Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2022 to 2023.
Big dippers
Here are players whose Box-Toppers point total declined most from 2022 to 2023. Players are listed in order of their Box-Toppers point decline. Their Box-Toppers points (BTP) for 2023, if any, are also shown.| Player | Pos | Team | Dip | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | nyy al | -18.8 | 1.0 |
| 2 | Wright, Kyle 4349 | pi sp | atl nl | -14.4 | |
| 3 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | sea al | -14.4 | |
| 4 | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | pi sp | fla nl | -14.1 | 7.0 |
| 5 | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | -13.8 | 7.0 |
| 6 | McKenzie, Triston 4303 | pi sp | cle al | -13.7 | 2.0 |
| 7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | -13.6 | 12.4 |
| 8 | Cortes, Nestor 4160 | pi sp | nyy al | -13.4 | 2.0 |
| 9 | Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | nym nl | -11.4 | |
| 10 | Manoah, Alek 4424 | pi sp | tor al | -11.1 | 2.0 |
| 11 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | bos al | -11.0 | |
| 12 | Stripling, Ross 3629 | pi sp | sf nl | -11.0 | 1.0 |
| 13 | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | pi sp | ana al | -10.7 | 2.0 |
| 14 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | -10.4 | 7.0 |
| 15 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | -10.4 | 10.0 |
| 16 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | sd nl | -9.8 | 7.0 |
| 17 | Bieber, Shane 4005 | pi sp | cle al | -9.7 | 4.0 |
| 18 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tex al | -9.4 | |
| 19 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | -9.0 | 1.0 |
| 20 | Javier, Cristian 4290 | pi sp | hou al | -8.7 | 7.0 |
| 21 | Urias, Julio 3652 | pi sp | lad nl | -8.4 | 11.0 |
| 22 | Thompson, Keegan 4579 | pi mr sp | chi nl | -8.0 | 1.0 |
| 23 | Suarez, Jose 4425 | pi sp | ana al | -8.0 | 1.0 |
| 24 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | nym nl | -8.0 | 1.7 |
| 25 | Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp cp | mil nl | -7.4 | 2.0 |
BTP: Box-Toppers points
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Rodon had 19.8 Box-Toppers points in 2022 with the Giants, sixth among all players and third among National League pitchers. But moving to the Yankees in 2023, he earned only 1.0 Box-Toppers point. That 18.8-point decline was the biggest among all players.
Rodon, 31, began the season on the injured list with a muscle strain in his left pitching forearm suffered in spring training. A back issue further delayed his return to the mound. He made his season debut July 7, starting 14 games. The Yankees won only three games he started and Rodon won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors only once, on Sept. 12, earning his 1.0 and only Box-Toppers point for the season.
Rodon’s 1.0 point in 2023 ranked 577th among all players and 145th among AL pitchers.
Rodon’s decline is 8th-biggest since 1995
Top 10 biggest declines
Here are the biggest declines in Box-Toppers points from one season to the next since tracking began in 1995. Randy Johnson had the biggest decline of 28.7 points from one season to the next in 2003, when he earned 5.0 points after earning 33.7 in 2002. In 2023, Carlos Rodon of the Yankees had the eighth-biggest decline in the Box-Toppers tracking era of 18.8 points. Players are ranked in the chart by size of their decline. Also shown are the year of the decline, their position and team, their previous year Box-Toppers points total (From) and the points total in their declining year (To).| Year | Player | Pos | Team | Decline | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | D‑backs | -28.7 | 33.7 | 5.0 |
| 2 | 2001 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | Red Sox | -22.5 | 33.5 | 11.0 |
| 3 | 2017 | Jose Fernandez | pi sp | Died* | -22.4 | 22.4 | 0.0 |
| 4 | 2019 | Corey Kluber | pi sp | Indians | -21.7 | 21.7 | 0.0 |
| 5 | 2005 | Eric Gagne | pi cp | Dodgers | -19.7 | 19.7 | 0.0 |
| 6 | 2011 | Adam Wainwright | pi sp | Cardinals | -19.7 | 19.7 | 0.0 |
| 7 | 2005 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | Red Sox | -19.0 | 21.0 | 2.0 |
| 8 | 2023 | Carlos Rodon | pi sp | Yankees | -18.8 | 19.8 | 1.0 |
| 9 | 1999 | Kerry Wood | pi sp | Cubs | -18.2 | 18.2 | 0.0 |
| 10 | 2012 | Cliff Lee | pi sp | Phillies | -18.0 | 25.4 | 7.4 |
* Jose Fernandez earned 22.4 Box-Toppers points in 2016 with the Marlins. He was killed in a boating accident near the end of the 2016 season. His 22.4-point decline led all players in 2017.
Rodon’s 18.8-point dip is also the eighth-biggest decline in a non-pandemic season since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. Randy Johnson holds the record for biggest decline of 28.7 points from 2002 (33.7) to 2003 (5.0) with the Diamondbacks. Three players had larger point declines than Rodon’s in 2020, but Box-Toppers excludes those from consideration since that season was shortened from 162 to 60 games due to the coronavirus pandemic. (See chart for more details.)
Kyle Wright, Robbie Ray had next-biggest declines
The two players with the next-biggest decline in Box-Toppers points both earned no points in 2023 and were out injured most of the season. Both Braves pitcher Kyle Wright and Mariners pitcher Robbie Ray had 14.4-point declines in 2023 after they both earned 14.4 points in 2022.
Wright, 39, appeared in nine games, starting seven, but was out from early May to mid-September, on the injured list with a strained shoulder. After the season, Wright underwent shoulder surgery which will cause him to miss the 2024 season. The Braves won in four of Wright’s appearances, but Wright did not earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in any of those.
Ray, 32, made only one start in 2023, on March 31, suffering an injury that forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery. He missed the remainder of the season and will likely miss part of 2024.
Wright’s 14.4 Box-Toppers points in 2022 ranked 24th overall and 12th among NL pitchers. His 14.4-point decline is largest among all NL players.
Ray’s 14.4 Box-Toppers points in 2022 ranked 23rd overall and 11th among AL pitchers. Though Ray and Wright both had 14.4-point declines in 2023, Ray ranks below Wright in third place on a tiebreaker because he had more 2021 points than Wright—17.7 vs. 0.0.
2022’s top pitchers—Verlander, Alcantara—among big dippers
Both leagues’ top pitchers from 2022 are among the top seven biggest dippers in Box-Toppers points in 2023:
Justin Verlander of the Astros, who led all players in 2022 with 26.0 Box-Toppers points, ranks seventh among 2023’s big dippers with a 13.6-point decline to 12.4 Box-Toppers points in 2023.
Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins, whose 21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2022 ranked first among NL players and third overall, ranks fourth among 2023’s big dippers with a 14.1-point decline to 7.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023.
Verlander was on the injured list early in the season, making his debut May 4. Still, he ended up making 27 starts in 2023, almost as many as 2022 (28). Still, he earned fewer Box-Toppers points in 2023—12.4, including 6.0 with the Mets before being traded back to the Astros prior to the August trade deadline, earning his final 6.4 points there. His 12.4 point total ended up 24th overall and 13th among AL pitchers.
Alcantara made 28 starts in 2023, nearly as many as the 32 in 2022, but he struggled and earned only 7.0 Box-Toppers points, 98th among all players and 31st among NL pitchers. He went on the injured list in early September with an injury that led him to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament in his right pitching elbow, ruling him out for the 2024 season.
Top 10 players from 2022 on big dippers list
The 10 players with the most Box-Toppers points in 2022 all had declines in points in 2023. Eight of those top 10 players in 2022 are among the 25 on Box-Toppers’ big dippers list for 2023. That means only these two top 10 players from 2022 escaped the fate of being a 2023 top 25 big dipper:
Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, who had 24.7 Box-Toppers points in 2022, second overall, and had 19.4 in 2023, third overall. His 5.3-point decline from 2022 to 2023 ranked 58th among largest point declines.
Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks, who had 18.7 Box-Toppers points in 2022, eighth overall, and had 16.7 in 2023, also eighth overall. His 2.0-point decline from 2022 to 2023 ranked 265th among largest point declines.
Here is a look at the eight top 10 players from 2022 who were among the top 25 big dippers in 2023 (listed according to their 2022 ranking):
1. Verlander, 26.0 points in 2022, had 12.4 points in 2023, a 13.6-point decline, seventh-biggest dip.
3. Alcantra, 21.1 points in 2022, 7.0 points in 2022, a 14.1-point decline, fourth-biggest dip.
4. Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff, 20.8 points in 2022, 7.0 points in 2022, a 13.8-point decline, fifth-biggest dip.
5. White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease, 20.4 points in 2022, 10.0 points in 2023, a 10.4-point decline, 15th-biggest dip.
6. Rodon, 19.8 points in 2022, 1.0 point in 2023, an 18.8-point decline, biggest dip.
7. Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias, 19.4 points in 2022, 11.0 points in 2023, an 8.4-point decline, 21st-biggest dip. (Urias was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball Sept. 6 under its domestic abuse policy and did not return for the remainder of the season. His 11.0 points was ninth among NL pitchers on Sept 7 and he finished the season in 16th.)
9. Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove, 17.4 points in 2022, 7.0 points in 2023, a 10.4-point decline, 14th-biggest dip.
10. Padres pitcher Yu Darvish, 16.8 points in 2022, 7.0 points in 2023, a 9.8-point decline, 16th-biggest dip.
2022’s top improvers among 2023’s big dippers
There were nine players who made big Box-Toppers points gains in 2022 and then followed it up with a big Box-Toppers points decline in 2023. These players, shown with their ranking among Box-Toppers’ 25 most improved players in 2022, are on 2023’s top 25 big dippers list:
1. Verlander, 26.0-point gain to 26.0 points in 2022, had 12.4 points in 2023, a 13.6-point decline, seventh-biggest dip.
3. Wright, a 14.4-point gain to 14.4 in 2022, had 0.0 points in 2023, a 14.4-point decline, second-biggest dip.
9. Alcantra, 11.4-point gain to 21.1 in 2022, 7.0 points in 2023, a 14.1-point decline, fourth-biggest dip.
12. Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, 10.4-point gain to 15.4 in 2022, 2.0 points in 2023, a 13.4-point decline, eighth-biggest dip.
13. Mets pitcher Jose Quintana, 10.4-point gain to 11.4 in 2022, 0.0 points in 2023, an 11.4-point decline, ninth-biggest dip.
14. Astros pitcher Cristian Javier, 9.7-point gain to 15.7 in 2022, 7.0 points in 2023, an 8.7-point decline, 20th-biggest dip.
15. Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco, 9.7-point gain to 9.7 in 2022, 1.7 points in 2023, an 8.0-point decline, 24th-biggest dip.
17. Cubs pitcher Keegan Thompson, 9.0-point gain to 9.0 in 2022, 1.0 point in 2023, an 8.0-point decline, 22nd-biggest dip.
21. Rodon, 8.1-point gain to 19.8 points in 2022, 1.0 point in 2023, an 18.8-point decline, biggest dip.
Three players are on Box-Toppers top 10 players list for 2022, Box-Toppers top 25 most improved players for 2022 and Box-Toppers top 25 biggest point decliners for 2023—Alcantara, Rodon and Verlander.
Biggest dippers among batters
No batters made the list of 25 players whose Box-Toppers points declined the most from 2022 to 2023. This is the first time since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 that no batters are among this list of top 25 big dippers. The biggest points decline by a batter was 7.0 (from 7.0 in 2022 to 0.0 in 2023) done by three players:
Jesus Aguilar, who played for the Athletics and Braves in 2023 and had 0.0 Box-Toppers points. In 2022, he had 7.0 Box-Toppers points with the Marlins and Orioles. Aguilar played in 36 games for the Athletics before joining the Braves, playing 56 minor league games for them.
Alex Verdugo of the Red Sox, who had 0.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023 after earning 7.0 in 2022. Verdugo played in 142 games and had a season statistically comparable to 2022 but simply did not earn Player of the Game honors in any Red Sox win.
Trevor Story of the Red Sox, who had 0.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023 after earning 7.0 in 2022. Story was limited to 43 games in 2023—he played in 94 in 2022—after undergoing elbow surgery.
Aguilar ranked highest among the big dipping batters because he had the fewest 2021 points among the three players—Aguilar (2.5), Verdugo (3.5) and Story (6.7). Aguilar’s 7.0-point decline ranks 27th among all players, Verdugo’s ranks 29th and Story’s ranks 30th.
Rounding out the top five big dippers among batters are:
Sergio Alcantara of the Diamondbacks, who earned no points in 2023 after earning 6.5 points in 2022. He ranked 39th among all dippers. Alcantara did not play in the Major Leagues in 2023 but played 98 minor league games for the Cubs and Diamondbacks franchises.
Rhys Hoskins of the Phillies, who earned no Box-Toppers points in 2023 after earning 6.5 in 2022. He ranked 40th among all dippers. Hoskins missed the 2023 season after tearing a knee ligament in a spring training game.
Rowdy Tellez of the Brewers had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2022 to 2023 among batters who earned points in 2023. Tellez earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023 after earning 8.2 in 2022, which was fifth among NL batters. His 6.2-point decline is sixth-largest among all batters and 42nd among all players.
Until 2023, batters had always been among the top 25 big dippers in each season since tracking began in 1995. For example, in 2022, four batters were among the top 25 big dippers from 2021, including two who were among the top 10—Nick Castellanos of the Phillies (-11.5, sixth overall) and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres (-10.0, seventh overall).
In fact, batters had ranked among the top 10 big dippers each season except for two—2019 and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
In 2019, there were two batters among the top 25 big dippers, led by Matt Davidson of the Rangers, whose 8.7-point decline ranked 14th among all players.
And even in 2020, when there were numerous pitchers with large declines since the season was shortened from 162 to 60 games because of the coronavirus pandemic, there was one batter among the 25 big dippers—Gleyber Torres of the Yankees, whose 12.0-point decline ranked 13th among all players.
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
Past Box-Toppers top 25 big dippers lists: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
To see lists of Box-Toppers top 10 big dippers season-by-season from 1995 onward, see the Details leaders page. Scroll down near the bottom of the charts to find the top 10 “dippers” per season, just above the top 10 “risers” per season.
Box-Toppers top 25 most improved players lists: 2023 (Jesus Luzardo), 2022 (Justin Verlander), 2021 (Max Scherzer), 2020 (Corbin Burnes), 2019 (Chris Paddack), 2018 (Blake Snell), 2017 (Luis Severino), 2016 (Jose Fernandez), 2015 (Matt Harvey).