Box-Toppers selects 4 players for 2025 Hall of Fame induction in internet writers' ballot

Box-Toppers is voting for four players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the 2025 Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) ballot.

Box-Toppers is voting for these players: Felix Hernandez, Torii Hunter, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner.

Notably, Box-Toppers is not voting for Ichiro Suzuki, who is on the Hall ballot for the first time for 2025. While Suzuki is expected to be a shoo-in for the Hall and to possibly be only the second player inducted on a unanimous vote, I devoted a previous post to why Box-Toppers doesn’t view him as a Hall of Famer. In addition, this post which will show how unfavorably he compares in Box-Toppers rankings to even this year’s Hall candidates, may even make a more stark case why I don’t see Suzuki as a Hall of Famer.

Read More

Brewers’ Montas tops players Thursday, Sept. 12; Valdez, Cortes rise in top 10 rankings

Brewers pitcher Frankie Montas is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also two of Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners are in the season player rankings top 10 list: Astros pitcher Framber Valdez ranks seventh and Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes rises to eight place.

Read More

Cubs’ Imanaga tops players Wednesday, Sept. 4 in combined no-hitter, rising to 1st

Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, pitching seven innings of a combined no-hitter, and rising to first place in season player rankings.

Imanaga and two Cubs relievers threw the combined no-hitter in the 12-0 win over the Pirates. Imanaga struck out seven over seven scoreless and hitless innings, allowing two walks. Imanaga faced 25 batters (two reached base on walks and two reached on errors) and threw 95 pitches.

Read More

Guardians’ Ramirez tops players Thursday, Aug. 1; Royals’ Lugo rises to 10th

Jose Ramirez of the Guardians is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Thursday, Royals pitcher Seth Lugo rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Read More

Phillies’ Sánchez tops players for Friday, June 28; Rays’ Eflin tops AL players

Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Sanchez pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout, striking out nine and allowing no walks, in the 2-0 win over the Marlins.

Read More

Nationals’ Herz tops players for Saturday, June 15; Cubs’ Imanaga rises to lead NL pitchers

Nationals pitcher DJ Herz is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga rises to first place among National League pitchers in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors, rising to second place overall. In addition, Mariners pitcher George Kirby rises to fourth place overall in 2024 Box-Toppers points.

Read More

Red Sox’ Pivetta tops players for Wednesday, June 5; Phillies’ Nola rises to 5th

Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Wednesday, Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.

Read More

Guardians’ Bibee tops players for Friday, May 31; Houck, Bibee rise in 2024 top 10 list

Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to sixth place in season player rankings.

Also Friday, Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Aaron Judge of the Yankees rises to first place among American League batters in Box-Toppers rankings and Starling Marte of the Mets earns Box-Toppers points in his 13th consecutive season.

Read More

Blue Jays’ Berrios tops players for Thursday, July 6; Mets’ Carrasco tops NL players

Blue Jays pitcher Jose Berrios is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Berrios struck out six over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 6-2, 11-inning win over the White Sox. Berrios did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.

Read More

How 2023 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

Third baseman Scott Rolen was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday in his sixth year on the baseball writers’ ballot.

Box-Toppers did not vote Rolen for induction in a separate internet baseball writers ballot, favoring four other candidates who were not elected.

Read More

Diamondbacks’ Jameson tops players for Thursday, Sept. 15; Rays’ McClanahan rises to 8th

Diamondbacks pitcher Drey Jameson is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Thursday, Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Read More

Mariners’ Kirby tops players for Saturday, Sept. 10; Mets’ Carrasco tops NL players

Mariners pitcher George Kirby is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Kirby struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Braves.

Read More

White Sox’ Lynn tops players for Monday, Sept. 5; Diamondbacks’ Nelson tops NL players

White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Lynn struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 3-2 win over the Mariners.

Read More

Mets’ deGrom tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 31; Padres’ Musgrove rises to 6th

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Wednesday, Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Read More

Red Sox’ Story tops players for Thursday, May 19; Mets’ Alonso rises to 5th in player rankings

Trevor Story of the Red Sox is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Thursday, Pete Alonso of the Mets rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings—first place among National League batters—after earning NL Batter of the Day honors for the second straight day.

Read More

How 2022 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

Though Box-Toppers would not have voted David Ortiz as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, it’s hard to argue that his performance on the field was not worthy.

Yet, several other candidates with Hall-of-Fame worthy careers were not voted for induction Tuesday because of their ties to the steroid era. In fact, it can be argued that righteous baseball writers did a noble thing Tuesday by blocking three such candidates—Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa—for their 10th and final time on the ballot.

Read More

Internet writers vote David Ortiz for Hall of Fame; none of Box-Toppers’ 9 choices made the cut

David Ortiz is the only player inducted into internet baseball writers’ Hall of Fame for 2022.

None of the nine candidates Box-Toppers voted for Hall induction received the necessary 75 percent support. And Box-Toppers also did not vote for Ortiz.

Read More