Kershaw, Scherzer rise in Box-Toppers’ ‘all-time’ top 10 list during 2021

Shawn Plank December 31, 2021

During the 2021 season, Clayton Kershaw rose to second place and Max Scherzer rose to fourth place on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” career points top 10 list.

Kershaw was ranked third overall and among all pitchers at the end of 2020 with 235.2 career Box-Toppers points. The Dodgers pitcher rose to second place on June 27, 2021, with 246.6 points, passing Pedro Martinez, who had continuously held the second-place spot for 22 years. Kershaw finished 2021 with 13.4 points for the season and 248.6 career points.

Box-Toppers selects 9 players for 2022 Hall of Fame induction in internet writers’ ballot

Shawn Plank December 1, 2021

Box-Toppers is voting for nine players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 2022 Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.

Of the nine players, three are in their first year on the ballot—Tim Lincecum, Jake Peavy and Mark Teixeira. The other six all return after not receiving the necessary votes to make the hall last year, including Curt Schilling, who is on the ballot for his 10th and final year.

How 2021 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

Shawn Plank January 27, 2021

No players were voted for induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday.

None of the 25 players eligible received the necessary 75 percent of the vote from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Pitcher Curt Schilling came the closest to reaching 75 percent—he received 71.1 percent of the vote, falling 16 votes short.

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2020

Shawn Plank January 22, 2021

Analyzing 26 years of Box-Toppers points leaders among American League and National League pitchers and batters each season.

A look at Box-Toppers' ‘all-time' top 10 lists—top overall players, top pitchers, top batters—since tracking began in 1995

Shawn Plank January 14, 2021

After massive reshuffling during the 2019 season, Box-Toppers’ “all-time” career points top 10 list remained unchanged during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

There were also few changes among the top 10 pitchers and top 10 batters in career Box-Toppers points. Cubs pitcher Jon Lester rises to ninth place among all pitchers in career points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, with 176.3. Lester had ranked 11th among pitchers at the end of 2019 with 172.6.

A look at Box-Toppers top 100 players of ‘all-time’ after the 2020 season

Shawn Plank December 31, 2020

Randy Johnson leads all players in career Box-Toppers points and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Johnson earned 282.5 Box-Toppers points from the time Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995 until he retired in 2009. The most likely rival to Johnson’s throne at the moment is Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw who has 235.2 career Box-Toppers points, third among all players since 1995 and most among active players.

Box-Toppers selects seven players for 2021 Hall of Fame induction in internet writers’ ballot

Shawn Plank December 1, 2020

Box-Toppers is voting for seven players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot—Todd Helton, Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Jeff Kent, Aramis Ramirez, Curt Schilling and Billy Wagner.

Athletics’ Montas tops players for Saturday, Aug. 8, Judge rises in player rankings, Cabrera extends long streak

Shawn Plank August 9, 2020

Athletics pitcher Frankie Montas is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to third place in season player rankings.

Also Saturday, Aaron Judge of the Yankees rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly rises to 10th after both earned Player of the Game honors.

Plus, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers has now earned Box-Toppers points for 18 straight seasons—tied for the fifth-longest streak since 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Box-Toppers All-time All-Star teams, 1995-2019

Shawn Plank May 18, 2020

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw leads the list of Box-Toppers Active Career All-Stars and is one of four active players included on Box-Toppers All-Time All-Star team.

The Box-Toppers All-Time All-Star team consists of the best players by position since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 and includes 10 players who have retired and four who are still active—Kershaw, along with Albert Pujols of the Angels, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers and Astros pitcher Zack Greinke, who joined the All-Time All-Star team in 2019.

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2019

Shawn Plank March 4, 2020

Analyzing 25 years of Box-Toppers points leaders among American League and National League pitchers and batters each season.

A look at Box-Toppers' ‘all-time' top 10 lists—top overall players, top pitchers, top batters—since tracking began in 1995

Shawn Plank February 27, 2020

The Box-Toppers career points top 10 list had no new members during the 2019 season but saw a massive reshuffling among players ranked fourth through 10th.

Meanwhile, there was one new player rising into the top 10 list among pitchers in “all-time” career Box-Toppers points in 2019 (Cole Hamels of the Cubs). Plus, the top 10 “all-time” points list for batters was largely dormant during 2019 and included just two active players—Albert Pujols of the Angels and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers. However, Cabrera actually rose from sixth to fifth place, while earning just 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2019.

How 2020 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

Shawn Plank January 21, 2020

Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday.

Both received the necessary 75 percent of the vote from members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and will be inducted in the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., in July.

Box-Toppers selects six players for Hall of Fame in internet writers’ ballot

Shawn Plank December 17, 2019

Box-Toppers votes Todd Helton, Derek Jeter, Jeff Kent,, Curt Schilling, Billy Wagner and Larry Walker into the Hall of Fame on Internet Baseball Writers of America ballot.

Box-Toppers picks Astros’ Gerrit Cole for AL Cy Young & MVP: A look at our postseason awards ballot

Shawn Plank September 30, 2019

Box-Toppers is casting a vote for the American League Cy Young Award to Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole.

We are also casting our vote for AL Most Valuable Player to … Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole.

Nationals‘ Max Scherzer tops players for Tuesday, June 25, rises to 5th in season player rankings

Shawn Plank June 26, 2019

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fifth place in season player rankings.

Scherzer struck out 10 over eight innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 6-1 win over the Marlins.

How 2019 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

Shawn Plank January 23, 2019

Four players—Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina—were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday.

The three pitchers selected—Rivera, Halladay and Mussina—are among the top 40 players in career Box-Toppers points (tracking began in 1995). Martinez ranks ninth among designated hitters in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, but he started his career in 1987, before the advent of Box-Toppers tracking.

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2018

Shawn Plank January 15, 2019

Analyzing 24 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching & batting in both leagues

A look at Box-Toppers' ‘all-time' top 10 lists—top overall players, top pitchers, top batters—since tracking began in 1995

Shawn Plank January 10, 2019

With Max Scherzer’s rise into Box-Toppers career points top 10 list during 2018, there are now six active players in the top 10, the most since 2008, when there were eight.

Box-Toppers player tracking began in 1995 and the overall top 10 players in career points was composed entirely of active players until 2008. The number of active players on the list slipped to as low as two as recently as 2014, but grew to six on June 5, when Nationals pitcher Scherzer joined the list, rising to 10th place with 172.1 Box-Toppers points, displacing retired pitcher Roy Halladay. Scherzer finished the season with 181.8 points, ranked ninth.

Box-Toppers votes eight players to Hall of Fame in internet writers’ ballot

Shawn Plank December 12, 2018

Box-Toppers is voting for eight players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.

Why Box-Toppers is voting pitchers Scherzer, Snell as league MVPs over batters

Shawn Plank September 29, 2018

No batters are deserving of the Most Valuable Player Award this year.

Collectively, batters are faring worse, with their statistics trending downward in recent years. This year has been an even lower point.

Box-Toppers is voting pitcher Max Scherzer as NL MVP and Blake Snell as AL MVP.

Kershaw, Scherzer rise in Box-Toppers’ ‘all-time’ top 10 list during 2021

Box-Toppers selects 9 players for 2022 Hall of Fame induction in internet writers’ ballot

How 2021 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2020

A look at Box-Toppers' ‘all-time' top 10 lists—top overall players, top pitchers, top batters—since tracking began in 1995

A look at Box-Toppers top 100 players of ‘all-time’ after the 2020 season

Box-Toppers selects seven players for 2021 Hall of Fame induction in internet writers’ ballot

Athletics’ Montas tops players for Saturday, Aug. 8, Judge rises in player rankings, Cabrera extends long streak

Box-Toppers All-time All-Star teams, 1995-2019

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2019

A look at Box-Toppers' ‘all-time' top 10 lists—top overall players, top pitchers, top batters—since tracking began in 1995

How 2020 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

Box-Toppers selects six players for Hall of Fame in internet writers’ ballot

Box-Toppers picks Astros’ Gerrit Cole for AL Cy Young & MVP: A look at our postseason awards ballot

Nationals‘ Max Scherzer tops players for Tuesday, June 25, rises to 5th in season player rankings

How 2019 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2018

A look at Box-Toppers' ‘all-time' top 10 lists—top overall players, top pitchers, top batters—since tracking began in 1995

Box-Toppers votes eight players to Hall of Fame in internet writers’ ballot

Why Box-Toppers is voting pitchers Scherzer, Snell as league MVPs over batters

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Box-Toppers

Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.