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
Angels pitcher Davis Daniel is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, George Springer of the Blue Jays earned Box-Toppers points in his 11th straight season after winning Player of the Game honors for the first time this season.
Player of the Day
Daniel struck out eight over eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 5-0 win over the Tigers.
Daniel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 290th among all players, 90th among American League pitchers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Thursday, June 27:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 13.4 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 11.4 |
| 3 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 11.0 |
| 4 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 10.7 |
| 5 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 10.7 |
| 6 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 10.7 |
| 7 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 10.7 |
| 8 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 10.7 |
| 9 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 10.4 |
| 10 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 10.0 |
National League Player of the Day
Cubs pitcher Luke Little struck out three in one middle relief inning, allowing no runs, hits or walks, in the 5-3 win over the Giants.
Little did not earn the win or save and did not pitch the required three innings to be initially considered for Player of the Game honors. But he had a higher Box-Toppers game score (+4.0) and the same number of innings pitched as the player who otherwise would have been Player of the Game, Hector Neris (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W), who had a +3.0 game score.
Little earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 97th among NL pitchers, 21st among NL middle relievers.
This was Little’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Little made his Major League debut Sept. 6, 2023, and was playing in his 32nd career game.
American League Batter of the Day
George Springer of the Blue Jays hit a pair of three-run home runs and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in six runs, in the 9-2 win over the Yankees.
Springer has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of 2024. He earned his first points in 2014 with the Astros and now has 43.4 career points, 11th among active AL batters and fourth among active AL outfielders.
Springer’s best season was 2022 with the Blue Jays when he had 8.0 points, fifth among AL batters. He had 2.0 points in 2023 with the Blue Jays.
National League Batter of the Day
Noelvi Marte of the Reds doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 11-4 win over the Cardinals.
This was Marte’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Marte made his Major League debut Aug. 19, 2023, and was playing in his 36th career game.
Notable
Byron Buxton of the Twins has the most 2024 Box-Toppers points among Thursday’s nine Player of the Game winners.
Buxton (HR 3-4 3R 3BI in the 13-6 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.5 for the season, 215th among all players and 36th among AL batters.
Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Jon Gray, Rangers5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 30th among AL pitchers
▪️Corbin Burnes, Orioles
7.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 9th among AL pitchers
Result—BAL 11, TEX 2
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Gray had -20.0 B-T game score in loss (5IP 9H 8R BB K L).
Burnes had +1.0 B-T game score (7IP 9H R 0BB 5K W).
Player of the Game—Heston Kjerstad, Orioles (HR 2-3 2R 3BI) with +4.0 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:▪️+11.0—Chris Sale, Braves (7IP 4H R BB 11K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. CHW.
Player of the Game—Jared Shuster, White Sox (3IP H 0R BB 2K W) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+6.0—José Berríos, Blue Jays (7IP 2H 2R 3BB 8K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. NYY
Player of the Game—Teammate George Springer (2HR 3-3 2R 6BI) with +8.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Cedric Mullins, Orioles (HR 2B 3-4 2R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TEX
Player of the Game—Teammate Heston Kjerstad (HR 2-3 2R 3BI) with +4.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 258 total players Thursday, 67 pitchers-26.9—Miles Mikolas, Cardinals (4.1IP 12H 10R 9ER BB K L vs. CIN)
-20.0—Jon Gray, Rangers
-18.8—Jordan Montgomery, Diamondbacks
-14.0—Carlos Rodón, Yankees
-11.0—David Festa, Twins
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 191 total batters Thursday-5.0—Kyle Farmer, Twins 0-5 2K
-5.0—Joc Pederson, Diamondbacks 0-5 2K
-5.0—Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks 0-5 K
-5.0—Christopher Morel, Cubs 0-5 K
-5.0—Wilmer Flores, Giants 0-5
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Debut
In addition to Little and Marte, Heston Kjerstad of the Orioles also made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Kjerstad (HR 2-3 2R 3BI in the 11-2 win over the Rangers) made his Major League debut Sept. 14, 2023, and was playing in his 24th career game.
Scoring
Daniel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Little earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Springer and Marte each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s 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.
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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).| 6/27 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +12.0 | LAA 5, DET 0 | Davis Daniel (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| BAT | +8.0 | TOR 9, NYY 2 | George Springer RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | MIN 13, ARI 6 | Byron Buxton CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.2 | KC 2, CLE 1 | Sam Long (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | BAL 11, TEX 2 | Heston Kjerstad RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| NL | +4.0 | `CHC 5, SF 3 (F/10) | Luke Little | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| +3.0 | CHW 1, ATL 0 | Jared Shuster (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | CIN 11, STL 4 | Noelvi Marte 3B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | MIA 7, PHI 4 | Bryan De La Cruz DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buxton, Byron 3604 | cf dh | min al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 13.0 | 24.2 | +1.5 |
| Daniel, Davis 4953 | pi cp | ana al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Little, Luke 5044 | pi mr | chi nl | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Springer, George 3337 | rf | tor al | 1.5 | 3.5 | 23.4 | 43.4 | -0.5 |
| Marte, Noelvi 5045 | 3b | cin nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| De La Cruz, Bryan 4500 | dh lf | fla nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -4.0 |
| Shuster, Jared 4816 | pi mr sp | chi al | 1.0 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | -0.7 |
| Long, Sam 4526 | pi mr sp | kc al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| Kjerstad, Heston 5043 | rf | bal al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | Tyler, Kyle* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 5.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| WSH | Parker, Mitchell 4982 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| TB | Eflin, Zach 3679 | 2.0 | 14.0 | 32.8 | 45.5 |
| TEX | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 1.0 | 16.4 | 70.9 | 252.7 |
| BAL | Suarez, Albert 3870 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| NYY | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 34.4 | 65.2 |
| TOR | Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | 3.7 | 13.7 | 31.1 | 31.1 |
| COL | Hudson, Dakota 4035 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 16.4 | 17.4 |
| CHW | Thorpe, Drew 5041 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| HOU | Blanco, Ronel 4959 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| NYM | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 27.8 | 88.1 |
| SD | Vasquez, Randy 4841 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 5.0 | 14.0 | 29.7 | 49.4 |
| PIT | Perez, Martin 3213 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 18.5 | 35.5 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 4.7 | 14.7 | 58.6 | 108.8 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 4.0 | 9.4 | 29.1 | 55.5 |
| MIL | Rea, Colin 3582 | 4.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 13.4 |
| CLE | McKenzie, Triston 4303 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 36.1 | 36.1 |
| KC | Marsh, Alec 4961 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CIN | Montas, Frankie 3803 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 35.5 | 38.5 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| DET | Maeda, Kenta 3609 | 2.7 | 13.8 | 36.6 | 67.3 |
| LAA | Plesac, Zach 4168 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 22.2 | 22.2 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 6.7 | 15.4 | 25.1 | 25.1 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 10.0 | 23.4 | 44.5 | 44.5 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| ARI | Cecconi, Slade 4913 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| LAD | Knack, Landon 5009 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 5.0 | 17.4 | 45.3 | 45.3 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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