Barry Zito takes a twilight career break—he was No. 2 AL pitcher in Box-Toppers points twice

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the 11th of the series:

11. Barry Zito

Barry Zito, 35, is taking a year off from pitching but says he is not retired.

Zito won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and was the No. 2 AL pitcher in Box-Toppers points in both 2001 and 2002.

Barry Zito

Here are Barry Zito's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
2000oak al2.0RoY-6
2001oak al18.1BTP-5, BTP-AL pi-2, MVP-21
2002oak al20.1AS, BTP-5, BTP-AL pi-2, CYA-1, MVP-13
2003oak al9.7AS, BTP-49, BTP-AL pi-15
2004oak al5.7 
2005oak al11.4BTP-32, BTP-AL pi-8
2006oak al9.0AS, BTP-72, BTP-AL pi-22
2007sf nl7.0 
2008sf nl6.0 
2009sf nl10.0BTP-48, BTP-NL pi-17
2010sf nl7.7 
2011sf nl1.0 
2012sf nl6.7 
2013sf nl3.0 
Total 117.4BTP-31, BTP-pi-21

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Finish in Rookie of the Year voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

He has 117.4 career Box-Toppers points from 2000 to 2013, ranking 21st among all pitchers and 31st among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).

Zito, who pitched for the Athletics from 2000 to 2006 and for the Giants from 2007 to 2013, has only received Cy Young Award votes once during his career—the year he won the prize. He is a two-time World Series champion with the Giants in 2010 and 2012.

Some career highlights:

• In 2001, he had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers and fifth among all players. However, he received no Cy Young votes that season. Roger Clemens of the Yankees won the AL Cy Young. Clemens had 12.4 Box-Toppers points, sixth among AL pitchers. Zito’s Athletics teammate Tim Hudson, who led AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 18.8, finished sixth in Cy Young voting with one vote.

• In 2002, he had 20.1 Box-Toppers points, his best season, finishing second among AL pitchers and fifth among all players. He won the AL Cy Young. Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox had the most Box-Toppers points among AL pitchers (28.8) and finished second in Cy Young voting.

• In 2003, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 15th among AL pitchers and 49th among all players.

• In 2004, he had 11.4 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL pitchers and 32nd among all players.

• In 2006, he had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 22nd among AL pitchers and 72nd among all players.

• In 2009 with the Giants, he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 17th among National League pitchers and 48th among all players.

Zito had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, two seasons with 15.0 or more and one season with more than 20.0. He has scored at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in each of the 14 seasons he’s played.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Chris Carpenter

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Todd Helton

Todd Helton topped NL batters twice in Box-Toppers points, but never won NL MVP

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the 10th of the series:

10. Todd Helton

Todd Helton never won the Most Valuable Player Award, but was the top National League batter in Box-Toppers points twice and among the top three NL batters four seasons in a row.

Todd Helton

Here are Todd Helton's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1997col nl0.0 
1998col nl7.5 
1999col nl14.7BTP-12, BTP-NL bat-2
2000col nl15.2AS, BTP-11, BTP-NL bat-1, MVP-5
2001col nl17.0AS, BTP-9, BTP-NL bat-1, MVP-9
2002col nl14.0AS, BTP-15, BTP-NL bat-3, MVP-19
2003col nl11.0AS, BTP-32, BTP-NL bat-6, MVP-7
2004col nl6.5AS, BTP-126, BTP-NL bat-32, MVP-16
2005col nl6.5 
2006col nl4.5 
2007col nl5.5 
2008col nl2.0 
2009col nl4.0BTP-259, BTP-NL bat-66, MVP-13
2010col nl2.0 
2011col nl4.5 
2012col nl0.0 
2013col nl1.5 
Total 116.4BTP-33, BTP-bat-12

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-NL bat Finish among all NL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Helton, who retired at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 40, spent his entire 17-year Major League career with the Colorado Rockies. He had 116.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranking third among first basemen in the “all-time” Box-Toppers list (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Ahead of him on the first baseman list—Albert Pujols (159.8) and Carlos Delgado (117.7).

Helton ranks 12th among all batters on Box-Toppers “all-time” list and 33rd among all players.

Helton’s most impressive period of his career was a four-season stretch from 1999 to 2002, when he was among the top three NL batters in Box-Toppers points and was the top batter two straight years, 2000 and 2001:

• In 1999, he had 14.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking second among NL batters and 12th among all players. He finished just behind Barry Bonds of the Giants (15.2). Chipper Jones of the Braves was voted NL MVP. He had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 16th among NL batters. Helton received no MVP votes in 1999.

• In 2000, he had 15.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking first among NL batters and 11th among all players. (Gary Sheffield of the Dodgers was second among NL batters with 14.2.) Jeff Kent of the Giants, who was voted NL MVP, had 12.9 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL batters. Helton finished fifth in NL MVP voting.

• In 2001, Helton’s best season, he had 17.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking first among NL batters and ninth among all players. (Chipper Jones of the Braves was second among NL batters with 16.7.) However, Helton finished ninth in NL MVP voting. Barry Bonds of the Giants, who won the award, had 15.5 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL batters.

• In 2002, he had 14.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking third among NL batters and 15th among all players. He finished 19th in NL MVP voting. Barry Bonds, who won NL MVP voting, was also Box-Toppers’ NL batting leader with 20.7 points.

Other career highlights for Helton:

• In 2003, he had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among NL batters, 32nd among all players. He finished seventh in NL MVP voting.

• In 2004, he had 6.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking 32nd among NL batters and 126th among all players and finished 16th in NL MVP voting.

• In 2009, while he finished 13th in NL MVP voting, he had only 4.0 Box-Toppers points, 66th among NL batters and 259th among all players.

Helton had five consecutive seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points (1999-2003), including two seasons with 15.0 or more (2000 and 2001).

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Barry Zito

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte, retired after 2013, was a Box-Toppers top 10 pitcher in 5 different seasons

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the ninth of the series:

9. Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte, who was among his league’s top 10 pitchers in Box-Toppers points five different seasons, retired at the end of 2013 at the age of 41.

Pettitte had 138.4 Box-Toppers points for his career, ranking 19th among all players and 13th among all pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, Pettitte’s rookie year).

Andy Pettitte

Here are Andy Pettitte's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1995nyy al7.7RoY-3
1996nyy al9.4AS, BTP-54, BTP-AL pi-8, CYA-2, MVP-14
1997nyy al9.7BTP-53, BTP-AL pi-10, CYA-5
1998nyy al7.7 
1999nyy al5.0 
2000nyy al7.7BTP-96, BTP-AL pi-12, CYA-4
2001nyy al5.0AS
2002nyy al11.7BTP-30, BTP-AL pi-8
2003nyy al11.1BTP-31, BTP-AL pi-9, CYA-6
2004hou nl6.0 
2005hou nl12.7BTP-21, BTP-NL pi-8, CYA-5, MVP-24
2006hou nl9.4 
2007nyy al6.0 
2008nyy al8.7 
2009nyy al9.0 
2010nyy al4.7AS
2011retired0.0 
2012nyy al3.0 
2013nyy al4.0 
Total 138.5BTP-19, BTP-pi-13

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Finish in Rookie of the Year voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Pettitte pitched for the Yankees from 1995 to 2003 before moving to the Astros from 2004 to 2006. He rejoined the Yankees from 2007 to 2010 and was retired for the 2011 season before returning to the Yankees for 2012 and 2013.

Some career highlights:

• In 1996, he had 9.4 Box-Toppers points, eighth among American League pitchers and 54th among all players. He finished second in Cy Young Award voting (his highest finish). Pat Hentgen of the Blue Jays won the award—he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points that season, fifth among AL pitchers.

• In 1997, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 10th among AL pitchers and 53rd among all players. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting. Roger Clemens of the Blue Jays won the AL Cy Young. He had 27.4 Box-Toppers points that season, the most of any player.

• In 2000, he had 7.7 Box-Toppers points, 12th among AL pitchers and 96th among all players. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting. Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox won the Cy Young. Martinez had 33.5 Box-Toppers points, the most of any AL pitcher.

• In 2002, he had 11.7 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL pitchers and 30th among all players. He received no Cy Young votes.

• In 2003, he had 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ninth among AL pitchers and 31st among all players. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting. Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays won the Cy Young. Halladay had 14.1 Box-Toppers points, fifth among AL pitchers.

• In 2005, with the Astros, Pettitte had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, a career-high for a season. He finished eighth among National League pitchers and 21st among all players and was fifth in NL Cy Young voting. Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals won the NL Cy Young and had the most Box-Toppers points of any NL pitcher, 21.0.

Pettitte had three seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He came close in four other seasons when he had 9.0 or more points. He scored at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 16 straight seasons (the streak ended when he retired the first time in 2011) and scored at least 1.0 point in each of the 18 seasons in which he was active.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Todd Helton

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt

Retiring Roy Oswalt among best pitchers in Box-Toppers season rankings

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the eighth of the series:

8. Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt

Here are Roy Oswalt's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
2001hou nl17.1BTP-7, BTP-NL pi-4, CYA-5, MVP-22, RoY-2
2002hou nl10.8BTP-42, BTP-NL pi-15, CYA-4, MVP-23
2003hou nl6.0 
2004hou nl13.7BTP-16, BTP-NL pi-8, CYA-3, MVP-23
2005hou nl16.1AS, BTP-9, BTP-NL pi-6, CYA-4, MVP-23
2006hou nl12.4AS, BTP-28, BTP-NL pi-10, CYA-4
2007hou nl6.7AS
2008hou nl11.0BTP-42, BTP-NL pi-17
2009hou nl7.7 
2010hou nl/phi nl17.0BTP-6, BTP-NL pi-3, CYA-6
2011phi nl5.7 
2012tex al3.0 
2013col nl0.0 
Total 127.2BTP-23, BTP-pi-15

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Finish in Rookie of the Year voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Roy Oswalt, who in five different seasons finished among the top 10 National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points and Cy Young Award voting, retired this month after 13 years.

Oswalt, 36, was always one of baseball’s best starting pitchers, but was never “the” very best pitcher, finishing as high as third place in both Cy Young voting and Box-Toppers points among his league’s pitchers. He struggled with injuries from 2011 forward and in 2013, he earned no Box-Toppers points when he pitched nine games for the Colorado Rockies and went 0-6 with an ERA of 8.63.

Oswalt earned 127.2 Box-Toppers points over his career from 2001 to 2013, ranking 23rd among all players and 15th among all pitchers. (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) Oswalt spent his career primarily with the Houston Astros from 2001-2010.

Some career highlights:

• In 2001, Oswalt had 17.1 Box-Toppers points, a career season-high in his rookie year. He finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting, seventh among all players in Box-Toppers points and fourth among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points. (Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks won the NL Cy Young that year and also led all players in Box-Toppers points with 29.4.)

• In 2002, he had 10.8 Box-Toppers points, 15th among all NL pitchers and 42nd among all players. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. (Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks won the NL Cy Young and also led all players in Box-Toppers points with 33.7.)

• In 2004, he had 13.7 Box-Toppers points, eighth among all NL pitchers and 16th among all players. He finished third in NL Cy Young voting. (Astros teammate Roger Clemens won the NL Cy Young that year. Clemens had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, third-most among NL pitchers. Eric Gagne of the Dodgers led NL pitchers in 2004 with 19.7 points.)

• In 2005, Oswalt had 16.1 Box-Toppers points, sixth among NL pitchers and ninth among all players. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. (Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals won the NL Cy Young and had the most Box-Toppers points of any NL pitcher, 21.0.)

• In 2006, Oswalt had 12.4 Box-Toppers points, 10th among NL pitchers and 28th among all players. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. (Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks won the NL Cy Young. Webb had 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ninth among NL pitchers. John Smoltz of the Braves led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 19.1.)

• In 2008, Oswalt had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, 17th among NL pitchers and 42nd among all players. He received no Cy Young Award votes that season.

• In 2010, he had 17.0 Box-Toppers points, beginning the season with the Astros and ending with the Phillies. He ranked third among NL pitchers and sixth among all players. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting. (Phillies teammate Roy Halladay, who also retired after 2013, won the award. Halladay also ranked first among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 23.4.)

Oswalt had seven seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and three seasons with 15.0 or more.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Andy Pettitte

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera

Retired saves king Mariano Rivera ranks as 2nd-best all-time closer in Box-Toppers points

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the seventh of the series:

7. Mariano Rivera

Mariano Rivera, considered the greatest closing pitcher of all time, is only the second-best closer in career Box-Toppers points.

Mariano Rivera

Here are Mariano Rivera's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1995nyy al3.0 
1996nyy al8.4BTP-77, BTP-AL pi-11, CYA-3, MVP-12
1997nyy al5.0AS, MVP-25
1998nyy al4.0 
1999nyy al8.0AS, BTP-82, BTP-AL pi-13, CYA-3, MVP-14
2000nyy al4.0AS
2001nyy al12.0AS, BTP-30, BTP-AL pi-8, MVP-11
2002nyy al4.0AS
2003nyy al6.0MVP-27
2004nyy al5.0AS, BTP-189, BTP-AL pi-37, CYA-3, MVP-9
2005nyy al11.0AS, BTP-37, BTP-AL pi-9, CYA-2, MVP-9
2006nyy al4.0AS, MVP-26
2007nyy al12.0BTP-27, BTP-AL pi-11
2008nyy al14.0AS, BTP-17, BTP-AL pi-8, CYA-5
2009nyy al8.0AS, BTP-84, BTP-AL pi-18, MVP-14
2010nyy al7.0AS
2011nyy al6.0AS, CYA-8
2012nyy al0.0 
2013nyy al5.0AS
Total 126.4BTP-25, BTP-pi-16

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Rivera retired amid great fanfare at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 43. He recorded more saves than any other pitcher with 652. He helped the New York Yankees, the team with which he spent his entire 19-season career, win five World Series championships, earning World Series Most Valuable Player once (in 1999) and American League Championship Series MVP once (in 2003).

And yet, despite all this, Rivera trails one other closing pitcher in all-time Box-Toppers points. Rivera recorded 126.4 Box-Toppers points, ranking 25th among all players and 16th among all pitchers. But ahead of him, with 129.4 Box-Toppers points, ranking 21st among all players and 14th among all pitchers is Trevor Hoffman.

Hoffman, who pitched primarily for the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers from 1993 to 2010, has 601 career saves—he was passed by Rivera in 2011. And even though Rivera was only 3.0 Box-Toppers points from tying him, Hoffman would likely have a higher point total since his career began before Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995—Hoffman picked up 25 of his career saves in 1993 and 1994.

More about the comparison of Rivera and Hoffman ahead, but first a look back at the career of Rivera, who finished among the top 10 in AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points for a season three times during his career. Here are some career highlights:

• In 1996, he had 8.4 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting. (Pat Hentgen of the Blue Jays won the award—he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points that season, fifth among AL pitchers.)

• In 1999, he had 9.0 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox won the award—he had 31.4 Box-Toppers points, the most of any AL pitcher.)

• In 2001, he had 12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among AL pitchers. (He received no Cy Young votes.)

• In 2004, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points and finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins won the award—he had 26.8 Box-Toppers points, the most of any player that season.)

• In 2005, he had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking ninth among AL pitchers and finishing second in Cy Young voting, his highest finish ever. (Bartolo Colon of the Angels won the award—he had 9.4 Box-Toppers points that year, ranking 13th among AL pitchers.)

• In 2007, he had 12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking 11th among AL pitchers. (He received no Cy Young votes.)

• In 2008, he had a career-high-for-a-season 14.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among AL pitchers and finishing fifth in Cy Young voting. (Cliff Lee of the Indians won the award —he had 15.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among AL pitchers.)

• In 2011, he had 6.0 Box-Toppers points and finished eighth in Cy Young voting. (Justin Verlander of the Tigers won the award—he had 24.4 Box-Toppers points, first among AL pitchers.)

Rivera had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He had 17 straight seasons in which he earned at least one Box-Toppers point. That streak was cut short in 2012, when he was injured for the season in May and earned no Box-Toppers points that year. He came back from that injury in 2013 to earn 5.0 Box-Toppers points in his final season.

Rivera vs. Hoffman

Trevor Hoffman

Here are Trevor Hoffman's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1993fla nl/sd nl* 
1994sd nl* 
1995sd nl9.0BTP-42, BTP-NL pi-8
1996sd nl14.7BTP-12, BTP-NL pi-5, CYA-5, MVP-22
1997sd nl14.0BTP-17, BTP-Nl pi-7
1998sd nl11.0AS, BTP-31, BTP-NL pi-12, CYA-2, MVP-7
1999sd nl7.0AS, BTP-111, BTP-NL pi-27, CYA-6, MVP-28
2000sd nl11.0AS, BTP-30, BTP-NL pi-8
2001sd nl12.0BTP-29, BTP-NL pi-13
2002sd nl8.0AS, BTP-88, BTP-NL pi-30
2003sd nl0.0 
2004sd nl8.7BTP-65, BTP-NL pi-22
2005sd nl7.0MVP-17
2006sd nl7.0AS, BTP-115, BTP-NL pi-33, CYA-2, MVP-10
2007sd nl3.0AS
2008sd nl9.0BTP-69, BTP-NL pi-27
2009mil nl7.0AS
2010mil nl1.0 
Total 129.4BTP-21, BTP-pi-14

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Hoffman appeared in 67 games in 1993 and 47 games in 1994, recording 25 of his 601 career saves.

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

So why does Rivera have fewer Box-Toppers points than Hoffman?

First: Box-Toppers measures which player most contributes to a team’s win. While Rivera was with the Yankees, there was a cavalcade of stars who made contributions who regularly edged out Rivera to earn Player of the Game honors (and thus, Box-Toppers points)—Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi … the names roll off the tongue and are among all-time career leaders in Box-Toppers points. But Hoffman did not have as many stars around him (his San Diego teammate Jake Peavy is the only one that comes to mind at present) and so the competition among team members to earn Box-Toppers points was less, allowing Hoffman to, perhaps, put up bigger numbers.

In addition, it’s simply harder for a closer to accumulate a lot of Box-Toppers points. When they pitch only one inning, it is hard for them to amass a large enough Box-Toppers game score in comparison with their teammates. For a closer to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors, they almost have to dominate their inning, striking out the side and allowing no hits, while their teammates either completely fail or make only minor contributions to the win. The closer may only win Player of the Game honors because the starting pitcher got shelled and no batter had a decent hitting line.

Box-Toppers doesn’t give credence to the so-called “clutch” or late-inning situation in which most closers find themselves. In the view of the Box-Toppers statistic, the first inning is as important as the ninth and the first game is as important as the 162nd. So, a closer who pitches one inning and faces just three batters may do it well and may give his team an emotional boost, but it is hard for him to compete statistically with the pitcher who goes seven innings or the batter who makes four plate appearances and gets three hits.

Given all those obstacles, it is really remarkable that Rivera and Hoffman could accumulate so many points over their careers—for comparison here are the next highest-ranked closers on the all-time Box-Toppers points list:

• Billy Wagner (1996-2010), 108.7, ranked 44th overall.

• Troy Percival (1995-2009), 80.7, ranked 102nd overall.

• Rob Nen (1993-2004), 66.0, ranked 157th overall.

Given his status as “saves king” and his reputation for postseason dominance, it may be true to say Rivera is the greatest closer of all time. But it can also be fair to say that Hoffman is actually the closer who contributed most often to his teams’ wins.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Roy Oswalt

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter, retiring at season's end, is Box-Toppers' 2nd-ranked all-time shortstop

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the sixth of the series:

6. Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter said this week he will retire at the end of the 2014 season, ending a 20-year career at the age of 40.

Jeter, who has 76.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranks second among all shortstops (Box-Toppers record keeping began when he made his Major League debut in 1995), 60th among all batters and 121st among all players. He finished among the top 10 American League batters only once (1998) and finished as high as second place in AL Most Valuable Player award voting once (2006). 

Derek Jeter

Here are Derek Jeter's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1995nyy al0.0 
1996nyy al4.5RoY-1
1997nyy al2.0MVP-24
1998nyy al10.0AS, BTP-51, BTP-AL bat-9, MVP-3
1999nyy al2.0AS, BTP-409, MVP-3
2000nyy al2.5AS, BTP-400, MVP-6
2001nyy al5.0AS, BTP-200, MVP-10
2002nyy al5.0AS
2003nyy al2.5MVP-21
2004nyy al8.7AS, BTP-68, BTP-AL bat-16, MVP-3
2005nyy al4.0BTP-238, MVP-10
2006nyy al6.7AS, BTP-135, MVP-2
2007nyy al7.0AS, BTP-112, BTP-AL bat-29, MVP-11
2008nyy al3.0AS
2009nyy al1.0AS, BTP-571, MVP-3
2010nyy al5.0AS
2011nyy al4.5AS
2012nyy al3.0AS, BTP-319, MVP-7
2013nyy al0.0 
Total 76.4BTP-121, BTP-bat-60

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL bat Finish among all AL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting
RoY Rookie of the Year

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Jeter, of course, has spent his entire career with the New York Yankees—so far. (This season has yet to play out, so there’s always the chance Jeter will be dealt to the Astros—or the Red Sox … OK, probably not.)

Miguel Tejada is the only shortstop with more career Box-Toppers points than Jeter. Tejada, currently a free agent who has played primarily for the Athletics and the Orioles, has 102.3 points. Jeter is just ahead of the third-place shortstop on the “all-time” list—Nomar Garciaparra has 74.9 Box-Toppers points.

Jeter’s Box-Toppers point totals seem a little low given his longevity, his profile and his accomplishments—five-time World Series champion, 2000 World Series MVP, 1996 AL Rookie of the Year, membership in the 3,000-hit club (he has 3,316 at present) and Yankees team captain since 2003. Plus, his seasonal point totals are lower than expected given his general Jeterian-ness—he has only one season with 10.0 Box-Toppers points.

Why doesn’t he have more Box-Toppers points? A couple of reasons: Box-Toppers tends to favor players with fat batting lines—lots of hits, runs and runs batted in. No doubt, Jeter has a lot of hits, but because he has hit early in the line-up and because he doesn't necessarily hit for power, he does not rack up RBIs as quickly as some. (For example, Jeter has 1,261 career RBIs over 19 seasons. Just behind him on the all-time RBI list is Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who has nearly as many RBIs as Jeter in just over half the time—1,260 RBIs over 11 seasons.)

Plus, Box-Toppers awards only one player for each game—the one who most contributes to his team’s win. Jeter has had a lot of competition for Player of the Game in a Yankees’ lineup stocked with All-Stars. He played on a team that had a lot of power hitters—Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams, for example. Those players were more likely to drive in runs, which drove the Box-Toppers formula to give them Player of the Game honors more often and thus, earn more Box-Toppers points. 

He also competed for points against some of the all-time great pitchers on his team—Roger Clemens, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. With so much talent around him, competition for Box-Toppers points (though they probably had no idea they were competing for Box-Toppers points!) was fierce.

Shortstops also generally don't receive as many Box-Toppers points because they are hired mainly for their fielding—which Box-Toppers ignores—and not for their bat. That all supposedly changed in the 1980s when Cal Ripken Jr. of the Orioles brought power hitting to the shortstop position (Box-Toppers tracking didn't begin until the end of Ripken's career, but he did record 26.9 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2001.) In the 1990s, three phenom players ran with Ripken's shortstops-that-can-really-hit model—Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, then of the Red Sox and Alex Rodriguez, then of the Mariners.

Garciaparra, as previously mentioned, accumulated 74.9 Box-Toppers points from 1996 to 2009 (though late in his career, he played first and third base). Rodriguez played shortstop for his first eight seasons with the Mariners and the Rangers, racking up 87.5 Box-Toppers points over that time, which is more than the 76.4 Jeter has over 19 seasons. Rodriguez switched to third base in deference to Jeter when he signed with the Yankees in 2004 and has accumulated 91.8 more Box-Toppers points over those 10 seasons, giving him 179.3 for his career. But the most successful shortstop of the Box-Toppers era (since 1995) is none of those three, but Miguel Tejada, with 102.3 points (a few of the points earned while playing third base and designated hitter).

On Box-Toppers all-time batting ranks, Jeter ranks 60th, just behind these five players—John Olerud (77.8), Shawn Green (77.6), Edgar Martinez (77.5), Mark McGwire (77.3) and Travis Hafner (76.9). He is just ahead of these five players—Pat Burrell (76.0), Jermaine Dye (76.0), Vernon Wells (75.8), Luis Gonzalez (75.3) and Garciaparra (74.9).

Jeter scored at least one Box-Toppers point in 17 straight seasons, from 1996 until 2012. He did not score any points in his injury-shortened 2013 season, ending the streak. Some other career highlights for Jeter:

• In 1998, he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points, the most he had in any season. He finished ninth among all AL batters and 51st among all players in Box-Toppers points, both rankings were his highest for a season. He finished third in AL MVP voting. (The winner, Juan Gonzalez of the Rangers, had 16.3 Box-Toppers points, second among AL batters to Albert Belle of the White Sox with 16.4.)

• In 1999, he had only 2.0 Box-Toppers points, but finished third in AL MVP voting.

• In 2004, he had 8.7 Box-Toppers points and was again third in AL MVP voting. (Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels was voted MVP. He had 14.4 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all AL players.)

• In 2006, he had 6.7 Box-Toppers points and was second in AL MVP voting, his highest finish. (Justin Morneau of the Twins was voted MVP—he had 12.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all AL batters.)

• In 2007, he had 7.0 Box-Toppers points and was 11th in AL MVP voting.

• In 2009, he had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point and was ranked 571st among all players in Box-Toppers season rankings. Yet, he still finished third in AL MVP voting.

Jeter’s Box-Toppers numbers often don’t correlate well with baseball writers voting for MVP, especially in years like 2009, when Jeter had but 1.0 Box-Toppers point, yet finished third in MVP voting. Again, Jeter’s point totals may have been kept low because he has not been a power hitter and has competed with an all-star Yankee line-up for points. But Jeter’s play was often spectacular, flipping impossible relays, diving into stands for a foul ball, hitting dramatic World Series-game winning homers. It’s hard to ignore that, but unless it shows up in a box score batting line during a regular season game, Box-Toppers does, indeed, ignore it. Plus, Jeter had the squishy intangibles working in his favor—he was a clubhouse leader, a heckuva guy writers liked and fans admired. Box-Toppers really doesn’t pay attention to that either. It also doesn’t hurt that Jeter is playing in New York and able to attract a lot of attention. But Box-Toppers doesn’t award bonus points for performing well in the media hub of the world.

Box-Toppers is another metric through which players can be compared. Jeter has done well in Box-Toppers points, not so much as a dominant player season-by-season, but more for his long-term legacy and for what he has accomplished over a two-decade career.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Mariano Rivera

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome

Jim Thome, 6th-ranked batter in Box-Toppers points, seems retired, but hints at return in '14

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the fifth of the series:

5. Jim Thome

Jim Thome

Here are Jim Thome's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1991cle al* 
1992cle al* 
1993cle al* 
1994cle al* 
1995cle al5.0 
1996cle al16.2BTP-6, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-15
1997cle al8.5AS, BTP-65, BTP-AL bat-18, MVP-6
1998cle al8.5AS, BTP-82, BTP-AL bat-19, MVP-21
1999cle al8.0AS
2000cle al11.5BTP-27, BTP-AL bat-8
2001cle al9.2BTP-78, BTP-AL bat-16, MVP-7
2002cle al16.0BTP-7, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-7
2003phi nl10.5BTP-40, BTP-NL bat-8, MVP-4
2004phi nl6.5AS, BTP-127, BAT-NL bat-33, MVP-19
2005phi nl1.0 
2006chi al7.7AS, BTP-104, BTP-AL bat-24, MVP-12
2007chi al7.0 
2008chi al7.5 
2009chi al/lad nl10.4BTP-45, BTP-NL bat-7
2010min al5.2BTP-190, BTP-AL bat-41, MVP-18
2011min al/cle al5.5 
2012phi nl/bal al2.5 
2013did not play0.0 
Total 146.7BTP-17, BTP-bat-6

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Thome played 27 games in 1991, 40 games in 1992, 47 in 1993 and 98 in 1994.
AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL bat Finish among all AL batters in BTP
BTP-NL bat Finish among all NL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Jim Thome, who ranks sixth among all batters in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995), was among the season’s overall top 10 players twice and among his league’s top 10 batters in five different seasons.

Thome, 43, last played in the Major Leagues in 2012 for the Baltimore Orioles, worked in the front office for the Chicago White Sox in 2013 and in 2014, the Cleveland Indians will erect a statue in his honor. He seems retired. But during 2013, he was listed as a free agent all season. And in December, he said he would not rule out a comeback in 2014.

So if he is done, he leaves among the top 10 of all batters in Box-Toppers points. He has 146.7 points, ranking sixth among all batters and 17th among all players. (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, so Thome’s first four seasons in the big leagues are unrecorded by Box-Toppers—he played 27 games in 1991, 40 games in 1992, 47 in 1993 and 98 in 1994.)

Thome never won a league Most Valuable Player honor (his highest finish in voting was 2003, when he finished fourth in National League voting with the Philadelphia Phillies). Thome also never ranked first among batters in his league in Box-Toppers points (his best finish was ranking second among American League batters in 2002 with the Cleveland Indians).

Among Thome’s best seasons:

• 1996 with the Indians: He had 16.2 Box-Toppers points, a career-high for a season. He ranked sixth among all players and third among AL batters—finishing behind then-teammate Albert Belle (20.4) and Mo Vaughn of the Boston Red Sox (18.6). Thome finished in 15th place in AL MVP voting.

• 2000 with the Indians: He had 11.5 Box-Toppers points, finishing eighth among all AL batters and 27th overall. (Frank Thomas of the White Sox was first among AL batters with 17.9 points.)

• 2002 with the Indians: He had 16.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking seventh among all players and second among AL batters. (Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees finished ahead of him with 17.0 Box-Toppers points.) Thome finished seventh in AL MVP voting that year.

• 2003 with the Phillies: He had 10.5 Box-Toppers points, ranking eighth among NL batters and 40th among all players. He finished fourth in NL MVP voting.

• 2009 with the White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers: He had 10.4 Box-Toppers points, ranking seventh among NL batters and 45th among all players.

Thome had 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points in a season five different times. He scored more than 15.0 in a season twice.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Derek Jeter

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana

Johan Santana, Box-Toppers' dominant player in mid-2000s, attempting comeback after injury

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the fourth of the series:

4. Johan Santana

Johan Santana was Box-Toppers’ dominant player in the mid-2000s as he led all players in Box-Toppers points three consecutive years and all American League pitchers for four straight years.

Santana, 34, missed the entire 2013 season after re-injuring his shoulder and undergoing surgery. He missed the 2011 season with a similar injury and there are questions whether he will be able to continue pitching. He is currently an unsigned free agent.

Johan Santana

Here are Johan Santana's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Award voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
2000min al0.0 
2001min al1.7 
2002min al10.0 
2003min al10.7CYA-7
2004min al26.8BTP-1, CYA-1, MVP-6
2005min al24.1AS, BTP-1, CYA-3
2006min al25.7AS, BTP-1, CYA-1, MVP-7
2007min al18.1AS, CYA-5, BTP-4, BTP-AL pi-1
2008nym nl15.4BTP-9, BTP-NL pi-5, CYA-3, MVP-14
2009nym nl11.4 
2010nym nl12.0 
2011nym nl0.0 
2012nym nl10.7 
2013nym nl0.0 
Total 166.6BTP-8, BTP-pi-6

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Santana has 166.6 Box-Toppers points, putting him in eighth place among players on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” rankings (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995) and sixth among all pitchers. At the end of 2013, he ranked third among all active pitchers, behind CC Sabathia (172.3) and Roy Halladay (170.7), who announced his retirement in December.

Santana’s Box-Toppers numbers suggest he should have won four straight American League Cy Young Awards while pitching for the Minnesota Twins from 2004 through 2007, however, he only won two. He led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and led all AL pitchers in points in 2007:

• In 2004, his best season, he earned 26.8 Box-Toppers points, more than any other player that year, won the Cy Young Award and also finished sixth in AL Most Valuable Player voting. (Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels was voted MVP. He had 14.4 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all AL players.)

• In 2005, Santana had 24.1 Box-Toppers points, more than any other player that season. However, he finished third in AL Cy Young voting. (Bartolo Colon of the Angels won the Cy Young—he had 9.4 Box-Toppers points that year, ranking 13th among AL pitchers.)

• In 2006, Santana had 25.7 Box-Toppers points, again more than any other player that year, winning the AL Cy Young Award and finishing seventh in AL MVP voting. (Twins teammate Justin Morneau was voted MVP—he had 12.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all AL batters.)

• In 2007, Santana had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, the most of any AL pitcher and the fourth most of any player. However, he finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting, with only one vote. (CC Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians won the award—he had 13.1 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL pitchers.)

Santana moved to the New York Mets in 2008 and while he finished fifth among National League pitchers and ninth among all players in Box-Toppers points with 15.4, he has never again equalled the success he had over the previous four years with the Twins.

However, when he has been healthy and active, he has surpassed 10.0 Box-Toppers points each season—he has 10 such seasons in his 14-year career. He surpassed 15.0 points in five seasons and scored more than 20.0 points in three seasons. 

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Jim Thome

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez, hinting at baseball comeback at 41, ranks second among all batters in career Box-Toppers points

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the third of the series:

3. Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez was Box-Toppers’ top American League batter in 1999 and ranks second in Box-Toppers points among all batters since 1995, trailing only Alex Rodriguez.

Manny Ramirez

Here are Manny Ramirez' Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Most Valuable Player Award voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1993cle al* 
1994cle al* 
1995cle al11.0AS, BTP-23, BTP-AL bat-7, MVP-12
1996cle al5.7 
1997cle al7.7 
1998cle al16.2AS, BTP-10, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-6
1999cle al19.9AS, BTP-3, BTP-AL bat-1, MVP-3
2000cle al13.2AS, BTP-19, BTP-AL bat-5, MVP-6
2001bos al7.0AS, BTP-111, BTP-AL bat-22, MVP-9
2002bos al12.5AS, BTP-25, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-9
2003bos al7.9AS, BTP-92, BTP-AL bat-27, MVP-6
2004bos al11.2AS, BTP-26, BTP-AL bat-5, MVP-3
2005bos al14.0AS, BTP-15, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-4
2006bos al10.0AS, BTP-51, BTP-AL bat-11, MVP-18
2007bos al7.5AS
2008bos al/lad nl13.9AS, BTP-18, BTP-NL bat-3, MVP-4
2009lad nl5.5 
2010lad nl/chi al4.0 
2011tb al0.0 
Total 167.2BTP-7, BTP-bat-2

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Ramirez played 22 games in 1993 and 91 games in 1994.
AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL bat Finish among all AL batters in BTP
BTP-NL bat Finish among all NL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Ramirez, 41, is No. 3 on Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them look at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. (See previous posts about Alex Rodriguez and Roy Halladay.) Reports say Ramirez is interested in making a comeback in 2014, though he hasn’t played in the Major Leagues since 2011. 

He retired that year (after playing five games for the Tampa Bay Rays) rather than face a 100-game suspension for his second violation of baseball’s drug policy. He attempted comebacks in both 2012 and 2013, never making it to the big leagues. Most recently, in July 2013, he signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers but was released in August.

 Ramirez accumulated 167.2 Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 2010. (He also played 22 games in 1993 and 91 games in 1994, before Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) He ranks seventh among all players on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” list (since 1995) and second among all batters (Rodriguez, first among batters, has 179.3 points).

Ramirez never won a league Most Valuable Player Award, though he finished in the top 10 in voting nine times, finishing as high as third place twice in AL MVP voting (1999 with the Cleveland Indians and 2004 with the Boston Red Sox).

However, Ramirez led AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 1999 with 19.9, his best season. Ramirez finished third in AL MVP voting that year. Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers was voted MVP—he had 14.2 Box-Toppers points that year, in sixth among AL batters. Ramirez was third in overall Box-Toppers points in 1999, behind only pitcher Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks (31.5 points) and pitcher Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox (31.4 points).

Ramirez was among the top 10 batters in his league in Box-Toppers points eight different times—seven times in the AL and once, in 2008 in the National League when he finished his season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He was among the top 10 overall players in Box-Toppers points twice—in 1999, as previously mentioned, and in 1998, when he finished in 10th place overall with 16.2 points. He had nine seasons with more than 10.0 Box-Toppers points.

Ramirez was suspended 50 games in 2009 for violating baseball’s performance enhancing drug policy. He was suspended a second time under the policy in 2011 and faced a 100-game suspension. He chose to retire instead. When he attempted a comeback in 2012, he was able to reach an agreement to reduce that suspension to 50 games.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Johan Santana

Retiring Roy Halladay was No. 2 among active pitchers in Box-Toppers points

One in a series

One in a series

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the second of the series:

2. Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay won the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues. He was Box-Toppers’ top NL pitcher in 2010 and among the top five pitchers in his league in Box-Toppers points in six different seasons.

Roy Halladay

Here are Roy Halladay's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1998tor al2.0 
1999tor al4.7 
2000tor al0.0 
2001tor al6.7 
2002tor al12.7AS, BTP-24, BTP-AL pi-6
2003tor al14.1AS, BTP-15, BTP-AL pi-5, CYA-1
2004tor al6.7 
2005tor al16.4AS, BTP-8, BTP-AL pi-3
2006tor al8.7AS, BTP-79, BTP-AL pi 25, CYA-3
2007tor al11.4BTP-36, BTP-AL pi-14, CYA-5
2008tor al15.7AS, BTP-7, BTP-AL pi-3, CYA-2
2009tor al16.4AS, BTP-10, BTP-AL pi 5, CYA-5
2010phi nl23.4AS, BTP-2, BTP-NL pi-1, CYA-1, MVP-6
2011phi nl24.1AS, BTP-4, BTP-NL pi-3, CYA-2, MVP-9
2012phi nl6.7 
2013phi nl1.0 
Total 170.7BTP-6, BTP-pi-5

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Halladay, 36, announced his retirement on Dec. 9, 2013, after injuries cut short his 2013 season. He is No. 2 on Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them look at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. (See previous post about No. 1 on the list: Alex Rodriguez.)

Over 16 seasons, Halladay racked up 170.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth on the “all-time” list (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He ranks fifth among all pitchers on the “all-time” list and was second among active pitchers until his retirement. (CC Sabathia passed Halladay on the “all-time” active pitcher’s list during the 2013 season and now has 172.3 Box-Toppers points.)

At his retirement, Halladay ceremonially signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team where he began his career in 1998. In 2003, he won the American League Cy Young Award with the Blue Jays. However, that year he finished fifth among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 14.1. (Pedro Martinez was the top AL pitcher in Box-Toppers points with 23.4; he finished third in Cy Young voting.)

Halladay moved to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 and won the National League Cy Young Award that year. He also finished first among all NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 23.4—he was second among all players (finishing behind pitcher Jon Lester of the Red Sox, who also had 23.4 Box-Toppers points, but who held the advantage in a tie-breaker).

Halladay’s best year in Box-Toppers points was 2011, when he accumulated 24.1 points. However, he finished third among NL pitchers (Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers had 26.1) and fourth among all players.

Halladay was among the top 10 pitchers in his league in Box-Toppers points in six different seasons (2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). He was among the overall top 10 players in Box-Toppers points five times (2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011). He scored more than 20.0 Box-Toppers points in a season twice, more than 15.0 five times and more than 10.0 eight times.

His numbers fell off in 2012 and in 2013, he scored only 1.0 Box-Toppers point on April 19 when he pitched a rain-shortened complete game and was Box-Toppers’ Player of the Game in an 8-2 win over the Cardinals.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Coming next in the series: Manny Ramirez

Alex Rodriguez leads Box-Toppers' series on players who have (or may have) played their final game

First in a series

First in a series

It is rare for a baseball player to have the luxury of a formal news conference to announce his retirement. It is rare if they even issue a press release.

Most players who are skillful and lucky enough to make it even to the big leagues toil in relative obscurity. Their career fades, they are released, they are designated for assignment, no other team signs them—and the fact that their career is over is an almost personal, private matter that an overwhelming majority of the time goes unregistered even on baseball’s copious and comprehensive transactions wires.

Alex Rodriguez

Here are Alex Rodriguez' Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in Most Valuable Player Award voting.

YearTeamBTP Notes
1994sea al* 
1995sea al0.0 
1996sea al11.2AS, BTP-32, BTP-AL bat-9, MVP-2
1997sea al6.2AS
1998sea al5.0AS, MVP-9
1999sea al13.7BTP-18, BTP-AL bat-7, MVP-15
2000sea al17.0AS, BTP-7, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-3
2001tex al12.5AS, BTP-25, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-6
2002tex al15.2AS, BTP-11, BTP-AL bat-4, MVP-2
2003tex al6.7AS, BTP-121, BTP-AL bat-33, MVP-1
2004nyy al4.5AS, MVP-14
2005nyy al11.9AS, BTP-28, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-1
2006nyy al12.5AS, BTP-27, BTP-AL bat-6, MVP-13
2007nyy al18.9AS, BTP-2, BTP-AL bat-1, MVP-1
2008nyy al11.2AS, BTP-34, BTP-AL bat-3, MVP-8
2009nyy al6.9MVP-10
2010nyy al13.7AS, BTP-23, BTP-AL bat-2, MVP-15
2011nyy al4.7AS
2012nyy al4.5 
2013nyy al3.0 
Total 179.3BTP-4, BTP-bat-1

* Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. Rodriguez played 17 games in 1994.
AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL bat Finish among all AL batters in BTP
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Many players active in 2013 will not play in 2014. Some notable players have been given the grand treatment of a formal retirement, with ceremonies, gifts, retrospectives and news conferences—namely Mariano Rivera, Todd Helton and Roy Halladay. But other players may not be back in 2014. Some players may be limited by injury (Johan Santana). Some who still want to play another year may be limited by age (Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez, both of whom did not play in 2013). And some may be limited by drug suspension (Alex Rodriguez and maybe Manny Ramirez, come to think of it).

Here is the first in a series of Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them look at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. Not every player in this series has announced his retirement. In fact, some are continuing to try to play—even if they haven’t been on active rosters for more than a year.

 

1. Alex Rodriguez

The New York Yankees third baseman has been suspended for the upcoming season under baseball’s drug policy. His legal challenge to the suspension has been given a poor chance of succeeding. The soonest he could come back to the game is 2015, when he will be 39.

So the question is: Even if and when he is cleared to return to baseball, will he? Will he be too old? Will any team be willing to let someone so thoroughly viewed as a pariah actually take the field? Will shame for his transgressions keep him away? (Yeah, that one seemed unlikely to me, too.)

Is it possible that we’ve seen the last of A-Rod in baseball?

If so, then baseball loses the player who most helped his team to more wins than any other active player, according to Box-Toppers statistics. Rodriguez is the active leader in Box-Toppers points with 179.3, ahead of Yankees teammate and starting pitcher CC Sabathia, with 172.3.

Since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, Rodriguez is also the leading batter in points, ahead of Manny Ramirez with 167.2. Rodriguez ranks fourth on the “all-time” Box-Toppers points list among all players (from 1995 to 2013).

Rodriguez’ career began just before Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995—he played 17 games in 1994.

He is a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, in 2003 with the Texas Rangers and in 2005 and 2007 with the Yankees. However, only once did he lead the league in Box-Toppers points—in 2007, he led AL players with 18.9  and was ranked second overall to then-San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy with 23.4 points.

Also in 2007, he accumulated more Box-Toppers points than he did in any other season with 18.9. It was one of three seasons where he had more than 15.0 Box-Toppers points and one of 10 seasons where he had more than 10.0 points.

Rodriguez finished twice among all players in Box-Toppers’ top 10 list for the season. In 2000, he ranked seventh among all players with 17.0 and in 2007, as mentioned previously, he finished second.

He finished in the top 10 among all American League batters on the season-ending list 10 times, finishing as high as second three times (in 2000 with 17.0 Box-Toppers points, in 2001 with 12.5 and in 2010 with 13.7).

Interestingly, two of his three MVP seasons were far from his best in terms of Box-Toppers points:

• In 2003, Rodriguez was voted MVP though he scored only 6.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 121st among all players and 33rd among AL batters. (Carlos Delgado was Box-Toppers’ top AL batter with 17.7; he finished second in AL MVP voting.)

• In 2005, Rodriguez was voted MVP though he scored 11.9 Box-Toppers points, ranked 28th among all players and sixth among AL batters. (David Ortiz was Box-Toppers’ top AL batter with 14.7; he finished second in AL MVP voting.)

The past three seasons have seen Rodriguez’ Box-Toppers numbers fall off, scoring fewer than 5.0 each year. In 2013, he scored 3.0 Box-Toppers points, however, he played only 44 games, limited by injury and playing all his games while appealing his 211-game drug suspension (later reduced to 162 games).

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

 

Coming next in the series: Roy Halladay