American League | |
National League | |||||||
’19 | Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
Player | Pos | Team | BTP |
1 | Torres, Gleyber 3972 | ss 2b | nyy al | 12.0 | |
Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362 | 3b 2b | dc nl | 9.0 |
2 | Biggio, Cavan 4183 | 2b | tor al | 6.2 | |
Escobar, Eduardo 3135 | 3b 2b | ari nl | 8.0 |
3 | Schoop, Jonathan 3307 | 2b | min al | 5.0 | |
McMahon, Ryan 4004 | 2b 3b | col nl | 8.0 |
4 | Merrifield, Whit 3855 | 2b rf 1b | kc al | 5.0 | |
Marte, Ketel 3630 | 2b cf | ari nl | 7.0 |
5 | Kipnis, Jason 2933 | 2b | cle al | 4.5 | |
Albies, Ozzie 3953 | 2b | atl nl | 6.5 |
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American League | |
National League | ||||||
‘18-’19 | Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
Player | Pos | Team | BTP |
1 | Torres, Gleyber 3972 | ss 2b | nyy al | 13.5 | |
Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362 | 3b 2b | dc nl | 12.5 |
2 | Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 10.0 | |
Escobar, Eduardo 3135 | 3b 2b | ari nl | 12.5 |
3 | Schoop, Jonathan 3307 | 2b | min al | 8.5 | |
Marte, Ketel 3630 | 2b cf | ari nl | 11.0 |
4 | Profar, Jurickson 3665 | 2b ss 3b 1b | oak al | 8.2 | |
Muncy, Max 3969 | 1b 2b | lad nl | 10.0 |
5 | Goodrum, Niko 3932 | ss 1b rf 3b 2b | det al | 7.7 | |
McMahon, Ryan 4004 | 2b 3b | col nl | 9.7 |
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American League | |
National League | ||||||
‘14-’19 | Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
Player | Pos | Team | BTP |
1 | Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 31.5 | |
Cano, Robinson 2092 | 2b | nym nl | 31.0 |
2 | Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 29.7 | |
Kinsler, Ian 2144 | 2b | sd nl | 27.5 |
3 | LeMahieu, DJ 3091 | 2b 3b 1b | nyy al | 29.5 | |
Escobar, Eduardo 3135 | 3b 2b | ari nl | 26.9 |
4 | Schoop, Jonathan 3307 | 2b | min al | 24.0 | |
Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362 | 3b 2b | dc nl | 23.0 |
5 | Kipnis, Jason 2933 | 2b | cle al | 14.0 | |
Dozier, Brian 3219 | 2b | dc nl | 22.7 |
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All players (including retired) | |
All active players | ||||||
’95-’19 | Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
Player | Pos | Team | BTP |
1 | kent, jeff | 2b | Retired | 109.7 | |
Cano, Robinson 2092 | 2b | nym nl | 85.4 |
2 | Cano, Robinson 2092 | 2b | nym nl | 85.4 | |
Kinsler, Ian 2144 | 2b | sd nl | 71.6 |
3 | Utley, Chase 1861 | 2b | Retired | 78.6 | |
Reynolds, Mark 2297 | 1b 3b 2b ph | Released | 63.9 |
4 | Kinsler, Ian 2144 | 2b | sd nl | 71.6 | |
Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362 | 3b 2b | dc nl | 58.2 |
5 | Phillips, Brandon 1691 | 2b 3b | free agent | 67.6 | |
Kendrick, Howie 2191 | 1b 2b | dc nl | 40.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Active players are shown on the team with whom they finished the 2019 season.
Jeff Kent holds dominating lead in career Box-Toppers points among second basemen since tracking began in 1995
Jeff Kent has a dominating lead in Box-Toppers points among second basemen since tracking began in 1995.
Kent, who played from 1992 to 2008 primarily for the Giants, Dodgers, Mets, Astros and Blue Jays, earned 109.7 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to the end of his career—that’s 30.3 more points than the second-place second baseman since 1995, Robinson Cano of the Mariners (79.4).
And Kent’s large lead doesn’t even account for the fact that Box-Toppers did not track his first few seasons. If his entire career from 1992 were tracked, rough projections put his overall career Box-Toppers point total at 125.
Kent’s 109.7 career Box-Toppers points since 1995 ranks 60th among all players and 17th among all batters.
The chart above shows the top five second basemen over several time frames. For the past season (2019), past two seasons (2018-19) and past six seasons (2014-19) the top five second basemen in each league are shown. The top five overall second basemen since 1995 (including those who have retired) are shown at the bottom left in the chart. The top five active second basemen in career Box-Toppers points are shown at the bottom right.
Gleyber Torres of the Yankees leads all second basemen over the past season (12.0 Box-Toppers points in 2019) and over the past two seasons (13.5 points over 2018-19). In 2019, Torres primarily played shortstop with 77 games at that position, compared to 65 at second base and five at designated hitter. Of his 10 Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in 2019, seven of them were earned while playing shortstop and the other three were at second base. Torres also leads all shortstops in 2019 Box-Toppers points and ranks second among American League shortstops over 2018-19 (13.5), behind Xander Bogaerts of the Reds Sox (13.7).
Jose Altuve of the Astros leads all second basemen over the past six seasons (31.5 Box-Toppers points from 2014-19).
Robinson Cano of the Mets leads all active second basemen in career Box-Toppers points with 85.4. That is second among all second basemen since tracking began in 1995, behind Kent’s 109.7. Cano also leads National League second basemen over the past six seasons with 31.0 Box-Toppers points.
Asdrubal Cabrera of the Nationals leads all NL second basemen in 2019 Box-Toppers points (9.0) and leads all NL second basemen over 2018-19 (12.5). In addition, Cabrera ranks fourth among NL second basemen from 2014-19 (23.0) and fourth among active second basemen in career points (58.2). Cabrera was primarily a third basemen in 2019, playing 98 games there and 34 games at second base in a season split between the Rangers and Nationals. He earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors seven times in 2019, five times at third base and twice at second base.
Cabrera also has the distinction of being listed among the top five second basemen in four of the eight charts above—first in NL second basemen in both 2019 and 2018-19, fourth among NL second basemen in 2014-19 and fourth among second basemen in active career points.
There are three players who are listed in three of the top five second base charts—Jonathan Schoop of the Twins (third in AL for 2019 and 2018-19 and fourth in AL for 2014-19), Eduardo Escobar of the Diamondbacks (second in NL for 2019 and 2018-19 and third in NL for 2014-19) and Robinson Cano of the Mets (first in NL for 2014-19, second in “all-time” career points and first among active second basemen in career points).
Of the top five second basemen in career points since 1995, two of them are retired (Kent and third-place Chase Utley with 78.6 career points) and two of them played in 2019—Cano and Ian Kinsler of the Padres. Kinsler ranks fourth in career points with 71.6, which was second among active second basemen behind Cano. However, Kinsler retired at season’s end. Cano and Kinsler both earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points each in 2019.
The fifth-ranked second baseman in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 is Brandon Phillips, listed as a free agent, with 67.6 career points. Phillips played nine games in 2018 for the Red Sox, earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Phillips, 38, played in an independent league and in Mexico in 2019.
Of the five active career leaders in Box-Toppers points among second basemen, four of them earned points in 2019:
Cano earned 2.0.
Kinsler—2.0.
Mark Reynolds, who was released by the Rockies during 2019, earned 0.0 points. (Reynolds, 36, earned 7.5 points in 2018 with the Nationals.)
Cabrera—9.0, which was seventh among NL batters.
Kendrick—4.5.
The next two active second basemen in career Box-Toppers points are:
Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox with 39.5. However, injuries have limited him and he last earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in 2017. But at 36, he is still on the Red Sox roster.
Jose Altuve of the Astros with 37.5.
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:
Top 100 players “all-time” (since 1995), past six seasons (2014-2019), past two seasons (2017-19) and past season (2019).
Top 10 overall players, plus top 10 batters and pitchers “all-time” (since 1995).
Top 10 overall players, plus top 10 batters and pitchers by league past six seasons (2014-2019), past two seasons (2018-19) and past season (2019).
Box-Toppers top second basemen by time frame (after 2017 season): Jeff Kent holds dominating lead in career Box-Toppers points among second basemen since tracking began in 1995