A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2024

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season leaders chart for each of the past 30 seasons, including the leaders in Box-Toppers points each season among four main categories—American League and National League pitchers and batters.

Also, a look at how often Box-Toppers leaders win major postseason awards (Cy Young and Most Valuable Player), what players have led a Box-Toppers season category most often since tracking began in 1995 and what teams have had the most category leaders in 30 seasons. Also, a look at the lowest point totals to lead a season category, which includes 2024 leaders.

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A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2023

Analyzing 29 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching and batting in both leagues.

In 2023, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, American League Most Valuable Player, was the only player who won a major postseason award and also led his Box-Toppers category (leading AL batters with 19.4). Also, Pete Alonso of the Mets became the ninth batter since 1995 to lead his league’s batters in Box-Toppers points more than once, leading NL batters for the second straight season.

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A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2022

In 2022, Justin Verlander led American League pitchers in season Box-Toppers points for the third time in his career, tied for the seventh-most times a player has led a season points category.

Also in 2022, the New York Mets and Miami Marlins each had their first Box-Toppers points category leader—Pete Alonso and Sandy Alcantara— leaving the Pittsburgh Pirates as the only team to never have a player lead a category since tracking began in 1995.

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Box-Toppers’ big dippers—players whose 2021 point total declined most from 2020: Dinelson Lamet leads list

Padres pitcher Dinelson Lamet had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2020 to 2021.

Lamet, who earned 9.0 Box-Toppers points in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season (fifth among all players and third among National League pitchers), earned 2.0 points in 2021. After a stellar 2020 season, he battled injury early in 2021, struggled and went from a starter to a bullpen pitcher.

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A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2021

Analyzing 27 years of Box-Toppers points leaders among American League and National League pitchers and batters each season.

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Gerrit Cole leads players in Box-Toppers points over past 2 seasons (2020-21)

Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole has more Box-Toppers points over the past two seasons than any other player.

Cole has earned 29.8 Box-Toppers points over 2020 and 2021. He ranked second among all players in 2021 with 22.4 Box-Toppers points and 12th among all players with 7.4 in 2020, a season shortened to 60 games by the coronavirus pandemic. Cole led American League pitchers in 2021 and ranked fifth among AL pitchers in 2020.

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Indians’ Morgan tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 17; Marquez, Burnes rise in player rankings top 10

Indians pitcher Eli Morgan is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, Rockies pitcher German Marquez maintains fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes rises to ninth in season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

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Here we go anyway: Box-Toppers opening day preview of 2021 season

A Box-Toppers preview of the 2021 baseball season.

First, a commentary on baseball and COVID-19. Though case rates are declining and vaccines are slowly arriving, coronavirus cases are higher now than during most of the shortened 2020 baseball season. Yet baseball is on the fast track to return to normalcy.

Second, an introduction to the Box-Toppers metric, used to track and compare players since 1995.

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8 of 14 RBI leaders among top 100 players in Box-Toppers points for 2020

Eight of the top 14 runs batted in leaders were among the top 100 players in Box-Toppers points in 2020.

Six of those players were also among their league’s top 10 batters during the pandemic-shortened season.

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How 2020’s top home run hitters fared in Box-Toppers rankings—Luke Voit led batters in both homers & Box-Toppers points

Luke Voit of the Yankees led all players in home runs in 2020 and also led all batters in Box-Toppers points during the season.

Four of the top six home run hitters in 2020 were also among the overall top 10 batters in Box-Toppers points for the season.

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Five of top 10 batting average leaders in 2020 among overall top 100 in Box-Toppers points

Five of the top 10 players in batting average for 2020 are among Box-Toppers’ top 100 players.

DJ LeMahieu of the Yankees led all players with a .364 batting average in the pandemic-shortened, 60-game 2020 season. He had 3.5 Box-Toppers points, 75th among all players and 13th among American League batters.

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An overview of Box-Toppers category leaders over several time frames after 2020

Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole holds the lead in three of Box-Toppers’ main leaderboards at the end of 2020, most of any player.

Cole leads all players in Box-Toppers points over the past two seasons (2019-2020) and also leads American League pitchers over the past two seasons and past six seasons (2015-2020). Cole has 39.6 Box-Toppers points over 2019-20 and 90.1 over 2015-20.

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

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

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Gerrit Cole leads players in Box-Toppers points over past 2 seasons (2019-20)

Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole has more Box-Toppers points over the past two seasons than any other player.

Cole has earned 39.6 Box-Toppers points over 2019 and 2020. He led all players in 2019 with 32.2 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he had 7.4 Box-Toppers points, 12th among all players and fifth among American League pitchers.

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A look at Box-Toppers’ top 100 players for 2020

Indians pitcher Shane Bieber tops Box-Toppers list of the top 100 players of 2020.

Bieber had 11.4 Box-Toppers points during the pandemic-shortened regular season. And because it was such a short season—reduced from 162 games to 60—it is the lowest total to lead all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, beating the previous low set by Royals pitcher Zack Greinke, who led all players with 21.5 points in 2009.

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Players named to ‘All-MLB’ teams rarely coincided with 2020 Box-Toppers points leaders

Selections for Major League Baseball’s 2020 “All-MLB” teams announced this past week rarely coincided with the season’s Box-Toppers points leaders.

Only one All-MLB First Team batter was among the Box-Toppers points leaders at his position—Marcell Ozuna of the Braves led all designated hitters with 4.5 Box-Toppers points. However, three of the four All-MLB First Team starting pitchers were also among the top three players in Box-Toppers points for 2020—Shane Bieber of the Indians (11.4), Trevor Bauer of the Reds (10.0) and Yu Darvish of the Cubs (9.7).

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