Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
▪️ Box-Toppers points of the day’s top players.
▪️ Top 10 players in 2023 Box-Toppers points.
▪️ A B-T look at upcoming pitching matchups.
Cubs pitcher Drew Smyly is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, two players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after both earned Player of the Game honors—Diamondbacks Zac Gallen rises to third place and Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani rises to sixth place.
Player of the Day—Smyly struck out 10 over 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 13-0 win over the Dodgers.
Smyly was pitching a perfect game through seven innings before giving up a hit to the first batter in the eighth inning.
Smyly earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, 16th among all players and fourth among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 2-0 win over the Royals.
Active season streaks
Here are the 14 players who have active streaks of earning Box-Toppers points for 13 or more consecutive seasons. Players are listed by the length of their streak and with their current team status. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.| Streak | Player | Pos | Team | Duration | BTP* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Miguel Cabrera | dh 1b | Tigers | 2003‑2022 | 159.4 |
| 18 | Nelson Cruz | dh | Padres | 2006‑2023 | 89.9 |
| 16 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Royals | 2007‑2022 | 222.5 |
| 16 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 2008‑2023 | 261.0 |
| 16 | Evan Longoria | 3b | Diamondbacks | 2008‑2023 | 61.0 |
| 15 | Johnny Cueto | pi sp | Marlins | 2008‑2022 | 118.2 |
| 15 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Mets | 2009‑2023 | 237.3 |
| 14 | Andrew McCutchen | dh lf | Pirates | 2009‑2022 | 78.9 |
| 14 | Aroldis Chapman | pi cp mr | Royals | 2010‑2023 | 63.1 |
| 13 | Craig Kimbrel | pi cp | Phillies | 2010‑2022 | 84.1 |
| 13 | Giancarlo Stanton | dh | Yankees | 2010‑2022 | 73.4 |
| 13 | Mike Trout | cf | Angels | 2011‑2023 | 82.2 |
| 13 | Kenley Jansen | pi cp | Red Sox | 2011‑2023 | 62.4 |
| 13 | Brandon Belt | 1b | Blue Jays | 2011‑2023 | 44.7 |
Ohtani earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, sixth among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.
This is Ohtani’s third Player of the Game honor of 2023, all earned as a starting pitcher. While Ohtani has played in 19 of the Angels’ 20 games as a batter, he does not qualify to rank among batters in Box-Toppers season player rankings because he has earned no Player of the Game honors as a batter. In fact, he did not qualify to rank among batters in 2022 because he earned 23.5 percent of his Player of the Game honors as a designated hitter. In 2022, he earned Player of the Game honors 17 times—13 times as a starting pitcher and four times as a designated hitter. To qualify to rank among batters, he needed to have more than 25 percent of his Player of the Game as a batter.
American League Batter of the Day—Brandon Belt of the Blue Jays homered, doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 6-1 win over the Yankees.
Belt has now earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of 2023. He earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2011 with the Giants and has 44.7 career points, fourth among active AL first basemen. His best seasons were 2016 and 2021, both with the Giants, when he had 7.0 points each season. He ranked sixth among NL first basemen in 2016 and third among NL first basemen in 2021. In 2022, he had 1.5 points with the Giants.
Belt’s 13-season streak is tied for the 10th-longest active streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points. He’s one of 14 active, signed players with a streak of at least 13 seasons.
National League Batter of the Day—Connor Joe of the Pirates doubled and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in no runs, in the 4-2 win over the Reds.
Rankings—Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen rises from fifth to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Gallen (7IP 2H 0R 0BB 11K W in the 9-0 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.7 for the season. He maintains his lead over NL pitchers, ahead of second-place Marcus Stroman of the Cubs (3.7).
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2023. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Friday, April 21.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 5.0 |
| 2 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | tex al | 5.0 |
| 3 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 4.7 |
| 4 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 4.0 |
| 5 | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 4.0 |
| 6 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp | ana al | 3.7 |
| 7 | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | pi sp | tb al | 3.7 |
| 8 | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | sea al | 3.7 |
| 9 | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | pi sp | chi nl | 3.7 |
| 10 | Reynolds, Bryan 4169 | cf lf | pit nl | 3.7 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Friday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Red Sox pitcher Josh Winckowski (2.1IP H 0R BB 4K ND in the 5-3 win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut May 28, 2022, and was playing in his 23rd career game.
Jordan Diaz of the Athletics (HR 1-1 R BI in the 5-4 win over the Rangers) made his Major League debut Sept. 18, 2022, and was playing in his 17th career game.
Scoring—Smyly earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Ohtani earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Belt and Joe each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—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. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point 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.
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Box‑Toppers Player of the Game winners
Here is the top player from each of the day’s games listed from highest to lowest Box‑Toppers game score (BTG).Back to top
| 4/21 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +16.2 | CHC 13, LAD 0 | Drew Smyly, (W 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| +16.0 | ARI 9, SD 0 | Zac Gallen, (W 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||
| AL | +14.0 | LAA 2, KC 0 | Shohei Ohtani, (W 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | |
| +10.0 | NYM 7, SF 0 | Joey Lucchesi, (W 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | ||
| +8.0 | `BAL 2, DET 1 | Tyler Wells | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +4.1 | `BOS 5, MIL 3 | Josh Winckowski, (Hld 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | SEA 5, STL 2 | George Kirby, (W 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | TOR 6, NYY 1 | Brandon Belt, 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | TB 8, CHW 7 | Harold Ramírez, DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | HOU 6, ATL 4 | Hector Neris, (W 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | PIT 4, CIN 2 | Connor Joe, RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | OAK 5, TEX 4 | Jordan Diaz, PH‑2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | `WSH 3, MIN 2 | Trevor Williams | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +1.0 | PHI 4, COL 3 | Jose Alvarado, (S 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box‑Toppers points.
All other players listed here would earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box‑Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no‑decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s Player of the Game winners
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total in 2023 (’23). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’22-23), the period 2018-2023 (’18-23) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2023 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2022 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’23 | ’22‑23 | ’18‑23 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 4.7 | 23.4 | 39.1 | 39.1 | -14.0 |
| Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp | ana al | 3.7 | 28.4 | 59.0 | 59.0 | -21.0 |
| Smyly, Drew 3009 | pi sp | chi nl | 3.0 | 11.7 | 23.7 | 59.2 | -5.7 |
| Belt, Brandon 2943 | 1b | tor al | 1.5 | 3.0 | 21.7 | 44.7 | 0.0 |
| Joe, Connor 4516 | rf | pit nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +1.5 |
| Kirby, George 4595 | pi sp | sea al | 1.0 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 | -10.4 |
| Wells, Tyler 4428 | pi sp | bal al | 1.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -3.0 |
| Williams, Trevor 3792 | pi sp | dc nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 19.7 | 24.7 | -2.0 |
| Neris, Hector 3553 | pi mr cp | hou al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 14.0 | 24.0 | 0.0 |
| Ramirez, Harold 4164 | dh 1b rf | tb al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 |
| Lucchesi, Joey 3936 | pi sp mr | nym nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 17.4 | 17.4 | +1.0 |
| Alvarado, Jose 3797 | pi cp | phi nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | +1.0 |
| Diaz, Jordan 4785 | 2b ph | oak al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Winckowski, Josh 4784 | pi mr | bos al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’s pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day’s probable pitching matchups. Teams are paired below with visiting teams on top and home teams on the bottom. Each team’s starting pitcher is shown with their Box-Toppers point total from 2023 (’23), over a two-year period (’22-23), over a six-year period (’18-23) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’23 | ’22‑23 | ’18‑23 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | Manoah, Alek 4424 | 1.0 | 14.1 | 24.8 | 24.8 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 4.0 | 19.4 | 99.4 | 142.3 |
| WSH | Kuhl, Chad 3687 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 15.7 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 2.0 | 12.7 | 35.8 | 35.8 |
| LAD | May, Dustin 4214 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| CHC | Wesneski, Hayden 4731 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 2.7 | 8.7 | 30.1 | 36.1 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIA | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Bieber, Shane 4005 | 0.0 | 13.7 | 56.3 | 56.3 |
| CHW | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 3.0 | 23.4 | 39.8 | 39.8 |
| TB | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | 3.0 | 19.4 | 24.1 | 24.1 |
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 27.9 | 27.9 |
| CIN | Cessa, Luis 3703 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 |
| PIT | Hill, Rich 2215 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 29.4 | 80.2 |
| MIA | Garrett, Braxton 4341 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| CLE | Plesac, Zach 4168 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 22.2 | 22.2 |
| DET | Wentz, Joey 4639 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| BAL | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 34.5 | 53.5 |
| OAK | Fujinami, Shintaro* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 2.7 | 10.7 | 33.8 | 38.8 |
| BOS | Whitlock, Garrett 4431 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| MIL | Miley, Wade 3006 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 24.4 | 64.5 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 0.0 | 16.0 | 31.4 | 31.4 |
| ATL | Wright, Kyle 4349 | 0.0 | 14.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| SD | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | 0.0 | 17.4 | 47.5 | 53.2 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 0.0 | 11.0 | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| KC | Greinke, Zack 1871 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 46.3 | 222.5 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 1.0 | 13.7 | 31.4 | 36.4 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 0.0 | 12.1 | 26.8 | 29.5 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 3.7 | 13.7 | 50.1 | 58.5 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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