Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2024
▪️ Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Ryan Mountcastle of the Orioles is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Mountcastle hit two doubles and went 3-for-6, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 17-5 win over the Yankees.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Thursday, June 20:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 13.4 |
| 2 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 10.7 |
| 3 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 10.0 |
| 4 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 9.7 |
| 5 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 9.7 |
| 6 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 9.7 |
| 7 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 9.7 |
| 8 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | White Sox | 9.7 |
| 9 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 9.4 |
| 10 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 9.4 |
Mountcastle earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 60th among all players and fourth among American League batters.
Mountcastle is just the second batter to win Player of the Day honors in 2024 and his +4.0 Box-Toppers game score Thursday is the second-lowest Box-Toppers game score of all 87 Player of the Day winners this season.
The other batter to win Player of the Day this season is Jake Cronenworth of the Padres, who was Player of the Day March 21 in that day’s only game, the 15-11 win over the Dodgers in the opening series in South Korea. He had a +6.0 Box-Toppers game score, the third-lowest for a Player of the Day winner this season.
Mountcastle’s +4.0 game score is second-lowest of the season for a Player of the Day winner. The only score lower was +2.0 by Dodgers closer Evan Phillips, who was Player of the Day March 20 in the day’s only game, the season opening, 5-2 win against the Padres in South Korea.
In 2023, 12 batters won Player of the Day honors in the season’s 183 days. The lowest Box-Toppers game score for a Player of the Day winner in 2023 was +4.2 by Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo on March 31 (on a day in which five games were played). The lowest game score for a batter winning Player of the Day honors in 2023 was +5.0 by Willson Contreras of the Cardinals on May 18 (on a day in which six games were played).
Mountcastle was aided in his Player of the Day win Thursday by the relative low number of games completed—just nine, rather than a full slate of 15 games. In 2023, batters won Player of the Day honors eight times when a full slate of 15 or 16 games were played; the other four times, 10 or fewer games were played.
By this date last season, June 21, batters had won Player of the Day honors seven times and would go on to win five more times in the remainder of the season.
Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
Top Thursday pitchers
None of the three pitchers with the most 2024 Box-Toppers points among Thursday’s starters earned Player of the Game honors:▪️Luis Gil, Yankees
13.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 1st among AL pitchers
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. BAL
(1.1IP 8H 7R 2BB K L), -21.9 B-T game score, lowest among all players Thursday
Player of the Game—Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles (2-2B 3-6 3R 4BI), +4.0 game score
▪️Seth Lugo, Royals
7.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 11th among AL pitchers
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. OAK
(6.2IP 6H 2R 3BB 8K ND), +1.2 B-T game score
Player of the Game—Teammate Freddy Fermin (2HR 3-4 2R 2BI), +3.0 game score
▪️Luis Castillo, Mariners
7.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 12th among AL pitchers
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. CLE
(5IP 8H 5R 2BB 4K L), -11.0 B-T game score
Player of the Game—Will Brennan, Guardians (2HR 2B 3-4 2R 2BI), +3.0 game score
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+3.0—Aaron Judge, Yankees (HR 2-3 R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. BAL.
Player of the Game—Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles (2-2B 3-6 3R 4BI) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Anthony Molina, Rockies (3IP 0H 0R BB K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. LAD
Player of the Game—Evan Phillips, Dodgers (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+2.2—Tayler Scott, Astros (1.2IP 0H 0R BB 2K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. CHW
Player of the Game—Teamate Josh Hader (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv) with +3.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 293 total players Thursday, 88 pitchers-21.9—Luis Gil, Yankees (1.1IP 8H 7R 2BB K L vs. BAL)
-15.0—Ty Blach, Rockies
-11.8—Keaton Winn, Giants
-11.0—Luis Castillo, Mariners
-10.8—Cole Irvin, Orioles
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 205 total batters Thursday-5.0—Eugenio Suarez, Diamondbacks 0-5 3K
-4.0—Brenton Doyle, Rockies 0-4 3K
-4.0—Luis Campusano, Padres 0-4 2K
-4.0—Michael Conforto, Giants 0-4 2K
-4.0—Hunter Goodman, Rockies 0-4 2K
-4.0—Lenyn Sosa, White Sox 0-4 2K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
National League Player of the Day
Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 6-5 win over the Giants.
Donovan earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 4.2 for the season, 81st among all players and ninth among NL batters.
AL & NL Batters of the Day
There are no separate AL and NL Batters of the Day for Thursday because the overall Player of the Day is AL batter Ryan Mountcastle and the NL Player of the Day is batter Brendan Donovan.
Thursday was an upside-down day for Box-Toppers. Normally, pitchers win the majority of Player of the Game honors and have the highest game scores of all Player of the Game winners. But Thursday, batters won six of nine Player of the Game honors and had the five highest game scores among all Player of the Game winners.
Scoring
Mountcastle earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Donovan earns 1.7 points for being NL Player 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.
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2024 Box-Toppers points—AL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) June 21, 2024
1—Aaron Judge @Yankees 8.5
2—Juan Soto @Yankees 7.0
3—Josh Naylor @CleGuardians 5.5
4—Ryan Mountcastle @Orioles 5.0*
5—Yordan Alvarez @Astros 4.5
6—Jordan Westburg @Orioles 4.5
*Earns 2.0 B-T points as Thursday’s Player of the Day
Box-Toppers points leader for 2024, Luis Gil @Yankees (13.4), had the lowest B-T game score (-21.9) among all 293 who played Thursday (1.1IP 8H 7R 2BB K L vs. BAL).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) June 21, 2024
Details, plus Thursday’s highest & lowest B-T game scores—https://t.co/tiUXhlaVJO https://t.co/2oRPflWZPM pic.twitter.com/OyqSaTlMXN
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).| 6/20 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +4.0 | BAL 17, NYY 5 | Ryan Mountcastle 1B | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| NL | +3.0 | STL 6, SF 5 | Brendan Donovan LF‑3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | CLE 6, SEA 3 | Will Brennan RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | KC 3, OAK 2 | Freddy Fermin DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | SD 7, MIL 6 | Manny Machado 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | HOU 5, CHW 3 | Josh Hader (S, 11) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | LAD 5, COL 3 | Evan Phillips (S, 12) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | ARI 5, WSH 2 | Ryne Nelson (W, 5‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | TB 7, MIN 6 (F/10) | Amed Rosario PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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 2024 (’24). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’23-24), the period 2019-2024 (’19-24) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2024 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2023 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’24 | ’23‑24 | ’19‑24 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountcastle, Ryan 4325 | 1b | bal al | 5.0 | 9.2 | 18.7 | 18.7 | +0.8 |
| Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | hou al | 5.0 | 9.0 | 36.7 | 51.4 | +1.0 |
| Donovan, Brendan 4603 | lf 3b | stl nl | 4.2 | 4.2 | 8.2 | 8.2 | +4.2 |
| Phillips, Evan 4930 | pi cp | lad nl | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +3.0 |
| Nelson, Ryne 4728 | pi sp | ari nl | 3.0 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 | -3.7 |
| Rosario, Amed 3879 | 2b ss ph | tb al | 2.5 | 6.5 | 18.5 | 21.5 | -1.5 |
| Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b | sd nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 19.4 | 55.8 | -1.0 |
| Fermin, Freddy 4862 | dh ca | kc al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Brennan, Will 4794 | rf | cle al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
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 2024 (’24), this year and last year (’23-24), over a six-year period (’19-24) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’24 | ’23-24 | ’19‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYM | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 25.8 | 86.1 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| ARI | Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | 1.0 | 11.4 | 31.5 | 37.5 |
| PHI | Walker, Taijuan 3453 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 31.8 | 58.2 |
| CHW | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 21.5 | 23.2 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 6.0 | 10.0 | 38.2 | 51.3 |
| TB | Pepiot, Ryan 4714 | 5.7 | 10.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| PIT | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ATL | Sale, Chris 2806 | 9.7 | 18.4 | 31.4 | 163.0 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 40.5 | 63.6 |
| BOS | Crawford, Kutter 4660 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 2.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 9.7 | 23.4 | 34.8 | 34.8 |
| MIA | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| TOR | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 24.1 | 111.5 |
| KC | Singer, Brady 4337 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 28.7 | 28.7 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 5.0 | 14.7 | 39.8 | 74.3 |
| BAL | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| HOU | Bloss, Jake* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| WSH | Herz, DJ 5032 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| COL | Hudson, Dakota 4035 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 16.4 | 17.4 |
| MIL | Rea, Colin 3582 | 4.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 13.4 |
| SD | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 8.7 | 18.7 | 55.5 | 55.5 |
| MIN | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 31.5 | 31.5 |
| OAK | Estes, Joey 5000 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| LAA | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 2.7 | 5.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| LAD | Knack, Landon 5009 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| OAK | Jefferies, Daulton 4571 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SF | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 3.0 | 14.7 | 23.7 | 39.8 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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