Box-Toppers is voting for six players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 2024 Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.
Box-Toppers Hall of Fame ballot
Here are Box-Toppers' ballot selections for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) 2024 Hall of Fame selections. The ballot requires voters to pick as many as 12 candidates—Box-Toppers chose six. (In the "official" vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America—BBWAA—voters can pick as many as 10 candidates.) There are 26 candidates on both the BBWAA and IBWAA ballots.Shown first in alphabetical order by last name are the six players Box-Toppers is voting for Hall induction, along with their career Box-Toppers point total and the number of years each player has been on the ballot. A brief Box-Toppers-focused biographical synopsis is shown beneath each player.
That is followed by the list of players Box-Toppers is not voting for Hall induction, also in alphabetical order by last name.
| YES: Players Box-Toppers is voting for Hall of Fame | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Career BTP | Year on ballot |
| Adrián Beltré | 116.8 | 1 |
| • 13th among all batters in career BTPs since 1995, 3rd among all 3Bs. • Top AL batter 2 times—2012 (13.0), 2015 (12.5). • Top 10 AL batter 3 times. • Top 10 NL batter 2004. • Top AL 3B 2012 & 2015. • Top 5 AL 3B 7 times. • Top 5 NL 3B twice. |
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| Todd Helton | 116.4 | 6 |
| • 14th among all batters in career BTPs since 1995, 6th among all first basemen. • Top 10 overall player in 2001 (17.0). • Top NL batter 2 times—2000 (15.2), 2001 (17.0). • Top 10 NL batter 5 times. • Top NL 1B 4 times from 1999-2002. • Top 5 NL 1B 6 times. |
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| Matt Holliday | 100.8 | 1 |
| • 10th in career BTPs among OFs since 1995. • Led NL batters and NL OFs in BTPs in 2007 (16.2). • Top 10 NL batter 5 times. Top 10 NL OF 6 times. • Top 10 overall player 2007 (16.2, 7th). |
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| Torii Hunter | 115.9 | 4 |
| • Ranks 15th among all batters in career BTPs and 5th among all OFs since 1995. • Led AL OFs 2008 (12.4). • Top 10 AL batter four times. • Top 10 AL OF nine times. |
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| Joe Mauer | 82.6 | 1 |
| • 2nd in career BTPs among catchers since 1995. • Top AL catcher 4 times—2006 (6.5), 2008 (9.5), 2010 (7.5), 2012 (9.0). • Top 10 AL batter twice 2008, 2012. • Top 5 AL catcher 8 times (2005-10, 2012, 2013). • Top 5 AL 1B twice. • Top 5 AL DH twice. |
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| Billy Wagner | 108.7 | 9 |
| • Ranked 3rd among all closing pitchers since 1995. • Top NL closer three times: 1998 (12.0), 1999 (15.0), 2010 (13.0). • Seven times top 5 NL closer. • Top 10 NL pitcher twice. |
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| NO: Players Box-Toppers is not voting for Hall of Fame | ||
| Player | Career BTP | Year on ballot |
| Bobby Abreu | 95.5 | 5 |
| • Ranks 15th in career BTPs among all OFs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 2008. • Top 10 AL OF 3 times. • Top 10 NL OF twice. |
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| José Bautista | 67.4 | 1 |
| • 44th in career BTPs among OFs since 1995. • Led AL batters in 2010 (15.2). • Top 10 AL batter 3 times. • Top 10 AL OF 4 times. |
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| Carlos Beltran | 108.6 | 2 |
| • Ranks 7th in career BTPs among all OFs since 1995. • Top 10 AL batter 2001, 2003. • Top 10 AL OF 3 times, including top AL OF 2001, 2003. • Top 10 NL OF 4 times. |
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| Mark Buehrle | 116.7 | 4 |
| • Ranks 42nd in career BTPs among all pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 overall 2005. • Top 10 AL pitcher twice. | ||
| Bartolo Colon | 155.9 | 1 |
| • 21st in career BTPs among all players since 1995. • 17th in career BTPs among all pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 AL pitcher 3 times—2000 (13.8, fifth), 2004 (9.7, ninth), 2013 (13.1, 10th). |
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| Adrián González | 74.8 | 1 |
| • 23rd in career BTPs among 1Bs since 1995. • Top 10 NL batter twice. • Top 5 NL 1B 4 times. • Top 5 AL 1B once. |
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| Andruw Jones | 96.5 | 7 |
| • Ranks 14th in career BTPs among all OFs since 1995. • Top 10 NL batter twice. • Top 10 NL OF 6 times. |
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| Victor Martinez | 77.1 | 1 |
| • 5th in career BTPs among catchers since 1995 (but more than 40% of his points came as a DH in second half of his career).• 11th in career BTPs among DHs since 1995 (but more than 45% of his points came as a catcher in first half of his career). • Led AL catchers in 2005 (9.0). • Led AL DHs in 2011 (10.2). • Top 10 among AL batters in 2011 (10.2, 4th). • Top 5 AL catcher 3 times. • Top 5 AL 1B in 2007. • Top 5 AL DH twice. |
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| Andy Pettitte | 138.5 | 6 |
| • 25th in career BTPs among all pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 AL pitcher 4 times, never higher than 8th. |
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| Brandon Phillips | 67.6 | 1 |
| • 5th in career BTPs among 2Bs since 1995sa. • Top 10 NL batter twice. • Top 5 NL 2B 6 times. |
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| Manny Ramirez | 166.2* | 8 |
| • Steroids. • 16th in career BTPs among all players since 1995, 3rd among all batters. • Top 10 players twice, 1998 & 1999. • Top AL batter 1999 (19.9). • Top 10 AL batter 7 times. • Top 10 NL batter once. • Top AL OF three times 1999 (19.9), 2000 (13.2), 2005 (14.0). • Top AL OF 9 times. • Top 5 AL DH three times. • Top NL OF 2008 (13.9). |
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| José Reyes | 34.5 | 1 |
| • 26th in career BTPs among all SSs since 1995. • Top 5 NL SS twice. |
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| Alex Rodriguez | 187.0* | 3 |
| • Steroids. • 10th in career BTPs among all players since 1995, 2nd among all batters. • Top 10 players, 2000 & 2007. • Top AL batter 2007 (18.9). • Top 10 AL batter 10 times. • Top AL shortstop 5 times, 1996 (11.2), 1999 (13.7), 2000 (17.0), 2001 (12.5), 2002 (15.2). • Top 5 AL SS 8 times. • Top AL 3B twice, 2005 (11.9), 2007 (18.9). • Top 5 AL 3B 7 times. • Top 5 AH DH 2015 (13.9). |
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| Francisco Rodriguez | 63.4 | 2 |
| • 12th in career BTPs among all closing pitchers since 1995. • Top 5 AL closing pitcher 2005, 2006, 2008. |
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| Jimmy Rollins | 50.4 | 3 |
| • 9th in career BTPs among all shortstops since 1995. • Top NL SS 2008 (7.0). • Top 5 NL SS 6 times. |
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| Gary Sheffield | 124.1* | 10 |
| • Steroids. • 11th among batters in career BTPs since 1995. • Would have about 155 BTP if career from 1988 were tracked. • Top 10 overall in 2004. • Top AL batter in 2004 (16.2). • Top 10 AL batter twice. • Top 10 NL batter four times. • Top AL OF in 2004 (16.2). • Top 10 AL OF twice. • Top 5 AL DH once. • Top NL OF in 2000 (14.2). • Top 10 NL OF four times. |
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| James Shields | 106.4 | 1 |
| • 54th in career BTPs among all pitchers since 1995. • Top 10 player 2011 (20.1, 6th). • Top 10 AL pitcher twice. |
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| Chase Utley | 78.6 | 1 |
| • 3rd in career BTPs among 2Bs since 1995. • Led NL 2Bs 5 straight seasons—2005 (9.7), 2006 (12.0), 2007 (11.7), 2008 (8.5), 2009 (9.5). • Top 10 NL batter 3 times (2006, 2007, 2009). |
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| Omar Vizquel | 42.2* | 7 |
| • 12th in career BTPs among SSs since 1995. • Top 5 AL SS twice. • Top 5 NL SS once. |
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| David Wright | 75.1 | 1 |
| • 8th in career BTPs among 3Bs since 1995. • Led NL 3Bs in BTPs 3 times—2006 (15.4), 2009 (8.5), 2011 (10.0). • Top 10 overall player 2006 (15.4, 10th). • Top 10 NL batter 3 times. • Top 5 NL 3B 5 times. |
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| Victor Martinez | 77.1 | 1 |
| • 5th in career BTPs among catchers since 1995 (but more than 40% of his points came as a DH in second half of his career).• 11th in career BTPs among DHs since 1995 (but more than 45% of his points came as a catcher in first half of his career). • Led AL catchers in 2005 (9.0). • Led AL DHs in 2011 (10.2). • Top 10 among AL batters in 2011 (10.2, 4th). • Top 5 AL catcher 3 times. • Top 5 AL 1B in 2007. • Top 5 AL DH twice. |
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Box-Toppers is voting for these players, listed alphabetically by last name:
Three of the players are new to the Hall of Fame ballot this year—Beltre, Holliday and Mauer—and three players return to the ballot after not receiving the necessary votes to make the Hall last year—Helton, Hunter and Wagner.
There are 26 players on the ballot, including 14 players returning from last year and 12 first-year candidates.
Among players on the IBWAA ballot for whom Box-Toppers is not voting for induction are:
This ballot is separate from the “official” ballot conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) for actual induction into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., but it includes the same players.
The chart on this page shows a brief Box-Toppers-focused biographical synopsis of each of the 26 players on the official BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot.
Box-Toppers criteria for Hall induction
In general, Box-Toppers favors players for Hall induction who have at least 100 career Box-Toppers points and/or have led their league’s batters or pitchers in points for at least one season. Box-Toppers also considers players whose career Box-Toppers point total puts them among the few best players of their era or players who consistently led their league in Box-Toppers points at their position. There are some instances of players—especially pitchers—who have more than 100 career Box-Toppers points who Box-Toppers didn’t deem worthy of Hall induction. That’s because despite their career accomplishment, they weren’t necessarily ever among the top players in any season or any era.
While Box-Toppers generally tries to stick to its numbers to determine Hall candidacy, we do fold our arms and frown at players who bend or break rules, taking that into consideration when determining Hall of Fame worthiness. For example, Box-Toppers has voted against players who allegedly used of were suspected of using performance enhancing drugs, including Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens, who are no longer on the writers’ Hall of Fame ballot.
Here is a look at players Box-Toppers is voting for Hall induction:
Adrian Beltre
The third baseman who played from 1998 to 2018 for the Rangers, Dodgers, Mariners and Red Sox has 116.9 career Box-Toppers points, 13th among all batters and third among all third basemen since 1995.
He led American League batters in Box-Toppers points in two seasons—2012 (13.0) and 2015 (12.5), both with the Rangers. He was among the top 10 AL batters in Box-Toppers points three times and among the top 10 NL batters in 2004 with the Dodgers. He led AL third basemen twice, was among the top five AL third basemen seven times and among the top five NL third basemen twice.
This is Beltre’s first year on the ballot.
Todd Helton
The first baseman who played from 1997 to 2013 for the Rockies has 116.4 career Box-Toppers points, 14th among all batters and sixth among all first basemen since 1995.
He led National League batters in Box-Toppers points in two different seasons—2000 (15.2) and 2001 (17.0). He led NL first basemen in points four straight seasons from 1999 to 2002.
He was among the top 10 overall players in 2001 (ranking eighth with 17.0 points) and was among the top 10 NL batters in five seasons and a top five NL first basemen six times. This is Helton’s sixth year on the ballot. Box-Toppers has voted for him each year.
Matt Holliday
The outfielder who played from 2004 to 2018 for the Cardinals, Rockies, Yankees and Athletics has 100.8 career Box-Toppers points, 25th among all batters since 1995 and 10th among all outfielders in that span.
Holliday has the bare minimum requirements edging him into Box-Toppers’ Hall of Fame worthiness. He reached the 100 career point threshold with 0.8 points to spare and he led his league’s position for one season—his 16.2 Box-Toppers points in 2007 with the Rockies was first among NL outfielders and all NL batters. He also ranked seventh among all players that season, one of four batters in the overall top 10 when that was a more common occurrence. (No batter has reached the overall top 10 since 2013.)
While Holliday led NL outfielders only one season, he was among the top three NL outfielders for five seasons—2006 with the Rockies (12.4 points, second), 2007 with the Rockies (16.2, first), 2009 with the Athletics and Cardinals (10.5, second), 2012 with the Cardinals (11.7, second) and 2014 with the Cardinals (7.5, third). He was among the top 10 NL outfielders six times and among the top 10 NL batters five times (2006, 2009, 2007, 2012 and 2014).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Torii Hunter
The outfielder who played from 1997 to 2015 for the Twins, Angels and Tigers has 115.9 career Box-Toppers points, 15th among all batters since 1995, fifth among all outfielders in that span.
Hunter led all AL outfielders in 2008 with 12.4 points with the Angels. He was a top 10 AL batter four times—2002 (11.5, ranked seventh) and 2007 (9.5, ranked 10th) with the Twins and 2008 (12.4, ranked second) and 2010 (8.5, ranked 10th) with the Angels. He was among the top 10 AL outfielders in Box-Toppers points nine times.
This is his fourth year on the ballot.
Joe Mauer
The catcher and first baseman who played from 2004 to 2018 all for the Twins has 82.6 career Box-Toppers points, 54th among all batters since 1995, but second among all catchers in that span, trailing only Mike Piazza (95.4), who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
While Mauer didn’t reach the 100-career-point threshold, he did lead his league’s position in Box-Toppers points multiple times, leading AL catchers four times—2006 (6.5), 2008 (9.5), 2010 (7.5), 2012 (9.0).
Because he ranks so high at a position that traditionally doesn’t earn a lot of Box-Toppers points and because he led his league’s position in points for multiple seasons, we vote for Mauer for Hall induction.
Mauer was a top 10 AL batter in two seasons (2008 and 2012), he was a top five AL catcher eight times from 2005 to 2012, missing only 2011, when his 3.0 points ranked ninth among AL catchers. He also ranked among the top five AL first basemen twice and top five AL designated hitters twice.
This is his first year of Hall eligibility.
Billy Wagner
The closing pitcher played from 1995 to 2010 primarily for the Astros, Mets, Phillies and Braves and has 108.7 career Box-Toppers points, third among all closing pitchers since 1995, behind Trevor Hoffman (129.4) and Mariano Rivera (126.4), both Hall of Famers.
He led NL closing pitchers in Box-Toppers points three times, 1998 (12.0) and 1999 (15.0) with the Astros and in 2010 (13.0) with the Braves. He was among the top five NL closers seven times and was among the top 10 overall NL pitchers twice.
Wagner has been passed over for Hall induction for eight years.
Box-Toppers is not supporting these Hall candidates
Here are players Box-Toppers is not voting for Hall induction:
Bobby Abreu
The outfielder played from 1996 to 2014 primarily for the Phillies, Angels and Yankees and has 95.5 career Box-Toppers points, 15th among all outfielders since 1995. He was never among his league’s top three outfielders in any season, but ranked among the top 10 NL outfielders twice (1998 and 2003) and among the top 10 AL outfielders three times (2006, 2007 and 2008). He also was among the overall top 10 AL batters in 2008 with the Yankees (ninth, 9.2 points).
This is his fifth year on the ballot.
Jose Bautista
Primarily an outfielder, he played from 2004 to 2018 for the Blue Jays, Pirates, Royals, Mets, Rays, Phillies, Braves and Orioles and has 67.4 career Box-Toppers points, 98th among all batters and 44th among all outfielders since 1995.
He led AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2010 (15.2). He was also among the top 10 AL batters in Box-Toppers points two other seasons—2011 (11.7, third) and 2015 (10.0, sixth). He was among the top 10 AL outfielders four seasons—2010 (first), 2011 (second), 2014 (eighth with 6.5 points) and 2015 (second).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Carlos Beltran
The outfielder played from 1998 to 2017 for the Royals, Mets, Yankees, Cardinals, Astros, Rangers and Giants and has 108.6 career Box-Toppers points, seventh among all outfielders since 1995. He led AL outfielders in 2001 (11.2 points) and 2003 (13.9 points), both with the Royals. He was a top 10 AL batter both of those seasons, was a top 10 AL outfielder three times and a top 10 NL outfielder four times.
With just over 100 career Box-Toppers points and with two seasons leading his league at his position, Beltran would seem to squeak past the line of Hall worthiness. And if it had not been for the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal in 2017, we likely would have voted for him. Beltran was the only 2017 Astros player named in the commissioners’ report on the scandal, which resulted in sanctions against the club and the Astros firing their manager and general manager. No players were directly punished by baseball in the report, released in 2019 and focusing on the Astros’ 2017 World Series-winning season. However, prior to the report, Beltran had been hired as New York Mets manager for the 2020 season and was fired after the release of the report before he managed any games.
This is his second year on the ballot.
Mark Buehrle
The pitcher played from 2000 to 2015 for the White Sox, Blue Jays and Marlins and has 116.7 career Box-Toppers points, 42nd among all pitchers since 1995. In his best season, 2005 with the White Sox, he had 17.7 Box-Toppers points, which was fifth among all players and second among AL pitchers, behind Johan Santana of the Twins (24.1). He never led AL pitchers in points and had only one other top 10 finish among AL pitchers—2004 with the White Sox when he had 12.7 points, ranked fourth.
This is his fourth year on the ballot.
Bartolo Colon
The starting pitcher played from 1997 to 2018 for Cleveland, the Angels, Mets, Athletics, White Sox, Twins, Braves, Red Sox, Rangers, Expos and Yankees, and had 155.9 career Box-Toppers points, 21st among all players since 1995 and 17th among all pitchers.
While Colon’s career point total is well above our 100-point Hall threshold, he never led his league’s pitchers in Box-Toppers points. He finished no higher than fifth among AL pitchers in 2000 with 13.8 points (his best season) with Cleveland. He finished among top 10 AL pitchers two more times—in 2004 with 9.7 points with the Angels and in 2013 with 13.1 points with the Athletics.
He never finished among the overall top 10 players.
Colon earned Box-Toppers points in 19 of 20 seasons from 1998 to 2018 (missing only 2010, when he was injured and did not pitch). He had 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points in seven seasons.
This is his first year on the ballot.
Adrian Gonzalez
The first baseman who played from 2004 to 2018 for the Dodgers, Padres, Rangers, Red Sox and Mets, earned 74.8 career Box-Toppers points, 23rd among all first basemen since 1995.
Gonzalez ranked among the top 10 NL batters in two seasons—2010 with the Padres (8.0 points, ninth) and 2014 with the Dodgers (7.2 points, 10th). He was among the top five NL first basemen four times—2010 with the Padres (8.0 points, third), 2012 with the Red Sox and Dodgers (6.5 points, fourth), 2013 with the Dodgers (5.0 points, fifth) and 2014 with the Dodgers (7.2 points, fourth). He also ranked among the top 5 AL first basemen in 2011 with the Red Sox (8.0, third).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Andruw Jones
The outfielder played from 1996 to 2012 primarily for the Braves and Yankees and has 96.5 career Box-Toppers points, 14th among outfielders since 1995.
Jones is an edge case for the Hall. He nearly reached the 100-point career Box-Toppers threshold. He was among the top three NL outfielders twice (2005, third with 11.5 and 2006, first with 12.7), both seasons he was among the NL’s top 10 batters. He was among the top 10 NL outfielders six times. But Jones was not a consistent leader at his position and fell just short of the 100-point career threshold, so I leave him off the ballot again in his seventh year of Hall eligibility.
Victor Martinez
The catcher and designated hitter played from 2002 to 2018 for Cleveland, the Tigers and Red Sox and had 77.1 career Box-Toppers points, 57th among all batters, fifth among all catchers and 11th among all designated hitters since 1995.
Martinez spent roughly the first half of his career primarily as a catcher and the second half primarily as a designated hitter, so his rankings at both those positions is a little misleading. If Martinez were able to earn all his 77.1 career points as a catcher, he might be a borderline case as a Hall of Famer.
Martinez did lead his league’s position in Box-Toppers points and each time did it from a different position. In 2005, he led AL catchers with 9.0 points with Cleveland. In 2011, he led AL designated hitters with 10.2 points with the Tigers. He was a top 10 AL batter in 2011 (fourth). He was a top five AL catcher three times—2005, 2007 with Cleveland (9.0 points, second) and 2009 with Cleveland and the Red Sox (7.7 points, third). He was a top five AL designated hitter twice—2011 and 2016 with the Tigers (8.5 points, second).
So while he led his league’s position in Box-Toppers points in two seasons, he did not reach the 100 point threshold and fell short of Box-Toppers’ Hall consideration.
This is his first year on the ballot.
Andy Pettitte
The starting pitcher played from 1995 to 2013 for the Yankees and Astros and has 138.5 career Box-Toppers points, 25th among all pitchers since 1995. He was among the top 10 AL pitchers four times, but never ranked higher than eighth place, including 2002, when he had 11.7 points. Despite being a key piece of the Yankees dynasty, helping to win five World Series championships, Pettitte’s regular seasons, while commendable, are not dominant enough for Hall induction. This is his sixth year of Hall eligibility.
Brandon Phillips
The second baseman who played from 2002 to 2018 for the Reds, Cleveland, the Angels, Braves and Red Sox, has 67.6 career Box-Toppers points, 97th among all batters and fifth among all second basemen since 1995.
Phillips never led his league position in Box-Toppers points, but ranked among the top 10 NL batters twice, both with the Reds—in 2012 (9.5 points, seventh) and 2013 (10.0 points, 10th). He ranked among the top five NL second basemen six times, all with the Reds—2006 (6.7, fourth), 2007 (8.0, third), 2009 (7.0 third), 2011 (6.5, second), 2012 (9.5, second) and 2013 (7.5, second).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Manny Ramirez
I’m disqualifying Ramirez for consideration because of his ties to the steroids era. Other voters are, too, as this is his eighth year of Hall eligibility. He played from 1993 to 2011 primarily for the Red Sox, Indians and Dodgers and has 166.2 career Box-Toppers points, 16th among all players since 1995 and third among all batters. (He would have an estimated 173 points if his career from 1993 were tracked.) He was top AL batter in 1999 with Cleveland (19.9), top AL outfielder three times and top NL outfielder once. He ranked among the overall top 10 players twice, his league’s top 10 batters eight times, his league’s top 10 outfielders 10 times and was a top five AL designated hitter three times. Without the steroid cloud, Box-Toppers would vote Ramirez for the Hall.
Jose Reyes
Primarily a shortstop, he played from 2003 to 2018 for the Mets, Blue Jays, Rockies and Marlins and has 34.5 career Box-Toppers points, 327th among all batters and 26th among all shortstops since 1995.
He ranked among the top five NL shortstops twice—2006 with the Mets (6.0 points, fourth) and 2012 with the Marlins (5.0 points, second).
This is his first year on the ballot.
Alex Rodriguez
I’m disqualifying Rodriguez for consideration because of his ties to the steroids era, including a yearlong suspension in 2014 for performance enhancing drug use. Here is Box-Toppers’ career recap on Rodriguez during his final week as a player in August 2016: Bioexodus: Alex Rodriguez leaves field after long career with taint, but as active career Box-Toppers points leader.
The third baseman and shortstop played from 1994 to 2016 for the Yankees, Mariners and Rangers and has 187.0 career Box-Toppers points, 10th among all players, second among all batters and first among all third basemen since 1995.
When Rodriguez left baseball in 2016, he led all batters in career points since 1995, but now ranks second behind Albert Pujols (207.8).
He led AL batters in 2007 with the Yankees with 18.9 Box-Toppers points. That year, he ranked second among all players, one of only three times a batter has ranked as high as second overall. It was also done in 1996 by Albert Belle of the Indians (20.4 points) and 2006 by Lance Berkman of the Astros (20.8 points). Rodriguez also ranked seventh among all players in 2000 with the Mariners with 17.0 points.
Rodriguez led AL shortstops five times and led AL third basemen twice. He was among the top 10 AL batters 10 times, top five AL shortstops eight times, top five AL third basemen seven times and top five AL designated hitters five times.
Rodriguez is in his third year on the ballot.
Francisco Rodriguez
The closing pitcher played from 2002 to 2017 for the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Tigers and Orioles and has 63.4 career Box-Toppers points, 12th among all closing pitchers since 1995. He was a top five AL closing pitcher three times, all with the Angels—2005 (10.0 points, ranked second), 2006 (8.0 points, ranked fourth) and 2008 (10.0 points, ranked third).
This is his second year on the ballot.
Jimmy Rollins
The shortstop played from 2000 to 2016 for the Phillies, Dodgers and White Sox and has 50.4 career Box-Toppers points, ninth among all shortstops since 1995.
He led NL shortstops in 2008 (7.0 Box-Toppers points) and was among the top five NL shortstops six times, all with the Phillies—2002 (5.0 points, fifth), 2003 (3.7 points, fifth), 2004 (3.5 points, fifth), 2007 (4.7 points, fourth), 2008 (7.0 points, first) and 2012 (4.0 points, fifth).
Rollins is in his third year on the ballot.
Gary Sheffield
I’m disqualifying Sheffield for consideration because of his ties to the steroids era. Other voters are, too, as this is his 10th and final year of Hall eligibility on the baseball writers’ ballot. He played from 1988 to 2009 for the Marlins, Dodgers, Brewers, Yankees, Braves, Padres, Tigers and Mets and has 124.1 career points since 1995, 11th among all batters. He would have an estimated 155 career points if his entire career from 1988 were tracked. Sheffield led AL batters in 2004 with the Yankees when he had 16.2 points. He led NL outfielders in 2000 with the Dodgers when he had 14.2 points. He was among the top 10 overall players once, was among his league’s top 10 batters six times, his league’s top 10 outfielders six times and was a top five AL designated hitter once. Without the steroid cloud, Box-Toppers would vote Sheffield for the Hall.
James Shields
The starting pitcher who played from 2006 to 2018 for the Rays, White Sox, Royals and Padres, has 106.4 career Box-Toppers points, 73rd among all players and 54th among all pitchers since 1995.
While Shields exceeds the 100-point threshold, he never led his league category any season, so Box-Toppers excludes him from its Hall ballot. He had two very good seasons, 2011 and 2012 with the Rays. In 2011, he exceeded 20 Box-Toppers points with 20.1, but that was sixth overall and third among AL pitchers. In 2012, he had 14.7 points, ninth among AL pitchers. He ranked among the top 10 AL pitchers in just those two years and ranked among the overall top 10 only in 2011.
He had four seasons with 10 or more Box-Toppers points, including 2011 and 2012. The others were in 2008 with the Rays when he had 10.4 points, 15th among AL pitchers, and 2014 with the Royals, when he had 13.7 points, 11th among AL pitchers.
This is his first year on the ballot.
Chase Utley
The second baseman played from 2003 to 2018 for the Phillies and Dodgers. He had 78.6 career Box-Toppers points, 65th among all batters and third among all second basemen since 1995, behind Jeff Kent (110.2) and Robinson Cano (85.4).
He led NL second basemen in Box-Toppers points for five straight seasons from 2005 to 2009 with the Phillies (2005—9.7, 2006—12.0, 2007—11.7, 2008—8.5 and 2009—9.5). In three of those seasons, he was among the top 10 NL batters (2006—ninth place, 2007—fifth place and 2009—ninth place).
So while he led his league’s position in multiple seasons, he was far short of the 100-career point threshold. Still he ranks third among all second basemen over the past three decades.
My stumbling block to voting for Utley, in his first year on the ballot, is the fact that second baseman Jeff Kent, who has far more career Box-Toppers points, is not seen as worthy for the Hall of Fame. Kent was on baseball writers’ ballot for 10 seasons ending last year and never received sufficient support for induction. Box-Toppers supported his candidacy each year. If Kent had been inducted, I would support Utley as a borderline Hall of Famer. But if Kent is not seen by others as Hall of Famer, I’m not sure how Utley, who has less than three-fourths of Kent’s career Box-Toppers point total, can be seen as one either.
Omar Vizquel
The shortstop played from 1989 to 2012 primarily for the Indians, Mariners, Giants and White Sox. He had 42.2 career Box-Toppers points since 1995, 12th among all shortstops since 1995. Vizquel ranked among the top five AL shortstops in Box-Toppers points twice and among the top five NL shortstops once. This is his seventh year on the Hall of Fame ballot.
David Wright
The third baseman played from 2004 to 2018 for the Mets. He had 75.1 career Box-Toppers points, 80th among all batters since 1995 and eighth among all NL third basemen. He had fewer career points than Scott Rolen, the third baseman voted to the Hall of Fame in 2023. Rolen’s 97.6 points was fifth among all third basemen since 1995. While writers voted Rolen to the Hall, he fell just short of Box-Toppers measure for induction.
Wright’s career was cut short by injury, spinal stenosis. After the age of 32, he played in only 77 games, retiring at age 35. While he played until 2018, he earned only 1.0 Box-Toppers point after 2014, after averaging 7.8 per season from 2004 to 2012, on what would have been a Hall of Fame pace with four or five more healthy seasons.
Wright led NL third basemen in three seasons—2006 (15.4), 2009 (8.5) and 2011 (10.0) and was among the top five NL third basemen five times. He was among the top 10 NL batters three times—2006 (15.4, third), 2011 (10.0, eighth) and 2012 (9.5, sixth). Wright also ranked 10th among all players in 2006 with 15.4 points. He was one of five batters to rank in the top 10 that season, a period in which it was more common for batters to earn more points. Since then, however, only eight batters total have ranked among the top 10 overall players in the 17 seasons since and no one has done it since 2013.
This is his first year on the ballot.
How Hall eligibility and voting works
Players are eligible to be included on the Hall of Fame ballot if they played at least 10 years and have not been playing for five years. They require a 75-percent vote to be inducted in the hall. If they do not reach 75 percent, they remain on the writers’ ballot for 10 seasons. Also, if they don’t receive at least 5 percent of writers’ votes, they are removed from the following year’s ballot.
BBWAA voters are allowed to vote for up to 10 candidates for official Hall induction. IBWAA voters are allowed to vote for up to 12 players. Box-Toppers is voting for six of the 26 listed candidates.
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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