Detroit Tigers take Box-Toppers power rankings lead back from Los Angeles Dodgers

The Detroit Tigers have retaken the top spot in Box-Toppers power rankings, passing the leader for the previous two weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In this, the penultimate (and also next-to-last) look at team power rankings before the end of the season, Tigers players have accumulated 118.9 Box-Toppers points. They were the hottest team in the American League during the past week, picking up 6.2 Box-Toppers points. In addition, the three top AL players in Box-Toppers points are Tigers: 

• Pitcher Max Scherzer has 17.1 Box-Toppers points, leads all AL players and is in sixth place overall in player rankings.
• Pitcher Anibal Sanchez has 17.1 points and is in seventh place overall in player rankings.
• Third baseman Miguel Cabrera has 16.9 points, leads all AL batters and is in eight place overall in player rankings. 

This marks a return to the top spot for the Tigers. They were in first in Box-Toppers rankings for four straight weeks, the last time Aug. 29, before losing the top spot to the surging Dodgers the past two weeks.

The Dodgers remain the top National League team with 117.7 Box-Toppers points, though they only scored 2.5 over the past week, falling from first to second place overall.

The hottest team of the past week, the San Diego Padres, picked up 7.7 Box-Toppers points and now have 79.3 points, in 22nd place overall. 

Several teams contending for playoff berths had relatively bad weeks. The New York Yankees picked up only 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving them 96.7 in 14th place overall. The Texas Rangers picked up only 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving them 104.0, slipping from eighth to 10th in rankings. The Atlanta Braves also picked up only 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving them 101.5, slipping from 10th to 11th place. 

The team with the best actual winning percentage, the Boston Red Sox (.604), maintained their spot in third place in Box-Toppers power rankings and are 1.7 points behind the Tigers, within striking distance of catching them during the upcoming final week of the season.

The Braves have the best actual record in the NL (.592), but are in 11th place in Box-Toppers rankings, behind four other NL teams. 

The Box-Toppers-power-rankings-leader Tigers are tied for the fourth-best record in baseball (.582). 

The St. Louis Cardinals, who led Box-Toppers team power rankings much of the season, remain in fourth place overall and second in the NL, with 113.4 Box-Toppers points. They are 4.3 points behind the NL-leading Dodgers, giving them an outside chance to take the NL lead during the final week of the season.

Top 10 teams

Through Thursday, Sept. 19

919	Top 10 Teams	BTP	BTP/wk	Last week rank
1	Tigers	118.9	6.2	2
2	Dodgers	117.7	2.5	1
3	Red Sox	117.2	5.5	3
4	Cardinals	113.4	5.0	4
5	Rays	109.1	5.0	7
6	Pirates	108.6	2.7	5
7	Reds	108.2	4.0	6
8	Athletics	107.1	5.7	9
9	Indians	104.9	5.5	11
10	Rangers	104.0	2.0	8

BTP: Box-Toppers points total. Accumulated points of all players on team in 2013 season.

BTP/wk: Box-Toppers points for the team for the past week, through games on Thursday.

Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers make trades, pass St. Louis Cardinals in Box-Toppers team rankings

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers weekly team standings as of Thursday, Aug. 1:

The Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers, with the help of deadline trades, have knocked the St. Louis Cardinals off the top of Box-Toppers team rankings for the first time since May 10. 

Boston is now atop the rankings, followed by Detroit, while St. Louis, last week's leader, falls to third place. 

Red Sox players have accumulated the most Box-Toppers points this season with 84.0, rising from fourth place last week. The Tigers are close behind with 83.9 points. The Cardinals remain the top team in the National League with 82.2 points. 

The Red Sox and the Tigers both tied for the hottest team of the week, each picking up 11.5 points. The Red Sox, by acquiring starting pitcher Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox, picked up the 6.0 Box-Toppers points he's earned so far this year. And the Tigers, by acquiring closer pitcher Jose Veras from the Houston Astros, also picked up the 6.0 points he's earned so far this year.

(Both teams who traded away the star players, the White Sox and the Astros, are at the bottom of the Box-Toppers team rankings. The White Sox are in 29th place with 40.6 points and the Astros are in 30th place with 31.7 points.) 

The Cardinals, who had a seemingly insurmountable lead of 7.5 points last week, only picked up 1.5 points over the week. Among the top 10 teams, only the Cincinnati Reds, which picked up 1.0 point over the week, did worse, falling from third place to 10th. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers, which languished most of the season and only last week debuted in the top 10, now has the second-highest Box-Toppers point total among NL teams. 

Top 10 teams

801	Top 10 Teams	BTP	BTP/wk	Last week rank
1	Red Sox	84.0	11.5	4
2	Tigers	83.9	11.5	5
3	Cardinals	82.2	1.5	1
4	Rays	81.2	8.0	2
5	Indians	77.8	8.2	7
6	Orioles	77.6	8.0	6
7	Dodgers	76.0	6.7	8
8	Athletics	74.2	5.5	9
9	Rangers	73.8	5.5	10
10	Reds	73.8	1.0	3

BTP: Box-Toppers points total. Accumulated points of all players on team in 2013 season.

BTP/wk: Box-Toppers points for the team for the past week, through games on Thursday. 

St. Louis Cardinals hold top spot in Box-Toppers team rankings as of July 25; Rays top all AL teams

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers weekly team standings as of Thursday, July 25:

The St. Louis Cardinals continue to hold the top spot in Box-Toppers team rankings for the 11th straight time, but the Tampa Bay Rays have risen to take the top spot among American League teams.

Cardinals players have accumulated the most Box-Toppers points this season with 80.7. The Rays, with 73.2 points, passed the previous AL leader Boston Red Sox, who fell to fourth overall with 72.5 points.

The Kansas City Royals were the hottest team of the past week, picking up 7.9 Box-Toppers points, giving them 54.1 points, rising to 23rd place overall.

The Cincinnati Reds were the hottest NL team of the past week, picking up 7.2 points and rising from seventh place to third, with 72.8 points.

The Los Angeles Dodgers (a preseason pick to win the World Series by some ...) made their debut in the Box-Toppers top 10 team list, picking up 6.5 points over the past week, giving them 69.3 points, moving from 11th to eighth place overall. 

Top 10 teams

725	Top 10 Teams	BTP	BTP/wk	Last week rank
1	Cardinals	80.7	6.5	1
2	Rays	73.2	6.0	4
3	Reds	72.8	7.2	7
4	Red Sox	72.5	3.5	2
5	Tigers	72.4	5.0	3
6	Orioles	69.6	5.5	9
7	Indians	69.6	3.4	5
8	Dodgers	69.3	6.5	11
9	Athletics	68.7	3.0	6
10	Rangers	68.3	4.0	8

BTP: Box-Toppers points total. Accumulated points of all players on team in 2013 season.

BTP/wk: Box-Toppers points for the team for the past week, through games on Thursday. 

St. Louis Cardinals regroup, reaffirm top spot in Box-Toppers team rankings

The St. Louis Cardinals' hold atop Box-Toppers team rankings seemed to be slipping a little more than a week ago—but they've regrouped and reaffirmed their top spot for the 10th straight time.

On July 5, their dominant lead had narrowed to 2.7 Box-Toppers points, they fell to second place in their division and no longer had the best record in baseball. 

But nine days later, July 14, at the All-Star break, the Cardinals again have the best record in baseball (.613), have regained the National League Central division lead from the Pittsburgh Pirates (leading by a game) and have increased their overall lead in Box-Toppers points—they now lead the second-place Boston Red Sox by 5.2 points.

Cardinals players have accumulated the most Box-Toppers points this season with 74.2. The Red Sox maintain their spot as the top American League team with 69.0 and also have the best overall record in the AL (.598).

The Los Angeles Dodgers were team of the week (or rather, the extended week from Friday, July 5 through the All-Star break's final games on Sunday, July 14). The Dodgers (Box-Toppers preseason pick to win the World Series), picked up 11.7 Box-Toppers points over the period, moving from 14th to 11th place overall, giving them 62.8 points for the season.

The Dodgers picked up 3.7 of those points by acquiring starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco from the Marlins on July 6. Nolasco has since picked up another Box-Toppers point when he was Player of the Game for the Dodgers on July 9. 

The Tampa Bay Rays also made a big climb this week, from 11th to fourth in the standings, picking up 10.7 Box-Toppers points, giving them 67.2 for the season.

714	Top 10 Teams	BTP	BTP/wk	Last week rank
1	Cardinals	74.2	7.5	1
2	Red Sox	69.0	5.0	2
3	Tigers	67.4	6.5	4
4	Rays	67.2	10.7	11
5	Indians	66.2	8.9	9
6	Athletics	65.7	7.5	7
7	Reds	65.6	4.5	3
8	Rangers	64.3	5.7	5
9	Orioles	64.1	6.0	8
10	Pirates	63.3	5	6

BTP: Box-Toppers points total. Accumulated points of all players on team in 2013 season.

BTP/wk: Box-Toppers points for the team for the past week—or in this case, from Friday, July 5 through Sunday, July 14.

Though no longer leading their division, St. Louis Cardinals remain top Box-Toppers team

Despite falling to second place in their own division, the St. Louis Cardinals remain the top team in Box-Toppers rankings for the ninth straight week.

The Pittsburgh Pirates passed the Cardinals atop the National League Central division standings and have the best record in baseball (.619), but are still behind the Cardinals in Box-Toppers points, ranking in sixth place overall.

Cardinals players have accumulated the most Box-Toppers points this season, 66.7. Their lead continued to narrow over the second-place team, the Boston Red Sox (64.0). Two weeks ago, they led the Red Sox by 8.2 points and now lead only by 2.7. 

The Red Sox have the second-best win-loss record in baseball, behind the Pirates, at .609 and the best record in the American League.

The Baltimore Orioles are top team of the week, picking up 9.4 Box-Toppers points and rising to eighth place in team rankings. The bulk of those points came when the Orioles this week acquired closing pitcher Scott Feldman from the Chicago Cubs. Feldman has 5.7 points and brings his Box-Toppers points to the Orioles.  (The Cubs, meanwhile, had a net loss of 1.7 points over the week because of the trade.)

The Cardinals lead the Pirates in Box-Toppers points mainly because Cardinals players, especially pitchers, tend to earn bonus points by being top player or batter of the day overall or in their league.

The Cardinals are led by pitchers Shelby Miller (11.4 Box-Toppers points), Adam Wainwright (10.7) and Lance Lynn (9.4). The Pirates, meanwhile, are led by third baseman Pedro Alvarez (6.2 points), pitcher Francisco Liriano (5.0) and pitcher Jeff Locke (5.0). 

704	Top 10 Teams	BTP	BTP/wk	Last week rank
1	Cardinals	66.7	3.5	1
2	Red Sox	64.0	5.0	2
3	Reds	61.1	5.5	5
4	Tigers	60.9	4.7	3
5	Rangers	58.6	3.0	4
6	Pirates	58.3	3.0	6
7	Athletics	58.2	4.0	7
8	Orioles	58.1	9.4	Not ranked
9	Indians	57.3	6.0	9
10	Nationals	56.7	5.2	8

BTP: Box-Toppers points total. Accumulated points of all players on team in 2013 season.

BTP/wk: Box-Toppers points for the team for the past week, through games on Thursday.

Despite bad week, St. Louis Cardinals still top Box-Toppers team rankings

Despite being the Major League's most lackluster team of the week, the St. Louis Cardinals are still atop Box-Toppers team rankings for the eighth straight week. 

The Cardinals picked up only 1.0 Box-Toppers point over the week, but still have accumulated 63.2 points, the most of any team this season. 

However, their lead narrowed over the second-place team, the Boston Red Sox. Last week, the Cards led by 8.2 points and this week they lead by 4.2 points. The Red Sox picked up 5.0 Box-Toppers points over the week and have 59.0 for the season. 

The top team for the week, the Los Angeles Dodgers, picked up 8.9 points in the past week, giving them 45.6 points for the season, putting them in 16th place overall. 

The Dodgers and last week's top team, the Toronto Blue Jays were Box-Toppers' preseason World Series picks. Both teams started slow but have improved in June. The Blue Jays, with 46.5 points, are now in 15th place overall. 

The Texas Rangers were the American League's top team of the week, picking up 6.5 Box-Toppers points, giving them 55.6 for the season. They jump from seventh to fourth in team rankings.

Box-Toppers' top team, the Cardinals, are tied with the Pirates for the best winning percentage in baseball at .615. The Pirates, however, are in sixth place in Box-Toppers rankings. The Cardinals are led by pitchers Shelby Miller (11.4 Box-Toppers points), Lance Lynn (9.4) and Adam Wainwright (8.7).

Box-Toppers' top AL team, the Red Sox, also have the best winning percentage in the AL, .593. The Red Sox are led by pitcher Clay Buchholz (10.1 Box-Toppers points), designated hitter David Ortiz (5.2) and pitcher Jon Lester (4.7). 

627	Top 10 Teams	BTP	BTP/wk	Last week rank
1	Cardinals	63.2	1.0	1
2	Red Sox	59.0	5.0	2
3	Tigers	56.2	2.7	4
4	Rangers	55.6	6.5	7
5	Reds	55.6	2.0	3
6	Pirates	55.3	5.0	5
7	Athletics	54.2	4.0	6
8	Nationals	51.5	4	9
9	Indians	51.3	4.5	10
10	Braves	49.9	2.0	8

St. Louis Cardinals widen dominant lead in Box-Toppers team rankings

The St. Louis Cardinals, atop Box-Toppers team rankings for the seventh straight week, are widening their already dominant lead.

Cardinals players have accumulated the most Box-Toppers points for the season (62.2) and lead the second-place Boston Red Sox (54.0 points) by 8.2 points.

The top team for the week, the Toronto Blue Jays, picked up 7.7 points in the past week, giving them 41.8 for the season, putting them in 16th place overall. 

The Cardinals, which also have the best record in the Majors (47-26) are led by pitcher Shelby Miller (11.4 Box-Toppers points), Lance Lynn (9.4) and Adam Wainwright (8.7). 

The Red Sox, which also have the best record in the American League (44-31) are led by pitcher Clay Buchholz (10.1 Box-Toppers points), designated hitter David Ortiz (5.2) and pitcher Jon Lester (4.7). 

620	Top 10 Teams	BTP	BTP/wk	Last week rank
1	Cardinals	62.2	5.2	1
2	Red Sox	54.0	4.0	2
3	Reds	53.6	4.7	3
4	Tigers	53.5	4.7	4
5	Pirates	50.3	4.5	6
6	Athletics	50.2	2.5	5
7	Rangers	49.1	3.5	7
8	Braves	47.9	4.0	8
9	Nationals	47.5	4.0	10
10	Indians	46.8	5.0	Not ranked

BTP: Box-Toppers points total. Accumulated points of all players on team in 2013 season.

BTP/wk: Box-Toppers points for the team for the past week, through games on Thursday.