A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2021

Here are season-by-season leaders in Box-Toppers points for each of the 27 seasons of Box-Toppers tracking. The chart at the top shows American League leaders—the top pitcher on the left and the top batter on the right. And the bottom chart shows the National League leaders—pitchers (left) and batters (right). The charts show the players’ primary position during the season, the team they played for and their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the season. (FOR EXPLANATION AND ANALYSIS, SEE THE STORY BELOW THE CHART):

American League

 
Year Pitcher Pos Team BTP ` Batter Pos Team BTP
1995§ Randy Johnson* pi sp Mariners 23.7 Albert Belle lf Indians 15.4
1996 Chuck Finley pi sp Angels 15.7 Albert Belle lf dh Indians 20.4
1997 Roger Clemens* pi sp Blue Jays 27.4 Juan Gonzalez dh Rangers 16.3
1998 Roger Clemens* pi sp Blue Jays 25.8 Albert Belle lf White Sox 16.4
1999 Pedro Martinez* pi sp Red Sox 31.4 Manny Ramirez rf dh Indians 19.9
2000 Pedro Martinez* pi sp Red Sox 33.5 Frank Thomas dh 1b White Sox 17.9
2001 Tim Hudson pi sp Athletics 18.8 Bret Boone 2b Mariners 13.7
2002 Pedro Martinez pi sp Red Sox 28.8 Jason Giambi 1b dh Yankees 17.0
2003 Pedro Martinez pi sp Red Sox 23.4 Carlos Delgado 1b Blue Jays 17.7
2004 Johan Santana* pi sp Twins 26.8 Gary Sheffield rf Yankees 16.2
2005 Johan Santana pi sp Twins 24.1 David Ortiz dh Red Sox 14.7
2006 Johan Santana* pi sp Twins 25.7 David Ortiz dh Red Sox 16.7
2007 Johan Santana pi sp Twins 18.1 Alex Rodriguez* 3b Yankees 18.9
2008 Ervin Santana pi sp Angels 16.7 Aubrey Huff dh 3b 1b Orioles 12.5
2009 Zack Greinke* pi sp Royals 21.5 Miguel Cabrera 1b Tigers 16.5
2010 Jon Lester pi sp Red Sox 23.4 Jose Bautista rf 3b Blue Jays 15.2
2011 Justin Verlander* pi sp Tigers 24.4 Asdrubal Cabrera ss Indians 14.7
2012 Justin Verlander pi sp Tigers 24.8 Adrian Beltre 3b Rangers 13.0
2013 Max Scherzer* pi sp Tigers 18.1 Miguel Cabrera* 3b Tigers 16.9
2014 Corey Kluber* pi sp Indians 25.8 Jose Abreu 1b White Sox 15.5
2015 Dallas Keuchel* pi sp Astros 21.4 Adrian Beltre 3b Rangers 12.5
2016 Corey Kluber pi sp Indians 21.2 Manny Machado 3b ss Orioles 12.7
2017 Chris Sale pi sp Red Sox 25.1 Edwin Encarnacion dh 1b Indians 12.1
2018 Blake Snell* pi sp Rays 27.2 J.D. Martinez lf dh Red Sox 12.5
2019 Gerrit Cole pi sp Astros 32.2 Nelson Cruz dh Twins 12.5
2020§ Shane Bieber* pi sp Indians 11.4 Luke Voit 1b Yankees 6.0
2021 Gerrit Cole pi sp Yankees 22.4 Jose Ramirez 3b Indians 13.0

National League

 
Year Pitcher Pos Team BTP Batter Pos Team BTP
1995§ Greg Maddux* pi sp Braves 23.4 Sammy Sosa rf Cubs 15.9
1996 John Smoltz* pi sp Braves 26.1 Ellis Burks lf cf Rockies 18.4
1997 Pedro Martinez* pi sp Expos 26.7 Larry Walker* rf Rockies 18.5
1998 Randy Johnson† pi sp Astros 26.4 Mark McGwire 1b ph Cardinals 14.9
1999 Randy Johnson* pi sp Dbacks 31.5 Barry Bonds lf Giants 15.2
2000 Randy Johnson* pi sp Dbacks 33.7 Todd Helton 1b Rockies 15.2
2001 Randy Johnson* pi sp Dbacks 29.4 Todd Helton 1b Rockies 17.0
2002 Randy Johnson* pi sp Dbacks 33.7 Barry Bonds* lf Giants 20.7
2003 Jason Schmidt pi sp Giants 24.7 Albert Pujols lf 1b Cardinals 16.5
2004 Eric Gagne pi cp Dodgers 19.7 Albert Pujols 1b Cardinals 15.9
2005 Chris Carpenter* pi sp Cardinals 21.0 Adam Dunn lf Reds 14.7
2006 John Smoltz pi sp Braves 19.1 Lance Berkman 1b Astros 20.8
2007 Jake Peavy* pi sp Padres 23.4 Matt Holliday lf Rockies 16.2
2008 CC Sabathia†† pi sp Brewers 26.7 Albert Pujols* 1b Cardinals 15.2
2009 Tim Lincecum* pi sp Giants 19.7 Albert Pujols* 1b Cardinals 16.7
2010 Roy Halladay* pi sp Phillies 23.4 Albert Pujols 1b Cardinals 15.4
2011 Clayton Kershaw* pi sp Dodgers 26.1 Prince Fielder 1b Brewers 15.7
2012 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 20.8 Ryan Braun lf Brewers 12.5
2013 Clayton Kershaw* pi sp Dodgers 21.7 Paul Goldschmidt 1b Dbacks 13.7
2014 Clayton Kershaw* pi sp Dodgers 31.5 Troy Tulowitzki ss Rockies 11.6
2015 Jake Arrieta* pi sp Cubs 29.1 Carlos Gonzalez rf Rockies 11.5
2016 Max Scherzer* pi sp Nationals 25.7 Nolan Arenado 3b Rockies 10.7
2017 Max Scherzer* pi sp Nationals 25.0 Anthony Rizzo 1b Cubs 15.5
2018 Max Scherzer pi sp Nationals 25.1 Christian Yelich* rf lf Brewers 11.5
2019 Stephen Strasburg pi sp Nationals 20.7 Marcell Ozuna lf Cardinals 12.0
2020§ Trevor Bauer* pi sp Reds 10.0 Marcell Ozuna lf dh Braves 4.5
2021 Max Scherzer pi sp Dodgers 25.1 Nick Castellanos rf Reds 11.5
BTP: Box-Toppers points.
* Indicates pitcher won his league’s Cy Young Award or batter won his league’s Most Valuable Player Award.
† Randy Johnson started the 1998 season with the AL Mariners and finished with the NL Astros. Curt Schilling of the Phillies had the most Box-Toppers points of any pitcher who played the entire season in the NL—19.0.
†† CC Sabathia started the 2008 season with the AL Indians and finished with the NL Brewers. Tim Lincecum of the Giants had the most Box-Toppers points of any pitcher who played the entire season in the NL—17.7.
§ Shortened season with fewer than 162 games scheduled. The 1995 season was 144 games per team after the 1994-95 work stoppage delayed the start of the season. The 2020 season was 60 games per team after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the season.

Analyzing 27 seasons of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching & batting in both leagues

  • Box-Toppers pitching leaders win postseason awards more often than Box-Toppers batting leaders.

  • Randy Johnson has led his league category in Box-Toppers points more than any other player—he led his league’s pitchers six times.

  • Max Scherzer of the Dodgers led his league’s pitchers in season Box-Toppers points for the fifth time in 2021, tied for the second-most times a player has led a batting or pitching category in season points since tracking began in 1995. Scherzer led National League pitchers with 25.1 Box-Toppers points in 2021.

  • The Cleveland Indians in 2021 tied the Boston Red Sox for most players to lead a league Box-Toppers points category since 1995. Jose Ramirez of the Indians led American League batters in 2021 with 13.0 Box-Toppers points, the ninth time an Indians player has led a season points category.

Those are a few conclusions drawn from the Box-Toppers season-by-season leaders chart for each of the past 27 seasons.

How often do Box-Toppers leaders win postseason awards?

The chart below shows the number of times the Box-Toppers leader in pitching and batting in both the American and National League have won postseason awards and the percentage of times the category’s Box-Toppers points leader has won.
 

 BTP
leader
wins
postseason
award		 % BTP
leaders
win
postseason
award
NL pitchers 18 66.7%
AL pitchers 14 51.9%
NL batters 5 18.5%
AL batters 2 7.4%

Pitchers with the most Box-Toppers points in their league win postseason awards far more often than batters who lead their league in points. To illustrate:

  • 18 times in 27 seasons the National League pitching leader has won the NL Cy Young Award.

  • 14 times in 27 seasons the American League pitching leader has won the AL Cy Young Award.

  • Only five times in 27 seasons has the NL batting leader won the NL Most Valuable Player Award.

  • And only twice in 27 seasons has the AL batting leader won the AL Most Valuable Player Award (Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees in 2007 and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers in 2013).

In other words, Box-Toppers pitching leaders and Cy Young Award winners are consistent with each other 59.3 percent of the time. Box-Toppers batting leaders and Most Valuable Player award winners are consistent with each other only 13.0 percent of the time. (In the chart above, players who led their league category in Box-Toppers points and also won a postseason award are marked with an asterisk.)

None of the four category leaders in 2021 won major postseason honors, only the fourth time since 1995 that no Box-Toppers category leader won a postseason honor:

  • Max Scherzer of the Dodgers led NL pitchers with 25.1 Box-Toppers points, but Corbin Burnes of the Brewers (18.1 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL pitchers), won the NL Cy Young Award.

  • Gerrit Cole of the Yankees led AL pitchers with 22.4 Box-Toppers points, but Robbie Ray of the Blue Jays (17.7 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers), won the AL Cy Young Award.

  • Jose Ramirez of the Indians led AL batters with 13.0 Box-Toppers points, but Shohei Ohtani of the Angels won the AL Most Valuable Player Award. Ohtani earned 16.1 Box-Toppers points in 2021, third among AL players, but did not qualify to rank among AL batters because the overwhelming majority of his Player of the Game honors came as a pitcher rather than a batter.

  • Nick Castellanos of the Reds led NL batters with 11.5 Box-Toppers points, but Bryce Harper of the Phillies (5.5 Box-Toppers points, 28th among NL batters), won the NL MVP Award.

Why does Box-Toppers seem better at predicting who will be voted top pitcher than top batter? A variety of factors are at play. For one, it could be that baseball writers, who vote on postseason awards, are often just plain wrong when deciding the Most Valuable Player award, which usually goes to a batter. (This is said a bit facetiously, but some years looking at the MVP voting results, it does make a fan wonder.) Or it could be that Box-Toppers keeps track of only a batter’s offensive statistics and doesn’t take into account defense or squishy, unquantifiable factors like leadership or performance vs. expectations. Or it could be Box-Toppers actually lumps pitchers and batters together, comparing the incomparable in an apple-and-oranges fruit salad, always determining—in all-or-nothing fashion—that only a single pitcher or single batter is most responsible for a team’s win in a game.

Box-Toppers points are a measure of how much a player provides key contributions to his team’s wins. Specifically, 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 has tracked every regular season Major League Baseball game since the start of the 1995 season. This website, Box-Toppers.com, began at the start of the 2013 season as a day-by-day demonstration of tabulating and evaluating this Box-Toppers metric.

Some other highlights looking at season-by-season Box-Toppers leaders:

Box-Toppers top ‘all-time’ players

Randy Johnson, who has the most career Box-Toppers points of any player (282.5), led his league in his Box-Toppers category more than any other player—he led his league’s pitchers in Box-Toppers points in six seasons.

Who led most often?

Randy Johnson led his league’s category (pitching) in Box-Toppers points more seasons than any other player—six. Albert Pujols led his league’s batters in Box-Toppers points more seasons than any other batter—five. Here are the 17 players who led their league category (pitching or batting) in Box-Toppers points more than once in the past 27 seasons:
 

 Player Pos Yrs led
BTP
category		 All-
time
BTP		 All-
time
rank
1 Randy Johnson pi sp 6 282.5 1
2 Pedro Martinez pi sp 5 244.8 3
2 Max Scherzer pi sp 5 226.3 4
2 Albert Pujols 1b 5 204.8 7
5 Clayton Kershaw pi sp 4 248.6 2
5 Johan Santana pi sp 4 166.6 15
7 Albert Belle lf 3 88.5 113
8 Justin Verlander pi sp 2 206.6 6
8 Roger Clemens pi sp 2 164.8 17
8 John Smoltz pi sp 2 160.9 18
8 Miguel Cabrera 1b 3b 2 158.4 19
8 Barry Bonds lf 2 152.2 24
8 David Ortiz dh 2 145.9 28
8 Gerrit Cole pi sp 2 122.9 45
8 Adrian Beltre 3b 2 116.8 50
8 Todd Helton 1b 2 116.4 52
8 Corey Kluber pi sp 2 114.1 57
8 Marcell Ozuna lf dh 2 46.7 430

In 2021, Scherzer rose into a tie for second place on the list, leading his league’s pitchers in season Box-Toppers points for the fifth time. Scherzer led NL pitchers in 2021 with 25.1 points. Previously:

  • In 2013, he led AL pitchers with 18.1 points when he was with the Tigers.

  • In 2016, he led NL pitchers with 25.7 points when he was with the Nationals.

  • In 2017, he led NL pitchers with 25.0 points when he was with the Nationals.

  • In 2018, he led NL pitchers with 25.1 points when he was with the Nationals.

Scherzer began 2021 with the Nationals before being traded to the Dodgers at the end of July. He has since signed a free agent deal with the New York Mets, where he will play in 2022.

There are two other players who have also led their league category in Box-Toppers points five times since 1995:

  • Pedro Martinez (244.8 career Box-Toppers points), has led his league’s pitchers in five different seasons, tied for the second-most of any player.

  • Albert Pujols has also been a leader in his Box-Toppers points category five times, making Pujols the batter with the most Box-Toppers point season crowns. Pujols also leads batters in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 204.8 (ranked seventh overall).

In 2021, Gerrit Cole of the Yankees became one of 18 players who has led their league category in Box-Toppers points in a season more than once. Cole led AL pitchers with 22.4 Box-Toppers points in 2021. He previously led AL pitchers in 2019 with the Astros with 32.2 points. His two league category leads are tied for eighth-most among all players since 1995.

Curt Schilling, ranked ninth overall among all players since 1995 (194.1 career Box-Toppers points) never led his league’s pitchers in Box-Toppers points. However, in 1998, he had 19.0 Box-Toppers points, the most of any pitcher who pitched the entire season in the National League (he was with the Phillies). But Randy Johnson is considered Box-Toppers NL leader because he finished the 1998 season with the Astros (who were then in the NL) after a midseason trade from the AL Mariners. Johnson had 26.4 Box-Toppers points in 1998—the most of any player that season—12.0 with the AL Mariners and 14.4 with the NL Astros.

Also, while Schilling does not appear among the league’s season leaders in Box-Toppers points he did have the 11th-most Box-Toppers points in a single season—28.4 with the Diamondbacks in 2002. However, that year, he finished behind overall leader (Johnson, then his Diamondback teammate, with 33.7) and AL leader (Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox, 28.8 Box-Toppers points).

Felix Hernandez of the Mariners is the next-highest ranked player in overall Box-Toppers player rankings who never led a Box-Toppers category in points in a single season. Hernandez is ranked 12th in Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 175.1.

Chipper Jones is the highest-ranked batter who never led his league's batters in Box-Toppers points in a single season. Jones, third baseman for the Braves, had 149.0 Box-Toppers points, sixth among all batters since 1995. In his best season—2001—he had 16.7 Box-Toppers points, finishing behind NL batting leader Todd Helton of the Rockies, who had 17.0.

Leading in Box-Toppers points in both leagues

Max Scherzer, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez are the only three players in Box-Toppers tracking history to lead a category in both leagues.

  • Scherzer led NL pitchers in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021 and led AL pitchers in 2013. 

  • Johnson led AL pitchers in 1995 and NL pitchers from 1998 through 2002.

  • Martinez led NL pitchers in 1997 and AL pitchers in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003.

Team with most Box-Toppers points season titles

In 2021, the Cleveland Indians tied the Boston Red Sox for most players to lead a league Box-Toppers points category since 1995. Jose Ramirez of the Indians led American League batters in 2021 with 13.0 Box-Toppers points, the ninth time an Indians player has led a points category.

Team-by-team results

Players from the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians have both led a Box-Toppers season category nine times in the past 27 years, more than any other team. The Indians tied the Red Sox in 2021 after Jose Ramirez led American League batters, their ninth player to lead a season points category. Here are the number of times each team has had a player lead their league in Box-Toppers points in their category (pitching or batting):
 


Team
 BTP
season
category
leaders
1 Red Sox 9
1 Indians 9
3 Rockies 8
3 Cardinals 8
5 Dodgers 6
6 Tigers 5
6 Diamondbacks 5
6 Twins 5
6 Expos/Nationals 5
6 Yankees 5
11 Blue Jays 4
11 Giants 4
11 Brewers 4
11 Astros 4
11 Braves 4
16 White Sox 3
16 Rangers 3
16 Cubs 3
16 Reds 3
20 Mariners 2
20 Angels 2
20 Orioles 2
23 Royals 1
23 Athletics 1
23 Phillies 1
23 Padres 1
23 Rays 1
28 Mets 0
28 Marlins 0
28 Pirates 0

Previously, six other Indians players led Box-Toppers points categories a combined eight times:

The Cleveland franchise name will change from Indians to Guardians for 2022.

The Dodgers move into fifth place among category leaders after Max Scherzer became the sixth team member since 1995 to lead a category in 2021 (NL pitchers, 25.1 points).

The Yankees moved into a five-way tie for sixth place on the list after Gerrit Cole became the fifth team member since 1995 to lead a category in 2021 (AL pitchers, 22.4 points).

The Reds moved into a four-way tie for 16th place on the list after Nick Castellanos became the third team member since 1995 to lead a category in 2021 (NL batters, 11.5 points).

The 2021 season marked the second straight year that players from the Indians, Yankees and Reds led a season points category. However, in all instances, it was not the same player leading and in all instances, the leader was in the opposite category from the previous season. For example:

  • Indians: Bieber led AL pitchers in 2020, Ramirez led AL batters in 2021.

  • Yankees: Luke Voit led AL batters in 2020, Cole led AL pitchers in 2021.

  • Reds: Trevor Bauer led NL pitchers in 2020, Castellanos led NL batters in 2021.

Only once has the top batter and pitcher in the league come from the same team—in 2013 in the American League, when the top pitcher Max Scherzer and top batter, Miguel Cabrera, both came from the Tigers.

Three teams have not been represented among Box-Toppers category points leaders in the past 27 seasons—Mets, Marlins and Pirates.

High and low season leaders

It usually takes 20 or 25 Box-Toppers points for a pitcher to lead his league in Box-Toppers points. It usually takes a batter 13 to 15 points to lead his league.

These are the highest Box-Toppers points totals to lead a league category:

  • AL pitching: 33.5 in 2000, Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox.

  • NL pitching: 33.7 in 2000 and 2002, both by Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks.

  • AL batter: 20.4 in 1996, Albert Belle of the Indians.

  • NL batter: 20.8 in 2006, Lance Berkman of the Astros.

Lowest points to lead category

Marcell Ozuna of the Braves, who led National League batters with 4.5 Box-Toppers points in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season has the lowest total to lead a category since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
Nolan Arenado has the lowest Box-Toppers point total to lead a category (10.7 to lead National League batters in 2016) during a regular 162-game schedule. Here are the lowest-point totals to win a league category since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995:

Player Team BTP Category
1 Marcell Ozuna atl nl 4.5 § 2020 NL bat
2 Luke Voit nyy al 6.0 § 2020 AL bat
3 Trevor Bauer cin nl 10.0 § 2020 NL pitcher
4 Nolan Arenado col nl 10.7 2016 NL bat
5 Shane Bieber cle al 11.4 § 2020 AL pitcher
6 Carlos Gonzalez col nl 11.5 2015 NL bat
6 Christian Yelich mil nl 11.5 2018 NL bat
6 Nick Castellanos cin nl 11.5 2021 NL bat
9 Troy Tulowitzki col nl 11.6 2014 NL bat
10 Marcell Ozuna stl nl 12.0 2019 NL bat
11 Edwin Encarnacion cle al 12.1 2017 AL bat
12 Adrian Beltre tex al 12.5 2015 AL bat
12 Aubrey Huff bal al 12.5 2008 AL bat
12 Ryan Braun mil nl 12.5 2012 NL bat
12 J.D. Martinez bos al 12.5 2018 AL bat
12 Nelson Cruz min al 12.5 2019 AL bat
17 Manny Machado bal al 12.7 2016 AL bat
18 Adrian Beltre tex al 13.0 2012 AL bat
18 Jose Ramirez cle al 13.0 2021 AL bat
20 Paul Goldschmidt ari nl 13.7 2013 NL bat
20 Bret Boone sea al 13.7 2001 AL bat
BTP: Box-Toppers points
§ Low point total achieved during pandemic-shortened 60-game season of 2020 rather than the usual 162-game season.

The pandemic-shortened 2020 season unsurprisingly saw the lowest Box-Toppers points totals to lead each category:

  • NL batter: 4.5, Marcell Ozuna of the Braves.

  • AL batter: 6.0, Luke Voit of the Yankees.

  • NL pitching: 10.0, Trevor Bauer of the Reds.

  • AL pitching: 11.4, Shane Bieber of the Indians.

However, in regular-length seasons, these are the lowest Box-Toppers points totals to lead a league category:

  • AL pitching: 15.7 in 1996, Chuck Finley of the Angels,

  • NL pitching: 19.1 in 2006, John Smoltz of the Braves.

  • AL batter: 12.1 in 2017, Edwin Encarnacion of the Indians.

  • NL batter: 10.7 in 2016, Nolan Arenado of the Rockies.

In 2021, the lowest point total to lead a category was 11.5 by Nick Castellanos of the Reds to lead NL batters. That’s tied for the sixth-lowest point total to lead a category; it would be tied for second-lowest if 2020’s pandemic season results were removed.

Of the top 16 lowest point totals to lead a category, only one happened prior to 2012: Aubrey Huff of the Orioles led AL batters in 2008 with 12.5 Box-Toppers points, tied for the 11th-lowest total. Batters have seen a dramatic decline in the share of Box-Toppers points they’ve earned in recent years. Overall, in the 2000s, batters earned 51.71 percent of all Box-Toppers points awarded but that fell to 42.38 percent in the 2010s.

In the decade of the 2000s, there were 35 instances of a batter reaching 15 Box-Toppers points in a single season. But during the decade of the 2010s, there were only seven. Further, in the 2000s, batters ranked among the overall top 10 players 23 times and there was only one season (2005) in which no batters were among the overall top 10. But in the 2010s, only one batter ranked among the overall top 10 in any of the 10 seasons—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers ranked eighth overall in 2013 with 16.9 points.

Starters vs. Closers

Only once in 54 opportunities has the honor for top league pitcher gone to anyone other than a starting pitcher. In 2004, closing pitcher Eric Gagne of the Dodgers led National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 19.7.

Gagne later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

Gagne’s 19.7 points is also the highest point total for any closing pitcher since 1995.

Batters beating pitchers

Leading pitchers generally score higher than leading batters. However, in three instances in 27 seasons, a batter beat the pitcher for Box-Toppers points leader for his league:

  • 1996: Albert Belle of the Indians had more Box-Toppers points than pitcher Chuck Finley of the Angels (20.4 vs. 15.7).

  • 2006: Lance Berkman of the Astros had more Box-Toppers points than pitcher John Smoltz of the Braves (20.8 vs. 19.1).

  • 2007: Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees had more Box-Toppers points than pitcher Johan Santana of the Twins (18.9 vs. 18.1).

However, in all three cases, the batter was not the overall leader in Box-Toppers points—that honor went to the pitcher in the opposite league:

  • 1996: John Smoltz, Braves, 26.1 Box-Toppers points.

  • 2006: Johan Santana, Twins, 25.7.

  • 2007: Jake Peavy, Padres, 23.4.

Pitchers dominating batters

Box-Toppers Players of the Year

Here are Box-Toppers Player of the Year winners in each season of Box-Toppers tracking since 1995. Player of the Year is the player with the season’s highest Box-Toppers point total:

Year Player Pos Team BTP
1995 Randy Johnson pi sp Mariners 23.7
1996 John Smoltz pi sp Braves 26.1
1997 Roger Clemens pi sp Blue Jays 27.4
1998 Randy Johnson pi sp Astros† 26.4
1999 Randy Johnson pi sp Dbacks 31.5
2000 Randy Johnson pi sp Dbacks 33.7
2001 Randy Johnson pi sp Dbacks 29.4
2002 Randy Johnson pi sp Dbacks 33.7
2003 Jason Schmidt pi sp Giants 24.7
2004 Johan Santana pi sp Twins 26.8
2005 Johan Santana pi sp Twins 24.1
2006 Johan Santana pi sp Twins 25.7
2007 Jake Peavy pi sp Padres 23.4
2008 CC Sabathia pi sp Brewers* 26.7
2009 Zack Greinke pi sp Royals 21.5
2010 Jon Lester pi sp Red Sox 23.4
2011 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 26.1
2012 Justin Verlander pi sp Tigers 24.8
2013 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 21.7
2014 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 31.5
2015 Jake Arrieta pi sp Cubs 29.1
2016 Max Scherzer pi sp Nationals 25.7
2017 Chris Sale pi sp Red Sox 25.1
2018 Blake Snell pi sp Rays 27.2
2019 Gerrit Cole pi sp Astros 32.2
2020 Shane Bieber pi sp Indians 11.4§
2021 Max Scherzer pi sp Dodgers** 25.1
† Played for Mariners before trade to Astros.
* Played for the Indians before trade to the Brewers.
** Played for the Nationals before trade to the Dodgers.
§ Season shortened from 162 to 60 games due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Eleven times in the past 27 seasons, including each of the past eight seasons, a league-leading pitcher has earned more than twice as many Box-Toppers points as the league-leading batter:

  • 1999: Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks had 31.5 Box-Toppers points to lead the NL, more than double the NL leading batter, Barry Bonds of the Giants, 15.2 (2.07 times as many points).

  • 2000: Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks had 33.7 Box-Toppers points to lead the NL, more than double the NL leading batter, Todd Helton of the Rockies, 15.2 (2.22 times as many points).

  • 2014: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers had 31.5 Box-Toppers points to lead the NL, more than double (and nearly triple) the points of NL leading batter Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies, 11.6 (2.72 times as many points).

  • 2015: Jake Arrieta of the Cubs had 29.1 Box-Toppers points to lead the NL, more than double the points of NL leading batter Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies, 11.5 (2.53 times as many points).

  • 2016: Max Scherzer of the Nationals had 25.7 Box-Toppers points to lead the NL, more than double the points of NL leading batter Nolan Arenado of the Rockies, 10.7 (2.40 times as many points).

  • 2017: Chris Sale of the Red Sox had 25.1 Box-Toppers points to lead the AL, more than double the points of AL leading batter Edwin Encarnacion of the Indians, 12.1 (2.07 times as many points).

  • 2018: Blake Snell of the Rays had 27.2 Box-Toppers points to lead the AL, more than double the points of AL leading batter J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox, 12.5 (2.18 times as many points). Also, Max Scherzer of the Nationals had 25.1 Box-Toppers points to lead the NL, more than double the points of NL leading batter Christian Yelich of the Brewers, 11.5 (2.18 times as many points). This was the first and only time the league’s top pitcher earned more than twice as many points as the league’s top batter in both leagues in the same season.

  • 2019: Gerrit Cole of the Astros had 32.2 Box-Toppers points to lead AL players, more than double the points of the AL leading batter Nelson Cruz of the Twins, 12.5 (2.58 times as many points).

  • 2020: Trevor Bauer of the Reds had 10.0 Box-Toppers points to lead NL players, more than double the points of the NL leading batter Marcell Ozuna of the Braves, 4.5 (2.22 times as many points).

  • 2021: Max Scherzer of the Dodgers had 25.1 Box-Toppers points to lead NL players, more than double the points of the NL leading batter Nick Castellanos of the Reds, 11.5 (2.18 times as many points).

Box-Toppers leaders coinciding with postseason awards

Has there ever been a year in which the leaders of the four Box-Toppers point categories (each league’s batters and pitchers) won all four major postseason awards (each league’s MVP and Cy Young Awards)?

No.

However, three times in the past 27 seasons three of the four Box-Toppers points leaders won postseason awards:

  • 1997: Roger Clemens of the Blue Jays won AL Cy Young, Pedro Martinez of the Expos won NL Cy Young and Larry Walker of the Rockies won NL MVP. (AL batting Box-Toppers points leader Juan Gonzalez of the Rangers—16.3 Box-Toppers points—finished ninth in AL MVP voting. Ken Griffey Jr. of the Mariners—second among AL batters with 15.3 Box-Toppers points—was AL MVP.)

  • 2009: Zack Greinke of the Royals won AL Cy Young, Tim Lincecum of the Giants won NL Cy Young and Albert Pujols of the Cardinals won NL MVP. (AL batting Box-Toppers points leader Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers—16.5 Box-Toppers points—finished fourth in AL MVP voting. Joe Mauer of the Twins—12th among AL batters with 9.2 Box-Toppers points—was AL MVP.)

  • 2013: Max Scherzer of the Tigers won AL Cy Young, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers won NL Cy Young and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers won AL MVP. (NL batting Box-Toppers points leader Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks—13.7 Box-Toppers points—finished second in NL MVP voting. Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates—who finished 22nd among NL batters with 6.0 Box-Toppers points—was NL MVP.)

Ten times in the past 27 seasons, including 2020, two of the leaders in Box-Toppers points categories also won postseason awards.

Ten times only one of the Box-Toppers category leaders won a postseason award.

And only four times—including 2021—have all four Box-Toppers category leaders failed to win any of the major postseason awards. It also happened in 2003, 2012 and 2019.

Related

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, from 1995 on, at the close of recent past seasons: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021