodriguez, who was the first pick in the 1993 draft, earned 187.0 Box-Toppers points during his career from 1994 to 2016, which is 10th overall since 1995 and second among all batters (behind Albert Pujols of the Angels with 201.8).
Draft status of Box-Toppers' top 10 active players
Here are the top 10 active players in career Box-Toppers points (BTP) showing the year they were drafted and their overall draft pick status.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | Draft | Pick | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 227.5 | 2006 | 7 |
| 2 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | hou al | 207.1 | 2002 | 6 |
| 3 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 205.6 | 2004 | 2 |
| 4 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | 1b | ana al | 201.8 | 1999 | 402 |
| 5 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 197.2 | 2003 | 1291 |
| 6 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | atl nl | 175.1 | 2002* | * |
| 7 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | atl nl | 174.2 | 2002 | 17 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 172.6 | 2002 | 57 |
| 9 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | dh | det al | 150.9 | 1999* | * |
| 10 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 142.6 | 2007 | 642 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
* International signing, not subject to the MLB draft.
Of the 30 top draft picks from 1990-2019 (see chart above), five of them are among the top 100 in career Box-Toppers points, two suspended their careers without ever appearing in the Major Leagues and five have yet to appear in the Major Leagues.
Meanwhile, none of the top 10 active players in career Box-Toppers points was a top draft pick. The highest pick among the active career top 10 is Justin Verlander of the Astros, who ranks third among active players with 205.6 career points. Verlander was the second overall pick in the 2004 draft. (See chart on this page Draft status of Box-Toppers’ top 10 active players.)
Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 but since drafted players often don’t see Major League action right away, we begin our look back with the 1990 draft. Only two players drafted from 1990 to 1994 played in games prior to the 1995 season, when Box-Toppers tracking began—Chipper Jones and Rodriguez. However, Jones played in eight games in 1993 and our analysis determines he would not have earned Player of the Game honors in any of those games. He made his Box-Toppers debut May 26, 1995, earning his first Player of the Game honor in his 37th career game. Rodriguez played 14 games in 1994 and would not have earned Player of the Game honors in any of those. In fact, Rodriguez did not make his Box-Toppers debut until April 15, 1996, his 77th career game.
Rodriguez was drafted by the Mariners as a shortstop, a position he played much of his career, but Box-Toppers lists him as a third baseman, the position at which he earned the bulk of his career Box-Toppers points.
Here are the next four number-one draft picks since 1990 in order of their career Box-Toppers point total:
2. Chipper Jones, top draft pick in 1990, earned 149.0 career Box-Toppers points, 25th among all players and sixth among all batters. Jones played from 1993 to 2012. But again, while he played in eight games in 1993 (and sat out injured in the 1994 season), he did not earn his first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor and first Box-Toppers point until May 26, 1995. Jones was drafted as a shortstop by the Braves but primarily played third base.
3. Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals, top draft pick in 2009, has earned 132.8 career Box-Toppers points, most among active top draft choices and most among all pitchers drafted number-one since 1990. Strasburg ranks 33rd among all players in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, 24th among all pitchers. He ranks 11th overall in career points among active players. He made his big league debut in 2010.
4. David Price of the Dodgers, selected as the overall number-one draft pick in 2007 by the Rays. His 131.0 career Box-Toppers points ranks 34th among all players since 1995, 25th among all pitchers, just one spot behind Strasburg. Price made his big league debut in 2008.
5. Gerrit Cole of the Yankees, selected as the overall number-one draft pick in 2011 by the Pirates. His 93.1 career Box-Toppers points ranks 100th among all players since 1995, 62nd among all pitchers. Cole made his big league debut in 2013.
In addition to Rodriguez and Jones, there are three other number-one draft picks among the top 100 in career Box-Toppers points among batters. They are, in order of their career points totals:
3. Joe Mauer, top pick in the 2001 draft, whose 82.6 career points ranks 49th among all batters since 1995, 127th overall. Mauer was drafted as a catcher by the Twins and primarily played that position for the organization from his debut in 2004 until his retirement at the end of 2018.
4. Pat Burrell, top pick in the 1998 draft, whose 76.0 career points ranks 69th among all batters since 1995, 159th overall. Burrell, an outfielder, was drafted by the Phillies and played from 2000 to 2011.
5. Adrian Gonzalez, top pick in the 2000 draft, whose 76.0 career points ranks 75th among all batters since 1995, 166th overall. Gonzalez, a first baseman, was drafted by the Marlins and played from 2004 to 2018.
Among active batters selected first overall in the draft, Justin Upton of the Angels leads in career Box-Toppers points with 63.6. Upton was drafted as a shortstop by the Diamondbacks in 2005, but has primarily played left field since making his big league debut in 2007. He ranks 109th among all batters in career Box-Toppers points since 1995.
Bryce Harper of the Phillies ranks second in career Box-Toppers points among active batters selected first overall in the draft. Harper’s 49.9 career points ranks 170th among all batters since 1995. Harper was drafted as an outfielder and catcher by the Nationals in 2010. He’s primarily played rightfield since making his big league debut in 2012.
Two players ranked first overall in past Major League drafts never made the Major Leagues or suspended their career before they did
Brien Taylor, a pitcher, the Yankees’ top pick in the 1991 draft.
Mark Appel, a pitcher, the Astros’ top pick in the 2013 draft.
Six of the past seven top draft picks have yet to appear in the Major Leagues. The only one who has is Dansby Swanson of the Braves, the Diamondbacks’ number-one pick in 2015. Swanson, a shortstop, made his big league debut in 2016 and has 12.5 career points. The six who have not made the big leagues are:
2013’s top pick Appel, who in 2018 at age 26 announced he was stepping away from baseball.
2014’s top pick by the Astros, pitcher Brady Aiken.
2016’s top pick by the Phillies, outfielder Mickey Moniak.
2017’s top pick by the Twins, shortstop Royce Lewis.
2018’s top pick by the Tigers, pitcher Casey Mize.
2019’s top pick by the Orioles, catcher Adley Rutschman.
In addition the top pick in the 2020 draft, completed earlier this month, third baseman Spencer Torkelson , selected by the Tigers, has obviously not played yet what with no baseball and all.
None of the 10 top active players in career Box-Toppers points were first overall draft picks (See chart on this page Draft status of Box-Toppers’ top 10 active players). Also, each of them has more career Box-Toppers points (frequently many, many more) than the player who was the first overall draft pick that year:
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw leads all active players with 227.5 career Box-Toppers points (third overall since 1995). He was picked seventh overall in the 2006 draft, behind Royals’ overall top pick, pitcher Luke Hochevar, who earned 31.8 career points from 2007 to 2016.
Astros pitcher Zack Greinke ranks second among active players with 207.1 career Box-Toppers points (fourth overall since 1995). He was picked sixth overall in the 2002 draft, behind Pirates’ overall top pick, pitcher Bryan Bullington, who earned 2.0 career Box-Toppers points from 2005 to 2010.
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander ranks third among active players with 205.6 career Box-Toppers points (fifth overall since 1995). He was picked second overall in the 2004 draft, behind Padres’ overall top pick, Matt Bush of the Rangers, who has earned 3.0 career Box-Toppers points since making his big league debut in 2016. Bush was drafted as a shortstop but currently serves as a closing pitcher.
Albert Pujols of the Angels ranks fourth among active players with 201.8 career Box-Toppers points (seventh overall since 1995, first among all batters). He was picked 402nd overall in the 1999 draft, behind Devil Rays’ overall top pick, centerfielder Josh Hamilton, who earned 52.4 career Box-Toppers points from 2007 to 2015.
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer ranks fifth among active players with 197.2 career Box-Toppers points (eighth overall since 1995). He was picked 1,291st overall in the 2003 draft, behind Devil Rays’ overall top pick left fielder Delmon Young, who earned 35.9 career Box-Toppers points from 2006 to 2015.
Braves pitcher Cole Hamels ranks seventh among active players with 174.2 career Box-Toppers points (12th overall since 1995). Hamels was picked 17th overall in the 2002 draft, behind Pirates’ overall top pick, pitcher Bryan Bullington, who earned 2.0 career Box-Toppers points from 2005 to 2010.
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester ranks eighth among active players with 172.6 career Box-Toppers points (13th overall since 1995). He was picked 57th overall in the 2002 draft, also behind Bullington.
Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale ranks 10th among active players with 142.6 career Box-Toppers points (29th overall since 1995). He was picked 642nd in the 2007 draft, behind current teammate, pitcher David Price, who was the top overall pick by the Rays that year. Price has 131.0 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 34th among all players since 1995, 12th among active players.
Two of the top 10 active players in career Box-Toppers points were nondrafted internationally signed players, both from Venezuela:
Braves pitcher Felix Hernandez, signed by the Mariners in 2002. His 175.1 career Box-Toppers points ranks sixth among active players (11th overall since 1995).
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, signed by the Marlins in 1999. His 150.9 career Box-Toppers points ranks ninth among active players, second among active batters (24th overall since 1995, fifth among all batters over that span).
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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Related:
Top 100 players “all-time” (since 1995).