A pitchers vs. batters breakdown of each team’s Box-Toppers point total for 2023

Here are Box-Toppers 2023 final team rankings with a breakdown of Box-Toppers points won by batters vs. pitchers.
• Columns at left show the overall ranking of teams by total Box-Toppers points accumulated by players during the season.
• The next two columns show each team’s Box-Toppers points earned by batters and their ranking among all teams.
• The next two columns show each team’s Box-Toppers points earned by pitchers and their ranking among all teams.
• The next two columns show the percentage of Box-Toppers points that were won by batters and pitchers on each team.
• The final two columns show each team’s total wins for the season, followed by an indicator of whether the team made the playoffs (Y=Yes).
The Texas Rangers led all teams in 2023 Box-Toppers points (128.1) and also had the most points won by pitchers (85.7). The Los Angeles Dodgers had the most points won by batters (61.9). The Colorado Rockies had the highest percentage of its points won by batters (58.5), while the Detroit Tigers had the highest percentage of its points won by pitchers (74.0).

Team Overall
Rank		 Total
BTP		 Batter
rank		 Batter
BTP		 Pitcher
rank		 Pitcher
BTP		 Batter
%		 Pitcher
%		 Wins Playoffs
Rangers 1 128.1 10 42.4 1 85.7 33.1% 66.9% 90 Y
Braves 2 125.4 3 51.6 5 73.8 41.1% 58.9% 104 Y
Dodgers 3 123.8 1 61.9 15 61.9 50.0% 50.0% 100 Y
Rays 4 123.6 4 50.7 6 72.9 41.0% 59.0% 99 Y
Orioles 5 119.5 9 43.4 3 76.1 36.3% 63.7% 101 Y
Astros 6 118.9 2 55.4 12 63.5 46.6% 53.4% 90 Y
Brewers 7 115.8 6 47.3 10 68.5 40.8% 59.2% 92 Y
Blue Jays 8 114.2 25 31.0 2 83.2 27.1% 72.9% 89 Y
Phillies 9 112.2 11 41.4 8 70.8 36.9% 63.1% 90 Y
Padres 10 108.1 15 37.9 9 70.2 35.1% 64.9% 82
Marlins 11 107.9 8 43.7 13 64.2 40.5% 59.5% 84 Y
Twins 12 106.7 17 35.7 7 71.0 33.5% 66.5% 87 Y
Mariners 13 103.7 27 28.7 4 75.0 27.7% 72.3% 88
Diamondbacks 14 102.1 16 36.9 11 65.2 36.1% 63.9% 84 Y
Cubs 15 100.3 12 38.7 16 61.6 38.6% 61.4% 83
Yankees 16 92.1 19 33.4 18 58.7 36.3% 63.7% 82
Giants 17 91.7 23 32.2 17 59.5 35.1% 64.9% 79
Red Sox 18 88.6 7 45.2 22 43.4 51.0% 49.0% 78
Reds 19 88.6 14 38.5 21 50.1 43.5% 56.5% 82
Angels 20 87.8 5 48.1 23 39.7 54.8% 45.2% 73
Pirates 21 84.7 24 32.2 20 52.5 38.0% 62.0% 76
Tigers 22 84.5 30 22.0 14 62.5 26.0% 74.0% 78
Guardians 23 84.5 22 32.4 19 52.1 38.3% 61.7% 76
Nationals 24 75.4 20 33.4 24 42.0 44.3% 55.7% 71
Cardinals 25 66.4 13 38.7 28 27.7 58.3% 41.7% 71
Mets 26 64.4 18 34.0 26 30.4 52.8% 47.2% 75
White Sox 27 63.6 28 25.5 25 38.1 40.1% 59.9% 61
Rockies 28 56.4 21 33.0 30 23.4 58.5% 41.5% 59
Royals 29 55.6 26 30.2 29 25.4 54.3% 45.7% 56
Athletics 30 51.4 29 23.0 27 28.4 44.7% 55.3% 50
When viewing on the Box-Toppers.com website, this chart is sortable. Click or tap the column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.

Teams on which pitchers won most Box-Toppers points fared better than teams relying on batters

The World Series champion Texas Rangers, leaders among all teams in Box-Toppers points in 2023, also led all teams in points earned by pitchers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, meanwhile, which finished third overall among all teams, had the most points won by batters in 2023.

In general, teams on which pitchers won the lion’s share of Box-Toppers points in 2023 tended to fare better than teams that relied on batters to provide the bulk of total team points.

Here is a look at how pitchers and batters contributed to each teams’ Box-Toppers point totals in 2023, including the share of total points won by pitchers and batters on each team.

Top 5 teams in Box-Toppers points by pitchers

  1. Texas Rangers 85.7 (first overall)

  2. Toronto Blue Jays 83.2 (eighth overall)

  3. Baltimore Orioles 76.1 (fifth overall)

  4. Seattle Mariners 75.0 (13th overall)

  5. Atlanta Braves 73.8 (third overall)

1. Texas Rangers, most points among pitchers–85.7

Rangers players accumulated 128.1 total Box-Toppers points in 2023 and pitchers earned most of the team’s points, led by:

It should be noted that two of those four top Rangers pitchers began their 2023 seasons elsewhere and earned most of their points before joining Texas prior to the Aug. 1 trade deadline. Scherzer earned 9.4 of his points with the Mets and Montgomery earned 6.7 of his points with the Cardinals.

Meanwhile, Rangers batters earned 42.4 of the team’s points in 2023, 10th-most among all teams. That means pitchers won 66.9 percent of all the team’s points while batters won 33.1 percent. Only three teams had a higher percentage of their Box-Toppers points generated by pitchers—the Detroit Tigers (74.0 percent), the Toronto Blue Jays (72.9 percent) and the Seattle Mariners (72.3 percent).

2. Toronto Blue Jays—83.2 points

The Blue Jays had the second-most points earned by pitchers, 83.2 of their 114.2 points. They ranked eighth overall and their 72.9 percent of points earned by pitchers was second-most among all teams. Four Blue Jays pitchers each had 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points in 2023:

The team’s highest batter, Whit Merrifield, had only 4.5 points, less than half the total of Kikuchi. And those four highest-ranked Blue Jays pitchers had a combined 59.2 points, nearly double the 31.0 total points of all 13 Blue Jays batters who earned points in 2023. Those 31.0 points ranked the Blue Jays 25th among teams in batters’ Box-Toppers points.

3. Baltimore Orioles—76.1 points

The Orioles had the third-most points earned by pitchers, 76.1 of their 119.5 points. They ranked fifth overall and their 63.7 percent of points earned by pitchers was 10th-most among all teams. Orioles pitching leaders included:

4. Seattle Mariners—75.0 points

The Mariners had the fourth-most points earned by pitchers, 75.0 of their 103.7 points. They ranked 13th overall and their 72.3 percent of points earned by pitchers was third-most among all teams. Their top five players were all pitchers:

Those five pitchers combined for 53.0 Box-Toppers points, nearly double the combined 28.7 points of the 13 Mariners batters who earned points in 2023. The Mariners’ 28.7 points earned by batters ranked 27th among all teams. Among the top five teams who had the most Box-Toppers points earned by pitchers, only the Mariners did not make the postseason, however, their 88 wins was more than three teams that made the playoffs—the Twins (87), Diamondbacks (84) and Marlins (84).

5. Atlanta Braves—73.8 points

The Braves had the fifth-most points earned by pitchers, 73.8 of their total 125.4 points. They ranked second overall and their 58.9 percent of points earned by pitchers was 19th-most among all teams. Four of the Braves top-five players in 2023 were pitchers, led by:

Ronald Acuna Jr. with 10.7 points ranked second among Braves players and also second among all National League batters. Braves batters earned 51.6 total points, third among all teams.

Top 5 teams in Box-Toppers points by batters

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers 61.9 (third overall)

  2. Houston Astros 55.4 (sixth overall)

  3. Atlanta Braves 51.6 (second overall)

  4. Tampa Bay Rays 50.7 (fourth overall)

  5. Los Angeles Angels 48.1 (20th overall)

1. Los Angeles Dodgers, most points among batters—61.9

Dodgers batters accumulated exactly half of the team’s Box-Toppers points in 2023 (61.9 of 123.8) with six batters ranking among the team’s top 10 players in points for the season, including:

  • Freddie Freeman (10.0 points, third among Dodgers, 50th overall).

  • James Outman (8.7 points, fourth among Dodgers, 67th overall).

  • Mookie Betts (8.5 points, sixth among Dodgers, 72nd overall).

  • Jason Heyward (7.5 points, seventh among Dodgers, 92nd overall).

  • J.D. Martinez (6.7 points eighth among Dodgers, 116th overall).

  • Max Muncy (5.0 points, ninth among Dodgers, 166th overall).

Pitcher Clayton Kershaw (11.1 points, 33rd overall) and Julio Urias (11.0 points, 36th overall) led Dodgers players in points in 2023.

The 61.9 points accumulated by pitchers was 15th-most among all teams.

Among teams qualifying for the postseason, the Dodgers had the highest percentage of its teams points won by batters—50.0 percent on the nose. However, that 50.0 percent of points earned by batters ranked seventh among all teams.

2. Houston Astros—55.4 points

The Astros had the second-most points earned by batters in 2023, most among American League teams, 55.4 of their 118.9 total points. They ranked sixth overall and their 46.6 percent of points earned by batters was eighth-most among all teams. Six of the Astros top 10 players are batters, led by Kyle Tucker (12.5 points, 23rd overall), who is one of only six batters to lead his team in Box-Toppers points in 2023. Other key Astros batters include:

3. Atlanta Braves—51.6 points

The Braves had the third-most points earned by batters in 2023, 51.6 of their 125.4 total points. They rank second overall and their 41.1 percent of points earned by batters was 12th among all teams. Five of the Braves top 10 players are batters, led by:

  • Ronald Acuna Jr. (10.7 points, second among Braves players, second among NL batters and 41st overall).

  • Marcell Ozuna (7.5 points, sixth among Braves and 90th overall).

  • Eddie Rosario (6.2 points, seventh among Braves and 129th overall).

The Braves are the only team to rank among the top five in points earned by both pitchers (fifth) and batters (third).

4. Tampa Bay Rays—50.7 points

The Rays had the fourth-most points earned by batters in 2023, 50.7 of their 123.6 total points. They rank fourth overall and their 41.0 percent of points earned by batters was 13th among all teams. Four of the Rays top 10 players are batters, led by:

5. Los Angeles Angels—48.1 points

The Los Angeles Angels had the fifth-most points earned by batters in 2023, 48.1 of their 87.8 total points. They rank 20th overall and their 54.8 percent of points earned by batters was third among all teams.

Shohei Ohtani far and away led Angels players with 19.4 Box-Toppers points in 2023 (third overall, second among AL pitchers and first among AL batters). But for this instance, we separate the points he earned as a batter and a pitcher. He earned exactly half his points as a batter (9.7) and half as a pitcher (9.7).

Even separating his points, he led all team batters and team pitchers. He led batters ahead of second-place Brandon Drury whose 7.5 points was second among Angels players, 86th overall. He led team pitchers ahead of second-place Reid Detmers whose 6.7 points was fourth among Angels players, 114th overall. Ohtani is one of six batters to lead his team in Box-Toppers points in 2023. But since he also qualifies to rank as a pitcher, he is also one of 25 pitchers to lead his team in Box-Toppers points.

Pitching-heavy teams generally did better than batting-heavy teams

While four of the top five teams in Box-Toppers points by batters were among those making the postseason, teams that had more than half their total points earned by batters did not make the postseason.

There were six teams in which batters earned more than 50 percent of their team’s Box-Toppers points and they averaged just 69 wins, a .426 winning percentage. Ranked by percentage of team Box-Toppers points won by batters, they are:

  • Colorado Rockies (58.5 percent)

  • St. Louis Cardinals (58.3 percent)

  • Los Angeles Angels (54.8 percent)

  • Kansas City Royals (54.3 percent)

  • New York Mets (52.8 percent)

  • Boston Red Sox (51.0 percent)

Rockies batters earned 33.0 of the team’s 56.4 Box-Toppers points. They ranked 21st among all team batters in Box-Toppers points and their 23.4 points earned by pitchers ranked 30th and last in that category. The Rockies total 56.4 points was 28th among all teams and their 59 wins was third-worst among all teams. Ezequiel Tovar led Rockies players with 6.5 Box-Toppers points (122nd overall) and is one of six batters to lead his team in points in 2023.

For teams like the Rockies, having a batter lead a team’s Box-Toppers points was almost always a negative indicator of overall success. Only one of the six teams with a batter leading a club’s Box-Toppers points made the postseason in 2023: the Houston Astros led by Kyle Tucker (12.5 points). Here is a look at the other four teams led by batters who did not make the postseason:

  • Cardinals—Led by Nolan Gorman (10.0 points).

  • Angels—Led by Shohei Ohtani (9.7). (He also led the team as a pitcher with 9.7 points.)

  • Royals—Led by Bobby Witt Jr. (7.7 points).

  • Athletics—Led by Ryan Noda (6.0 points).

The highest-ranked team among the six with more than half the club’s points earned by batters is the Red Sox, whose 88.6 total Box-Toppers points was 18th among all teams. The worst team among the six is the Royals, whose 55.6 total Box-Toppers points was 29th among all teams.

How postseason teams fared in their points mix

The 12 teams that qualified for the postseason were among the overall top 14 teams in total Box-Toppers points in 2023. The only teams to miss the postseason among the top 14 were the San Diego Padres (10th with 108.1 points) and the Seattle Mariners (13th with 103.7 points).

The 12 postseason teams were among the top 15 in team points earned by pitchers, ranging from first (the Rangers with 85.7 points) to 15th (the Dodgers with 61.9 points). Three of the top 15 pitching teams missed the postseason, including the Mariners (fourth with 75.0 points), the Padres (ninth with 70.2 points) and the Tigers (14th with 62.5 points).

In batting rankings, the 12 teams making the postseason were more widely spread out from first (Dodgers, 61.9 points) to 26th (Blue Jays, 31.0 points). However, 10 of the top 12 batting teams made the postseason, with the exceptions being the Angels (fifth with 48.1 points) and the Red Sox (seventh with 45.2 points).

Analysis

The least successful teams in 2023 were those that relied on batters to provide a majority of the team’s Box-Toppers points.

The six teams with batters providing more than 50 percent of a club’s Box-Toppers points all failed to make the postseason and all finished below .500.

But having pitchers with 50 percent or more of a team’s Box-Toppers point total was no guarantee of success. Twenty-four of the 30 teams had pitchers earning half or more of a team’s points, yet only 12 made the postseason.

The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks, who survived early postseason rounds to play in the World Series, were among the top four postseason teams with the highest percentage of points earned by pitchers.

The World Series champion Rangers ranked second among postseason teams with 66.9 percent of points earned by pitchers (85.7 of 128.1). The only postseason team ahead of them was the Blue Jays—72.9 percent or 83.2 of its 114.2 points earned by pitchers.

The National League champion Diamondbacks ranked fourth among postseason teams with 63.9 percent of points earned by pitchers (65.2 of 102.1), first among NL postseason teams, ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies—63.1 percent (70.8 of 112.2 points).

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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