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Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Friday’s spring training games.
Both league’s 2024 Box-Toppers points leaders and both league’s 2024 Cy Young Award winners won Player of the Game honors on Friday.
Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill, Mets pitcher Clay Holmes, Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks, Giants pitcher Logan Webb, Austin Wells of the Yankees, Braves pitcher Chris Sale, Andrés Giménez of the Blue Jays, Jeremy Peña of the Astros and Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler.
Player of the Day
Skubal struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 9-1 win over the Orioles.
Skubal had a +10.0 Box-Toppers game score, best among all Tigers player and highest among all Friday Player of the Game winners.
Skubal earned 21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2024, second overall and first among American League pitchers. Skubal won the 2024 AL Cy Young Award.
National League Player of the Day
Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill struck out five over four scoreless and hitless innings, allowing no walks, in the 6-0 win over the Nationals.
Quantrill earned 5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024 with the Rockies, 69th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks tripled, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 16-9 win over the Brewers.
Marte earned 7.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 12th among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Austin Wells of the Yankees hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 4-0 win over the Tigers. Wells went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs.
Wells earned 2.5 Box-Toppers points in 2024, ninth among AL catchers.
Notable
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler has the most 2024 Box-Toppers points among Friday’s Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Game winners.
Wheeler (5IP 3H R BB 4K ND in the 6-3 win over the Twins) earned 21.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, most among all players and first among NL pitchers.
Also notable
Two players Friday earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for a third time during the 2025 spring training season while four others earned their second Player of the Game honor of the spring.
Here are the two who won Player of the Game honors for a third time this spring:
Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (5.1IP 2H 0R 3BB 8K ND in the 3-2 win over the Cardinals) also did it Feb. 22 in the 6-2 win over the Astros (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K W) and March 9 in the 7-6 win over the Nationals (3.2IP H 0R 3BB 8K ND), when he was also NL Player of the Day. Holmes earned 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024 with the Yankees.
Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (5.1IP 5H 0R 2BB 9K ND in the 2-1 win over the Pirates) also did it March 5 in the 4-2 win over the Rays (3IP 2H 0R BB 7K ND) and March 16 in the 6-5 win over the Twins (4IP 2H R BB 7K W). Crochet earned 10.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024 with the White Sox, 23rd among AL pitchers.
Here are the four who won Player of the Game honors for a second time this spring:
Giants pitcher Logan Webb (5.2IP 3H R BB 7K ND in the 5-4 win over the Guardians) also did it March 15 in the 6-2 win over the Mariners (5IP H 2R 0ER BB 5K W). Webb earned 11.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 21st among NL pitchers.
Braves pitcher Chris Sale (4IP 3H 0R BB 5K ND in the 7-3 win over the Rays) also did it March 15 in the 7-3 win over the Red Sox (6IP 4H 2R BB 9K W) when he was overall Player of the Day. Sale earned 19.1 Box-Toppers points in 2024, fifth overall and fourth among NL pitchers, winning the 2024 NL Cy Young Award.
Andrés Giménez of the Blue Jays (HR 2-3 R 4BI in the 11-7 win over the Phillies) also did it Feb. 25 in the 3-2 win over the Cardinals (2-3 R BI). Giménez earned 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024 with the Guardians, fifth among AL second basemen.
Jeremy Peña of the Astros (HR 2B 3-3 2R BI in the 5-3 win over the Cardinals) also did it March 5 in the 6-5 win over the Cardinals (HR 2-2 R BI). Peña earned 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2024, sixth among AL shortstops.
Friday’s games
There were 18 completed spring training games between two Major League teams Friday. In the 18 games, there were 14 Player of the Game winners who had previously earned Box-Toppers points in regular season games. In three of Friday’s games, the Player of the Game winner was a player who has yet to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in the regular season and so has 0.0 career Box-Toppers points.
One game ended in a tie (Rangers vs. Angels). No Player of the Game honors are awarded in tie games.
Scoring
No Box-Toppers points are awarded in exhibition games. Were it a regular season day:
Skubal would have earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Quantrill would have earned 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Marte and Wells would have each earned 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Friday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) would have earned 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).| 3/21 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +10.0 | DET 9, BAL 1 | Tarik Skubal (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| NL | +9.0 | MIA 6, WSH 0 | Cal Quantrill (W, 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| +8.1 | `NYM 3, STL 2 | Clay Holmes | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| +8.0 | SD 5, CHC 1 | Michael King (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +7.1 | `BOS 2, PIT 1 | Garrett Crochet | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | ||
| BAT | +7.0 | ARI 16, MIL 9 | Ketel Marte 2B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.2 | `SF 5, CLE 4 | Logan Webb | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | NYY 4, DET 0 | Austin Wells C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | `ATL 7, TB 3 | Chris Sale | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | TOR 11, PHI 7 | Andrés Gimenez 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `COL 4, COL 3 | Scott Alexander | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | HOU 5, STL 3 | Jeremy Peña SS | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | ATH 10, KC 1 | Max P. Muncy 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | CHW 8, CIN 5 | Caden Connor 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | `PHI 6, MIN 3 | Zack Wheeler | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +2.0 | KC 8, SEA 7 | Salvador Perez DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CIN 5, SEA 3 | Tony Santillan (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0.0 | TEX 3, LAA 3 | N/A | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
MLB—Overall Box‑Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box‑Toppers points.
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.
N/A—Not applicable. No Player of the Game was chosen because the game ended in a tie.
All other players listed here would 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. No points are awarded during spring training games, so all players have 0.0 Box-Toppers points for 2025. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total in 2024 (’24). Also shown is their point total for the period 2020-2024 (’20-24) and each players’ career point total. (Player of the Game winners not listed here have yet to earn Box-Toppers points during the regular season.)Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’25 | ’24 | ’20‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 0.0 | 21.4 | 72.6 | 105.0 |
| Skubal, Tarik 4414 | pi sp | det al | 0.0 | 21.1 | 51.2 | 51.2 |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | atl nl | 0.0 | 19.1 | 29.8 | 172.4 |
| King, Michael 4549 | pi sp | sd nl | 0.0 | 12.7 | 27.4 | 27.4 |
| Webb, Logan 4258 | pi sp | sf nl | 0.0 | 11.0 | 49.6 | 51.3 |
| Crochet, Garrett 4434 | pi sp | bos al | 0.0 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| Marte, Ketel 3630 | 2b | ari nl | 0.0 | 7.0 | 17.0 | 29.0 |
| Quantrill, Cal 4195 | pi sp | fla nl | 0.0 | 5.0 | 20.7 | 22.7 |
| Gimenez, Andres 4288 | 2b | tor al | 0.0 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Perez, Salvador 2972 | 1b dh | kc al | 0.0 | 3.5 | 16.5 | 48.7 |
| Pena, Jeremy 5025 | ss | hou al | 0.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Holmes, Clay 4022 | pi cp | nym nl | 0.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 |
| Wells, Austin 5098 | ca | nyy al | 0.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Santillan, Tony 4450 | pi mr sp | cin nl | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’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 2025 (’25)†, last year (’24), over a five-year period (’20-24) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’25† | ’24 | ’20‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | Eflin, Zach 3679 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 29.8 | 51.2 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 0.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| BOS | Houck, Tanner 4342 | 0.0 | 13.4 | 27.1 | 27.1 |
| TB | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 30.8 | 30.8 |
| TOR | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 56.5 | 253.7 |
| MIN | Blewett, Scott* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ATL | Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 | 0.0 | 12.8 | 21.2 | 42.0 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 0.0 | 12.0 | 27.7 | 57.3 |
| PHI | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 35.9 | 35.9 |
| NYY | Schlitter, Cam* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| NYM | Megill, Tylor 4464 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| STL | Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| MIA | Bellozo, Valente 5082 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 0.0 | 12.4 | 16.1 | 16.1 |
| SF | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 41.4 | 247.0 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 0.0 | 14.1 | 25.5 | 38.5 |
| TEX | Leiter, Jack* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 20.0 | 24.7 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 33.1 | 59.5 |
| SD | Hart, Kyle* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 0.0 | 14.0 | 22.7 | 22.7 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 0.0 | 10.7 | 50.8 | 81.6 |
| CHW | Smith, Hagen | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 22.4 | 93.1 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| CIN | Greene, Hunter 4651 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 21.4 | 21.4 |
| SD | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 0.0 | 21.1 | 65.9 | 67.9 |
| CHW | Schultz, Noah* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 21.7 | 41.1 |
| MIA | Curry, Xzavion 4875 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 0.0 | 12.0 | 23.1 | 23.1 |
Games shown are spring training games between MLB teams. Doesn't include games vs. non-MLB teams.
† Players don’t earn Box-Toppers points in spring training games, only regular season games, so no pitcher has earned any points in 2025.
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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