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
▪️ Sunday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Rays pitcher Taj Bradley is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole extended his streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points to 12 after winning his first Player of the Game honor of 2024.
Player of the Day
Bradley struck out 11 over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 5-0 win over the Nationals.
Bradley earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 68th among all players and 31st among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, two hits and two walks, in the 7-1 win over the Cubs.
Peralta earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, 14th among all players and seventh among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Carson Kelly of the Tigers hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 7-6 win over the Angels.
National League Batter of the Day
Nick Castellanos of the Phillies doubled and went 4-for-5, driving in three runs, in the 7-6 win over the Marlins.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Sunday, June 30:| 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 |
Streak
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of 2024 Sunday.
Cole (5IP 3H R BB 6K W in the 8-1 win over the Blue Jays) earned his first points in 2013 with the Pirates and now has 156.3 career points, rising to 22nd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his 1.0 point Sunday, he passes two players on the “all-time” career points list—Mike Mussina (155.6) and Bartolo Colon (155.9). He now trails 21st-ranked player Tim Hudson (157.0).
Cole ranks fifth among active, signed players in career points, third among active AL pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Rangers (252.7) and Justin Verlander of the Astros (247.0).
Cole’s best season was 2019 with the Astros when he led all players with 32.2 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total since 1995. He had 17.0 Box-Toppers points in 2023 with the Yankees, seventh overall and fourth among AL pitchers.
Notable
Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn now has 122.5 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Lynn (6IP 2H 0R BB 6K W in the 2-0 win over the Reds) ranks 49th among all players in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when player tracking began. He trails 48th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1). Lynn ranks eighth among active, signed players in career points, fourth among active NL pitchers.
Lynn now has 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 42nd among NL pitchers.
Sunday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Joe Ryan, Twins7.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 11th among AL pitchers
▪️Luis Castillo, Mariners
7.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 13th among AL pitchers
Result—MIN 5, SEA 3
Ryan is Player of the Game with +6.2 B-T game score (5.2IP 6H 2R ER 0BB 10K ND).
Castillo had -4.0 B-T game score in loss (5IP 6H 3R 0BB 3K ND).
Ryan earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 8.7 for 2024, rising to 10th among AL pitchers.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+9.0—Garrett Crochet, White Sox (7IP 5H 2R 0BB 11K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. COL.
Player of the Game—Sam Hilliard, Rockies (SAC 0-0 R 0BI) with +1.0 game score.
▪️+6.0—Wyatt Langford, Rangers (HR 3B 2B 4-5 3R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. BAL.
Player of the Game—Teammate Andrew Heaney (7IP 5H 2R 0BB 10K W) with +8.0 game score.
▪️+6.0—Grant Holmes, Braves (3IP H 0R 0BB 4K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. PIT.
Player of the Game—Oneil Cruz, Pirates (HR 2-3 R 2BI) with +2.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 455 total players Sunday, 135 pitchers-24.0—James Paxton, Dodgers (4IP 12H 9R 2BB 4K L vs. SF)
-18.8—Ranger Suárez, Phillies
-15.8—Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
-14.9—Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 320 total batters Sunday-6.0—Nolan Jones, Rockies 0-6 5K
-6.0—Paul DeJong, White Sox 0-6 2K
-5.0—Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers 0-5 3K
-5.0—Anthony Volpe, Yankees 0-5 3K
-5.0—Jeff McNeil, Mets 0-5 2K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Debut
Joey Loperfido of the Astros made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Loperfido (1-1 R 2BI in the 10-5 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut April 30 and was playing in his 22nd career game.
Scoring
Bradley earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Peralta earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Kelly and Castellanos 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) 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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Career Box-Toppers points—Active players
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 1, 2024
1—Clayton Kershaw @Dodgers 270.4
2—Max Scherzer @Rangers 252.7
3—Justin Verlander @Astros 247.0
4—Chris Sale @Braves 164.0
5—Gerrit Cole @Yankees 156.3*
6—Jacob deGrom @Rangers 139.2
*Earns 1.0 B-T point as Player of the Game Sunday
Career Box-Toppers points—Active NL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 1, 2024
1—Clayton Kershaw @Dodgers 270.4
2—Chris Sale @Braves 164.0
3—Yu Darvish @Padres 137.7
4—Lance Lynn @Cardinals 122.5*
5—Aaron Nola @Phillies 110.4
6—Charlie Morton @Braves 109.8
*Earns 1.0 B-T point as Player of the Game Sunday
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).| 6/30 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +11.2 | TB 5, WSH 0 | Taj Bradley (W, 3‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | |
| +11.0 | KC 6, CLE 2 | Seth Lugo (W, 11‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| NL | +9.0 | MIL 7, CHC 1 | Freddy Peralta (W, 6‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| +9.0 | STL 2, CIN 0 | Lance Lynn (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +8.0 | TEX 11, BAL 2 | Andrew Heaney (W, 3‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||
| +6.2 | `MIN 5, SEA 3 | Joe Ryan | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | ||
| +5.0 | `ARI 5, OAK 1 | Brandon Pfaadt | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| +5.0 | NYY 8, TOR 1 | Gerrit Cole (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | DET 7, LAA 6 | Carson Kelly C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | HOU 10, NYM 5 (F/11) | Joey Loperfido PR‑1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | PHI 7, MIA 6 | Nick Castellanos RF | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | PIT 4, ATL 2 | Oneil Cruz SS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | SF 10, LAD 4 | Matt Chapman 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BOS 4, SD 1 | Wilyer Abreu RF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | COL 5, CHW 4 (F/14) | Sam Hilliard PR‑DH | 0 | 1 | 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 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peralta, Freddy 3965 | pi sp | mil nl | 8.7 | 26.4 | 56.5 | 65.2 | -9.0 |
| Ryan, Joe 4539 | pi sp | min al | 8.7 | 17.4 | 34.8 | 34.8 | 0.0 |
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | kc al | 8.4 | 14.8 | 23.8 | 32.8 | +2.0 |
| Chapman, Matt 3849 | 3b | sf nl | 6.5 | 10.0 | 28.0 | 35.0 | +3.0 |
| Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.4 | 10.1 | 10.1 | 10.1 | +2.7 |
| Bradley, Taj 4780 | pi sp | tb al | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| Lynn, Lance 2992 | pi sp | stl nl | 4.0 | 8.7 | 54.9 | 122.5 | -0.7 |
| Abreu, Wilyer 4911 | rf lf | bos al | 3.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +2.0 |
| Heaney, Andrew 3515 | pi sp | tex al | 3.0 | 14.4 | 35.8 | 50.5 | -8.4 |
| Castellanos, Nick 3349 | rf | phi nl | 1.5 | 8.5 | 26.0 | 50.7 | -5.5 |
| Kelly, Carson 4098 | ca | det al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | +1.5 |
| Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 1.0 | 18.0 | 95.4 | 156.3 | -16.0 |
| Cruz, Oneil 4665 | ss | pit nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 0.0 |
| Hilliard, Sam 4390 | dh lf pr | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | +1.0 |
| Loperfido, Joey 5051 | 1b pr | hou 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 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 5.0 | 15.1 | 16.1 | 16.1 |
| TOR | Rodriguez, Yariel 4979 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| MIL | Wilson, Bryse 4048 | 3.7 | 5.7 | 8.7 | 9.7 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 20.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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