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.
▪️ Subscribe to Box-Toppers Email Newsletter.
Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day
Skubal struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 7-3 win over the Athletics.
Skubal earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, 49th among all players and 25th among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Brewers pitcher Wade Miley struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 6-0 win over the Cardinals.
Miley earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season, 59th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Nick Castellanos of the Phillies homered and hit a sacrifice fly, going 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 5-4 win over the Mets.
Castellanos earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 14th among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Thursday because no AL Batter of the Day earned Player of the Game honors.
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 Thursday, Sept. 21.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strider, Spencer 4626 | pi sp | atl nl | 21.1 |
| 2 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | ana al | 19.4 |
| 3 | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 18.7 |
| 4 | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 17.8 |
| 5 | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | pi sp | mil nl | 17.7 |
| 6 | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | pi sp | tor al | 17.1 |
| 7 | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | sea al | 16.1 |
| 8 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 15.7 |
| 9 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | tex al | 15.4 |
| 10 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 15.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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Rankings
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Cole (8IP 2H R 0BB 9K W in the 5-3 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.0 for the season. He ranks sixth among AL pitchers.
Cole took a perfect game into the sixth inning but ended up giving up two hits and a run. And while he racked up an impressive +13.0 Box-Toppers game score, it fell just short of the +14.0 game score by Tarik Skubal, who edged Cole out for overall Player of the Day honors.
Cole now has 153.3 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 23rd among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 1.0 point Thursday, he passes two players on the “all-time” career points list—Greg Maddux (152.7) and Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (153.3). (It should be noted that Maddux would have an estimated 250 career Box-Toppers points if his entire career from 1986 were tracked.) While Wainwright and Cole have the same 153.3 career point total, Cole ranks ahead on a tiebreaker because he has more 2023 points—15.0 vs. 1.0.
Passing Wainwright (who only passed him Monday), Cole is now sixth among active players in career points, fourth among active AL pitchers.
Cole ‘inevitable’ for AL Cy Young? Not so fast
Gerrit Cole @Yankees is Box-Toppers Player of Thursday’s TOR-NYY Game (8IP 2H R 0BB 9K W) with +13.0 B-T game score.@BlueJays starter Jose Berrios had -3.8 B-T game score in loss (5.2IP 7H 4R 0BB 6K L).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 22, 2023
Cole earns 1.0 B-T pt, giving him 15.0 in ’23.https://t.co/r7lHiQwORD pic.twitter.com/94d1j0ZweB
And while Cole is being touted as not only the favorite but inevitable AL Cy Young Award winner, it should be pointed out that he ranks sixth among AL pitchers in 2023 Box-Toppers points.
Cole does not fare better in Box-Toppers points because of his relatively lackluster May, June and July, which is seemingly forgotten. During that three-month span—half the season—Cole only earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points, winning Player of the Game honors once in June and once in July. Extrapolating that three-month performance over the entire season would give him only 4.0 points over a full season. On the other hand, Cole has earned 13.0 of his points in the other three months of the season so far (April, August and September) and extending that out to a full season would give him 26.0 points, more than enough to lead all players.
Looking closer at Cole’s May, June and July, he made 16 starts and the Yankees were 9-7 in those starts. In the nine wins, Cole had a negative Box-Toppers game score four times, so was not eligible to win Player of the Game honors. He had only two Box-Toppers game scores above +3.0 in those wins and did win 1.0 Box-Toppers point as Player of the Game in both of those starts (June 20 and July 22).
There were two other games in that span in which Cole had impressive Box-Toppers game scores but the Yankees lost, so he was not eligible to win Player of the Game honors. On June 14, he had a +8.0 game score in a loss to the Mets and on July 16, he had a +12.0 game score in a loss to the Rockies.
Looking at a snapshot of the current best AL pitcher, it may very well be Cole. But looking at the entire season, Cole has a hole in the middle of his season. He has rebounded spectacularly but not enough to overcome that period. He is 3.7 points behind Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (18.7)—Box-Toppers current leader for AL Cy Young—and would need two more great starts to have a chance to catch him.
Cole was Box-Toppers’ choice for the AL Cy Young Award in 2019, when he was with the Astros. Cole earned 32.2 Box-Toppers points that season, just ahead of teammate Justin Verlander (27.5), who ended up winning that year’s AL Cy Young. Cole’s 32.2 points that season is the fourth-most in a single season by any player since tracking began in 1995.
Also notable
Rays pitcher Zach Eflin now has 12.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023—22nd overall and 11th among AL pitchers—after earning 1.0 points as Player of the Game Thursday (5IP 6H 2R BB 10K ND in the 5-4 win over the Angels).
Scoring
Skubal earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Miley earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Castellanos earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Twitter.
Thursday’s best performances by players who did not earn Box-Toppers points:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 22, 2023
Ozzie Albies @Braves HR 2B 4-6 2R 4BI
J.D. Martinez @Dodgers HR SF 2-3 R 3BI
Jo Adell @Angels HR 2-3 2R 2BI
Thursday’s B-T Player of the Game winners—https://t.co/r7lHiQwORD
Thursday’s lowest Box-Toppers game scores:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 22, 2023
-16.8—Jake Irvin @Nationals 2.2IP 7H 5R 3BB K L vs. ATL
-12.0—Miles Mikolas @Cardinals
-9.9—Julian Merryweather @Cubs
-8.8—Colin Holderman @Pirates
-8.0—Jackson Stephens @Braves
-8.0—Cionel Pérez @Orioles https://t.co/r7lHiQwORD
Thursday’s lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 22, 2023
-5.0—Randy Arozarena @RaysBaseball 0-5 3K
-5.0—Brandon Drury @Angels, Christopher Morel @Cubs, Endy Rodriguez @Pirates, all 0-5 2K
-5.0—Ronny Mauricio @Mets, Seiya Suzuki @Cubs, both 0-5 Khttps://t.co/r7lHiQwORD
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).| 9/21 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | DET 7, OAK 3 | Tarik Skubal (W, 7‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| +13.0 | NYY 5, TOR 3 | Gerrit Cole (W, 14‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||
| NL | +8.0 | MIL 6, STL 0 | Wade Miley (W, 9‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| +7.2 | `LAD 7, SF 2 | Emmet Sheehan | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | ||
| +7.0 | ATL 10, WSH 3 | Max Fried (W, 8‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | PHI 5, NYM 4 | Nick Castellanos RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | PIT 8, CHC 6 | Joshua Palacios PH‑RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `TB 5, LAA 4 | Zach Eflin | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| +1.0 | CLE 5, BAL 2 | Josh Naylor 1B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 15.0 | 30.4 | 110.4 | 153.3 | -0.4 |
| Eflin, Zach 3679 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 | 15.7 | 38.5 | 43.5 | +8.3 |
| Skubal, Tarik 4414 | pi sp | det al | 9.7 | 20.4 | 29.1 | 29.1 | -1.0 |
| Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 9.0 | 25.0 | 53.5 | 53.5 | -7.0 |
| Castellanos, Nick 3349 | rf | phi nl | 7.0 | 7.0 | 31.0 | 49.2 | +7.0 |
| Naylor, Josh 4154 | 1b | cle al | 6.0 | 9.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | +2.5 |
| Miley, Wade 3006 | pi sp | mil nl | 4.7 | 5.7 | 28.1 | 68.2 | +3.7 |
| Sheehan, Emmet 4886 | pi sp mr | lad nl | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Palacios, Josh 4888 | rf cf ph | pit nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Friday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COL | Davis, Noah* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 4.4 | 15.1 | 36.5 | 50.5 |
| MIL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 11.7 | 27.1 | 55.9 | 55.9 |
| MIA | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PIT | Ortiz, Luis 4738 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| TOR | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 17.1 | 28.1 | 56.9 | 60.9 |
| TB | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 47.8 | 47.8 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| NYY | Weaver, Luke 3719 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 16.0 | 25.7 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 10.0 | 20.4 | 68.7 | 104.1 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 7.1 | 11.1 | 50.2 | 92.4 |
| NYM | Megill, Tylor 4464 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| PHI | Walker, Taijuan 3453 | 7.7 | 15.4 | 30.8 | 57.2 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 8.7 | 16.4 | 20.1 | 20.1 |
| CLE | Bieber, Shane 4005 | 3.0 | 16.7 | 59.3 | 59.3 |
| CHW | Toussaint, Touki 4110 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| BOS | Sale, Chris 2806 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 40.8 | 152.3 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 |
| TEX | Dunning, Dane 4317 | 3.0 | 7.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| LAA | Daniel, Davis* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 13.4 | 24.1 | 47.2 | 47.2 |
| KC | Ragans, Cole 4889 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 10.0 | 26.0 | 41.4 | 41.4 |
| DET | Gipson-Long, Sawyer 4940 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| OAK | Waldichuk, Ken 4757 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| STL | Hudson, Dakota 4035 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| SD | Waldron, Matt* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 2.7 | 8.7 | 38.8 | 52.9 |
| LAD | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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