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
Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Thursday, Sept. 19:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 21.4 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 21.1 |
| 3 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 19.7 |
| 4 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 19.1 |
| 5 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 19.1 |
| 6 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 17.4 |
| 7 | Framber Valdez | pi sp | Astros | 15.4 |
| 8 | Nestor Cortes | pi sp | Yankees | 15.4 |
| 9 | Sean Manaea | pi sp | Mets | 14.4 |
| 10 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 14.1 |
Also Thursday, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers records the second-highest Box-Toppers game score for a batter in the 30 years of Box-Toppers player tracking. He did it on the day he became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season.
Player of the Day
Pfaadt struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing one run, two hits and no walks, in the 5-1 win over the Brewers.
Pfaadt earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, 31st among all players and 16th among National League pitchers.
Pfaadt also becomes the 52nd player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2024. It is his first season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. His only previous season earning points was 2023 with the Diamondbacks when he had 3.7.
American League Player of the Day
Rays pitcher Zack Littell struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 2-0 win over the Red Sox.
Littell earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season, 34th among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers hit three home runs, two doubles and went 6-for-6, scoring four times and driving in 10 runs, in the 20-4 win over the Marlins.
Ohtani earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.5 for the season, sixth among NL batters.
Ohtani recorded one of the best games in Box-Toppers tracking history on the day he became the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. He passed both marks Thursday with three home runs and two steals, reaching 51 homers and 51 steals for 2024.
Second-best game for a batter in Box-Toppers history
Ohtani records a +14.0 Box-Toppers game score Thursday, which is apparently the second-highest for a batter earning Player of the Game honors in the 30 seasons of Box-Toppers tracking.
While Box-Toppers has records for each Player of the Game since the start of 1995, the data from actual game score records from box scores only goes back to the start of 2011. However, looking back at some of the most likely games to produce high Box-Toppers game scores for batters from 1995 to 2010 (games in which players had large home run, RBI or hit totals), it appears Ohtani’s is the second-best since 1995.
With that caveat, here are what are possibly the highest Box-Toppers game scores by batters earning Player of the Game honors since tracking began:
+15.0 by Anthony Rendon of the Nationals, April 30, 2017, (3HR 2B 6-6 5R 10BI in the 23-5 win over the Mets).
+14.0 by Ohtani Thursday.
+14.0 by Scooter Gennett of the Reds, June 6, 2017, (4HR 5-5 4R 10BI in the 13-1 win over the Cardinals).
+13.0 by Shawn Green of the Dodgers, May 23, 2002 (prior to start of Box-Toppers website), (4HR 2B 6-6 6R 7BI in the 16-3 win over the Brewers).
+13.0 by Mark Reynolds of the Nationals, July 7, 2018, (2HR 2B 5-5 3R 10BI in the 18-4 win over the Marlins).
+13.0 by Adolis Garcia of the Rangers, April 22, 2023, (3HR 2-2B 5-5 5R 8BI in the 18-3 win over the Athletics).
+13.0 by Adam Duvall of the Braves, Sept. 9, 2020, (3HR 3-4 5R 9BI in the 29-9 win over the Marlins).
While Ohtani and Gennett both had +14.0 game scores, Ohtani ranks higher because he had more at bats in his game (six vs. five). Among the four players with +13.0 game scores, Green ranks highest because he had the most at bats among the four (six). Reynolds and Garcia had the same at-bat total (five), but Reynolds ranks ahead of Garcia because he had more RBIs (10 vs. eight). Duvall ranks fourth among the four batters with +13.0 game scores because he had the fewest at bats (four).
Highest Box-Toppers game score for batter in 2024
Ohtani’s +14.0 game score is the highest for a batter earning Player of the Game honors in 2024, beating the previous high +10.0 by Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies on Aug. 7 (3HR 2B 4-4 3R 7BI in the 9-4 win over the Dodgers). While Ohtani’s +14.0 is the highest for a batter earning Player of the Game honors, it is 28th among all Player of the Game winners for 2024. Pitchers have recorded the 27 highest game scores for Player of the Game winners in 2024, including Thursday’s +15.0 game score by overall Player of the Day Brandon Pfaadt. The highest Box-Toppers game score in 2024 is +19.0 by Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez on June 23 (8IP 2H 0R BB 14K W in the 3-0 win over the Athletics).
Ohtani rises into top 10 among batters for first time in 2024
With Thursday’s Player of the Game honor, Ohtani rises into the top 10 among NL batters for the first time in 2024. While Ohtani has long widely been seen this season as the unanimous choice for NL Most Valuable Player, he has spent 2024 out of contention as Box-Toppers NL MVP. While it’s hard to deny his statistically significant season, he often was not the key Dodgers player contributing to the team’s wins, earning Player of the Game honors only six times previously this season. Other Dodgers players shared the load, often outperforming Ohtani in team wins, despite his impressive statistics.
Ohtani with the Angels won the AL Most Valuable Player Award in 2021 and 2023 and finished second in 2022 voting. He was Box-Toppers’ AL MVP in both 2022 and 2023. Box-Toppers’ AL MVP in 2021 was Jose Ramirez of Cleveland. In 2022, Aaron Judge of the Yankees won AL MVP over Ohtani.
Ohtani’s 7.5 Box-Toppers points in 2024 is 3.0 behind the current leader in Box-Toppers points among NL batters, Willy Adames of the Brewers (10.5 points). While it seems unlikely Ohtani can catch him with just nine games left in the Dodgers season, he has earned 2.5 points in five days after previously earning 1.0 point as Player of the Game Sunday.
Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Brandon Pfaadt, Diamondbacks9.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 26th among NL pitchers
▪️Tobias Myers, Brewers
9.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 29th among NL pitchers
Result—ARI 5, MIL 1
Pfaadt was Player of the Game (7IP 2H R 0BB 12K W) with +15.0 game score.
Myers had -2.0 B-T game score in loss (4IP 4H 3R ER 3BB 5K L).
Pfaadt earns 2.0 B-T points as overall Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for 2024, rising to 16th among NL pitchers.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+5.0—Matt Olson, Braves (2HR 2-4 3R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. CIN.
Player of the Game—Teammate Michael Harris II (2HR 3-5 4R 4BI) with +6.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Jorge Soler, Braves (HR 2-3 3R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. CIN.
Player of the Game—Teammate Michael Harris II (2HR 3-5 4R 4BI) with +6.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays (2HR 3-4 3R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TEX.
Player of the Game—Teammate Kevin Gausman (5IP 0H 0R BB 6K W) with +10.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 367 total players Thursday, 109 pitchers-19.9—Taijuan Walker, Phillies (3.1IP 6H 8R 3BB 2K L vs. NYM)
-19.8—Vidal Bruján, Marlins
-17.9—Edward Cabrera, Marlins
-16.0—Brandon Leibrant, Reds
-14.0—Julian Aguiar, Reds
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 258 total batters Thursday-5.0—Byron Buxton, Twins 0-5 3K
-5.0—Angel Martinez, Guardians 0-5 3K
-5.0—Dylan Crews, Nationals 0-5 2K
-5.0—Jesús Sánchez, Marlins 0-5 2K
-4.0—Logan O'Hoppe, Angels, 0-4 4K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
American League Batter of the Day
Kyle Manzardo of the Guardians homered and went 3-for-3, scoring once and driving in one run, in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Twins.
This was Manzardo’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Manzardo made his Major League debut May 6 and was playing in his 46th career game.
Notable
Two players became the 53rd and 54th players to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2024 after both earned Player of the Game honors Thursday:
Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (5IP 0H 0R BB 6K W in the 4-0 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season, 49th among all players and 24th among AL pitchers. This is his sixth season with 10 or more points and the fourth straight. His best season was 2023 with the Blue Jays when he had 18.7 points, fourth overall and third among AL pitchers.
Astros pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (6IP 5H R BB 9K ND in the 3-1 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season, 39th among all players and 19th among AL pitchers. This is Kikuchi’s second straight season with 10 points after earning 10.0 points in 2023 with the Blue Jays, 27th among AL pitchers.
Scoring
Pfaadt earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Littell earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Ohtani and Manzardo 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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Chris Sale #Braves was not Player of the Game in Thursday’s win vs. CIN (5IP 5H 2R 2BB 6K W) with a 0.0 B-T game score.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 20, 2024
Player of the Game—Michael Harris II #Braves (2HR 3-5 4R 4BI) with +6.0 game score.
Sale remains 5th overall in 2024 B-T points (19.1).https://t.co/rXhYA7hSkn https://t.co/8FqzQNWfDr
2024 Box-Toppers points—NL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 20, 2024
1—Willy Adames #Brewers 10.5
2—Brenton Doyle #Rockies 9.7
3—Francisco Lindor #Mets 9.4
4—Bryce Harper #Phillies 8.7
5—Eugenio Suárez #Dbacks 8.5
6—Shohei Ohtani #Dodgers 7.5*
7—Marcell Ozuna #Braves 7.5
*Earns 1.5 pts as TH’s NL Batter of Day pic.twitter.com/1w25p4RvN2
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).| 9/19 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +15.0 | ARI 5, MIL 1 | Brandon Pfaadt (W, 10‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | |
| BAT | +14.0 | LAD 20, MIA 4 | Shohei Ohtani DH | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| AL | +13.0 | TB 2, BOS 0 | Zack Littell (W, 8‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| +10.0 | TOR 4, TEX 0 | Kevin Gausman (W, 13‑11) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +7.0 | `HOU 3, LAA 1 | Yusei Kikuchi | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| +6.0 | ATL 15, CIN 3 | Michael Harris II CF | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | SEA 3, NYY 2 | Andrés Muñoz (S, 22) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | CHC 7, WSH 6 | Dansby Swanson SS | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | NYM 10, PHI 6 | Francisco Alvarez C | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | CLE 3, MIN 2 (F/10) | Kyle Manzardo DH | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | BAL 5, SF 3 | Anthony Santander DH | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | `PIT 3, STL 2 | Luis L. Ortiz | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | pi sp | ari nl | 11.4 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 15.1 | +7.7 |
| Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | pi sp | hou al | 10.7 | 20.7 | 38.1 | 38.1 | +0.7 |
| Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 10.0 | 28.7 | 59.1 | 98.1 | -8.7 |
| Littell, Zack 4533 | pi sp | tb al | 8.4 | 10.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 | +6.4 |
| Ortiz, Luis 4738 | pi sp | pit nl | 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +8.0 |
| Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | dh | lad nl | 7.5 | 26.9 | 74.2 | 82.2 | -11.9 |
| Munoz, Andres 4222 | pi cp | sea al | 6.0 | 9.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | +3.0 |
| Santander, Anthony 3935 | rf | bal al | 5.5 | 8.5 | 20.5 | 22.0 | +2.5 |
| Swanson, Dansby 3751 | ss | chi nl | 5.0 | 7.5 | 25.7 | 34.7 | +2.5 |
| Alvarez, Francisco 4815 | ca | nym nl | 2.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -3.0 |
| Harris, Michael 4682 | cf | atl nl | 2.0 | 7.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -3.5 |
| Manzardo, Kyle 5114 | dh | cle al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | Williams, Trevor 3792 | 5.0 | 10.7 | 21.4 | 34.4 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 6.0 | 11.4 | 31.1 | 57.5 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 11.7 | 24.7 | 31.7 | 31.7 |
| CIN | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 7.7 | 15.1 | 20.1 | 26.8 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 9.7 | 20.1 | 52.2 | 79.0 |
| TB | Alexander, Tyler 4196 | 4.7 | 7.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| BAL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 10.7 | 22.4 | 63.6 | 66.6 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 9.4 | 19.4 | 63.3 | 113.5 |
| MIA | Bellozo, Valente 5082 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIN | Festa, David 5067 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| BOS | Fitts, Richard* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 11.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 13.7 | 27.4 | 38.8 | 38.8 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 61.6 | 139.2 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 32.4 | 45.4 |
| HOU | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 2.0 | 14.4 | 68.9 | 247.0 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 10.4 | 27.1 | 61.5 | 61.5 |
| MIL | Rea, Colin 3582 | 10.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 19.1 |
| SF | Black, Mason* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 10.4 | 21.4 | 40.9 | 71.6 |
| CLE | Lively, Ben 3903 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 |
| STL | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 7.4 | 16.1 | 43.2 | 69.6 |
| CHW | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| SD | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | 8.7 | 15.7 | 59.2 | 68.9 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 6.0 | 23.0 | 100.4 | 161.3 |
| OAK | Ginn, J.T.* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 22.7 | 41.1 |
| LAD | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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