Astros' Dallas Keuchel (CG 0R 11K) tops players for Saturday, May 30, rises to 4th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 31, 2015

Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel is Saturday’s Player of the Day and rises to fourth in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 30.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	11.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	9.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	9.0
4	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	7.7
5	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
6	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
7	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
8	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	6.7
9	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
10	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	6.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Keuchel pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing four hits, in the 3-0 win over the White Sox. Keuchel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising to fourth in season player rankings. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (11.4 Box-Toppers points).

National League Player of the Day—Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 7-3 win over the Brewers. Goldschmidt also went 3-for-5.

American League Batter of the Day—Jerry Sands of the Indians hit a two-run homer in the 4-3 win over the Mariners.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall NL Player of the Day was a batter (Paul Goldschmidt).

Streak—Howie Kendrick of the Dodgers has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. Kendrick was Player of the Game in Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Cardinals (2-3 2R BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Kendrick earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2006 with the Angels. His best year was 2009 with the Angels, when he had 5.5 Box-Toppers points. In 2014, he had 4.5 points with the Angels. Kendrick has 27.0 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks him fifth among active second basemen currently in the NL.

Debuts—Three players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Yankees pitcher Chasen Shreve (1.1IP 0R 4K W in the 5-3 win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut July 19, 2014, and was playing in his 32nd career game. He is the 3,482nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Rockies pitcher Eddie Butler (6IP R 3K W in the 5-2 win over the Phillies) made his Major League debut June 6, 2014, and was playing in his 13th career game. He is the 3,483rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Carlos Perez of the Angels (HR 2B 2-4 R 2BI in the 8-6 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut May 5 and was playing in his 14th career game. He is the 3,484th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Keuchel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Goldschmidt earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Sands earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/30
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    16.0
    Astros
    Dallas Keuchel (W, 7-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    11
  

    
    10.0
    Rays
    Erasmo Ramirez (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    
    5.1
    Yankees
    Chasen Shreve (W, 2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    NL
    4.0
    Dbacks
    Paul Goldschmidt   1B
    5
    2
    3
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Braves
    Juan Uribe   3B
    4
    3
    3
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Reds
    Joey Votto   1B
    3
    2
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Indians
    Jerry Sands   RF
    1
    1
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.1
    Marlins
    A.J. Ramos (S, 4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Rangers
    Adam Rosales   1B
    4
    2
    4
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Dodgers
    Howie Kendrick   2B
    3
    2
    2
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    `Pirates
    Charlie Morton (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    2
    1
    1
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Rockies
    Eddie Butler (W, 3-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    3
  

    
    2.0
    Twins
    Ryan Pressly (W, 2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Angels
    Carlos Perez   C
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Mariners' Walker tops players for Friday, May 29; Athletics' Gray rises to 7th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 30, 2015

Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker is Friday’s Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Plus, three pitchers with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Friday—Tim Hudson of the Giants, Dan Haren of the Marlins and John Lackey of the Cardinals.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 29.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	11.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	9.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	9.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	6.7
8	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
9	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	6.7
10	Fielder, Prince 2029	dh	tex al	6.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Walker pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing two hits, in the 2-1 win over the Indians.

National League Player of the Day—Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing two hits, in the 4-1 win over the Phillies. Bettis had a perfect game into the seventh inning and a no-hitter into the eighth inning, before giving up a one-out single.

This was Bettis’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut Aug. 1, 2013, and was playing in his 41st career game. He is the 3,481st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

American League Batter of the Day—Josh Hamilton of the Rangers hit two home runs and scored three total runs in the 7-4 win over the Red Sox. It was Hamilton’s first Player of the Game honor of the season and the first since his return to the Rangers after two seasons with the Angels.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day for Friday because no NL batters earned Player of the Game honors.

Rankings—Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Gray (8IP 4H 2R 5K W in the 6-2 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.7 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Notable—Three players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Friday:

Giants pitcher Tim Hudson rose to 13th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began. Hudson earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game in the 4-2 win over the Braves (7IP 5H R 4K W), giving him 155.0 career Box-Toppers points. Hudson passes Felix Hernandez (154.7) on that list and trails 12th-place player, Mike Mussina (155.6). Hudson has 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.
Marlins pitcher Dan Haren rose to 48th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began. Haren earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game in the 4-3 win over the Mets (7IP 4H 2R 4K W), giving him 111.2 career Box-Toppers points. Haren passes Jon Lester (111.1) and Tom Glavine (110.6) on that list and trails 47th-place player Torii Hunter (111.4). Haren has 3.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.
Cardinals pitcher John Lackey rose to 59th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began. Lackey earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game in the 3-0 win over the Dodgers (7IP 5H 0R 9K W), giving him 101.8 career Box-Toppers points. Lackey passes Jason Schmidt (101.2), Tim Wakefield (101.4) and Adam Wainwright (101.8) on that list and trails Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2). Lackey has 3.7 Box-Toppers points for the season.

Scoring—Walker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bettis earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Hamilton earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/29
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    14.0
    Mariners
    Taijuan Walker (W, 2-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    NL
    13.0
    Rockies
    Chad Bettis (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    7
  

    
    10.0
    Cardinals
    John Lackey (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    9
  

    
    9.0
    `Orioles
    Miguel Gonzalez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    
    8.1
    Angels
    Hector Santiago (W, 4-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    3
    0
    0
    3
    7
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Rangers
    Josh Hamilton   LF
    3
    3
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Giants
    Tim Hudson (W, 3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    3.0
    White Sox
    Geovany Soto   C
    1
    1
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Athletics
    Sonny Gray (W, 6-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    2
    2
    2
    5
  

    
    3.0
    Padres
    Craig Kimbrel (W, 1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.2
    Dbacks
    Addison Reed (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Lorenzo Cain   CF
    4
    2
    3
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Marlins
    Dan Haren (W, 5-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    2
    2
    1
    4
  

    
    2.0
    Reds
    Aroldis Chapman (S, 8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    1.0
    Blue Jays
    Josh Donaldson   3B
    5
    1
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Mariners' Hernandez leads Box-Toppers player rankings for 6th week; Rangers' Fielder makes meteoric rise to top AL batters

Shawn Plank May 29, 2015

King Felix, Prince Fielder top AL categories. Two Nationals—Max Scherzer & Bryce Harper—top NL categories.

San Francisco Giants rise to top Box-Toppers weekly team rankings

Shawn Plank May 29, 2015

Giants rise from 5th to take top spot. Royals fall from 1st to 4th but still top AL teams. Pirates are hot team of the week.

White Sox' Sale tops players for Thursday, May 28; Giants' Heston rises to 8th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 29, 2015

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Thursday’s Player of the Day.

Also Thursday, Giants pitcher Chris Heston rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Player of the Day—Sale pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out 12, allowing four hits, in the 3-2 win over the Orioles.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 28.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	11.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	9.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	9.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
8	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	6.7
9	Fielder, Prince 2029	dh	tex al	6.5
10	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Chris Heston pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing four hits, in the 7-0 win over the Braves.

Heston rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.

National League Batter of the Day—Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates went 3-for-5 with two doubles, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 11-5 win over the Padres.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no AL Batter of the Day for Thursday because no AL batters earned Player of the Game honors.

Debut—Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Rodriguez (7.2IP 3H 0R 7K W in the 5-1 win over the Rangers) was also making his Major League debut Thursday, playing in his first career game. He is the 3,480th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Heston earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. McCutchen earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/28
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    15.2
    White Sox
    Chris Sale (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    4
    0
    0
    0
    12
  

    
    9.2
    Red Sox
    Eduardo Rodriguez (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    3
    0
    0
    2
    7
  

    NL
    8.1
    Giants
    Chris Heston (W, 5-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    4
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    6.0
    Indians
    Corey Kluber (W, 3-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    7
    3
    3
    1
    13
  

    
    4.0
    Angels
    C.J. Wilson (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    1
    1
    5
    7
  

    
    3.2
    Athletics
    Evan Scribner (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Pirates
    Andrew McCutchen   CF
    5
    2
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Orioles
    Zach Britton (S, 13)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

Nationals' Scherzer tops players for Wednesday, May 27, rises to 2nd in player rankings, Mariners' Hernandez extends Box-Toppers points lead

Shawn Plank May 28, 2015

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Wednesday’s Player of the Day and rises to second in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 27.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	11.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	9.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	9.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
8	Fielder, Prince 2029	dh	tex al	6.5
9	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
10	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	6.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Wednesday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez maintained his overall Box-Toppers points lead, earning American League Player of the Day honors and becoming the first player in 2015 with 10.0 Box-Toppers points. Plus, despite earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole actually fell from second to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Player of the Day—Scherzer pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 13 and allowing five hits, in the 3-0 win over the Cubs.

Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, rising to second in Box-Toppers player rankings and first among National League pitchers, passing Gerrit Cole of the Pirates. Both Scherzer and Cole have 9.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, but Scherzer holds the tiebreaker because he had more 2014 Box-Toppers points (22.1 vs. 5.7).

American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez pitched a complete game, four-hit shutout, striking out eight, in the 3-0 win over the Rays.

Hernandez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, extending his lead among players in Box-Toppers points for the season. Hernandez is the first player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season. It is the seventh straight season Hernandez has had 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points in a season.

Hernandez now has 154.7 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 13th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 12th-place player Mike Mussina (155.6).

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 5-4 win over the Astros. It is Davis’s first Box-Toppers points of the season and the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors since his drug-related suspension at the end of 2014.

National League Batter of the Day—Will Middlebrooks of the Padres homered, doubled and drove in three runs in the 5-4 win over the Angels. Middlebrooks had a Box-Toppers game score of 2.0, tied with Nolan Arenado of the Rockies, who was Player of the Game Wednesday in the 6-4 win over the Reds. But Middlebrooks won the tiebreaker to earn NL Batter of the Day because he had two extra base hits (home run and double) while Arenado had one (home run).

Rankings—Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole was Player of the Game Wednesday in the 5-2 win over the Marlins (7IP 2R 7K W) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.0 for the season.

Cole actually fell in Box-Toppers player rankings from second to third, despite earning Box-Toppers points Wednesday, because he was passed by overall Player of the Day, Max Scherzer of the Nationals.

Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hernandez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Davis and Middlebrooks each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/27
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    14.0
    Nationals
    Max Scherzer (W, 6-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    13
  

    AL
    12.0
    Mariners
    Felix Hernandez (W, 8-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    
    8.0
    Indians
    Carlos Carrasco (W, 6-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    8
  

    
    7.1
    Mets
    Noah Syndergaard (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    6
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    5.2
    Yankees
    Michael Pineda (W, 6-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    6
    1
    1
    1
    8
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Orioles
    Chris Davis   1B
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Tigers
    Yoenis Cespedes   LF
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Twins
    Aaron Hicks   CF
    2
    2
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Pirates
    Gerrit Cole (W, 7-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    7
    2
    2
    0
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Giants
    Ryan Vogelsong (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    1
    1
    0
    5
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Padres
    Will Middlebrooks   3B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Rockies
    Nolan Arenado   3B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Braves
    Alex Wood (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    7
    1
    1
    2
    6
  

    
    2.0
    `White Sox
    Jeff Samardzija
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    8
    1
    0
    1
    5
  

    
    1.2
    Cardinals
    Seth Maness (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    0.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Dodgers' Kershaw tops players for Tuesday, May 26; Rangers' Fielder, Player of the Game 4 times in 5 days, rises to 8th in player rankings

Shawn Plank May 27, 2015

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Tuesday’s Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 26.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	9.7
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	8.0
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	7.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
8	Fielder, Prince 2029	dh	tex al	6.5
9	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
10	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	6.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Tuesday, Prince Fielder of the Rangers earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day—and fourth time in five days—rising into Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings. Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday also rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings for the season—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom and Tigers pitcher David Price.

Player of the Day—Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out 10, in the 8-0 win over the Braves.

Kershaw rises to 21st place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He now has 137.6 career Box-Toppers points and passes Bartolo Colon (136.4) on that list. He trails 20th-place player Andy Pettitte (138.5).

Kershaw led all players in 2014 with 31.5 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total in 20 seasons of Box-Toppers record keeping. Tuesday marked the first time this season he earned overall Player of the Day honors, something he did eight times last year. However, despite his high point total last season, he is not that far off his 2014 pace. At this point last season, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points and had earned Player of the Day honors twice. With the 2.0 Box-Toppers points he earned Tuesday for being Player of the Day, he has 4.0 points this season and ranks 14th among NL pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays hit two home runs, including a walk-off, three-run homer in the 10-9 win over the White Sox. Donaldson also doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring five times and driving in four.

National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals homered and went 2-for-3, driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day Tuesday since the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter (Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays).

Notable—Prince Fielder of the Rangers earned Player of the Game honors for the second time in as many days and the fourth time in five days, rising into Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings.

Fielder (3R-HR 2B 3-5 in the 4-3 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.5 for the season, rising to eighth place among all players. Fielder, who Monday rose to lead all AL batters in Box-Toppers points for 2015, now ranks ahead of all batters in baseball this season, passing Bryce Harper of the Nationals, who also has 6.5 points this season. (Harper ranks behind Fielder because he had fewer Box-Toppers points in 2014. Fielder had 1.0 point in 2014, Harper had 0.0.)

Fielder has earned 5.0 Box-Toppers points in the past five days:

On May 22, he was Player of the Game (1.0 point)
On May 23, he was AL Batter of the Day (1.5 points)
On May 25, he was AL Batter of the Day (1.5 points)
On May 26, he was Player of the Game (1.0 point)

Fielder has earned all 6.5 of his points in the past 14 days. He was AL Batter of the Day on May 13, the first time this season he earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

Rankings—Two other player rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings after they earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday:

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom rose to sixth place (7.1IP 6H 2R 9K ND in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Phillies), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.
Tigers pitcher David Price rose to 10th place (7IP 5H 0R W in the 1-0 win over the Athletics), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.4 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Debut—Reds pitcher Michael Lorenzen made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Lorenzen (7IP 2H R ND in the 2-1 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut April 29 and was playing in his sixth career game. He is the 3,479th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Donaldson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Grichuk earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/26
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.0
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    10
  

    AL
    9.0
    Blue Jays
    Josh Donaldson   3B
    4
    5
    4
    4
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    7.1
    Yankees
    Adam Warren (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    2
    1
    1
    0
    5
  

    
    6.1
    `Mets
    Jacob deGrom
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    6
    2
    2
    0
    9
  

    
    6.0
    Mariners
    Kyle Seager   3B
    5
    2
    3
    6
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    `Padres
    Odrisamer Despaigne
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    5
  

    
    4.0
    Tigers
    David Price (W, 4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    3.2
    Pirates
    Jeff Locke (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    4
    0
    0
    4
    6
  

    
    3.0
    Twins
    Mike Pelfrey (W, 4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    3.0
    `Cubs
    Kyle Hendricks
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    4
  

    
    3.0
    `Reds
    Michael Lorenzen
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    3
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Astros
    Luke Gregerson (S, 13)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Rangers
    Prince Fielder   DH
    5
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Cardinals
    Randal Grichuk   CF
    3
    1
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.1
    `Giants
    Sergio Romo
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Blue Jays' Hutchison tops players for Monday, May 25; Rangers' Fielder now leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank May 26, 2015

Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison is Monday’s Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 25.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	9.7
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	8.0
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	7.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
8	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	phi nl	6.0
9	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	5.7
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Monday, Prince Fielder of the Rangers earned Player of the Game honors for the third time in four days and takes the Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters. In addition, Nolan Arenado of the Rockies earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day and Angels pitcher Jered Weaver rose to 34th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995.

Player of the Day—Hutchison pitched a complete game shutout, striking out eight and allowing four hits, in the 6-0 win over the White Sox.

National League Player of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Diamondbacks. Martinez did not earn the win, picking up a no decision. After he exited, the Diamondbacks tied the game 2-2 before the Cardinals won 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th.

American League Batter of the Day—Rangers pitcher Prince Fielder homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-8 win over the Indians. It is the third time in four days Fielder has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game Friday, May 22 and AL Batter of the Day Saturday, May 23.

Fielder earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day Monday and has earned 4.0 Box-Toppers points over the four-day period. He has 5.5 Box-Toppers points for the season and now leads all AL batters, passing Colby Rasmus of the Astros (5.0 Box-Toppers points). He ranks 14th in Box-Toppers points among all players this season.

National League Batter of the Day—Norichika Aoki of the Giants homered and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 8-4 win over the Brewers.

Notable—Nolan Arenado of the Rockies earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Monday. Arenado (HR 3-4 R 3BI in the 5-4 win over the Reds) was also NL Batter of the Day Monday, May 25. Arenado now has 4.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranking sixth among NL batters.

Rankings—Angels pitcher Jered Weaver rises to 34th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began. Weaver was Player of the Game in the 4-3 win over the Padres (6.2IP 6H R 7K ND) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 119.4 for his career. He passes Cliff Lee (119.1 Box-Toppers points) on the list of players since 1995 and now trails the 33rd-place player, Gary Sheffield (124.1). Weaver’s 119.4 career Box-Toppers points ranks fourth among active pitchers currently in the AL. Weaver has 4.0 Box-Toppers points for the season and ranks 14th among AL pitchers for 2015.

Scoring—Hutchison earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Martinez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Fielder and Aoki each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/25
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.0
    Blue Jays
    Drew Hutchison (W, 4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    9.0
    Athletics
    Jesse Hahn (W, 2-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    5
  

    NL
    8.0
    `Cardinals
    Carlos Martinez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    
    5.0
    Orioles
    Brad Brach (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.2
    `Angels
    Jered Weaver
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    6
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Rangers
    Prince Fielder   DH
    5
    3
    3
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Giants
    Norichika Aoki   LF
    4
    2
    4
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Yankees
    Brett Gardner   LF
    4
    3
    2
    3
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Pirates
    Francisco Cervelli   C
    2
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Rockies
    Nolan Arenado   3B
    4
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Dodgers
    Alex Guerrero   PH
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mets
    Jeurys Familia (S, 14)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Nationals
    Tanner Roark (W, 1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    3
  

    
    1.2
    Twins
    Ricky Nolasco (W, 5-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    7
    2
    2
    0
    5
  

    
    1.0
    Mariners
    Roenis Elias (W, 2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    1
    1
    3
    6
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Twins' Gibson (8IP R 8K), Braves' Foltynewicz (7.2IP R 7K) top players for Sunday, May 23

Shawn Plank May 25, 2015

Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson is Sunday’s Player of the Day.

Gibson struck out eight over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 8-1 win over the White Sox.

National League Player of the Day—Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz struck out seven over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1 win over the Brewers.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 24.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	9.7
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	8.0
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	7.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
8	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	phi nl	6.0
9	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	5.7
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

National League Batter of the Day—Nolan Arenado of the Rockies hit a three-run homer, tripled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-2 win over the Giants.

American League Batter of the Day—Evan Gattis of the Astros homered, tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-8 win over the Tigers.

Notable—Mike Napoli of the Red Sox earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day. Napoli (two-run HR, two-run 2B, 2-3 2R 4BI in the 6-1 win over the Angels) was also Player of the Game Saturday. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point each day and has 3.5 Box-Toppers points this season, ranked ninth among AL batters.

Debut—Ryan Goins of the Blue Jays made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Goins (2R HR 2-3 3BI in the 8-2 win over the Mariners) made his Major League debut Aug. 23, 2013, and was playing in his 134th career game. He is the 3,478th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Gibson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Foltynewicz earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Arenado and Gattis each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/24
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    Twins
    Kyle Gibson (W, 4-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    0
    8
  

    NL
    8.2
    Braves
    Mike Foltynewicz (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    3
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    8.0
    Pirates
    Francisco Liriano (W, 2-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    1
    1
    2
    12
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Rockies
    Nolan Arenado 3B
    5
    3
    4
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    Padres
    Justin Upton   LF
    4
    2
    2
    6
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Astros
    Evan Gattis   DH
    4
    3
    3
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Red Sox
    Mike Napoli   1B
    3
    2
    2
    4
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Athletics
    Sonny Gray (W, 5-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    4.2
    Indians
    Trevor Bauer (W, 4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    5
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    4.0
    Rangers
    Shawn Tolleson (S, 3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.1
    Nationals
    Gio Gonzalez (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    7
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Dbacks
    Paul Goldschmidt   1B
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Ryan Goins   SS
    2
    1
    1
    3
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Cardinals
    Michael Wacha (W, 7-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    2.0
    Marlins
    Martin Prado   3B
    4
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Dodgers' Bolsinger tops players for Saturday, May 23; Phillies' Hamels rises to 8th in Box-Toppers rankings

Shawn Plank May 24, 2015

Dodgers pitcher Mike Bolsinger is Saturday’s Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. In addition, Hamels and Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett rose among the top 40 players in career Box-Toppers points since 1995.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 23.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	9.7
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	8.0
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	7.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
8	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	phi nl	6.0
9	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	5.7
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Bolsinger pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out eight, in the 2-0 win over the Padres.

American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Kendall Graveman pitched six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out six, in the 5-0 win over the Rays.

American League Batter of the Day—Prince Fielder of the Rangers homered and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 15-4 win over the Yankees.

National League Batter of the Day—Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs hit a ninth-inning, three-run homer and drove in six total runs in the 9-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

Rankings—Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Hamels (8IP 5H R 5K W in the 8-1 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.

Saturday’s point also moves him up to 39th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers record keeping began). Hamels now has 116.8 career points and passes Todd Helton (116.4) on that list. He trails Barry Zito (117.4) for 38th place. Hamels’ 116.8 career points ranks eighth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

Notable—Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett rises to 32nd place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Burnett now has 124.8 career points and passes Gary Sheffield (124.1) on that list. Burnett now trails Mariano Rivera (126.4) for 31st place. Burnett’s 124.8 career points ranks sixth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

Burnett (7IP 5H R 10K W in the 8-2 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.

Scoring—Bolsinger earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Graveman earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Fielder and Rizzo each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/23
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    15.0
    Dodgers
    Mike Bolsinger (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    10.0
    Pirates
    A.J. Burnett (W, 4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    10
  

    
    8.0
    Marlins
    Carter Capps (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    AL
    7.0
    Athletics
    Kendall Graveman (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Rangers
    Prince Fielder   DH
    4
    3
    3
    3
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Phillies
    Cole Hamels (W, 5-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Cubs
    Anthony Rizzo   1B
    5
    1
    2
    6
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Red Sox
    Mike Napoli   1B
    3
    2
    2
    3
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Indians
    Corey Kluber (W, 2-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    9
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    
    4.0
    Twins
    Trevor May (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    3
    3
    0
    9
  

    
    3.0
    Royals
    Alex Gordon   LF
    1
    1
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mariners
    Fernando Rodney (S, 12)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    Astros
    Luke Gregerson (S, 11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    `Braves
    Jim Johnson
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Giants
    Joe Panik   2B
    4
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Rockies
    Daniel Descalso   SS
    3
    1
    1
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Pirates' Cole tops players for Friday, May 22, rises to 2nd in player rankings; Hernandez extends player rankings lead

Shawn Plank May 23, 2015

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole is Friday’s Player of the Day and rises to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Also Friday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez extended his overall player rankings lead and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rose to third place in player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 22.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	9.7
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	8.0
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	7.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
8	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	5.7
9	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.7
10	Lincecum, Tim 2288	pi sp	sf nl	5.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Cole struck out 10 over 8 1/3 innings and allowed one run in the 4-1 win over the Mets. Cole earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, rising to second in Box-Toppers player rankings. He passes Braves pitcher Shelby Miller (7.0 Box-Toppers points) to lead National League pitchers on the season.

American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija struck out nine over eight innings and allowed two runs in the 3-2 win over the Twins.

American League Batter of the Day—Kendrys Morales of the Royals homered twice and drove in five runs, going 3-for-4, in the 5-0 win over the Cardinals.

National League Batter of the Day—Ryan Braun of the Brewers homered, hit two doubles and drove in four runs, going 3-for-3 and scoring twice, in the 11-0 win over the Braves.

Leader—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez maintained his top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Hernandez (7IP R 8K W in the 4-3 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season. He has led player rankings all but six days this season (Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals led April 5, Scott Kazmir of the Athletics led from April 13 to 17).

Hernandez now has 153.0 career Box-Toppers points, 15th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He is just behind Barry Bonds (153.2) and Tim Hudson (154.0). Hernandez’s 153.0 career points ranks third among active pitchers currently in the AL, behind CC Sabathia of the Yankees (174.3) and Johan Santana of the Blue Jays (166.6).

Rankings—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rose to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Scherzer (8IP R 6K W in the 2-1 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season. While Scherzer and two other players have 7.0 points this season, Scherzer holds the tiebreaker because he had more points in 2014—Scherzer (22.1), Chris Archer (12.4), Shelby Miller (9.0).

Notable—Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rises to 27th place in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began, after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Grienke (7.2IP R 5K ND in the 2-1 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season and 130.7 for his career. With his point Friday, he passes Trevor Hoffman (129.4) in Box-Toppers points earned since 1995. Greinke now trails Jake Peavy (131.8) on that list.

Scoring—Cole earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Samardzija earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Morales and Braun each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/22
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.1
    Pirates
    Gerrit Cole (W, 6-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.1
    6
    1
    0
    1
    10
  

    AL
    9.0
    White Sox
    Jeff Samardzija (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    2
    2
    1
    9
  

    
    7.0
    Nationals
    Max Scherzer (W, 5-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    
    7.0
    Mariners
    Felix Hernandez (W, 7-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    8
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Royals
    Kendrys Morales   DH
    4
    2
    3
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Brewers
    Ryan Braun   RF
    3
    2
    3
    4
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    Giants
    Ryan Vogelsong (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    0
    0
    3
    5
  

    
    5.0
    Tigers
    Alfredo Simon (W, 5-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    2
    0
    1
    5
  

    
    3.2
    `Dodgers
    Zack Greinke
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    6
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    
    3.0
    Rangers
    Prince Fielder   DH
    5
    2
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Orioles
    Caleb Joseph   C
    4
    2
    3
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Indians
    Jason Kipnis   2B
    4
    2
    3
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Rays
    Evan Longoria   3B
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Dbacks
    Paul Goldschmidt   1B
    5
    1
    3
    3
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Angels
    Chris Iannetta   C
    3
    1
    1
    3
    2
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Felix Hernandez leads Box-Toppers player rankings for 5th week, but earns no points in past week

Shawn Plank May 22, 2015

King Felix reigns for 5th straight week. Braves' Miller leads NL pitchers, Astros' Rasmus leads AL batters, Nationals' Harper tops NL batters.

Kansas City Royals rise to edge Cardinals in weekly Box-Toppers team rankings

Shawn Plank May 22, 2015

Kansas City rises from third to first in rankings. Cardinals fall to second, but still lead NL. San Francisco Giants were the week's hot team.

Mets' Jacob deGrom (8IP H 0R 11K) tops players for Thursday, May 21, rises to 8th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 22, 2015

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Thursday’s Player of the Day and rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Striking out 11 and allowing only one hit over eight scoreless innings in the 5-0 win over the Cardinals, deGrom had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score by any Player of the Game this season—18. (Corey Kluber of the Indians had a Box-Toppers game score of 25 on May 13.)

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 21.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
3	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
4	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
5	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
8	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	5.7
9	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.7
10	Lincecum, Tim 2288	pi sp	sf nl	5.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season and now ranks fifth among NL pitchers for the season.

American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher David Price struck out 12 over 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, in the 6-5, 11-inning win over the Astros. Price did not pick up the win in the game. Though he exited the game with the lead, the Astros later tied the game before the Tigers went ahead in the 11th inning.

American League Batter of the Day—Steve Pearce of the Orioles hit a first-inning grand slam in the 5-4 win over the Mariners.

National League Batter of the Day—Michael McKenry of the Rockies homered, drove in two runs and scored twice, in the 7-3 win over the Phillies.

Scoring—deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Price earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Pearce and McKenry each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/21
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    18.0
    Mets
    Jacob deGrom (W, 5-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    11
  

    
    11.0
    Cubs
    Kyle Hendricks (W, 1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    7
  

    
    10.0
    Braves
    Julio Teheran (W, 4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    1
    8
  

    AL
    7.2
    `Tigers
    David Price
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    5
    3
    2
    1
    12
  

    
    6.0
    Indians
    Danny Salazar (W, 5-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    3
    8
  

    
    3.2
    Rangers
    Wandy Rodriguez (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    4
    1
    1
    2
    5
  

    
    3.1
    Giants
    Madison Bumgarner (W, 5-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    7
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Orioles
    Steve Pearce   2B
    3
    1
    1
    4
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Rockies
    Michael McKenry   C
    2
    2
    1
    2
    3
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Rays
    Alex Colome (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Dbacks
    Brad Ziegler (S, 1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Blue Jays
    Steve Tolleson   2B
    2
    2
    2
    0
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Giants' Lincecum tops players for Wednesday, May 20, rises to 9th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 21, 2015

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Wednesday’s Player of the Day and rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Also Wednesday, Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings and A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks earned National League Batter of the Day for the second day in a row.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 20.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
3	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
4	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
5	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.7
9	Lincecum, Tim 2288	pi sp	sf nl	5.7
10	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Lincecum pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up three hits, in the 4-0 win over the Dodgers. Lincecum earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 5.7 for the season, moving up to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings, fifth among NL pitchers.

Lincecum also now has 115.0 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 41st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his 2.0 points Wednesday, Lincecum passed four players on that list—Josh Beckett (114.9), Mark Buehrle (114.7), Chris Carpenter (113.3) and Sammy Sosa (113.2). Lincecum’s 115.0 career points ranks ninth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Shaun Marcum struck out six over 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits, in the 4-3 win over the White Sox.

National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks went 3-for-4, scoring four runs, including a steal of home—one of his three stolen bases—in the 6-1 win over the Marlins. This was the second straight day Pollock earned NL Batter of the Day honors.

American League Batter of the Day—Mike Trout of the Angels homered and went 2-for-3, scoring three runs, in the 4-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Rankings—Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Keuchel (7IP R W in the 6-1 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.7 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Braves pitcher Williams Perez (5IP R 7K ND in the 2-1 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut May 8 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,476th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Rangers pitcher Phil Klein (5.1IP R W in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Aug. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 24th career game. He is the 3,477th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Fishy—A.J. Pollock and Mike Trout were the two Box-Toppers Batters of the Day for Wednesday. However, neither Mike Carp nor any player from the Marlins earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Scoring—Lincecum earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Marcum earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Pollock and Trout each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/20
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    6.0
    Giants
    Tim Lincecum (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    5.1
    Cardinals
    Carlos Martinez (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    4
    0
    0
    2
    5
  

    AL
    4.2
    Indians
    Shaun Marcum (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    4
    2
    2
    0
    6
  

    
    4.2
    `Cubs
    Tsuyoshi Wada
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.2
    4
    2
    2
    1
    9
  

    
    4.0
    `Twins
    Mike Pelfrey
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    5
  

    
    3.2
    Mariners
    Roenis Elias (W, 1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    6
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    3.1
    `Tigers
    Shane Greene
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    3
    2
    2
    2
    6
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Dbacks
    A.J. Pollock   CF
    4
    4
    3
    0
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Angels
    Mike Trout   CF
    3
    3
    2
    1
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Nationals
    Jordan Zimmermann (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    2
    2
    1
    6
  

    
    3.0
    `Braves
    Williams Perez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    6
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Phillies
    Jonathan Papelbon (S, 11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Dallas Keuchel (W, 6-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Jeremy Guthrie (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    3
  

    
    1.1
    Rangers
    Phil Klein (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.1
    5
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Royals' Ventura tops players for Tuesday, May 19; Giants' Hudson earns Box-Toppers points for 17th straight season

Shawn Plank May 20, 2015

Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura is Tuesday’s Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, Colby Rasmus of the Astros rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season, taking the lead among American League batters and Giants pitcher Tim Hudson earned a Box-Toppers point for the 17th straight season, tying him for the longest current consecutive streak.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 19.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
3	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
4	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
5	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
8	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1
9	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	phi nl	5.0
10	Rasmus, Colby 2608	lf rf cf	hou al	5.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Ventura pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Reds.

National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher James Shields struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing two runs, in the 4-3 win over the Cubs. Shields did not pick up the win in the game because he exited with the score tied 2-2.

National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks hit a pinch-hit, two-run, go-ahead home run in the 4-2 win over the Marlins.

American League Batter of the Day—Jimmy Paredes of the Orioles homered and went 2-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Mariners.

Rankings—Colby Rasmus of the Astros rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season, taking the lead among AL batters, after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Rasmus (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 6-4 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season. Rasmus has the same 2015 Box-Toppers point total as Eric Hosmer of the Royals, but wins the tie-breaker because he had more points in 2014—3.2 vs. 2.5.

Streak—Giants pitcher Tim Hudson has now earned Box-Toppers points for 17 straight seasons, tied for the longest currently active streak. Hudson was Player of the Game Tuesday in the 2-0 win over the Dodgers (6.1IP 0R W) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

In addition, with his point Tuesday, Hudson now has 154.0 for his career and rises to 13th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Hudson passes Barry Bonds (153.2) on that list, though it should be noted Bonds played nine seasons before Box-Toppers record keeping began and so would likely have many more career Box-Toppers points.

Hudson’s 17-season streak of earning at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point ties him with Torii Hunter of the Twins for the longest active streak. (Hunter has 3.5 Box-Toppers points this season.) The record for most consecutive seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point is 19, held by Jason Giambi (1995-2013). (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) One other active player had Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons as of 2014 and also has a chance to extend that to 17 straight seasons in 2015—Carlos Beltran of the Yankees.

Hudson earned his first Box-Toppers points in 1999 with the Athletics. His best year was 2001 with the Athletics, when he had 18.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among AL pitchers. In 2014, he had 8.7 Box-Toppers points with the Giants.

His 154.0 career Box-Toppers points ranks him 13th among all players since 1995, just behind Mike Mussina (155.6). His career total ranks 10th among all pitchers since 1995 and first among active pitchers currently in the NL, ahead of Bartolo Colon of the Mets (136.4).

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals (3B 2-2B 3-5 R 3BI in the 10-2 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut April 28, 2014, and was playing in his 57th career game. He is the 3,474th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Clint Robinson of the Nationals (PH 2B 1-1 R BI in the 8-6 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut June 8, 2012, and was playing in his 40th career game. He is the 3,475th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Ventura earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Shields earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Pollock and Paredes each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/19
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.0
    Royals
    Yordano Ventura (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    NL
    7.0
    `Padres
    James Shields
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    2
    2
    1
    11
  

    
    5.1
    Indians
    Trevor Bauer (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    4
    1
    1
    3
    7
  

    
    4.0
    Brewers
    Jimmy Nelson (W, 2-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    1
    1
    4
    5
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Dbacks
    A.J. Pollock   PH, CF
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.2
    `Twins
    Blaine Boyer (H, 7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Cardinals
    Randal Grichuk   RF
    5
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Orioles
    Jimmy Paredes   DH
    5
    1
    2
    4
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Colby Rasmus   CF, LF
    4
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Nationals
    Clint Robinson   PH
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Red Sox
    Wade Miley (W, 3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    7
    2
    2
    1
    7
  

    
    2.0
    Angels
    Hector Santiago (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    2
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    2.0
    Rays
    Brad Boxberger (S, 11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.1
    Giants
    Tim Hudson (W, 2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    5
    0
    0
    2
    2
  

    
    1.0
    Rockies
    Nick Hundley   C
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Mets' Matt Harvey (8IP 9K ND) tops players for Monday, May 18, rises to 4th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 19, 2015

Mets pitcher Matt Harvey is Monday’s Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Also Monday, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose to ninth place in player rankings for the season and 40th among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 18.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
3	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
4	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
5	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
8	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1
9	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	phi nl	5.0
10	Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	5.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Harvey pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 2-1, 14-inning win over the Cardinals. Harvey did not pick up the win in the game because after he exited, the Cardinals tied the game.

Harvey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, rising to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for 2015. He ranks second among NL pitchers, behind Shelby Miller of the Braves (7.0).

American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale struck out seven over eight innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 2-1, 10-inning win over the Indians. Sale did not earn the win because he exited with the game tied, 1-1.

American League Batter of the Day—Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three, in the 10-6 win over the Angels.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day for Monday because no NL batter earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

Notable—Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose to ninth place in season Box-Toppers player rankings and 40th among all players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.

Hamels (7IP R 7K W in the 4-3 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season and 115.8 for his career. With his point Monday, Hamels passes Josh Beckett (114.9 Box-Toppers points) on the list of players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He now trails the 39th-place player on that list, Todd Helton (116.4). Hamels’ 115.4 career points ranks 27th among all pitchers since 1995 and eighth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

Debut—Brewers pitcher Jeremy Jeffress made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Jeffress (1IP R 3K W in the 3-2 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2010, and was playing in his 100th career game. He is the 3,473rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Harvey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Sale earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Bautista earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/18
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    `Mets
    Matt Harvey
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    6
    0
    0
    1
    9
  

    AL
    7.0
    `White Sox
    Chris Sale
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    
    5.1
    Phillies
    Cole Hamels (W, 4-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    6
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Blue Jays
    Jose Bautista   DH
    4
    3
    3
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    `Dbacks
    Rubby De La Rosa
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    5
  

    
    4.0
    `Athletics
    Evan Scribner (H, 5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.1
    Brewers
    Jeremy Jeffress (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Braves' Shelby Miller (CG 0R 2H) tops players for Sunday, May 17, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 18, 2015

Braves pitcher Shelby Miller, who was one out away from a no-hitter, is Sunday’s Player of the Day and rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 17.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
3	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
4	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
5	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
6	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
7	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1
8	Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	5.0
9	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	5.0
10	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Sunday, two other players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 rankings after earning Player of the Game honors—Rays pitcher Chris Archer rises to second and Bryce Harper of the Nationals rises to fourth. In addition, one player with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors, two players made their Box-Toppers debut and one player earned Player of the Game honors for the first time in nearly six years.

Player of the Day—Miller pitched a complete game shutout, allowing two hits and striking out four, in the 6-0 win over the Marlins. Miller was one out away from a no-hitter, but gave up two hits before retiring the final batter, securing the shutout.

Miller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season and rises to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He takes the lead among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points, passing Max Scherzer of the Nationals (6.0), who had only taken the lead Saturday.

American League Player of the Day—Orioles pitcher Mike Wright pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Angels.

This was Wright’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. It was also his Major League debut. He is the 3,471st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—Bryce Harper of the Nationals hit a three-run homer, a triple and went 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs, in the 10-5 win over the Padres.

Harper earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.5 for the season and rises to fourth place in player rankings, the highest ranking of any batter.

American League Batter of the Day—Avisail Garcia of the White Sox homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two, in the 7-3 win over the Athletics.

Rankings—Rays pitcher Chris Archer rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Archer (6IP R 4K W in the 11-3 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season. He trails only overall leader Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (8.7). Both Archer and Shelby Miller of the Braves have 7.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, but Archer wins the tiebreaker because he had more points in 2014—12.4 vs. 9.

Debut—Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Syndergaard (6IP R 5K W in the 5-1 win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut May 12 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,472nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Notables—Two other players had notable Box-Toppers achievements Sunday:

Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett, Player of the Game against the Cubs (7IP 3H 0R 7K W) now has 123.8 career Box-Toppers points. He ranks 33rd among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. His career 123.8 points ranks sixth among active pitchers currently in the NL.
Phillies pitcher Sean O’Sullivan, Player of the Game against the Diamondbacks (6IP 0R 4K W) earned his first Box-Toppers point in nearly six years. O’Sullivan last earned Player of the Game honors on June 16, 2009, when he made his Box-Toppers debut with the Angels. Sunday was O’Sullivan’s second career Player of the Game honor. O’Sullivan was the 2,604th player to debut in Box-Toppers, meaning that more than 800 players have debuted in Box-Toppers since O’Sullivan last earned Player of the Game honors.

Scoring—Miller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Wright earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Harper and Garcia each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/17
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    Braves
    Shelby Miller (W, 5-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    AL
    9.1
    Orioles
    Mike Wright (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    4
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    9.0
    Royals
    Edinson Volquez (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    
  

    
    7.0
    Dodgers
    Mike Bolsinger (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Nationals
    Bryce Harper   RF
    4
    3
    3
    4
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    Pirates
    A.J. Burnett (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    5
    7
  

    
    5.0
    Astros
    Collin McHugh (W, 5-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    2
    2
    1
    9
  

    
    5.0
    Mets
    Noah Syndergaard (W, 1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    
    4.1
    Cardinals
    Lance Lynn (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    6
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    
    4.0
    Giants
    Santiago Casilla (S, 9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Mariners
    James Paxton (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    2
  

    
    3.0
    Rays
    Chris Archer (W, 4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Phillies
    Sean O`Sullivan (W, 1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    BAT
    2.0
    White Sox
    Avisail Garcia   RF
    5
    2
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Rangers
    Mitch Moreland   1B
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Nationals' Max Scherzer (7IP 0R 11K) tops players for Saturday, May 16, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 17, 2015

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Saturday’s Player of the Day and rises to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 16.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	6.0
4	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
5	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1
6	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	5.0
7	Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	5.0
8	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	5.0
9	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	5.0
10	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Saturday, CC Sabathia and Jonathan Papelbon extended their streaks of consecutive seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point—Sabathia now has 15 seasons and Papelbon has 10—and Kris Bryant earned Player of the Game honors two days in a row, the third time in six days.

Player of the Day—Scherzer struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits, in the 4-1 win over the Padres.

Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season, rising to second place in overall player rankings for the season. He now ranks first among all NL players, passing Gerrit Cole of the Pirates. Both Scherzer and Cole have 6.0 Box-Toppers points, but Scherzer wins the tie-breaker because he had more Box-Toppers points in 2014—22.1 vs. 5.7.

American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 6-1 win over the Orioles.

National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Crawford of the Giants homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in six runs, in the 11-2 win over the Reds.

American League Batter of the Day—Eduardo Escobar of the Twins doubled and went 4-for-4, with one run and one RBI, in the 6-4 win over the Rays.

Streaks—Two players extended their streaks of consecutive seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point after earning Player of the Game honors Friday:

Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia has now earned Box-Toppers points in 15 straight seasons, extending his lead in career points among active pitchers (174.3) and earning his first Player of the Game honor in more than a year.

Sabathia (7IP R 5K W in the 5-1 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season. He earned his first points in 2001 with the Indians. His best year was 2008 with the Indians and Brewers when he had 26.7 Box-Toppers points, first among NL pitchers that year (while he played in both leagues in 2008, he is counted as an NL pitcher since that’s where he ended his season).

In 2014, Sabathia had 1.0 Box-Toppers point with the Yankees. Saturday marked the first time Sabathia earned Player of the Game honors since April 24, 2014.

Sabathia’s career 174.3 Box-Toppers points is fifth among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers record keeping began). He trails Randy Johnson (278.8), Pedro Martinez (244.8), Curt Schilling (194.1) and Alex Rodriguez (183.8).

Phillies closing pitcher Jonathan Papelbon has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons. Papelbon (1IP 0R 2K Sv in the 7-5 win over the Diamondbacks) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, his first of the season.

Papelbon earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Red Sox. His two best seasons were 2006 with the Red Sox and 2012 with the Phillies—he had 7.0 Box-Toppers points in both seasons. In 2006, he ranked seventh among AL closing pitchers. In 2012, he ranked fifth among NL closing pitchers.

In 2014, he had 3.0 Box-Toppers points with the Phillies.

Papelbon has 49.4 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks 20th among all closing pitchers since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. His career 49.4 points ranks second among active closing pitchers currently in the NL (behind Francisco Rodriguez of the Brewers with 59.4).

Notable—Kris Bryant of the Cubs earned Player of the Game honors for the second day in a row and the third time in six days.

Bryant (2-2 2R in the 4-1 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He was also Player of the Game Thursday and on May 11, when he made his Box-Toppers debut. He has 3.0 Box-Toppers points for the season (and for his career) and currently ranks eighth among NL batters for 2015.

Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Jace Peterson of the Braves (grand slam 2-5 in the 5-3 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut April 25, 2014, and was playing in his 60th career game. He is the 3,469th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Tigers pitcher Blaine Hardy (1IP 0R 2K W in the 4-3 win over the Cardinals) made his Major League debut June 16, 2014, and was playing in his 51st career game. He is the 3,470th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Shoemaker earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Crawford and Escobar each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/16
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    12.0
    Nationals
    Max Scherzer (W, 4-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    2
    11
  

    AL
    9.0
    Angels
    Matt Shoemaker (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    
    8.1
    Rockies
    Jorge De La Rosa (W, 1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    2
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Giants
    Brandon Crawford   SS
    5
    2
    3
    6
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Mets
    Wilmer Flores   SS
    4
    2
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Yankees
    CC Sabathia (W, 2-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    1
    0
    5
  

    
    3.0
    White Sox
    John Danks (W, 2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    2
    2
    3
    6
  

    
    3.0
    `Red Sox
    Tommy Layne (H, 1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    Phillies
    Jonathan Papelbon (S, 9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.2
    Astros
    Scott Feldman (W, 3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    5
    3
    3
    3
    10
  

    
    2.0
    Braves
    Jace Peterson   2B
    5
    1
    2
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Twins
    Eduardo Escobar   SS
    4
    1
    4
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Cubs
    Kris Bryant   3B
    2
    2
    2
    0
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Tigers
    Blaine Hardy (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Indians
    Cody Allen (S, 6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Brewers' Kyle Lohse (8IP 0R 8K) tops players for Friday, May 15

Shawn Plank May 16, 2015

Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse is Friday’s Player of the Day.

Also Friday, two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors, including last year’s Box-Toppers points leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 15.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	6.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
4	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	5.0
6	Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	5.0
7	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	5.0
8	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	5.0
9	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Lohse pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight, in the 7-0 win over the Mets.

American League Player of the Day—Lorenzo Cain of the Royals drove in five runs, while going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs, in the 12-1 win over the Yankees.

National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Belt of the Giants hit a three-run home run and a double, going 3-for-5 with three runs and four RBIs, in the 10-2 win over the Reds.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday since a batter (Lorenzo Cain of the Royals) was the overall AL Player of the Day.

Notable—Two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Friday;

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw now has 135.6 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 22nd among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.

Kershaw (6.2IP 3R 10K W in the 6-4 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.0 for the season. Last year, Kershaw led all players with 31.5 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total since 1995. Still, Kershaw is not far off his 2014 pace—at this time last year, Kershaw had only 3.0 Box-Toppers points, only 1.0 more than he has this season.

Kershaw trails Bartolo Colon (136.4) for 21st place among all players since 1995. His career 135.6 Box-Toppers points puts him at 16th among all pitchers since 1995 and third among all active pitchers currently in the NL (behind Colon and Giants pitcher Tim Hudson—153.0).

Angels pitcher Jered Weaver now has 118.4 career Box-Toppers points and moves up to 36th place among all players since 1995, passing Justin Verlander (118.2) and Carlos Delgado (117.7) on that list.

Weaver (7.1IP 3H R W in the 3-1 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.

Weaver’s 118.4 career Box-Toppers points puts him at 24th place among all pitchers since 1995 and fourth among active pitchers currently in the AL—behind CC Sabathia (173.3), Johan Santana (166.6) and Felix Hernandez (152.0).

Debut—Todd Cunningham of the Braves made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Cunningham (2B 3-4 2R BI in the 5-2 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut July 30, 2013, and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,468th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Lohse earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cain earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Belt earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/15
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.0
    Brewers
    Kyle Lohse (W, 3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    AL
    6.0
    Royals
    Lorenzo Cain   CF
    4
    2
    3
    5
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Giants
    Brandon Belt   1B
    5
    3
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Nationals
    Jordan Zimmermann (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    4.1
    Angels
    Jered Weaver (W, 2-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    3
    1
    1
    1
    3
  

    
    4.0
    Indians
    Michael Brantley   CF, LF
    3
    2
    3
    2
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.2
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    4
    3
    3
    3
    10
  

    
    3.0
    Tigers
    Yoenis Cespedes   LF
    5
    2
    3
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Cubs
    Kris Bryant   3B
    4
    2
    1
    4
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Phillies
    Freddy Galvis   SS
    2
    2
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Braves
    Todd Cunningham   LF
    4
    2
    3
    1
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Jose Altuve   2B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    White Sox
    Adam LaRoche   DH
    3
    1
    1
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    `Mariners
    J.A. Happ
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    3
  

    
    1.0
    Twins
    Brian Dozier   2B
    3
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers

Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.