Mariners' Hernandez tops players for Sunday, June 29; Dodgers' Kershaw takes overall Box-Toppers points lead

Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is Sunday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw takes the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Hernandez pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out nine in the 3-0 win over the Indians. Hernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.8 for the season, moving up to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He is in third place in Box-Toppers points among American League pitchers.

Kershaw rose to the top of Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning National League Player of the Day honors. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 13 in the 6-0 win over the Cardinals. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 for the season. He passes previous leader, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (13.0 Box-Toppers points), who had led since June 21.

Kershaw was last year’s overall leader with 21.7 Box-Toppers points. Hernandez and Kershaw had identical Box-Toppers game scores of 13.0 on Sunday, but Hernandez was given the edge as Player of the Day because he had more innings pitched—eight vs. seven.

Matt Joyce of the Rays is AL Batter of the Day. Joyce homered twice and went 5-for-6, driving in four runs, in the 12-7 win over the Orioles.

Corey Dickerson of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Dickerson went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs in the 10-4 win over the Brewers.

Hernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kershaw receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Joyce and Dickerson each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Sunday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

629 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 13.0 Mariners Felix Hernandez (W, 10-2) - - - - - - 8.0 1 0 0 3 9
NL 13.0 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw (W, 9-2) - - - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 2 13
12.0 Reds Homer Bailey (W, 8-4) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 1 7
9.0 White Sox Jose Quintana (W, 5-7) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 2 7
BAT 6.0 Rays Matt Joyce LF, RF 6 3 5 4 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Red Sox Dustin Pedroia 2B 3 1 3 3 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Pirates Edinson Volquez (W, 6-6) - - - - - - 6.0 8 0 0 1 7
4.0 Twins Glen Perkins (S, 20) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.1 Astros Tony Sipp (S, 1) - - - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 Royals Greg Holland (W, 1-2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.1 Athletics Ryan Cook (S, 1) - - - - - - 1.1 1 0 0 0 2
BAT 2.0 Rockies Corey Dickerson LF 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Padres Huston Street (S, 21) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
0.0 Braves Tommy LaStella 2B 3 2 1 0 1 0 - - - - - -

Indians' Josh Tomlin, with one-hit shutout, tops players for Saturday, June 28; Scherzer rises to 6th in Box-Toppers points

Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin, pitching a one-hit shutout, is Saturday’s Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Tomlin struck out 11 and allowed only one baserunner in the 5-0 win over the Mariners.

Scherzer rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Scherzer (7IP 2R 13K ND in the 4-3 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.4 for the season. He has the second-most Box-Toppers points among American League pitchers for the season, behind Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees (12.7).

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke is National League Player of the Day. Greinke struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing only one run, in the 9-1 win over the Cardinals.

Logan Forsythe of the Rays is AL Batter of the Day. Forsythe homered, went 3-for-3, scored twice and drove in two runs in the 5-4 win over the Orioles. This was Forysthe’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,364th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Forsythe made his Major League debut May 4, 2011, and was playing in his 285th game.

Freddie Freeman of the Braves is NL Batter of the Day. Freeman went 0-for-2, but scored four runs and walked three times in the 10-3 win over the Phillies.

Tomlin receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Greinke receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Forsythe and Freeman each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Saturday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

628 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 19.0 Indians Josh Tomlin (W, 5-5) - - - - - - 9.0 1 0 0 0 11
13.0 Rangers Yu Darvish (W, 8-4) - - - - - - 8.0 4 0 0 1 10
NL 11.0 Dodgers Zack Greinke (W, 10-4) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 0 10
10.0 Nationals Gio Gonzalez (W, 5-4) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 2 7
8.0 `Tigers Max Scherzer - - - - - - 7.0 7 2 2 1 13
6.0 Red Sox Jon Lester (W, 9-7) - - - - - - 8.0 5 1 0 2 6
5.0 `Reds Alfredo Simon - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 1 4
5.0 Nationals Ross Detwiler (S, 1) - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 0 2
BAT 4.0 Rays Logan Forsythe 2B 3 2 3 2 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 `Angels Hector Santiago - - - - - - 4.0 4 0 0 0 4
3.0 `Athletics Dan Otero - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 2
3.0 Brewers Francisco Rodriguez (S, 27) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 White Sox Dayan Viciedo RF 4 1 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 2.0 Braves Freddie Freeman 1B 2 4 0 0 3 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Mets Eric Campbell 3B 4 1 3 1 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Braves Chris Johnson 3B 4 1 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
0.1 Dbacks Josh Collmenter (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 5.1 5 1 1 2 4

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

 

Rangers' Tepesch tops players for Friday, June 27; three players rise in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings

Rangers pitcher Nick Tepesch is Friday’s Player of the Day. Tepesch pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits, in the 5-4 win over the Twins.

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran is National League Player of the Day. Teheran struck out nine over seven innings in the 4-2 win over the Phillies. Teheran earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season and rising to eight place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.)

John Baker of the Cubs is NL Batter of the Day. Baker went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs in the 7-2 win over the Nationals.

Brandon Guyer of the Rays is American League Batter of the Day. Guyer went 3-for-3, scored twice and drove in a run in the 5-2 win over the Orioles. This was Guyer’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,363rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Guyer made his Major League debut May 6, 2011, and was playing in his 55th game.

Notables: Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Cueto (8.1IP 2R W in the 6-2 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season. He is also the third-ranked NL pitcher.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Abreu (2HR 2-3 in the 5-2 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.5 for the season. Abreu, already the leader in Box-Toppers points among AL batters, is now only the second batter in Box-Toppers overall top 10 player rankings—the other is Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (10.6 Box-Toppers points, seventh place).

Tepesch receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Teheran receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Baker and Guyer each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Friday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

627 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 7.1 Rangers Nick Tepesch (W, 3-3) - - - - - - 7.1 3 0 0 2 5
NL 7.0 Braves Julio Teheran (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 7.0 6 2 1 0 9
6.2 Yankees Vidal Nuno (W, 2-4) - - - - - - 5.2 2 0 0 2 5
6.0 Dbacks Brandon McCarthy (W, 2-10) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 1 0 7
BAT 5.0 Cubs John Baker C 3 1 3 4 1 0 - - - - - -
4.2 `Royals Kelvin Herrera (H, 6) - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Pirates Jared Hughes (W, 4-2) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 3
3.1 Cardinals Seth Maness (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 2.1 1 0 0 0 2
BAT 3.0 Rays Brandon Guyer LF 3 2 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 White Sox Jose Abreu 1B 3 2 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Orioles Chris Tillman (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 8.0 4 1 1 1 2
2.1 Reds Johnny Cueto (W, 8-5) - - - - - - 8.1 3 2 2 2 3
2.0 Astros Jose Altuve 2B 5 2 4 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Athletics Yoenis Cespedes LF 4 3 2 1 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Mariners Chris Young (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 5.0 4 1 1 1 4
0.0 `Brewers Kyle Lohse - - - - - - 7.0 7 1 1 2 4

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

 

A look at how Box-Toppers might pick the 2014 All-Stars

If Box-Toppers points rather than fan voting were used to determine Major League All-Star teams, you’d have very different teams, very pissed-off fans and one very stunned baseball blogger.

For example, if Box-Toppers points were used to determine All-Stars, there would be no Yasiel Puig, no Mike Trout, no Jose Bautista and no Derek Jeter in the game. And you would have players in the line-up, such as Daniel Murphy, Freddie Freeman and Erick Aybar, among others.

The All-Star Game is July 15. Online fan voting ends July 3, less than a week away.

Box-Toppers may have a different perspective on All-Stars because it tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Players only earn points if they are deemed to be Player of the Game, based on a simple box score formula.

So players such as Puig, Trout and Bautista, while they often put up impressive numbers, have not regularly been top player in games their teams have won recently. So while their fan All-Star vote may be high, their Box-Toppers point totals lately have been lower.

Another example of Box-Toppers not matching baseball’s conventional thinking is Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates. Last year, baseball writers voted him National League Most Valuable Player. But in Box-Toppers, he ranked 22nd among NL batters. However, this year, McCutchen has earned Player of the Game four times and picked up 5.0 Box-Toppers points and ranks fifth among NL batters and second among NL outfielders. 

Box-Toppers looks at the All-Star team in two different ways. First, it considers players on their performance during the 2014 season. But since this season is still a small data sample, it looks at last season, too, and considers players on their performance since the start of 2013.

For example, if you look at Box-Toppers points for just this season, Chris Colabello of the Twins is the second-ranked outfielder based on his early season performance. But Colabello slumped and has been in the minors for more than a month—which does not speak well for his All-Star credentials.

But looking at player’s performance since 2013 can be misleading, too. For example, Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees leads AL outfielders since the start of 2013 with 13.9 Box-Toppers points. But 12.9 of those were earned in 2013. Despite his strong 2013, he probably would not be considered an All-Star in 2014.

But then there’s a player like Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks. He actually is leading currently in NL voting for first basemen. And in fact, in 2013, he led all NL batters in Box-Toppers points, with 13.7. But this year, while his numbers are generally good, he is playing for a bad team and has earned only 1.5 Box-Toppers points. Despite his great 2013 in Box-Toppers, he is overshadowed in the NL at first base by Freddie Freeman of the Braves. Freeman leads all NL first basemen in Box-Toppers points for both 2014 and 2013-14.

But enough prelude. Here is a look a the All-Star teams. First, it’s the Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league for 2014. Then, it’s Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league for 2013-14. And finally, a look at current All-Star vote leaders, showing their current Box-Toppers point total and their rank in Box-Toppers by position and league.

2014

Jose Abreu of the White Sox leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points. He is on the AL All-Star ballot as first baseman and not as a designated hitter, but since he has played DH this season, we will break the “rules” and put him at DH and put Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, last year’s Box-Toppers AL batting leader, at first.

In the American League, only four of the nine starters are even among the top vote-getters at their positions. 

The National League is a little better—six of the eight Box-Toppers leaders for starting positions are among the All-Star voting leaders.

And though fan voters don’t get to pick pitchers, included here for both leagues are Box-Toppers leaders for starting pitchers (the top four starters) along with the top middle reliever and top closing pitcher.

Box-Toppers pick for All-Star starters based on 2014 stats? Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees for the AL and Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals for the NL.

All-Stars based on 2014 Box-Toppers points

Here are Box-Toppers points leaders by position for each league. Also shown is players' current ranking in All-Star fan voting by their position. A hyphen (-) indicates they are not among the league leaders in fan voting by their position. Also shown are pitching leaders. Fans don't get to vote on pitchers so their vote rank is marked with an asterisk (*).

Pos AL players Team BTP Vote rank
1B Cabrera, Miguel 1776 det al 7.5 1
2B Rodriguez, Sean 2729 tb al 5.0 -
SS Aybar, Erick 2416 ana al 6.0 -
3B Donaldson, Josh 3144 oak al 6.5 1
CA Perez, Salvador 2972 kc al 3.7 -
OF Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 oak al 5.5 4
OF Colabello, Chris 3235 min al 5.2 -
OF Hunter, Torii 1190 det al 4.5 10
DH Abreu, Jose 3308 chi al 8.5 -
SP Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 nyy al 12.7 *
SP Scherzer, Max 2588 det al 11.4 *
SP Kazmir, Scott 1947 oak al 9.7 *
SP Hernandez, Felix 2064 sea al 8.8 *
MR Duffy, Danny 2915 kc al 6.0 *
CP Uehara, Koji 2802 bos al 6.0 *
Pos NL players Team BTP Vote rank
1B Freeman, Freddie 2887 atl nl 6.2 3
2B Murphy, Daniel 2589 nym nl 4.5 -
SS Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 col nl 10.6 1
3B Ramirez, Aramis 1364 mil nl 3.5 1
CA Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 mil nl 3.7 2
OF Morse, Michael 2020 sf nl 5.5 -
OF McCutchen, Andrew 2637 pit nl 5.0 2
OF Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 fla nl 4.7 4
SP Wainwright, Adam 2150 stl nl 13.0 *
SP Kershaw, Clayton 2494 lad nl 12.7 *
SP Bumgarner, Madison 2753 sf nl 12.5 *
SP Cueto, Johnny 2400 cin nl 11.7 *
MR Collmenter, Josh 2863 ari nl 4.0 *
CP Kimbrel, Craig 2825 atl nl 5.0 *
BTP: Box-Toppers points
Vote rank: Where the player ranks by position in All-Star fan voting. A hyphen (-) indicates they are not among the leaders. An asterisk (*) indicates they are a pitcher and not eligible for fan voting.

What are those numbers after players' names? 

2013-14

These are Box-Toppers points leaders by position since the start of 2013. 

In the American League, the Box-Toppers leaders agree a little better with voters—seven of the nine Box-Toppers leaders are among the leaders in fan voting and three (Cabrera, Robinson Cano of the Mariners and Josh Donaldson of the Athletics) are vote leaders for their positions.

In the National League, five of the Box-Toppers position leaders are also among the vote leaders. However, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies is the only player who leads his position in both Box-Toppers points and fan voting.

And though fan voters don’t get to pick pitchers, included here for both leagues are Box-Toppers leaders for starting pitchers (the top four starters) along with the top middle reliever and top closing pitcher.

Box-Toppers pick for starters based on 2013-14 stats? Max Scherzer of the Tigers for the AL and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers for the NL.

All-Stars based on 2013-14 Box-Toppers points

Here are Box-Toppers points leaders by position for each league. Also shown is players' current ranking in All-Star fan voting by their position. A hyphen (-) indicates they are not among the league leaders in fan voting by their position. Also shown are pitching leaders. Fans don't get to vote on pitchers so their vote rank is marked with an asterisk (*).

Pos AL players Team BTP Vote rank
1B Cabrera, Miguel 1776 det al 24.4 1
2B Cano, Robinson 2092 sea al 15.5 1
SS Aybar, Erick 2416 ana al 11.0 -
3B Donaldson, Josh 3144 oak al 16.0 1
CA McCann, Brian 2179 nyy al 9.5 3
OF Soriano, Alfonso 1445 nyy al 13.9 -
OF Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 oak al 12.5 4
OF Choo, Shin-Soo 2267 tex al 11.0 14
DH Ortiz, David bos al 16.4 2
SP Scherzer, Max 2588 det al 29.5 *
SP Darvish, Yu 3003 tex al 24.4 *
SP Sale, Chris 2806 chi al 24.1 *
SP Hernandez, Felix 2064 sea al 23.6 *
MR Smyly, Drew 3009 det al 10.7 *
CP Holland, Greg 2906 kc al 14.0 *
Pos NL players Team BTP Vote rank
1B Freeman, Freddie 2887 atl nl 17.7 3
2B Murphy, Daniel 2589 nym nl 13.0 -
SS Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 col nl 14.6 1
3B Alvarez, Pedro 2817 pit nl 10.2 -
CA Posey, Buster 2745 sf nl 10.0 3
OF Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 col nl 12.5 -
OF Cuddyer, Michael 1826 col nl 11.5 14
OF McCutchen, Andrew 2637 pit nl 11.0 2
SP Kershaw, Clayton 2494 lad nl 34.4 *
SP Wainwright, Adam 2150 stl nl 33.2 *
SP Bumgarner, Madison 2753 sf nl 28.2 *
SP Greinke, Zack 1871 lad nl 26.8 *
MR Collmenter, Josh 2863 ari nl 12.0 *
CP Kimbrel, Craig 2825 atl nl 17.7 *
BTP: Box-Toppers points
Vote rank: Where the player ranks by position in All-Star fan voting. A hyphen (-) indicates they are not among the leaders. An asterisk (*) indicates they are a pitcher and not eligible for fan voting.

What are those numbers after players' names? 

Voting leaders

A case can be made for any of these players to be on the All-Star team.

Numbers? Performance? Yes, players like Yadier Molina, Yasiel Puig and Mike Trout have that. Though they may not register very highly on Box-Toppers, it’s hard to argue that they’re not All-Star worthy.

And a case can even be made for a player like Derek Jeter of the Yankees—is he an All-Star? Well, technically, there ARE probably better and more deserving AL shortstops based on any metric you put forth for this season and last season. But then, this is Derek Jeter. The Captain. His final season. Even Yankee haters may be forced to put the numbers aside for a moment and vote with their heart on this one.

Here are the leaders as of June 22 and 23 in All-Star voting by position. Also included in the chart are each of the leaders’ Box-Toppers points total for 2014 and their current rank among their position in their league. 

Only three players who lead for their position in All-Star voting also lead their position in Box-Toppers points:

• AL 3B Josh Donaldson of the Athletics.

• NL SS Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies.

• NL 3B Aramis Ramirez of the Pirates.

All-Stars voting leaders & their Box-Toppers rankings

Here are All-Star fan voting leaders as of June 22 and 23. For comparison, their Box-Toppers points totals for 2014 are included along with their rank at their position by league. (For example, Miguel Cabrera has 7.5 Box-Toppers points in 2014, second-most among AL first basemen.

Pos AL players Team BTP BTP rank
1B Miguel Cabrera det al 7.5 2
2B Robinson Cano sea al 3.0 4
SS Derek Jeter nyy al 0.0 22
3B Josh Donaldson oak al 6.5 1
CA Matt Wieters bal al 1.5 7
OF Jose Bautista tor al 2.5 15
OF Mike Trout ana al 2.0 23
OF Melky Cabrera tor al 3.0 10
DH Nelson Cruz bal al 3.0 10
Pos NL players Team BTP BTP rank
1B Paul Goldschmidt ari nl 1.5 13
2B Chase Utley phi nl 2.0 10
SS Troy Tulowitzki col nl 10.6 1
3B Aramis Ramirez mil nl 3.5 1
CA Yadier Molina stl nl 0.0 20
OF Yasiel Puig lad nl 1.0 44
OF Andrew McCutchen pit nl 5.0 2
OF Carlos Gomez mil nl 2.5 14
BTP: Box-Toppers points
BTP rank: Where the player ranks by position in their league in Box-Toppers points.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Cards' pitcher Adam Wainwright regains lead in Box-Toppers weekly player rankings report

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright retakes the lead in Box-Toppers player rankings this week.

Top players

Through Thursday, June 26


 OVERALL LEADERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 13.0
2 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 12.7
3 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
4 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 12.5
5 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 11.7
6 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 11.4
7 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 10.6
8 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 9.7
9 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 8.8
10 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 8.7
AL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 11.4
3 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 9.7
4 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 8.8
5 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 8.7
6 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 8.7
7 Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp tex al 8.4
8 Price, David 2593 pi sp tb al 8.4
9 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 8.4
10 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.0
AL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Abreu, Jose 3308 1b dh chi al 8.5
2 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 7.5
3 Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 1b tor al 7.0
4 Donaldson, Josh 3144 3b oak al 6.5
5 Aybar, Erick 2416 ss ana al 6.0
6 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf oak al 5.5
7 Ramirez, Alexei 2537 ss chi al 5.5
8 Colabello, Chris 3235 1b dh rf min al 5.2
9 Seager, Kyle 3031 3b sea al 5.0
10 Rodriguez, Sean 2729 lf 1b 2b dh ph tb al 5.0
NL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 13.0
2 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 12.7
3 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 12.5
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 11.7
5 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 8.7
6 Colon, Bartolo pi sp nym nl 8.7
7 Hammel, Jason 2235 pi sp chi nl 8.7
8 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 8.0
9 Alvarez, Henderson 2951 pi sp fla nl 7.7
10 Beckett, Josh 1544 pi sp lad nl 7.7
NL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 10.6
2 Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 6.2
3 Rizzo, Anthony 3063 1b chi nl 5.5
4 Morse, Michael 2020 lf sf nl 5.5
5 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 5.0
6 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 4.7
7 Murphy, Daniel 2589 2b nym nl 4.5
8 Braun, Ryan J. 2300 rf mil nl 4.5
9 Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 4.2
10 Upton, Justin 2411 lf atl nl 3.7
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Wainwright has 13.0 Box-Toppers points and moves from second place last week, passing previous leader, Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (12.7). Wainwright led Box-Toppers player rankings the previous three weeks.

Tanaka falls from first to third place overall, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (12.7 Box-Toppers points) now in second place overall. Tanaka still leads all American League players. (Kershaw and Tanaka are tied at 12.7 Box-Toppers points but Kershaw is ahead on a tie-breaker. He has more combined Box-Toppers points over the 2013 and 2014 seasons—34.4 vs. 12.7.)

Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies remains the leader among NL batters with 10.6 Box-Toppers points. However, he falls from fifth to seventh place among all players.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox still leads among AL batters with 8.5 Box-Toppers points. He is in 15th place among all players, falling from 13th place last week.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

What are those numbers after players' names?

San Francisco Giants retake top spot in Box-Toppers weekly team rankings

The San Francisco Giants have retaken the top spot in Box-Toppers team rankings this week.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, June 26. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated so far this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams have accumulated during the past week.



626

Teams

BTP
BTP
/wk		 Last 
wk 
rank
1 Giants 56.9 5.0 2
2 Blue Jays 56.3 6.9 5
3 Dodgers 56.2 6.7 4
4 Athletics 55.9 3.0 1
5 Brewers 55.6 6.0 3
6 Angels 54.5 6.5 6
7 Cardinals 51.5 5.0 7
8 Mariners 51.0 6.0 9
9 Nationals 48.2 4.0 11
10 Reds 48.1 6.5 19
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Giants players have accumulated 56.9 Box-Toppers points. They pass last week’s top team, the Oakland Athletics, now in fourth place in team rankings with 55.9 Box-Toppers points. The Giants have been the top team in Box-Toppers rankings five of the past seven weeks and have been the top National League team for five straight weeks.

The Giants are led by pitchers Madison Bumgarner (12.5 Box-Toppers points, fourth place among all players, third among NL pitchers), Tim Hudson (6.7 Box-Toppers points, 15th among NL pitchers) and Tim Lincecum (6.0 Box-Toppers points, 20th among NL pitchers). Lincecum pitched a no-hitter this week. Nineteen different Giants players have earned Player of the Game honors and picked up at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season.

The Giants have the third-best winning percentage in baseball (.582), behind the Athletics (.615—55.9 Box-Toppers points, fourth place overall) and the Milwaukee Brewers (.605—55.6 Box-Toppers points, fifth place overall).

The Toronto Blue Jays, the hottest team of the week, are the top American League team in Box-Toppers rankings. The Blue Jays moved from fifth place to second among all teams and passed last week’s AL and overall leader, the Athletics. They regain their spot atop the AL after losing it last week to the Athletics—previously, they were top AL team for three straight weeks.

Blue Jays players have accumulated 56.3 Box-Toppers points, including 6.9 during the past week—more than any other team.

The Blue Jays are led by first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (7.0 Box-Toppers points, third place among AL batters) and pitcher Drew Hutchison (7.0 Box-Toppers points, 12th place among AL pitchers). Twenty-one different Blue Jays players have earned Player of the Game honors and picked up at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season.

The Blue Jays have the fourth-best winning percentage in the AL (.556), behind the Athletics, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels.

Two teams rose into the top 10 this week: The Washington Nationals rose from 11th to ninth place and the Cincinnati Reds rose from 19th to 10th place. Two teams fell out of the top 10: The Miami Marlins fell from eighth to 11th place and the Kansas City Royals fell from 10th to 14th place.

The Arizona Diamondbacks remain the lowest-rated team with 34.9 Box-Toppers points, picking up only 1.0 point during the past week.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Reds' Mike Leake (8IP 1R 12K) tops players for Thursday, June 26

Reds pitcher Mike Leake is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Leake struck out 12 over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Giants.

Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ is American League Player of the Day. Happ pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out eight, in the 7-0 win over the White Sox.

Gregory Polanco of the Pirates is National League Batter of the Day. Polanco homered, went 2-for-3 and drove in four runs in the 5-0 win over the Mets. This was Polanco’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors—he is the 3,361st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Polanco made his Major League debut June 10 and was playing in his 15th game.

Albert Pujols of the Angels is AL Batter of the Day. Pujols went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs in the 6-4 win over the Twins. 

Pujols earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points, giving him 3.0 for the season. He is in 10th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” leaderboard (Box-Toppers began record keeping in 1995) with 162.8 points, just ahead of John Smoltz (160.9) and just behind Roger Clemens (164.8). So far in 2014, only 4.0 Box-Toppers points have been earned by players in the all-time top 10 list—3.0 by Pujols and 1.0 by Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia (in fifth place with 173.3 Box-Toppers points). They are the only two players on the top 10 list who have seen playing time this season.

Leake receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Happ receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Polanco and Pujols each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Thursday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

626 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 13.0 Reds Mike Leake (W, 6-6) - - - - - - 8.0 4 1 1 1 12
AL 9.2 Blue Jays J.A. Happ (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 7.2 4 0 0 2 8
9.0 Tigers Rick Porcello (W, 10-4) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 3 6
5.0 `Dodgers Josh Beckett - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 2 4
BAT 4.0 Pirates Gregory Polanco RF 3 1 2 4 1 0 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Angels Albert Pujols DH 4 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Astros Matt Dominguez 3B 3 2 1 3 0 2 - - - - - -
3.0 Brewers Scooter Gennett PH, 2B 1 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 `Phillies Cole Hamels - - - - - - 7.0 6 3 3 0 7
2.0 Cubs Hector Rondon (S, 9) - - - - - - 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.

 

Giants' Tim Lincecum, pitching a no-hitter, tops players for Wednesday, June 25

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, pitching his second career no-hitter, is Wednesday’s Player of the Day.

Lincecum allowed only one walk and struck out six in the complete game, shutout no-hitter, a 4-0 win over the Padres.

Rays pitcher David Price is American League Player of the Day. Price struck out 11 over 8 1/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 5-1 win over the Pirates. Price rises to 17th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season. He ranks eighth among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

Scooter Gennett of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Gennett hit a grand slam and went 2-for-5, driving in five runs, in the 9-2 win over the Nationals.

David Ortiz of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Ortiz homered, went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs in the 5-4 win over the Mariners.

Lincecum receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Price receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Gennett and Ortiz each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Wednesday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

625 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.0 Giants Tim Lincecum (W, 6-5) - - - - - - 9.0 0 0 0 1 6
AL 11.1 Rays David Price (W, 6-7) - - - - - - 8.1 5 1 1 1 11
10.0 Indians Corey Kluber (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 1 8
7.0 Braves Alex Wood (W, 6-6) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 1 4
5.0 Reds Mat Latos (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 0 5
4.2 Dodgers Jamey Wright (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 2.2 2 0 0 0 4
4.2 Yankees David Robertson (S, 18) - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 4.0 Brewers Scooter Gennett 2B 5 2 2 5 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Marlins Steve Cishek (S, 18) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Athletics Sean Doolittle (S, 11) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
2.1 `Orioles Ryan Webb - - - - - - 1.1 1 0 0 0 2
BAT 2.0 Red Sox David Ortiz DH 4 1 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Angels Erick Aybar SS 3 2 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Cardinals Daniel Descalso PH 1 1 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Tigers Victor Martinez DH 5 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw (8IP 0R 8K) tops players for Tuesday, June 24, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers points

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Tuesday’s Player of the Day, rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Kershaw pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 2-0 win over the Royals. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, rising from sixth to second among all players (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page). He is also in second place among National League pitchers, behind overall Box-Toppers points leader Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (13.0 points).

Kershaw and Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon had identical Box-Toppers game scores Tuesday of 9.0. However, Kershaw won Player of the Day honors on a tie-breaker—he allowed no runs, while Colon allowed one.

White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana is American League Player of the Day. Quintana struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run, in the 4-2 win over the Orioles.

Justin Morneau of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Morneau drove in six runs, while going 3-for-5 with a homer, in the 10-5 win over the Cardinals.

Dioner Navarro of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Navarro hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 7-6 win over the Yankees.

Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Quintana receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Morneau and Navarro each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Tuesday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

624 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw (W, 8-2) - - - - - - 8.0 6 0 0 1 8
9.0 Mets Bartolo Colon (W, 8-5) - - - - - - 8.0 4 1 1 1 8
9.0 Cubs Jake Arrieta (W, 4-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 2 2 0 9
BAT 6.0 Rockies Justin Morneau 1B 5 2 3 6 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Padres Jesse Hahn (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 6.0 4 2 2 1 8
AL 4.0 White Sox Jose Quintana (W, 4-7) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 1 3 8
4.0 Tigers Drew Smyly (W, 4-6) - - - - - - 6.0 5 1 0 1 5
BAT 3.0 Blue Jays Dioner Navarro C 4 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Mariners Kyle Seager 3B 4 1 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Angels Mike Trout CF 2 2 1 2 2 0 - - - - - -
3.0 `Nationals Jordan Zimmermann - - - - - - 6.0 6 2 2 2 9
2.0 Braves Craig Kimbrel (S, 22) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Dbacks Ender Inciarte CF 7 2 4 2 1 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Phillies Marlon Byrd RF 4 2 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Pirates Russell Martin C 4 1 2 1 0 1 - - - - - -

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

 

Cardinals' Lance Lynn (8IP 3H 0R 7K) tops players for Monday, June 23

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn is Monday’s Player of the Day. Lynn pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and striking out seven in the 8-0 win over the Rockies

Lynn receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season. He is in 38th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and ranks 16th among National League pitchers.

Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman is American League Player of the Day. Stroman struck out seven over eight innings, allowing only one run, in the 8-3 win over the Yankees.

Logan Morrison of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Morrison hit two home runs, went 4-for-4 with two runs and drove in four in the 12-3 win over the Red Sox.

Devin Mesoraco of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Mesoraco hit a grand slam in the 6-1 win over the Cubs.

Lynn receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Stroman receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Morrison and Mesoraco each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Monday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

623 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 12.0 Cardinals Lance Lynn (W, 8-5) - - - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 0 7
AL 9.0 Blue Jays Marcus Stroman (W, 4-2) - - - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 1 7
BAT 7.0 Mariners Logan Morrison 1B 4 3 4 4 1 0 - - - - - -
BAT 5.0 Reds Devin Mesoraco C 1 1 1 4 2 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Orioles Chris Davis PH, DH 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Padres Odrisamer Despaigne (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 0 1
4.0 Nationals Gio Gonzalez (W, 4-4) - - - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 4 5
3.0 Royals Jarrod Dyson CF 3 1 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Pirates Andrew McCutchen CF 5 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
1.1 Marlins Nathan Eovaldi (W, 5-3) - - - - - - 6.1 6 0 0 1 2

Giants' Madison Bumgarner tops players for Sunday, June 22, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers points

Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, Sunday’s Player of the Day, rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Bumgarner struck out seven over eight innings in the 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.5 for the season. He rises from sixth to third in season player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page) and is second place among National League pitchers to overall leader Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (13.0 Box-Toppers points).

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer is American League Player of the Day. Scherzer struck out eight over six innings in the 10-4 win over the Indians. Scherzer earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, rising to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page).

J.J. Hardy of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Hardy doubled and went 2-for-4, scored twice and drove in three runs in the 8-0 win over the Yankees.

Daniel Murphy of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Murphy hit a three-run homer and doubled in the 11-5 win over the Marlins.

Notable: Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). Cueto (8IP 8K W in the 4-3 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season.

Bumgarner receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Scherzer receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Hardy and Murphy each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Sunday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

622 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 10.0 Giants Madison Bumgarner (W, 9-4) - - - - - - 8.0 2 1 0 2 7
7.0 Pirates Brandon Cumpton (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 2 4
4.0 Reds Johnny Cueto (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 8.0 7 3 1 1 8
AL 4.0 Tigers Max Scherzer (W, 9-3) - - - - - - 6.0 6 1 1 2 8
4.0 Dodgers Kenley Jansen (S, 22) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Nationals Rafael Soriano (S, 17) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Orioles J.J. Hardy SS 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rays Joel Peralta (S, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 Twins Jared Burton (S, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.2 Mariners Roenis Elias (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 6.2 5 1 1 2 5
BAT 2.0 Mets Daniel Murphy 2B 5 2 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Angels Kole Calhoun RF 3 2 1 2 1 2 - - - - - -
2.0 Brewers Lyle Overbay PH 1 1 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Red Sox Jonny Gomes LF 5 1 3 2 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Cardinals Jhonny Peralta SS 3 0 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -

Rays' Odorizzi tops players for Saturday, June 21, Wainwright reclaims Box-Toppers points lead

Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi is Saturday’s Player of the Day, while Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright reclaims the top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Odorizzi pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings and struck out 10 in the 8-0 win over the Astros.

Wainwright rose to first place in season Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page). Wainwright (8IP 1R 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.0 for the season. He passes Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (12.7 Box-Toppers points), who only took the top spot from Wainwright on Tuesday. Wainwright previously held the top spot from May 25 to June 16.

Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett is National League Player of the Day. Beckett pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 4-2 win over the Padres.

Mark Reynolds of the Brewers is NL Batter of the Day. Reynolds doubled and went 2-for-3, scored twice and drove in two runs in the 9-4 win over the Rockies.

Dustin Ackley of the Mariners is American League Batter of the Day. Ackley hit the go-ahead ninth-inning single in the 2-1 win over the Royals.

Odorizzi receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Beckett receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Reynolds and Ackley each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Saturday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

621 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.1 Rays Jake Odorizzi (W, 3-7) - - - - - - 7.1 1 0 0 2 10
NL 9.0 Dodgers Josh Beckett (W, 5-4) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 2 8
7.0 Cardinals Adam Wainwright (W, 10-3) - - - - - - 8.0 6 1 1 0 7
7.0 `Tigers Justin Verlander - - - - - - 7.0 4 2 1 1 8
6.0 Reds Mike Leake (W, 5-6) - - - - - - 8.0 4 1 1 2 6
6.0 Mets Jacob deGrom (W, 1-4) - - - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 3 7
5.0 `Angels Jered Weaver - - - - - - 8.0 4 1 1 2 5
5.0 Nationals Doug Fister (W, 6-2) - - - - - - 8.0 5 0 0 1 3
4.0 `Athletics Jesse Chavez - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 4 4
4.0 Pirates Mark Melancon (S, 11) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Brewers Mark Reynolds 1B 3 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Orioles Bud Norris (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 5.0 3 1 1 2 4
1.0 Giants Pablo Sandoval 3B 5 1 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 1.0 Mariners Dustin Ackley PR, DH 1 0 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Twins Joe Mauer DH 4 1 1 2 0 2 - - - - - -

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

 

Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion (2 3-run homers) tops player for Friday, June 20

Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays is Friday’s Player of the Day. Encarnacion hit two three-run homers in the 14-9 win over the Reds.

Braves pitcher Mike Minor is National League Player of the Day. Minor struck out 11 over seven innings in the 13-inning, 6-4 win over the Nationals. Minor did not pick up the win because the Nationals tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning, after he left the game.

Seth Smith of the Padres is NL Batter of the Day. Smith homered twice and went 3-for-3 in the 6-5 win over the Dodgers.

Encarnacion receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Minor receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Smith receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.

All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Thursday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

620 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 6.0 Blue Jays Edwin Encarnacion 1B 5 3 2 6 1 0 - - - - - -
NL 5.0 `Braves Mike Minor - - - - - - 7.0 7 2 2 2 11
5.0 `Athletics Ryan Cook - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.1 Marlins Henderson Alvarez (W, 4-3) - - - - - - 6.1 7 0 0 0 5
BAT 4.0 Padres Seth Smith LF 3 2 3 2 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Angels Garrett Richards (W, 7-2) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 3 7
4.0 Dbacks Addison Reed (S, 17) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.0 Brewers Aramis Ramirez 3B 5 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Tigers J.D. Martinez LF, RF 4 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Astros Jarred Cosart (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 8.0 6 0 0 1 2
3.0 `Yankees Hiroki Kuroda - - - - - - 6.0 4 2 2 1 6
3.0 Cubs Hector Rondon (S, 8) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Mariners Robinson Cano 2B 3 1 2 2 2 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Phillies A.J. Burnett (W, 5-6) - - - - - - 9.0 7 1 1 1 3
1.0 Twins Kurt Suzuki C 4 1 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka rises to top weekly Box-Toppers player rankings

Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka moves to the top of Box-Toppers player rankings this week.

Top players

Through Thursday, June 19


 OVERALL LEADERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
2 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 12.0
3 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 10.7
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 10.7
5 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 10.6
6 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 10.5
7 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 9.7
8 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 9.7
9 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 8.8
10 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 8.7
AL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 9.7
3 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 9.7
4 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 8.8
5 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 8.7
6 Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp tex al 8.4
7 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.0
8 Lackey, John 1640 pi sp bos al 7.7
9 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 7.7
10 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 7.4
AL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Abreu, Jose 3308 1b dh chi al 8.5
2 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 7.5
3 Donaldson, Josh 3144 3b oak al 6.5
4 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf oak al 5.5
5 Ramirez, Alexei 2537 ss chi al 5.5
6 Colabello, Chris 3235 1b dh rf min al 5.2
7 Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 1b tor al 5.0
8 Aybar, Erick 2416 ss ana al 5.0
9 Rodriguez, Sean 2729 lf 1b 2b dh ph tb al 5.0
10 Hunter, Torii 1190 rf det al 4.5
NL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 12.0
2 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 10.7
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 10.7
4 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 10.5
5 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 8.7
6 Hammel, Jason 2235 pi sp chi nl 8.7
7 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 8.0
8 Colon, Bartolo pi sp nym nl 7.7
9 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 7.4
10 Lohse, Kyle 1487 pi sp mil nl 7.4
NL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 10.6
2 Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 6.2
3 Rizzo, Anthony 3063 1b chi nl 5.5
4 Morse, Michael 2020 lf sf nl 5.5
5 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 4.7
6 Braun, Ryan J. 2300 rf mil nl 4.5
7 Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 4.2
8 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 4.0
9 Upton, Justin 2411 lf atl nl 3.7
10 Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 ca ph mil nl 3.7
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Tanaka has 12.7 Box-Toppers points and moves from second place last week to pass the previous overall leader, Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (12.0), who falls to second and remains the leader among National League pitchers.

Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies remains the leader among NL batters with 10.6 Box-Toppers points. He rises from sixth to fifth place among all players in the overall rankings.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox still leads among AL batters with 8.5 Box-Toppers points. He is in 13th place among all players, falling from 12th place last week.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

What are those numbers after players' names?

Oakland Athletics pass San Francisco Giants to top Box-Toppers team rankings

The Oakland Athletics picked up 6.0 Box-Toppers points over the week, regaining their spot atop Box-Toppers team rankings.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, June 19. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated so far this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams have accumulated during the past week.



619

Teams

BTP
BTP
/wk		 Last 
wk 
rank
1 Athletics 52.9 6.0 3
2 Giants 51.9 0.0 1
3 Brewers 49.6 5.2 5
4 Dodgers 49.5 6.7 7
5 Blue Jays 49.4 2.0 2
6 Angels 48.0 3.0 4
7 Cardinals 46.5 6.0 11
8 Marlins 45.1 1.0 6
9 Mariners 45.0 4.0 10
10 Royals 44.6 7.0 20
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Athletics players have accumulated 52.9 Box-Toppers points this season through Thursday, June 19. They pass the top team for the previous three weeks, the San Francisco Giants, now in second place with 51.9 Box-Toppers points. The Athletics were the top team in Box-Toppers rankings the week of May 22—this is the third week this season they have been the top team.

The Athletics are led by pitcher Scott Kazmir (9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among all players) and third baseman Josh Donaldson (6.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among American League batters).

The Athletics also have baseball’s best winning percentage (.616).

The Giants, despite being the only team to earn no Box-Toppers points during the past week, fell only to second place in team rankings. They still rank as the top overall National League team for the fourth week in a row.

The Giants are led by pitchers Madison Bumgarner (10.5 Box-Toppers points, sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings, fourth place among NL pitchers) and Tim Hudson (6.7 points, 13th place among NL pitchers).

The Giants also have the best winning percentage among NL teams (.597).

Last week’s top American League team, the Toronto Blue Jays, fell from second to fifth place among all teams after picking up 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the past week. The Blue Jays have 49.4 points for the season and rank second among AL teams.

The Kansas City Royals were the hottest team of the past week, picking up 7.0 Box-Toppers points, giving them 44.6 for the season. They rise from 20th to 10th place in Box-Toppers team rankings.

The Royals rose into the top 10 list this week along with the St. Louis Cardinals (rising from 11th to seventh). Two teams fell from the top 10: The Washington Nationals (falling from eighth to 11th) and the Chicago White Sox (falling from ninth to 15th).

The lowest-ranked team is the Arizona Diamondbacks with 33.9 Box-Toppers points—they picked up 2.0 points during the past week. Last week’s lowest-ranked team, the Tampa Bay Rays, picked up 6.1 Box-Toppers points, giving them 36.5 points, and rising to 28th place from 30th.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Mets' Zack Wheeler, 3-hit shutout, tops players for Thursday, June 19, Kazmir rises to 8th in Box-Toppers rankings

Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Wheeler pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits and striking out eight, in the 1-0 win over the Marlins.

Rays pitcher Chris Archer is American League Player of the Day. Archer pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out eight, in the 5-0 win over the Astros.

Pitchers earned Player of the Game honors in all 12 games played Thursday. No batters earned National League or American League Batter of the Day honors Thursday because no batters earned Player of the Game honors.

Notable: Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir rises to eighth place in season Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page). Kazmir (7IP 8K W in the 4-2 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Wheeler receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Archer receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day.

All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Thursday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

619 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 13.0 Mets Zack Wheeler (W, 3-7) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 1 8
AL 9.2 Rays Chris Archer (W, 4-4) - - - - - - 6.2 3 0 0 2 8
9.0 Braves Gavin Floyd (W, 2-2) - - - - - - 6.0 2 0 0 1 6
7.0 Athletics Scott Kazmir (W, 9-2) - - - - - - 7.0 4 2 2 0 8
6.0 Padres Jesse Hahn (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 0 2 7
4.2 Phillies David Buchanan (W, 3-3) - - - - - - 7.2 4 1 1 1 4
4.0 `Twins Yohan Pino - - - - - - 7.0 5 2 2 1 7
4.0 Brewers Yovani Gallardo (W, 5-4) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 0 4
4.0 Tigers Joe Nathan (S, 14) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.0 Indians Justin Masterson - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 3 5
2.0 Yankees David Phelps (W, 3-4) - - - - - - 7.0 6 2 2 2 7
2.0 Pirates Justin Wilson (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 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.

 

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, pitching no-hitter, tops players for Wednesday, June 18, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers points

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, pitching a no-hitter, is Wednesday’s Player of the Day and rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Kershaw struck out 15 over nine innings, allowing no runs, hits or walks in the 8-0 win over the Rockies. The Rockies only baserunner reached on an error. This was Kershaw’s first no-hitter and the second thrown this season—the other by Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett on May 25.

Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He rises from eighth to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). He is now in second place in Box-Toppers points among National League pitchers, behind Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (12.0).

Kershaw led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2013 with 21.7.

Red Sox pitcher John Lackey is American League Player of the Day. Lackey pitched nine shutout innings and struck out nine in the 2-1, 10-inning win over the Twins. Lackey, however, did not pick up the win because he left with the game tied 0-0 after nine innings.

Brian McCann of the Yankees is AL Batter of the Day. McCann homered, tripled and drove in five runs in the 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Marlon Byrd of the Phillies is NL Batter of the Day. Byrd homered, went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in three runs in the 10-5 win over the Braves.

Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lackey receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. McCann and Byrd each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Wednesday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

618 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 24.0 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw (W, 7-2) - - - - - - 9.0 0 0 0 0 15
AL 14.0 `Red Sox John Lackey - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 1 9
10.0 Cubs Jake Arrieta (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 1 11
8.2 Royals Jeremy Guthrie (W, 4-6) - - - - - - 6.2 4 1 1 1 9
BAT 5.0 Yankees Brian McCann C 3 1 2 5 1 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Padres Kevin Gausman (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 6.0 5 0 0 1 5
4.1 Dbacks Brad Ziegler (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Phillies Marlon Byrd RF 5 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 White Sox Adamn Dunn DH 3 2 1 3 1 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Mets Bartolo Colon (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 8.0 4 1 1 0 1
3.0 Padres Joaquin Benoit (W, 3-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 Athletics Sean Doolittle (S, 9) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Reds Skip Schumaker LF 4 1 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Nationals Rafael Soriano (S, 15) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2

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

 

Angels' Shoemaker tops players for Tuesday, June 17, Yankees' Tanaka takes Box-Toppers points lead

Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker is Tuesday’s Player of the Day, while Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka takes the overall Box-Toppers points lead.

Shoemaker struck out 10 over eight innings in the 9-3 win over the Indians. Shoemaker and Mariners pitcher Roenis Elias, Player of the Game in his team’s win over the Padres, had identical Box-Toppers game scores of 8.0, but Shoemaker earned Player of the Day on a tie-breaker—he had more innings pitched (eight vs. seven).

Tanaka rises from second to first in Box-Toppers season player rankings for the first time after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page). Tanaka struck out 10 over six innings in the 3-1 win over the Blue Jays. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season. He passes previous Box-Toppers points leader, Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (12.0), who had held the lead since May 25. Tanaka maintains his Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers.

Jonathan Lucroy of the Brewers is National League Player of the Day. Lucroy hit two homers, including a grand slam and went 3-for-5 in the 7-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Derek Norris of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Norris homered, went 2-for-2 and drove in five runs in the 10-6 win over the Rangers.

Shoemaker receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lucroy receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Norris receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Tuesday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

617 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 8.0 Angels Matt Shoemaker (W, 4-1) - - - - - - 8.0 5 2 2 1 10
8.0 Mariners Roenis Elias (W, 6-5) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 0 6
7.0 Yankees Masahiro Tanaka (W, 11-1) - - - - - - 6.0 5 1 1 2 10
BAT 6.0 Athletics Derek Norris PH, C 2 1 2 5 0 0 - - - - - -
5.1 Red Sox Jon Lester (W, 8-7) - - - - - - 6.1 4 1 1 1 6
NL 5.0 Brewers Jonathan Lucroy C 5 2 3 5 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Cardinals Michael Wacha (W, 5-5) - - - - - - 6.0 5 1 1 2 7
3.0 Orioles Steve Pearce DH 3 2 2 2 2 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Nationals Anthony Rendon 3B 4 1 2 3 1 1 - - - - - -
2.0 White Sox Dayan Viciedo RF 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Dodgers Carlos Triunfel SS 1 1 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Phillies Kyle Kendrick (W, 3-6) - - - - - - 7.0 6 2 2 1 6
1.0 Royals Alcides Escobar SS 5 3 3 0 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Reds Billy Hamilton CF 4 2 3 0 1 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Marlins Garrett Jones 1B 4 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -

Mariners' Young, Dodgers' Ryu top players for Monday, June 16

Mariners pitcher Chris Young is Monday’s Player of the Day. Young pitched six scoreless innings and struck out six in the 5-1 win over the Padres.

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is National League Player of the Day. Ryu allowed one run over six innings and struck out six in the 6-1 win over the Rockies. Ryu earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season. He is in 25th place among all players in Box-Toppers points and 12th among NL pitchers.

Ryu and Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels (Player of the Game in the win against the Braves) had identical Box-Toppers game scores of 6.0, but Ryu earned NL Player of the Day because he earned the win and Hamels picked up a no-decision.

Robinson Chirinos of the Rangers is American League Batter of the Day. Chirinos homered and went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs in the 14-8 win over the Athletics.

Aramis Ramirez of the Brewers is NL Batter of the Day. Ramirez doubled and went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs in the 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Young receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Ryu receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Chirinos and Ramirez each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Monday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

616 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 7.0 Mariners Chris Young (W, 6-4) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 1 6
6.0 Red Sox Rubby De La Rosa (W, 2-2) - - - - - - 7.0 1 0 0 3 3
NL 6.0 Dodgers Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 8-3) - - - - - - 6.0 3 1 1 1 6
6.0 `Phillies Cole Hamels - - - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 2 6
4.1 Indians Carlos Carrasco (S, 1) - - - - - - 2.1 1 0 0 1 4
BAT 3.0 Rangers Robinson Chirinos C 5 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Omar Infante 2B 5 2 2 4 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Brewers Aramis Ramirez 3B 4 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rays Jerry Sands PH 1 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Cardinals Allen Craig RF 4 1 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Cubs Starlin Castro SS 6 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Cubs' Wood tops players for Sunday, June 15, Tulowitzki adds to NL batting Box-Toppers points lead

Cubs pitcher Travis Wood is Sunday’s Player of the Day while Troy Tulowitzki increases his Box-Toppers points lead among National League batters.

Wood pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out six in the 3-0 win over the Phillies to earn Player of the Day honors.

Tulowitzki, Sunday’s NL Batter of the Day, maintains his lead among NL batters in Box-Toppers player rankings and moves into fourth place among all players (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page). Tulowitzki homered and went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs in the 8-7 win over the Giants. He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.6 for the season.

Rays pitcher David Price is American League Player of the Day. Price struck out 10 over eight innings in the 4-3 win over the Astros.

Coco Crisp of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Crisp homered and went 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs in the 10-5 win over the Yankees.

Wood receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Price receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Crisp and Tulowitzki each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Sunday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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

615 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 8.0 Cubs Travis Wood (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 3 6
AL 7.0 Rays David Price (W, 5-6) - - - - - - 8.0 5 3 3 0 10
6.0 Mariners Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 5-3) - - - - - - 8.0 6 1 1 0 6
5.0 Indians Cody Allen (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
5.0 Braves Anthony Varvaro (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 4.0 Athletics Coco Crisp CF 4 3 2 3 1 2 - - - - - -
4.0 Cardinals Jaime Garcia (W, 3-0) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 2 6
BAT 3.0 Rockies Troy Tulowitzki SS 4 2 3 2 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Salvador Perez C 3 1 2 3 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Blue Jays J.A. Happ (W, 6-3) - - - - - - 6.0 7 1 1 0 6
2.0 Marlins Casey McGehee 3B 4 0 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Reds Brandon Phillips 2B 4 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Dbacks Miguel Montero C 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Mets Carlos Torres (W, 3-4) - - - - - - 4.0 3 1 1 1 4
1.0 Tigers Victor Martinez DH 3 1 2 1 2 0 - - - - - -