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.
Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to eighth place in season player rankings.
Keller struck out 13 over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 4-0 win over the Orioles.
Keller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season, rising to eighth place in season player rankings, third among National League pitchers, behind Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks (7.7 points) and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (6.1 points).
American League Player of the Day—Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee struck out seven over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, two hits and no walks, in the 4-3 win over the Angels. Bibee did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was tied when he exited.
Bibee earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, 28th among AL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day—Taylor Walls of the Rays hit a grand slam, tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 8-7 win over the Yankees.
National League Batter of the Day—Nolan Arenado of the Cardinals homered and went 2-for-5, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 9-1 win over the Red Sox.
Arenado has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of 2023 Sunday. Arenado earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2014 with the Rockies and now has 62.4 career points, seventh among active NL batters. His best season was 2016 with the Rockies when he had 10.7 points, first among NL batters. In 2022, he had 7.0 points with the Cardinals, ninth among NL batters. He has finished among the top 10 NL batters in six seasons.
Notable—Mets pitcher Max Scherzer now has 238.3 career Box-Toppers points—fourth-most since 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Scherzer (5IP 2H R 2BB 6K W in the 8-2 win over the Nationals) trails third-place player Pedro Martinez (244.8) by 6.5 points. (It should be noted that Martinez’s career total is only from 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. If his entire career from 1992 were tracked, Martinez is projected to have 270 points.) Scherzer ranks second among active players in career points, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (265.4).
Scherzer now has 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023, 35th among NL pitchers.
Debut—Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Pfaadt (5IP H R 3BB 5K ND in the 2-1 win over the Giants) made his Major League debut May 3 and was playing in his third career game.
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 Sunday, May 14.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.7 |
| 2 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | tex al | 7.7 |
| 3 | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 7.0 |
| 4 | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | pi sp | tb al | 6.7 |
| 5 | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 6.7 |
| 6 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.1 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 6.0 |
| 8 | Keller, Mitch 4230 | pi sp | pit nl | 6.0 |
| 9 | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | pi sp | det al | 6.0 |
| 10 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp | ana al | 5.7 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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Scoring—Keller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bibee earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Walls and Arenado each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 5/14 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +16.0 | PIT 4, BAL 0 | Mitch Keller, (W 5‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| AL | +10.2 | `CLE 4, LAA 3 | Tanner Bibee | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| +9.0 | COL 4, PHI 0 | Kyle Freeland, (W 4‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +8.0 | LAD 4, SD 0 | Tony Gonsolin, (W 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +7.0 | `TEX 11, OAK 3 | Andrew Heaney | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| +7.0 | `MIA 3, CIN 1 | Braxton Garrett | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +5.0 | NYM 8, WSH 2 | Max Scherzer, (W 3‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | TB 8, NYY 7 | Taylor Walls, 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | MIN 16, CHC 3 | Trevor Larnach, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `ARI 2, SF 1 | Brandon Pfaadt | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +3.1 | MIL 9, KC 6 | Eric Lauer, (W 4‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | `TOR 6, ATL 5 | Trevor Richards | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | `DET 5, SEA 3 | Chasen Shreve, (Hld 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | `HOU 4, CHW 3 | Bryan Abreu, (Hld 7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.2 | WSH 3, NYM 2 | Hunter Harvey, (W 2‑0, BS 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | STL 9, BOS 1 | Nolan Arenado, 3B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keller, Mitch 4230 | pi sp | pit nl | 6.0 | 8.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | +4.0 |
| Freeland, Kyle 3763 | pi sp | col nl | 5.7 | 11.7 | 33.1 | 39.1 | -0.3 |
| Heaney, Andrew 3515 | pi sp | tex al | 3.7 | 11.7 | 34.8 | 39.8 | -4.3 |
| Garrett, Braxton 4341 | pi sp | fla nl | 3.0 | 8.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | -2.7 |
| Bibee, Tanner 4792 | pi sp | cle al | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | +2.7 |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 | 12.0 | 81.6 | 238.3 | -8.0 |
| Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp cp | mil nl | 2.0 | 11.4 | 30.8 | 30.8 | -7.4 |
| Abreu, Bryan 4663 | pi cp mr | hou al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Larnach, Trevor 4421 | lf rf | min al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| Arenado, Nolan 3306 | 3b | stl nl | 1.5 | 8.5 | 32.5 | 62.4 | -5.5 |
| Walls, Taylor 4691 | 3b ss | tb al | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +0.5 |
| Gonsolin, Tony 4211 | pi sp | lad nl | 1.0 | 12.4 | 24.8 | 24.8 | -10.4 |
| Richards, Trevor 3945 | pi mr sp cp | tor al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 0.0 |
| Shreve, Chasen 3482 | pi mr | det al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
| Harvey, Hunter 4698 | pi mr | dc nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | pi sp | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Monday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 1.7 | 5.7 | 44.8 | 87.0 |
| LAA | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | 5.7 | 30.4 | 61.0 | 61.0 |
| BAL | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| NYY | Brito, Jhony 4761 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TOR | Manoah, Alek 4424 | 1.0 | 14.1 | 24.8 | 24.8 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 2.0 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| BOS | Houck, Tanner 4342 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 2.7 | 10.1 | 41.5 | 41.5 |
| STL | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 42.3 | 42.3 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 1.0 | 11.4 | 59.7 | 95.1 |
| TEX | Dunning, Dane 4317 | 0.0 | 4.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 0.0 | 10.7 | 32.1 | 46.1 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 2.0 | 18.0 | 33.4 | 33.4 |
| CIN | Greene, Hunter 4651 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| COL | Seabold, Connor* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 2.0 | 13.0 | 28.0 | 28.0 |
| OAK | Rucinski, Drew 4001 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| KC | Keller, Brad 4008 | 1.0 | 7.4 | 25.4 | 25.4 |
| SD | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 3.0 | 11.4 | 26.5 | 53.2 |
| PHI | Falter, Bailey 4473 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| SF | Wood, Alex 3246 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 26.0 | 61.1 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 4.0 | 14.7 | 37.8 | 37.8 |
| LAD | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 22.4 | 52.5 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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