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Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to second place in season player rankings.
Bauer struck out nine in a scoreless seven-inning complete game, allowing one hit and three walks, in the 5-0, seven-inning win over the Royals.
Read MoreFour 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.
Read MoreRandy Johnson leads all players in career Box-Toppers points and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
The most likely rival to Johnson’s throne at the moment is Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw who has 214.8 career Box-Toppers points, third among all players since 1995 and most among active players.
Read MoreBox-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.
Read More
Series summary and conclusion
Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series has looked 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 a summary of the 14 players featured with links to more detailed posts on each. Also included are eight honorable mention players who have announced their retirements:
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.
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).
This summary features the 14 players featured in the Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series in recent weeks. It includes players whose careers are done or may be done. 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.
The New York Yankees third baseman is suspended for the 2014 season under baseball’s drug policy. The earliest he could come back to the game is 2015, when he will be 39. But will he come back? Will he be too old? Will any team give him the chance given the baggage he brings?
If it is the end for A-Rod, baseball loses the player who has 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).
He is a three-time American League Most Valuable Player (2003 with the Rangers and 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.
Halladay, 36, announced his retirement in December after injuries cut short his 2013 season. He won the Cy Young 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.
He had 170.7 career Box-Toppers points, fifth among all pitchers and sixth among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He was the second-ranked active pitcher in Box-Toppers points until his retirement (CC Sabathia, with 172.3 is No. 1).
He won the AL Cy Young in 2003 with the Blue Jays and NL Cy Young in 2010 with the Phillies. In 2010, he also had the most Box-Toppers points of any NL player with 23.4.
Manny Ramirez, 41, has not played in the Major Leagues since 2011 but he’s attempted comebacks in 2012 and 2013 and reports say he is not ruling out another try in 2014.
He is the second-ranked batter in career Box-Toppers points with 167.2, behind only Alex Rodriguez with 179.3 (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Ramirez is ranked seventh among all players since 1995.
Ramirez had the most Box-Toppers points of any AL batter in 1999 (19.9 with the Indians). He’s been among the top 10 batters in his league in Box-Toppers season points eight times.
Ramirez’ glory years were with the Indians from 1993 to 2000, the Red Sox from 2001 to 2008 and the Dodgers from 2008 to 2010. In 2010 and 2011, he also played with the White Sox and Rays and late in his career was twice suspended under baseball’s drug policy.
Johan Santana, Box-Toppers’ most dominant player of the mid-2000s, is attempting a comeback after a second shoulder injury that wiped out his 2011 and 2013 seasons.
Santana, 34, recently signed with the Orioles, though reports for the past year have questioned whether he will be able to continue pitching.
While with the Twins, Santana led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and led all American League pitchers in 2007. He won two Cy Young Awards during this period (2004 and 2006).
He has 166.6 career Box-Toppers points, sixth among pitchers and eighth among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He is ranked second among currently active pitchers, behind CC Sabathia with 172.3 Box-Toppers points.
Santana’s biggest year was in 2004 (26.8 Box-Toppers points). He was with the Twins from 2000-2007 and with the Mets from 2008 to 2013, where he has largely missed two of the last three seasons.
Jim Thome, 43, last played in the Major Leagues in 2012 for the Orioles and in 2014, the Indians will erect a statue in his honor. But in December, he said he would not rule out a comeback. He is currently unsigned.
Thome has 146.7 Box-Toppers points, sixth among all batters and 17th among all players. He was among the season’s overall top 10 players in Box-Toppers points twice and among his league’s top 10 batters in five different seasons. (His career began in 1991, so his first four seasons are unrecorded by Box-Toppers, which didn’t begin record keeping until 1995).
Thome never led his league’s batters in Box-Toppers points, but finished as high as second among American League batters in 2002 with the Indians. He had 16.0 Box-Toppers points, just behind Jason Giambi of the Yankees with 17.0.
Derek Jeter will retire at the end of the 2014 season at the age of 40, ending a 20-year career, all with the Yankees.
He has 76.4 career Box-Toppers points, second among all shortstops, behind only Miguel Tejada with 102.3 (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Jeter’s 76.4 Box-Toppers points ranks 60th among batters and 121st among all players on the career list.
Jeter is a five-time World Series champion, 2000 World Series Most Valuable Player, 1996 Rookie of the Year, a member of the 3,000-hit club (3,316 at the start of 2014) and Yankees team captain since 2003.
Jeter had one season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points—he had exactly 10.0 in 1998, ninth among American League batters that year.
Mariano Rivera retired at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 43 and ranks second among closing pitchers in career Box-Toppers points.
The all-time saves king has 126.4 career Box-Toppers points, just behind closing pitcher Trevor Hoffman with 129.4. Rivera, who spent his entire 19-season career with the Yankees, ranks 25th among all players and 16th among all pitchers in Box-Toppers points.
Rivera, with a reputation for postseason dominance, helped the Yankees to five World Series championships and earned World Series Most Valuable Player in 1999 and American League Championship Series MVP in 2003.
Rivera finished in the top 10 in Box-Toppers points among American League pitchers three times, he had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and scored at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 17 straight seasons. His best year was 2008 when he had 14.0 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL pitchers that year.
Roy Oswalt, 36, has retired after finishing five times among the top 10 National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points.
He had 127.2 career Box-Toppers points, 23rd among all players and 15th among pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He played for the Astros from 2001 to 2010 and moved to the Phillies in 2010. He struggled with injuries from 2011 forward, spending 2012 with the Rangers and 2013 with the Rockies.
His best year was his rookie season, 2001, when he had 17.1 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL pitchers and seventh among all players.
He had seven seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and three seasons with 15.0 or more.
Andy Pettitte, 41, who retired at the end of the 2013 season, was among his league’s top 10 pitchers in Box-Toppers points five different seasons.
He had 138.4 career Box-Toppers points, 19th among all players and 13th among all pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). 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.
His best season was 2005 when he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points with the Astros, eighth among National League pitchers and 21st among all players. He had three seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and 16 straight seasons with at least 1.0 point.
Todd Helton, who retired at the end of the 2013 season at the age of 40, led National League batters in Box-Toppers points in two seasons and was among the league’s top three batters four seasons in a row.
Despite the impressive numbers, Helton never won an NL Most Valuable Player Award.
Helton, who played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies, had 116.4 career Box-Toppers points, the third-most among first basemen on Box-Toppers “all-time” list (record keeping began in 1995). He ranks 12th among all batters 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 2000, he led NL batters with 15.2 Box-Toppers points and in 2001, he again led NL batters with 17.0 points (his best season).
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.
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). He pitched for the Athletics from 2000 to 2006 and for the Giants from 2007 to 2013, where he was on the 2010 and 2012 World Series-winning teams.
In 2001, he had 18.1 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers. In 2002, he had 20.1 points (his best season), and again ranked second among AL pitchers (though he won the Cy Young).
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.
Chris Carpenter, 38, who retired at the end of the 2013 season, led National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2005, the same year he won the NL Cy Young Award.
Carpenter had 113.3 career Box-Toppers points, 24th among all pitchers and 37th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He began his career in 1997 with the Blue Jays, moving to the Cardinals in 2004. He was NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2009 with the Cardinals and a two-time World Series champion with the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011.
Carpenter was among the top 10 NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points four times.
His best year was 2005, when he had 21.0 Box-Toppers points, first among NL pitchers and second among all players. He won the NL Cy Young Award that year. Carpenter had six seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, three seasons with 15.0 or more and one season with 20.0 or more.
Lance Berkman led all National League batters in Box-Toppers points in 2006 and finished among the top five NL batters three times, but never won the NL Most Valuable Player Award.
Berkman, who retired in January and is now 38, has 108.1 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 16th among batters and 46th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). Berkman played most of his career with the Astros (1999-2010). He moved to the Yankees to end the 2010 season. He played 2011 and 2012 with the Cardinals (where in 2011, he won a World Series title and NL Comeback Player of the Year). He finished his career in 2013 with the Rangers.
His best season was 2006 with the Astros, when he had 20.8 Box-Toppers points, first among NL batters and second among all players. (He finished third in NL Most Valuable Player voting.)
Berkman had four seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and one season with more than 20.0.
Ryan Dempster, 36, says he will not pitch in 2014 but did not announce his formal retirement.
He has 95.2 career Box-Toppers points, 42nd among pitchers and 70th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He began his career in 1998 with the Marlins, moved to the Reds in midseason 2002, played for the Cubs from 2004 to 2012 and finished 2012 with the Rangers before playing for the Red Sox in 2013. He won a World Series title in 2013 with the Red Sox.
His career best season was 2008 with the Cubs, when he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among National League pitchers and 22nd among all players. Dempster had two seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Derek Lowe, 40, retired during the 2013 season.
Lowe, who spent most of his career as a starting pitcher, had 91.5 Box-Toppers points over 16 seasons, scoring at least 1.0 point in each season he was active. He ranks 82nd among players and 47th among pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).
He pitched for the Red Sox (1998-2004), the Dodgers (2005-2008), the Braves (2009-2011), the Indians (2012), the Yankees (2012) and the Rangers (2013). His best season was 2002, when he had 14.4 Box-Toppers points with the Red Sox, ranking fourth among AL pitchers.
Mark Prior had not made a Major League appearance since 2006, yet he made several efforts in subsequent years to come back. However, in December, he made it official and retired at the age of 33.
Prior played for the Cubs from 2002 to 2006. In 2003, he had 20.1 Box-Toppers points, second among National League pitchers. He had 44.2 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 315th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He scored his last Box-Toppers point on Aug. 19, 2005.
Prior helped lead the Cubs to the NL Championship Series in 2003 (which they lost to the Marlins). Injuries hampered his career from 2004 on, though he attempted a comeback as recently as 2013 with the Reds—he was released in June 2013.
Ted Lilly, 38, retired at the end of the 2013 season after a 14-year career as a starting pitcher.
He had 93.3 career Box-Toppers points, 76th among all players and 44th among all pitchers (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).
His best season was 2010, when he had 13.7 Box-Toppers points. He recorded 6.7 points with the Cubs before being traded in midseason to the Dodgers, where he recorded 7.0 more points. He ranked 12th among National League pitchers and 22nd among all players that season.
Lilly had two seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He recorded his last point May 18, 2012, with the Dodgers.
Michael Young, 37, retired prior to the 2014 season after a 14-year career mainly with the Rangers, primarily at shortstop and third base.
He had 73.1 career Box-Toppers points, 67th among batters and 132nd among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He ranks fourth among shortstops on Box-Toppers “all-time” list (since 1995), behind Miguel Tejada, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra.
His best season was 2006 with the Rangers when he had 8.5 Box-Toppers points. He was American League batting champion in 2005.
Aubrey Huff, 37, who led American League batters in Box-Toppers points in 2008, announced his retirement in January after a 13-year career.
Huff had 61.6 Box-Toppers points for his career, 91st among batters and 184th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995).
But his best season was 2008 with the Orioles when he led AL batters with 12.5 Box-Toppers points. (He finished just ahead of Torii Hunter of the Angels with 12.4.) Huff finished 16th in AL Most Valuable Player Award voting, which was won by Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox. Pedroia had 3.7 Box-Toppers points, 76th among AL batters.
Huff finished seventh in AL MVP voting in 2010, when he had 7.5 Box-Toppers points. He split that year between the Orioles and the Tigers.
Huff played primarily for the Rays, but also had stints with the Orioles, Giants (where he won two World Series titles in 2010 and 2012), Astros and Tigers. He played a variety of positions also, including third base, designated hitter, first base and outfield.
Huff did not play in 2013. He scored his final Box-Toppers point on July 23, 2011 with the Giants.
Mark DeRosa, 39, retired in November after a 16-year career.
DeRosa, who played primarily third base and second base, had 47.1 career Box-Toppers points, 288th among all players since 1995. He played from 1998 to 2013 primarily for the Braves (1998-2004), but also had stints with the Cubs, Rangers, Blue Jays and Giants.
His best season was 2006 with the Rangers when he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points. He had 6.5 points in 2013, his final season, with the Blue Jays.
Carl Pavano, 38, the starting pitcher who helped the Marlins to the 2003 World Series title, announced his retirement in February.
Pavano had 55.8 career Box-Toppers points, 221st among all players since 1995.
His best year was the 2003 championship season when he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th among National League pitchers. In 2004, he had his second-best season with 10.7 Box-Toppers points, also with the Marlins, 13th among NL pitchers. He also finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting that year.
Pavano played 14 seasons from 1998-2012 primarily with the Twins, but also had stints with the Marlins, Expos, Yankees and Indians. He did not play in 2013. His final game was June 1, 2012. He scored his last Box-Toppers point on Sept. 28, 2011.
Rick Ankiel, 34, retired this month after an 11-year career begun as a starting pitcher and improbably resurrecting himself in mid-career as an outfielder.
Ankiel had 32.6 career Box-Toppers points, 490th among all players since 1995. But he goes down in history as the first player since Babe Ruth to win 10 games and hit 50 home runs.
He was a starting pitcher from 1999 to 2004. His best season was 2000 with the Cardinals when he had 13.4 Box-Toppers points, sixth among National League pitchers. He finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. However, in the 2000 postseason, Ankiel began to pitch wildly and ineffectively. After being sent down to the minors and after injuries, he took a chance of switching positions to the outfield and gradually worked his way back to the Majors.
He did not play in 2002 with injury and in 2005 and 2006, did not play in the Majors as he developed in his new position.
He debuted as an outfielder for the Cardinals in 2007 and had his best season at the plate that year with 6.5 Box-Toppers points.
During his career, he recorded 14.4 Box-Toppers points as a pitcher and 18.2 as a batter.
He played primarily for the Cardinals, but also had stints with the Nationals, Braves, Royals, Astros and Mets. He played his last game with the Mets on June 8, 2013. He scored his last Box-Toppers point July 4, 2012, with the Nationals.
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.
With the Red Sox and the Cardinals matched up against each other for the fourth time in World Series history, let's take a Box-Toppers look back to the last time they faced off, in the 2004 Fall Classic.
With nine years of separation, there aren't a lot of returning players from the previous Cards-Sox title bout—in fact, only two:
Ortiz had 10.7 Box-Toppers points during the 2004 regular season, his best at the time and was Player of the Game in two postseason contests—once in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees and once in Game 1 of the World Series against the Cardinals. This season, Ortiz had 12.4 Box-Toppers points and has already been Player of the Game in Game 2 of the ALCS vs. the Tigers.
Molina was in his first year with the Cardinals in 2004 and had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He was playing behind then-starting catcher (now Cardinals manager) Mike Matheny. This season, Molina has 4.0 Box-Toppers points.
One other current Cardinal player did play a prominent role in 2004's postseason. Carlos Beltran, then of the Astros, was twice Player of the Game during the National League Division series, as the Astros defeated the Braves, three games to two. The Astros lost to the Cardinals in the NLCS, four games to three.
The 2004 postseason was also notable because it was the first and only time a team with a 3-0 game deficit in a best-of-seven series came back to win it 4-3. That was the Red Sox, beating the Yankees in the ALCS, sparked by Ortiz' Game 4 performance. Ortiz hit a walk-off, 12th-inning, two-run home run to beat the Yankees 6-4. The Sox then trailed that series three games to one.
The 2004 postseason was also notable because it was the first time the Red Sox had won the World Series since 1918—a span of 86 years. The Red Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals in the Fall Classic. Then-Cards stars like Albert Pujols, who contributed to St. Louis wins in the first two rounds of the postseason, were shut out from even once earning Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors during the World Series. However, Ortiz was joined by three other arguably legendary Red Sox as Player of the Game in the other three World Series victories:
Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the league division series games played in 2004. Games are listed by day. The Red Sox beat the Angels 3-0. The Yankees beat the Twins 3-1. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers 3-1. The Astros beat the Braves 3-2.
| 2004 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 2.0 | Red Sox | Manny Ramirez lf | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| NL | 2.0 | Cardinals | Larry Walker rf | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Johan Santana (W, 1-0) | 7.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||||
| Oct 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 5.0 | Astros | Carlos Beltran cf | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| AL | 3.1 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Keith Foulke (S, 1) | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Yankees | Alex Rodriguez 3b | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Oct 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 4.0 | `Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | John Smoltz | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Cardinals | Edgar Renteria ss | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Oct 8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 4.0 | `Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bronson Arroyo | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |||
| BAT | 1.0 | Yankees | Derek Jeter ss | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Oct 9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 7.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jose Lima (W, 1-0) | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||
| NL | 3.0 | Astros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brad Lidge (S, 1) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| BAT | 2.0 | Yankees | Ruben Sierra dh | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Oct 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 3.0 | Cardinals | Albert Pujols 1b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Braves | Adam LaRoche 1b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Oct 11 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 7.0 | Astros | Carlos Beltran cf | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the league championship series games played in 2004. The Red Sox beat the Yankees 4-3. The Cardinals beat the Astros 4-3.
| 2004 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 5.0 | Yankees | Hideki Matsui lf | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Oct 13 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 4.0 | Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jon Lieber (W, 1-0) | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| NL | 3.0 | Cardinals | Albert Pujols 1b | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Oct 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 3.0 | Cardinals | Scott Rolen 3b | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Oct 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 9.0 | Yankees | Hideki Matsui lf | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| NL | 5.0 | Astros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brad Lidge (S, 2) | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| Oct 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 4.0 | Astros | Lance Berkman, RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |||||||||
| AL | 2.0 | Red Sox | David Ortiz, DH | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Oct 18 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 9.0 | `Astros | Brandon Backe | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||
| AL | 5.0 | Red Sox | Tim Wakefield (W,1-0) | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| Oct 19 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 5.0 | Red Sox | Curt Schilling (W,2-1) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||
| Oct 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 5.0 | Red Sox | Johnny Damon cf | 6 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| NL | 4.0 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Julian Tavarez (W, 2-1) | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| Oct 21 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 4.0 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jeff Suppan (W, 2-1) | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the World Series games played in 2004. The Red Sox beat the Cardinals 4-0.
| 2004 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 4.0 | Red Sox | David Ortiz, DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Oct 24 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 4.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Curt Schilling (W, 1-0) | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Oct 26 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 8.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Pedro Martinez (W, 1-0) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |||
| Oct 27 | ||||||||||||||||||
| MLB | 7.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Derek Lowe (W, 1-0) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
In the first column of each chart, the designation MLB indicates Player of the Day, AL or NL indicates Player of the Day in the opposite league and BAT indicates the player was the top batter of the day in his league. Usually, top players of the game receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point, top batters in the league receive 1.5, top players in the league receive 1.7 and top overall players receive 2.0. However, postseason Box-Toppers points are not counted in regular season Box-Toppers totals.
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
In the midst of the long All-Star break, here is a look at the top 100 players since Box-Toppers record-keeping began in 1995:
Randy Johnson has always been Box-Toppers' most dominant player.
Until he retired in 2009, he was consistently earning Box-Toppers Player of the Day honors by being the player who most helped his team to wins by pitching a lot of innings and striking out a lot of batters.
And even in retirement, Johnson with 278.8 Box-Toppers points, continues to dominate the "all-time" Box-Toppers list, with only one distant challenger, starting pitcher Pedro Martinez (also retired) with 244.8 points.
All other players are at least 84.7 Box-Toppers points behind Johnson (pitcher Curt Schilling, in third place, has 194.1 points). Earning 84.7 points for any single player would be a major career achievement, worthy of landing them on the "all-time" top 100 Box-Toppers list. (We put "all-time" in quotes, since we're not covering all of baseball history, but only the time since 1995 when Box-Toppers stats have been tracked.)
In the top 100 "all-time" chart, you'll see that 95 of the top 100 players have 84.7 or more career Box-Toppers points. If the player ranked in 19th place all time, Andy Pettitte, doubled his already impressive career Box-Toppers points total of 137.5, he still would not have enough points to catch Johnson.
So what we're saying here is this: Randy Johnson—good. Very good.
Alex Rodriguez is the batter with the highest Box-Toppers total on the "all-time" list with 176.3 points, fourth place overall. He is also the current leader among active players.
Rodriguez's Yankees teammate, C.C. Sabathia recently took over as the leader among active pitchers—he has 172.3 points (fifth place overall) and this season passed Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay with 170.7 points. Sabathia is also not far behind Rodriguez and could take the outright lead among all active players on the "all-time" list this season.
There are five active players in the "all-time" top 10 list, but not all of them can be considered extremely active. Rodriguez has been out all season and is preparing to come back from injury (and is under a cloud of suspicion that may get him suspended under baseball's performance enhancing drug policy). Halladay is out, perhaps for the season, rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Manny Ramirez (167.2 points, seventh place) is attempting a comeback and is in the minor leagues with the Texas Rangers. And Johan Santana (166.6 points, eighth place) is out for the season with injury and may be unable to return to pitch.
Albert Pujols is two or three Player of the Game honors away from joining the top 10. He is in 11th place with 158.3 points, behind John Smoltz with 160.9 points. However, Pujols has only 2.5 Box-Toppers points this season at the All-Star break—if he doubles his season total, he won't reach Smoltz.
There are 48 active players on the top 100 list (that number includes players such as Ramirez, who are in the minor leagues, or Halladay, on the disabled list). All other players are either listed as "free agents," (who either hope to come back to baseball or haven't said they are retired) are playing outside the Major Leagues (in Japan or an independent league) or have retired. Recent retirees (such as Derek Lowe, who told a reporter Thursday he is retired) are listed as "retired" in their team status in the top 100 list. Players with a blank team status retired in 2012 or earlier.
There are 16 players in the top 100 "all-time" list who are also in the top 100 list for 2013. They are all listed in the chart at the bottom of this post. They include:
Pitchers narrowly outnumber batters in the "all-time" top 100 list. There are 53 pitchers vs. 47 batters on the list. However, in the top 100 list for 2013, pitchers far outnumbered batters—74 to 26. Why? It could be because pitchers burst onto the scene and tend to be very productive for a shorter period of time, while batters, while scoring relatively less in the short term, keep that level of production over a longer time and tend to catch up to pitchers' higher point totals. That's just a theory. But here is the breakdown of players on the "all-time" list by their primary position:
Keep in mind that these are only statistics since 1995. For many players who debuted before then (such as Johnson, Martinez, Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux), their career Box-Toppers totals would likely be far higher if the years before 1995 were accounted for. On the other hand, for a player like Chipper Jones (ranked 15th), Box-Toppers covers virtually his entire career—he only played in eight games before 1995, so Box-Toppers covers 2,491 games of his 2,499-game career.
If you note how the names are listed in the chart—some all lowercase, some properly capitalized, some with numbers after them—you might cringe at the inconsistencies if you were a copy editor. But there is an unintentional method to this madness. In early days of keeping the Box-Toppers database from 1995 to 1997, names were inputted quickly, often with no capitalization—Box-Toppers' e.e. cummings phase, if you will. In about 1997, names were pretty consistently properly capitalized. And in 1998, numbers were added at the ends of names to denote their order of first appearance in the Box-Toppers database (the first time they earned Player of the Game).
So today, when you see player names like "rivera, mariano," (now ranked 26th) you'll know that Rivera first appeared early in Box-Toppers history (in his case, the first year, 1995). "Ortiz, David," (properly capitalized) made his Box-Toppers debut in 1997 (now ranked 27th). And "Helton, Todd 1060," was one of the first players with the debut order number appended, when he first appeared in 1998 (now ranked 32nd).
While many notable players from the past 20 years appear on the top 100 list, others did not earn enough Box-Toppers points to make the cut. A couple of notables:
Box-Toppers points reward players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. These top players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game. Among each day's top players, bonus points are awarded for the top players and batters of the day in each league. Players accumulate points through the season to provide a data point for comparison, such as determining which players are most worthy as All-Stars or for postseason awards.
What are those numbers after players' names?
How does Box-Toppers scoring work?
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | TEAM | BTP (All-time) | BTP 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnson, randy | pi sp | 278.8 | ||
| 2 | Martinez, Pedro J. | pi sp | 244.8 | ||
| 3 | schilling, curt | pi sp | 194.1 | ||
| 4 | Rodriguez, Alex | 3b dh | nyy al | 176.3 | |
| 5 | Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | pi sp | nyy al | 172.3 | 4.7 |
| 6 | Halladay, Roy 1178 | pi sp | phi nl | 170.7 | 1.0 |
| 7 | Ramirez, manny | lf dh | tex al | 167.2 | |
| 8 | Santana, Johan 1448 | pi sp | nym nl | 166.6 | |
| 9 | clemens, roger | pi sp | 164.8 | ||
| 10 | smoltz, john | pi sp | 160.9 | ||
| 11 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 158.3 | 2.5 |
| 12 | mussina, Mike | pi sp | 155.6 | ||
| 13 | bonds, barry | lf | 153.2 | ||
| 14 | maddux, greg | pi sp | 151.7 | ||
| 15 | jones, chipper | 3b | retired | 149.0 | |
| 16 | Vazquez, Javier 1146 | pi sp | 148.3 | ||
| 17 | thome, jim | dh | free agent | 146.7 | |
| 18 | Hudson, Tim 1231 | pi sp | atl nl | 143.3 | 5.7 |
| 19 | pettitte, andy | pi sp | nyy al | 137.5 | 3.0 |
| 20 | giambi, jason | dh | cle al | 131.4 | 1.5 |
| 21 | hoffman, trevor | pi cp | 129.4 | ||
| 22 | Guerrero, Vladimir | dh | indy league | 128.3 | |
| 23 | Oswalt, Roy 1469 | pi sp | col nl | 127.2 | |
| 24 | Peavy, Jake 1635 | pi sp | chi al | 124.1 | 6.0 |
| 25 | sheffield, gary | lf | 124.1 | ||
| 26 | rivera, mariano | pi cp | nyy al | 122.4 | 1.0 |
| 27 | Ortiz, David | dh | bos al | 122.2 | 8.2 |
| 28 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 118.1 | 10.4 |
| 29 | Delgado, Carlos | 1b | 117.7 | ||
| 30 | Zito, Barry 1415 | pi sp | sf nl | 117.4 | 3.0 |
| 31 | Colon, Bartolo | pi sp | oak al | 116.3 | 6.7 |
| 32 | Helton, Todd 1060 | 1b | col nl | 114.9 | |
| 33 | Carpenter, Chris | pi sp | stl nl | 113.3 | |
| 34 | sosa, sammy | rf | 113.2 | ||
| 35 | Lee, Cliff 1798 | pi sp | phi nl | 113.1 | 9.4 |
| 36 | brown, kevin j. | pi sp | 112.8 | ||
| 37 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 3b | det al | 112.2 | 13.4 |
| 38 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 112.2 | 8.0 |
| 39 | glavine, tom | pi sp | 110.6 | ||
| 40 | kent, jeff | 2b | 109.7 | ||
| 41 | Wagner, Billy | pi cp | 108.7 | ||
| 42 | Millwood, Kevin | pi sp | retired | 108.3 | |
| 43 | Berkman, Lance 1261 | dh rf | tex al | 108.1 | 1.0 |
| 44 | Beckett, Josh 1544 | pi sp | lad nl | 107.2 | |
| 45 | Burnett, A.J. 1300 | pi sp | pit nl | 107.1 | 3.7 |
| 46 | thomas, frank | dh | 106.2 | ||
| 47 | moyer, jamie | pi sp | 104.0 | ||
| 48 | Weaver, Jered 2178 | pi sp | ana al | 103.0 | 4.0 |
| 49 | Tejada, Miguel | 3b ss | kc al | 102.3 | |
| 50 | griffey, ken jr. | cf | 102.2 | ||
| 51 | wakefield, tim | pi sp | 101.4 | ||
| 52 | schmidt, jason | pi sp | 101.2 | ||
| 53 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 100.5 | 10.7 |
| 54 | bagwell, jeff | 1b | 100.4 | ||
| 55 | walker, larry | rf | 100.1 | ||
| 56 | Konerko, Paul 1107 | dh 1b | chi al | 99.7 | 1.0 |
| 57 | Hunter, Torii 1190 | rf | det al | 99.4 | 1.0 |
| 58 | edmonds, jim | cf rf ph | 98.8 | ||
| 59 | Buehrle, Mark 1407 | pi sp | tor al | 98.3 | 3.7 |
| 60 | Rolen, Scott | 3b | free agent | 97.6 | |
| 61 | Jones, Andruw | dh lf ph | japan | 96.5 | |
| 62 | Wolf, Randy 1235 | pi sp | free agent | 96.4 | |
| 63 | Lincecum, Tim 2288 | pi sp | sf nl | 95.9 | 5.7 |
| 64 | piazza, mike | ca | 95.7 | ||
| 65 | Abreu, Bobby | dh | free agent | 95.5 | |
| 66 | nomo, hideo | pi sp | 95.5 | ||
| 67 | Ordonez, Magglio | rf | 94.5 | ||
| 68 | Dempster, Ryan 1109 | pi sp | bos al | 94.2 | 3.0 |
| 69 | williams, bernie | rf | 93.8 | ||
| 70 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | phi nl | 93.7 | 5.7 |
| 71 | Beltran, Carlos 1194 | rf | stl nl | 93.4 | 1.5 |
| 72 | Lilly, Ted 1452 | pi sp | lad nl | 93.3 | |
| 73 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 93.1 | 12.7 |
| 74 | giles, brian | rf | 92.5 | ||
| 75 | Wood, Kerry | pi sp cp | 92.4 | ||
| 76 | Ramirez, Aramis 1364 | 3b | mil nl | 92.3 | |
| 77 | Cain, Matt 2081 | pi sp | sf nl | 92.0 | 4.0 |
| 78 | Glaus, Troy 1132 | 3b | 91.6 | ||
| 79 | Haren, Danny 1787 | pi sp | dc nl | 91.5 | 1.7 |
| 80 | Lowe, Derek | pi sp | retired | 91.5 | 1.0 |
| 81 | Dunn, Adam 1512 | dh 1b | chi al | 90.8 | 4.2 |
| 82 | Ibanez, Raul 1137 | lf dh | sea al | 89.7 | 2.0 |
| 83 | Teixeira, Mark 1738 | 1b | nyy al | 87.8 | 1.5 |
| 84 | alou, moises | lf | 87.5 | ||
| 85 | belle, albert | rf | 87.5 | ||
| 86 | wells, david | pi sp | 87.5 | ||
| 87 | castilla, vinny | 3b | 86.9 | ||
| 88 | Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 86.6 | 5.7 |
| 89 | anderson, garret | dh lf | 86.5 | ||
| 90 | leiter, al | pi sp | 86.2 | ||
| 91 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | bos al | 85.7 | 5.7 |
| 92 | Lee, Carlos 1246 | lf | retired | 85.5 | |
| 93 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | bos al | 85.4 | 4.0 |
| 94 | Zambrano, Carlos 1676 | pi sp | phi nl | 85.2 | |
| 95 | radke, brad | pi sp | 85.0 | ||
| 96 | Howard, Ryan 2040 | 1b | phi nl | 84.0 | 3.5 |
| 97 | Martinez, Tino | 1b | 81.4 | ||
| 98 | Lee, Derrek | 1b | free agent | 81.3 | |
| 99 | percival, troy | pi cp | 80.7 | ||
| 100 | Holliday, Matt 1836 | lf | stl nl | 80.3 | 4.0 |
BTP (All-time): Box-Toppers points accumulated since 1995, when this stat-keeping method began.
BTP 2013: Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season.
Note: The team column shows a player's current team status. Active players are listed on either their current MLB team or where they are currently playing (i.e. Japan or an independent league). Other players are listed as "free agent" or "retired." Players who have retired in 2012 or before are listed with no team affiliation.
| PLAYER | POS | TEAM | BTP (All-time) | RANK (All-time) | BTP (2013) | RANK (2013) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 3b | det al | 112.2 | 37 | 13.4 | 3 |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 93.1 | 73 | 12.7 | 5 |
| Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 100.5 | 53 | 10.7 | 12 |
| Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 118.1 | 28 | 10.4 | 13 |
| Lee, Cliff 1798 | pi sp | phi nl | 113.1 | 35 | 9.4 | 22 |
| Ortiz, David | dh | bos al | 122.2 | 27 | 8.2 | 25 |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 112.2 | 38 | 8.0 | 26 |
| Colon, Bartolo | pi sp | oak al | 116.3 | 31 | 6.7 | 40 |
| Peavy, Jake 1635 | pi sp | chi al | 124.1 | 24 | 6.0 | 53 |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | phi nl | 93.7 | 70 | 5.7 | 64 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 86.6 | 88 | 5.7 | 65 |
| Lincecum, Tim 2288 | pi sp | sf nl | 95.9 | 63 | 5.7 | 66 |
| Hudson, Tim 1231 | pi sp | atl nl | 143.3 | 18 | 5.7 | 68 |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | bos al | 85.7 | 91 | 5.7 | 70 |
| Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | pi sp | nyy al | 172.3 | 5 | 4.7 | 94 |
BTP: Box-Toppers points
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.