Indians' Kluber tops players for Friday, Aug. 15; White Sox' Abreu adds to AL batting Box-Toppers points lead

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber, Friday’s Player of the Day, rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Meanwhile Friday, two other pitchers earning Player of the Game honors rose in Box-Toppers top 10 list and Jose Abreu of the White Sox extended his already large lead in Box-Toppers points among American League batters.

Kluber struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1, 11-inning win over the Orioles. Kluber earned a no-decision because the Orioles tied the game in the eighth inning after he left. Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 17.4 for the season. He rises from sixth to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Tigers (20.1 Box-Toppers points).

Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler is National League Player of the Day. Wheeler struck out 10 over 6 2/3 innings in the 3-2 win over the Cubs.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Abreu went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in three runs, in the 11-5 win over the Blue Jays. Abreu earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 14.5 for the season. He ranks 11th among all players and extends his lead among AL batters—second-place Josh Donaldson of the Athletics has 9.0 Box-Toppers points.

Lyle Overbay of the Brewers is NL Batter of the Day. Overbay hit a pinch-hit, three-run double in the 6-3 win over the Dodgers.

Notables: Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Cueto (8IP 6K W in the 3-2 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.4 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers.

Angels pitcher Garrett Richards rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Richards (7.1IP 7K W in the 5-4 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among AL pitchers. 

Kluber receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Wheeler receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Abreu and Overbay 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, 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

815 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 8.2 `Indians Corey Kluber - - - - - - 7.2 5 1 1 2 10
8.1 Rays Alex Cobb (W, 8-6) - - - - - - 7.1 6 0 0 1 8
NL 4.2 Mets Zack Wheeler (W, 8-8) - - - - - - 6.2 4 2 2 4 10
3.1 Angels Garrett Richards (W, 13-4) - - - - - - 7.1 7 2 2 0 7
BAT 3.0 White Sox Jose Abreu 1B 5 2 3 3 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Brewers Lyle Overbay PH 1 0 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Cardinals Lance Lynn (W, 13-8) - - - - - - 6.0 6 1 1 1 6
2.2 `Astros Jose Veras - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 1 2
2.0 Phillies Cody Asche 3B 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Braves Philip Gosselin SS 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Reds Johnny Cueto (W, 15-6) - - - - - - 8.0 6 2 2 2 6
1.0 Royals Alcides Escobar SS 4 0 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Nationals Adam LaRoche 1B 4 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Mariners Robinson Cano 2B 4 2 2 1 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Dbacks Addison Reed (S, 29) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 0

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

 

Despite playing only 91 games, injured Tulowitzki may end season as top NL batter—but won’t win MVP

Top players

Through Thursday, Aug. 14


 OVERALL LEADERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 22.1
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 20.1
3 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 17.9
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 16.4
5 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 15.8
6 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 15.4
7 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 15.1
8 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
9 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 14.7
10 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 14.7
AL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 20.1
2 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 15.8
3 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 15.4
4 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 15.1
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 14.7
6 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 14.7
7 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 13.1
8 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
9 Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp tex al 12.4
10 Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp oak al 12.0
AL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Abreu, Jose 3308 1b chi al 13.0
2 Donaldson, Josh 3144 3b oak al 9.0
3 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 8.5
4 Jones, Adam 2347 cf bal al 8.5
5 Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 1b dh lf tor al 8.0
6 Carter, Chris 2828 dh hou al 8.0
7 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf bos al 8.0
8 Trout, Mike 2949 cf ana al 7.5
9 Murphy, David 2348 rf cle al 6.5
10 Colabello, Chris 3235 1b dh rf min al 6.2
NL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 22.1
2 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 17.9
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 16.4
4 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
5 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
6 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 11.7
7 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 11.4
8 Kimbrel, Craig 2825 pi cp atl nl 11.0
9 Santana, Ervin 2005 pi sp atl nl 11.0
10 Colon, Bartolo pi sp nym nl 10.7
NL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 11.6
2 Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 7.7
3 Murphy, Daniel 2589 2b nym nl 7.0
4 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 6.5
5 Yelich, Christian 3334 lf fla nl 6.5
6 Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 6.2
7 Snider, Travis 2532 rf lf ph pit nl 6.2
8 Smith, Seth 2489 lf rf sd nl 6.0
9 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 5.7
10 Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 ca mil nl 5.7
BTP: Box-Toppers points

With six weeks to go in the season, the players atop Box-Toppers four main categories have such commanding leads, they may have already wrapped up Box-Toppers Players of the Season honors.

And that includes a player—Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies, who leads National League batters in Box-Toppers points—who is now out for the season and who, in the end, will have played only slightly more than half the season.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw continues to lead all players with 22.1 Box-Toppers points. His nearest rival among NL pitchers, Madison Bumgarner of the Giants, has 17.9 Box-Toppers points, 4.2 points behind.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer continues to lead American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 20.1. His nearest rival, Felix Hernandez of the Mariners, has 15.8 Box-Toppers points, 4.3 points behind.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox continues to lead AL batters in Box-Toppers points, with 13.0. His nearest rival, Josh Donaldson of the Athletics, has 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 4.0 points behind.

And most notably, Tulowitzki continues to lead NL batters with 11.6 Box-Toppers points. His nearest rival, Freddie Freeman of the Braves, has 7.7 Box-Toppers points, 3.9 points behind.

If any of these four players were to stop playing now, there would be a good chance that no player in their category would catch up to them in Box-Toppers points.

In other words, now, in mid-August, the picture seems pretty clear on who the favorites should be for Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards.

But naming Tulowitzki NL MVP may be problematic because he has not played since July 19 and now will not play the rest of the year because he is having season-ending hip surgery today. He has played in only 91 games this season. The fact that he is playing for a team with the worst winning percentage in the NL (.388) probably could be forgiven when it came time for MVP voting. But his limited playing time probably can not and will not.

And yet, it’s not just Box-Toppers that says Tulowitzki was and is the most dominant player among NL batters this year. Baseball-Reference.com lists him as the top NL batter in the Wins Above Replacement statistic, with 5.7.

Can some NL batter equal or surpass his Box-Toppers point total for the season. It’s possible. But if Freeman, his closest rival, earns Box-Toppers points at the same rate he’s earned them this season, he will only have earned about 10.3 by the end of the season—still more than a point behind Tulowitzki.

Given Tulowitzki’s absence at the end of the season and the fact that no other NL batters have pulled away from the pack and given the fact that Kershaw is so dominating NL pitchers, 2014 may be the year voters decide to give both the Cy Young and MVP award to a pitcher—Kershaw.

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, Los Angeles Dodgers continue to lead Box-Toppers team rankings

The Oakland Athletics continue to lead Box-Toppers team rankings, while the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the top National League team.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, Aug. 14. 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.

814 Teams BTP BTP
/wk		 Last
wk
rank
1 Athletics 98.5 4.0 1
2 Dodgers 92.4 4.5 3
3 Angels 91.0 3.0 2
4 Cardinals 86.4 3.7 4
5 Tigers 85.4 4.5 5
6 Giants 80.4 1.0 6
7 Nationals 79.3 4.7 8
8 Blue Jays 78.0 2.0 7
9 Orioles 76.5 5.2 9
10 Brewers 76.3 5.2 10
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Athletics players have accumulated 98.5 points this season. They are led by pitchers Scott Kazmir (13.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among American League pitchers) and Jon Lester (12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 10th among AL pitchers).

The Athletics also have baseball’s best win-loss percentage, .603.

The Dodgers moved from third place in team rankings to second place this week, passing the Los Angeles Angels. Dodgers players have accumulated 92.4 Box-Toppers points. They are led by pitchers Clayton Kershaw (22.1 Box-Toppers points, overall leader) and Zack Greinke (13.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among NL pitchers).

The Dodgers also have the NL’s best win-loss percentage, .569.

The Tampa Bay Rays were the hottest team of the week, picking up 8.0 Box-Toppers points. They now have 68.1 and move from 22nd to 19th in team rankings. 

The Boston Red Sox remain the lowest-ranked team with 48.5 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.

Tigers' Max Scherzer, top player for Thursday, Aug. 14, becomes 2nd player with 20.0 Box-Toppers points in '14

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, Thursday’s Player of the Day, strengthens his second-place spot in Box-Toppers player rankings and becomes the second player this season with 20.0 or more Box-Toppers points. 

Scherzer pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 14 in the 5-2 win over the Pirates. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 20.1 for the season, maintaining his second-place spot in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He trails only Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22.1 Box-Toppers points).

Scherzer holds a dominant lead among all American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points—second-place Felix Hernandez of the Mariners has 15.8 Box-Toppers points.

This is Scherzer’s highest point total of any season, beating 2013, when he led all American League players with 18.1 Box-Toppers points.

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is National League Player of the Day. Strasburg struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 4-1 win over the Mets. Strasburg earns 1.7 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. He ranks 17th among all players and sixth among NL pitchers.

Dee Gordon of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. Gordon went 3-for-4 and scored four runs in the 6-4 win over the Braves.

Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Pedroia doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 9-4 win over the Astros.

Scherzer receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Strasburg receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Gordon and Pedroia 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

814 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 17.0 Tigers Max Scherzer (W, 14-4) - - - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 2 14
16.0 Brewers Mike Fiers (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 1 14
NL 9.0 Nationals Stephen Strasburg (W, 9-10) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 0 2 8
5.0 Rays Jake Odorizzi (W, 9-9) - - - - - - 7.0 4 2 2 1 7
5.0 Marlins Mike Dunn (W, 10-5) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Dodgers Dee Gordon 2B 4 4 3 0 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rockies Charlie Culberson SS 4 2 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 2.0 Red Sox Dustin Pedroia 2B 5 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Cardinals Jon Jay PH, CF 1 0 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 `Royals Wade Davis - - - - - - 1.0 2 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.

 

Rays' Chris Archer (7IP 12K) tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 13

Rays pitcher Chris Archer is Wednesday’s Player of the Day. Archer struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 10-1 win over the Rangers.

Cardinals pitcher Justin Masterson is National League Player of the Day. Masterson pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 5-2 win over the Marlins.

Victor Martinez of the Tigers is American League Batter of the Day. Martinez went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-4 win over the Pirates.

Jedd Gyorko of the Padres is NL Batter of the Day. Gyorko doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring a run, in the 5-3 win over the Rockies.

Notables: Braves pitcher Ervin Santana rose to 21st place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Santana (6IP 9K W in the 3-2 win over the Dodgers) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks eighth among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann became the 28th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Zimmermann (6.1IP R W in the 3-2 win over the Mets) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He is in 27th place in Box-Toppers player rankings and ranks 12th among NL pitchers.

Archer receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Masterson receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Martinez and Gyorko 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

813 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 11.0 Rays Chris Archer (W, 8-6) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 2 12
10.0 Royals Jason Vargas (W, 9-5) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 0 4
NL 7.0 Cardinals Justin Masterson (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 0 3
7.0 `Indians Trevor Bauer - - - - - - 8.0 4 2 2 2 9
5.2 Mariners Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 11-6) - - - - - - 6.2 5 0 0 1 5
4.1 Nationals Jordan Zimmermann (W, 8-5) - - - - - - 6.1 5 1 0 0 4
BAT 3.0 Tigers Victor Martinez DH 4 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 `Dbacks Andrew Chafin - - - - - - 5.0 3 0 0 2 3
2.0 Twins Glen Perkins (S, 30) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.2 Cubs Tsuyoshi Wada (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 6.2 5 2 2 1 5
BAT 1.0 Padres Jedd Gyorko 2B 4 1 4 0 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Orioles Adam Jones CF 4 1 1 3 0 2 - - - - - -
1.0 Red Sox Mike Napoli 1B 4 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Giants Joaquin Arias PH 0 1 0 0 1 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Braves Ervin Santana (W, 12-6) - - - - - - 6.0 8 2 2 2 9
1.0 Angels Huston Street (S, 7) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 0

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

 

White Sox' Chris Sale, top player for Tuesday, Aug. 12, rises to 9th in Box-Toppers player rankings

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, Tuesday’s Player of the Day, rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Sale pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 12 in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Giants. (Sale did not earn the win because the Giants tied the game after he exited and the White Sox won the game in the 10th inning.) He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.7 for the season, moving into ninth place in season Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Sale ranks fifth among all American League pitchers.

Padres pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne is National League Player of the Day. Despaigne pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 4-1 win over the Rockies.

Josh Donaldson of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Donaldson hit two home runs and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-3 win over the Royals.

Gaby Sanchez of the Pirates is NL Batter of the Day. Sanchez doubled, going 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI, in the 4-2 win over the Tigers.

Notables: Nationals pitcher Doug Fister became the 26th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors. Fister (7IP 0R W in the 7-1 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. He is in 24th place among all players and ranks 10th among NL pitchers.

Mariners pitcher Chris Young became the 27th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors. Young (6IP R W in the 9-3 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. He ranks 25th among all players and 13th among AL pitchers.

Sale receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Despaigne receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Donaldson and Sanchez 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

812 Score Team Pitcher AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.0 `White Sox Chris Sale - - - - - - 8.0 4 0 0 2 12
NL 8.0 Padres Odrisamer Despaigne (W, 3-3) - - - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 2 8
BAT 6.0 Athletics Josh Donaldson 3B 4 3 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
6.0 Marlins Jarred Cosart (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 1 3
5.1 Cubs Kyle Hendricks (W, 4-1) - - - - - - 7.1 6 0 0 1 5
5.0 Astros Chris Carter DH 4 2 2 5 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 `Rangers Nick Tepesch - - - - - - 7.0 4 2 2 0 4
3.0 Nationals Doug Fister (W, 12-3) - - - - - - 7.0 7 0 0 0 3
3.0 Mariners Chris Young (W, 11-6) - - - - - - 6.0 2 1 1 2 3
3.0 Dodgers Kenley Jansen (S, 33) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Angels Kole Calhoun RF 4 1 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 1.0 Pirates Gaby Sanchez 1B 2 1 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Red Sox Tommy Layne (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 0

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

 

Miguel Cabrera rises into top 10 list for Box-Toppers 'all-time' batters

Miguel Cabrera has moved into Box-Toppers ‘all-time’ top 10 batters list, passing Gary Sheffield.

Top 10 batters 'all-time'

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 'all-time' batters (record keeping began in 1995). The list includes four players who are currently active in the Majors. One, Manny Ramirez, who plays and coaches in the Minor Leagues. Another player, Alex Rodriguez, who is serving a drug suspension in 2014. And four retired players.


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Rodriguez, Alex 3b dh sus 179.3
2 Ramirez, Manny lf dh chi nl 167.2
3 Pujols, Albert 1438 dh 1b ana al 164.3
4 Bonds, Barry lf ret 153.2
5 Jones, Chipper 3b ret 149.0
6 Thome, Jim 1b dh ret 146.7
7 Giambi, Jason dh ph cle al 133.4
8 Ortiz, David dh bos al 130.4
9 Guerrero, Vladimir rf dh ret 128.3
10 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 124.2

sus-Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees has been suspended for the 2014 season.
ret-Retired
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Cabrera, who has 8.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, now has 124.2 for his career (2003-present) and passes Sheffield, who accumulated 124.1 Box-Toppers points from 1995-2009. (Sheffield’s career, however, began in 1988, before Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995 and so he would likely have more total career points.)

Cabrera led all batters in Box-Toppers points in 2013 with 16.9. It was one of three seasons in which Cabrera has scored 15 or more Box-Toppers points. He has scored 10 or more points in a season five times.

Cabrera ranks 30th among all players in Box-Toppers points since record keeping began in 1995, just behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the current season’s overall points leader (22.1), who also has 124.2 career Box-Toppers points. (Though Kershaw and Cabrera are tied in points, Kershaw is ranked higher because he has more points this season—22.1 vs. 8.5.)

Cabrera actually joined the ‘all-time’ top 10 batters list in July. It was the first change in membership in the list since May 2013, when David Ortiz of the Red Sox, then with 117.7 Box-Toppers points, supplanted Carlos Delgado, to rise into 10th place. Ortiz is now in eighth place with 130.4 Box-Toppers points.

Cabrera is one of four players currently active in the Major Leagues on the list, joining Albert Pujols, Jason Giambi and Ortiz. Alex Rodriguez, who leads the list, is suspended for 2014 for violating MLB’s performance enhancing drugs policy. Manny Ramirez is currently in the minor leagues as a coach and player with the Chicago Cubs/Iowa Cubs.

What are those numbers after players' names?

Rays' Smyly tops players for Monday, Aug. 11; Mariners' Hernandez rises to 5th in Box-Toppers rankings

Rays pitcher Drew Smyly is Monday’s Player of the Day, while Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Smyly pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 7-0 win over the Rangers.

Hernandez rose from eighth to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Hernandez (7IP R 8K W in the 11-1 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.8 for the season. He ranks second among American League pitchers, behind only Max Scherzer of the Tigers (18.1 Box-Toppers points).

Travis Snider of the Pirates is National League Player of the Day. Snider hit two home runs and doubled, going 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-6 win over the Tigers.

Nelson Cruz of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Cruz homered and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 11-3 win over the Yankees.

Smyly receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Snider receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Cruz receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

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

811 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 10.2 Rays Drew Smyly (W, 7-10) - - - - - - 7.2 3 0 0 3 9
10.0 Mariners Felix Hernandez (W, 13-3) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 0 8
NL 5.0 Pirates Travis Snider LF 5 3 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Brewers Yovani Gallardo (W, 7-6) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 1 0 6
5.0 Padres Nick Vincent (W, 1-2) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Marlins Giancarlo Stanton RF 3 2 2 3 1 1 - - - - - -
BAT 4.0 Orioles Nelson Cruz LF 2 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Dodgers Kevin Correia (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 1 5
3.0 Royals Kelvin Herrera (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.1 `Twins Ryan Pressly - - - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Mets Anthony Recker C 4 1 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -

Kershaw, Scherzer, Abreu, Tulowitzki remain top Box-Toppers leaderboards

There was little change atop Box-Toppers leaderboards for the week  ending Aug. 7.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw remained the overall leader in Box-Toppers points with 21.1.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer remained the overall American League leader with 18.1 Box-Toppers points.

Top players

Through Thursday, Aug. 7


 OVERALL LEADERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 21.1
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 18.1
3 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 17.9
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 16.4
5 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 15.1
6 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
7 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 14.8
8 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 14.7
9 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 14.4
10 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
AL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 18.1
2 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 15.1
3 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 14.8
4 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 14.7
5 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 14.4
6 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 13.1
7 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 12.7
8 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
9 Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp tex al 12.4
10 Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp oak al 12.0
AL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Abreu, Jose 3308 1b chi al 13.0
2 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 8.5
3 Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 1b dh lf tor al 8.0
4 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf bos al 8.0
5 Donaldson, Josh 3144 3b oak al 7.5
6 Jones, Adam 2347 cf bal al 7.5
7 Trout, Mike 2949 cf ana al 7.5
8 Carter, Chris 2828 dh hou al 7.0
9 Murphy, David 2348 rf cle al 6.5
10 Colabello, Chris 3235 1b dh rf min al 6.2
NL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 21.1
2 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 17.9
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 16.4
4 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
5 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
6 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 11.4
7 Lincecum, Tim 2288 pi sp sf nl 10.4
8 Kimbrel, Craig 2825 pi cp atl nl 10.0
9 Santana, Ervin 2005 pi sp atl nl 10.0
10 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 10.0
NL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 11.6
2 Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 7.7
3 Murphy, Daniel 2589 2b nym nl 7.0
4 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 6.5
5 Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 6.2
6 Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 ca mil nl 5.7
7 Rizzo, Anthony 3063 1b chi nl 5.5
8 Morse, Michael 2020 lf sf nl 5.5
9 Yelich, Christian 3334 lf fla nl 5.5
10 Upton, Justin 2411 lf atl nl 5.2
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Jose Abreu of the White Sox remained the leader among AL batters with 13.0. And Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies remained atop the NL batters list, with 11.6 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.

What are those numbers after players' names?

Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, hottest teams of week, lead leagues in Box-Toppers team rankings

The Oakland Athletics remained top team in Box-Toppers team rankings and were one of the hottest teams of the week ending Aug. 7.

Athletics players had accumulated 94.5 Box-Toppers points, picking up 7.0 points during the previous week.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, Aug. 7. 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 since the last team rankings report through July 31.

807 Teams BTP BTP/wk Last
wk
rank
1 Athletics 94.5 7.0 1
2 Angels 88.0 5.5 2
3 Dodgers 87.9 7.0 3
4 Cardinals 82.7 4.5 4
5 Tigers 80.9 5.7 5
6 Giants 79.4 6.4 7
7 Blue Jays 76.0 2.0 6
8 Nationals 74.6 5.7 9
9 Orioles 71.3 5.2 12
10 Brewers 71.1 3.0 10
BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Los Angeles Dodgers remained the top National League team in Box-Toppers rankings, with 87.9 Box-Toppers points. The Dodgers also picked up 7.0 points during the previous week. The Dodgers were in third place overall, behind the second-place Los Angeles Angels (88.0 Box-Toppers points).

The Baltimore Orioles rose into the top 10 list this week, rising to ninth place from No. 12, with 71.3 Box-Toppers points. The Atlanta Braves fell from the top 10, falling from eighth place to 15th place with 68.9 Box-Toppers points—picking up 0.0 points over the previous week.

The Boston Red Sox, last year’s World Series champion, remained in 30th and last place among all teams for the second straight week. Red Sox players have accumulated 43.0 Box-Toppers points, behind the 29th-place Chicago Cubs, with 47.2.

 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.

Braves' Wood tops players for Sunday, Aug. 10; Dodgers' Kershaw extends lead in Box-Toppers rankings

Braves pitcher Alex Wood is Sunday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his overall lead in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Wood struck out 12 over 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Nationals.

Kershaw bolstered his spot atop Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw (8IP R 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.1 for the season. He beats his point total from 2013 of 21.7, when he led all players. This is the second-most points Kershaw has earned in a season—the most was 26.1 in 2011, when he also led all players.

Twins pitcher Phil Hughes is American League Player of the Day. Hughes struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 6-1 win over the Athletics. Hughes became the 25th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.1 for the season and ranks 19th among all players, 11th among AL pitchers.

Devin Mesoraco of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Mesoraco hit two homers, including a grand slam, in the 7-2 win over the Marlins.

Austin Jackson of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Jackson went 3-for-4 and drove in all four of his team’s runs in the 4-2 win over the White Sox.

Wood receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Mesoraco and Jackson 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

810 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.1 Braves Alex Wood (W, 8-9) - - - - - - 7.1 5 1 1 3 12
AL 7.0 Twins Phil Hughes (W, 12-8) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 1 7
7.0 Indians Carlos Carrasco (W, 4-4) - - - - - - 5.0 2 0 0 0 4
BAT 6.0 Reds Devin Mesoraco C 4 2 2 6 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Red Sox Rubby De La Rosa (W, 4-4) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 3 8
5.0 `Blue Jays Aaron Sanchez - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 3
4.0 Phillies Chase Utley 2B 4 2 3 3 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Cardinals Peter Bourjos PR, CF 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw (W, 14-2) - - - - - - 8.0 6 1 1 2 6
4.0 Rockies LaTroy Hawkins (S, 18) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Mariners Austin Jackson CF 4 0 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Padres Seth Smith RF 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Norichika Aoki RF 2 2 2 1 2 0 - - - - - -
3.0 `Cubs Travis Wood - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 0 3 5
1.0 Rangers Alex Rios RF 2 1 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Rays' Odorizzi tops players for Saturday, Aug. 9; Indians' Kluber rises to 5th in Box-Toppers rankings

Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi is Saturday’s Player of the Day, while Indians pitcher Corey Kluber rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Odorizzi pitched six scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 4-0 win over the Cubs.

Kluber rose from ninth to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kluber (6IP 0R 10K W in the 3-0 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.4 for the season. He ranks second among American League pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Tigers (18.1 Box-Toppers points).

Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers is National League Player of the Day. Fiers allowed one run over eight innings and struck out five in the 4-1 win over the Dodgers.

David Peralta of the Diamondbacks is NL Batter of the Day. Peralta hit a grand slam and doubled, going 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 14-4 win over the Rockies.

Derek Norris of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Norris hit a three-run homer and drove in five total runs in the 9-4 win over the Twins.

Odorizzi receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Fiers receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Peralta and Norris 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 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

809 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 12.0 Rays Jake Odorizzi (W, 8-9) - - - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 0 9
11.0 Indians Corey Kluber (W, 13-6) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 1 10
9.0 Royals James Shields (W, 11-6) - - - - - - 9.0 4 0 0 1 5
NL 7.0 Brewers Mike Fiers (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 1 5
7.0 Angels Matt Shoemaker (W, 10-4) - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 0 4
BAT 5.0 Dbacks David Peralta RF 5 2 3 5 0 0 - - - - - -
4.1 `White Sox Hector Noesi - - - - - - 7.1 5 1 0 1 4
BAT 4.0 Athletics Derek Norris C 3 1 1 5 2 1 - - - - - -
3.1 Padres Eric Stults (W, 5-13) - - - - - - 6.1 7 1 1 0 6
3.0 Orioles Delmon Young LF 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Astros Jonathan Singleton 1B 3 1 2 3 2 1 - - - - - -
3.0 `Mets Dillon Gee - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 3 4
2.0 `Blue Jays Marcus Stroman - - - - - - 9.0 4 2 2 3 4
2.0 Nationals Rafael Soriano (S, 26) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2
1.0 Marlins Christian Yelich LF 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.

 

Marlins' Eovaldi, Orioles' Hardy top players for Friday, Aug. 8

Marlins pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is Friday’s Player of the Day. Eovaldi pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out six in the 2-1 win over the Reds.

J.J. Hardy of the Orioles is American League Player of the Day. Hardy homered twice, going 2-for-3, with two runs and four RBIs, in the 12-2 win over the Cardinals.

Rickie Weeks of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Weeks hit a three-run homer and scored twice in the 9-3 win over the Dodgers.

Notables: Braves pitcher Craig Kimbrel rises to 19th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Kimbrel (1IP 0R 2K Sv in the 7-6 win over the Nationals), earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.

Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon rises to 21st place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Colon (8IP R 6K W in the 5-4 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He is the 24th player this season to earn 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks eighth in Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers. It is the seventh time in his career he has earned at least 10.0 Box-Toppers points in a single season. He has 133.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 21st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began.

Eovaldi receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hardy receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Weeks 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 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

808 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 8.0 Marlins Nathan Eovaldi (W, 6-6) - - - - - - 8.0 5 0 0 1 6
AL 6.0 Orioles J.J. Hardy SS 3 3 2 4 1 0 - - - - - -
6.0 Mets Bartolo Colon (W, 11-9) - - - - - - 8.0 6 1 1 0 6
6.0 Pirates Vance Worley (W, 5-1) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 1 7
BAT 5.0 Brewers Rickie Weeks PH, 2B 1 2 1 3 1 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Dbacks Chase Anderson (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 1 6
4.0 Yankees Carlos Beltran DH 5 2 2 5 0 0 - - - - - -
3.2 Tigers Al Alburquerque (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 Astros Robbie Grossman RF 3 1 3 2 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Billy Butler 1B 3 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Mariners Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 10-6) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 0 3
3.0 `Rays Chris Archer - - - - - - 6.0 5 2 1 1 6
3.0 Braves Craig Kimbrel (S, 33) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Athletics Coco Crisp DH 3 1 1 3 1 1 - - - - - -
0.0 Red Sox Mike Napoli 1B 3 1 1 1 1 2 - - - - - -

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

 

Athletics' Jon Lester (CG 0R 8K) tops players for Thursday, Aug. 7

Athletics pitcher Jon Lester is Thursday’s Player of the Day, earning his first Box-Toppers points since being traded from the Red Sox.

Lester pitched a complete game shutout and struck out eight in the 3-0 win over the Twins. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.0 for the season and moving into 16th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He ranks 10th among American League pitchers.

Reds pitcher Homer Bailey is National League Player of the Day. Bailey pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 4-0 win over the Indians.

Javier Baez of the Cubs is NL Batter of the Day. Baez homered twice and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 6-2 win over the Rockies. This was Baez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,395th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He made his Major League debut Aug. 5 and was playing in his third game.

Dustin Ackley of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Ackley homered and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 13-3 win over the White Sox.

Lester receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Bailey receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Baez and Ackley 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

807 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 12.0 Athletics Jon Lester (W, 12-7) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 2 8
NL 10.0 Reds Homer Bailey (W, 9-5) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 1 8
10.0 Pirates Edinson Volquez (W, 9-7) - - - - - - 7.0 1 0 0 3 7
8.0 Dodgers Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 13-5) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 1 4
5.2 Brewers Wily Peralta (W, 14-6) - - - - - - 6.2 7 1 1 1 9
BAT 5.0 Cubs Javier Baez 2B 4 2 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Yankees Shane Greene (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 8.0 5 0 0 3 5
4.0 Cardinals Kolten Wong 2B 4 3 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 4.0 Mariners Dustin Ackley LF 4 2 2 4 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Nationals Ian Desmond SS 5 2 2 3 1 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Phillies Ryan Howard 1B 4 1 1 4 0 2 - - - - - -
2.0 Royals Jeremy Guthrie (W, 8-9) - - - - - - 9.0 7 2 2 0 4
2.0 Orioles Miguel Gonzalez (W, 6-6) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 2 4

Blue Jays' Drew Hutchison (8.2IP R 8K) tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 6

Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison, Wednesday’s Player of the Day, becomes the 23rd player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Hutchison struck out eight over 8 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 5-1 win over the Orioles. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks 18th among all players and 10th among American League pitchers.

Nationals pitcher Doug Fister is National League Player of the Day. Fister struck out seven over 7 1/3 innings, allowing one unearned run, in the 7-1 win over the Mets.

Corey Dickerson of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Dickerson tripled, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 13-4 win over the Cubs.

Mike Moustakas of the Royals is AL Batter of the Day. Moustakas homered, went 2-for-4 and drove in all four of his team’s runs, in the 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Hutchison receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Fister receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Dickerson and Moustakas 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

806 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 12.2 Blue Jays Drew Hutchison (W, 8-9) - - - - - - 8.2 1 1 1 1 8
7.2 `Yankees Chris Capuano - - - - - - 6.2 5 1 0 1 8
NL 7.1 Nationals Doug Fister (W, 11-3) - - - - - - 7.1 6 1 0 0 7
6.1 Dodgers Dan Haren (W, 9-9) - - - - - - 7.1 3 1 1 0 4
BAT 6.0 Rockies Corey Dickerson LF 4 3 4 3 0 0 - - - - - -
6.0 Rays Jeremy Hellickson (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 7.0 2 1 1 0 3
5.0 Reds Zack Cozart SS 3 2 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Giants Pablo Sandoval 3B 5 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Royals Mike Moustakas 3B 4 1 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rangers Adam Rosales 2B 4 2 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Phillies Chase Utley 2B 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Pirates Ike Davis 1B 2 1 1 2 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Red Sox Junichi Tazawa (W, 2-3) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Mariners Kyle Seager 3B 4 1 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Padres Seth Smith LF 4 1 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Rangers' Lewis tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 5; three pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 list score

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is Tuesday’s Player of the Day, while three other pitchers improve their standing in Box-Toppers player rankings after each earns Player of the Game honors.

Lewis pitched a complete game shutout and struck out seven in the 16-0 win over the White Sox.

Three pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings also earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday: Johnny Cueto of the Reds, David Price of the Tigers and Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page):

• Cueto maintained his fourth place spot in player rankings. Cueto (CG 2R 6K W in the 9-2 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.4 for the season. He ranks third among National League pitchers.

• Price, pitching in his first game since being traded from the Rays, rose from eighth to fifth place in player rankings. Price (8.2IP 3R 10K ND in the 4-3, 12-inning win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.1 for the season. He ranks second among American League pitchers. Price also matches his previous season-high total for Box-Toppers points—he also earned 15.1 in 2011.

• Hernandez rises from 10th to seventh in player rankings. Hernandez (8IP R 8K W in the 4-2 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.8 for the season. He is in third place among AL pitchers. Hernandez had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.0, the same as Colby Lewis. However, Lewis won overall Player of the Day honors because he had more innings pitched than Hernandez—nine vs. eight.

Phillies pitcher Antonio Bastardo is NL Player of the Day. Bastardo pitched two innings of middle relief, allowing no runs and striking out six (earning no decision), in the 2-1 win over the Astros.

Daniel Murphy of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Murphy tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring a run and driving in two more, in the 6-1 win over the Nationals.

Delmon Young of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Young went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 9-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Lewis receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Bastardo receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Murphy and Young 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

805 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 Rangers Colby Lewis (W, 8-8) - - - - - - 9.0 6 0 0 1 7
9.0 Mariners Felix Hernandez (W, 12-3) - - - - - - 8.0 4 1 1 1 8
NL 7.0 `Phillies Antonio Bastardo - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 1 6
6.0 Royals Danny Duffy (W, 6-10) - - - - - - 5.0 3 1 1 1 7
5.0 Twins Phil Hughes (W, 11-8) - - - - - - 6.0 7 1 1 1 9
4.2 `Tigers David Price - - - - - - 8.2 8 3 3 0 10
4.0 Reds Johnny Cueto (W, 13-6) - - - - - - 9.0 5 2 2 2 6
4.0 Cardinals Pat Neshek (W, 5-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Dodgers Kenley Jansen (W, 2-3) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 2.0 Mets Daniel Murphy 2B 4 1 3 2 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Brewers Carlos Gomez CF 4 1 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 2.0 Orioles Delmon Young DH 3 2 2 1 2 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Cubs Carlos Villanueva (S, 2) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2
2.0 Athletics Sean Doolittle (S, 17) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Marlins Garrett Jones 1B 2 1 2 0 1 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Three players in Box-Toppers player top 10 lists involved in deadline trades; Kershaw still overall player ranking leader

The biggest changes on Box-Toppers player rankings have not been among the leaders but rather the uniforms some of the top players are now wearing.

Several players in Box-Toppers’ top 10 lists were traded in the days before the July 31 deadline, including:

Top players

Through Thursday, July 31


 OVERALL LEADERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 21.1
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 18.1
3 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 16.2
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 15.4
5 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
6 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 14.1
7 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
8 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 13.8
9 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 13.4
10 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 13.1
AL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 18.1
2 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 14.1
3 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 13.8
4 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 13.4
5 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 13.1
6 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 12.7
7 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 12.7
8 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
9 Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp tex al 12.4
10 Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp oak al 10.0
AL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Abreu, Jose 3308 1b chi al 12.0
2 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 8.5
3 Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 1b dh lf tor al 8.0
4 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf bos al 8.0
5 Donaldson, Josh 3144 3b oak al 7.5
6 Jones, Adam 2347 cf bal al 7.5
7 Colabello, Chris 3235 1b dh rf min al 6.2
8 Aybar, Erick 2416 ss ana al 6.0
9 Carter, Chris 2828 dh hou al 5.5
10 Hunter, Torii 1190 rf det al 5.5
NL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 21.1
2 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 16.2
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 15.4
4 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
5 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
6 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 11.4
7 Lincecum, Tim 2288 pi sp sf nl 10.4
8 Kimbrel, Craig 2825 pi cp atl nl 10.0
9 Santana, Ervin 2005 pi sp atl nl 10.0
10 Colon, Bartolo pi sp nym nl 9.7
NL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 11.6
2 Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 7.7
3 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 6.5
4 Murphy, Daniel 2589 2b nym nl 5.5
5 Rizzo, Anthony 3063 1b chi nl 5.5
6 Morse, Michael 2020 lf sf nl 5.5
7 Yelich, Christian 3334 lf fla nl 5.5
8 Upton, Justin 2411 lf atl nl 5.2
9 Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 5.2
10 Duda, Lucas 2818 1b nym nl 5.0
BTP: Box-Toppers points

• Pitcher David Price, traded from the Rays to the Tigers. Price has 14.1 Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among all players (as of July 31) and second among AL pitchers.

• Pitcher Jon Lester, traded from the Red Sox to the Athletics. Lester has 10.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking 10th among AL pitchers (as of July 31).

• Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, traded from the Athletics to the Red Sox. Cespedes has 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking fourth among AL batters (as of July 31).

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw continued to lead all players in Box-Toppers points as of July 31, with 21.1 Box-Toppers points, nearing the 21.7 points he had in 2013 to lead all players.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer continued to lead all AL players with 17.1 points. Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies continued to lead National League batters with 11.6 points. And Jose Abreu of the White Sox continued to lead American League batters, with 12.0 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.

What are those numbers after players' names?

Current up-to-date top 10 player rankings on the home page

Trade deadline deals most help Cardinals, Tigers; Athletics still top rankings

The Oakland Athletics remain atop Box-Toppers team rankings, while the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers improved in the rankings by picking up star players in deadline trades.

Athletics players had accumulated 87.5 Box-Toppers points through the games of Thursday, July 31.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, July 31. 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 since the last team rankings report through July 24.

731 Teams BTP BTP
/wk		 Last 
wk 
rank
1 Athletics 87.5 4.0 1
2 Angels 82.5 6.0 2
3 Dodgers 80.9 9.2 3
4 Cardinals 78.2 15.7 11
5 Tigers 75.2 8.1 6
6 Blue Jays 74.0 6.7 5
7 Giants 73.0 3.0 4
8 Braves 68.9 5.0 9
9 Nationals 68.9 5.0 8
10 Brewers 68.1 2.0 7
BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Los Angeles Dodgers remained the top National League team with 80.9 Box-Toppers points, though they are still in third place overall, trailing the second-place Los Angeles Angels, with 82.5 Box-Toppers points.

The Cardinals picked up the most Box-Toppers points during the week—15.7. They rose from 11th to fourth place in Box-Toppers team rankings. They picked up 6.7 of those points in deadline trades. They traded away outfielder Allen Craig (2.0 Box-Toppers points) and pitcher Joe Kelly (1.0 point) to the Red Sox for pitcher John Lackey (9.7 points).

The Tigers, however, picked up the most net Box-Toppers points through trades during deadline week—7.1. They traded away outfielder Austin Jackson (1.0 point, to the Mariners) and pitcher Drew Smyly (6.0 points, to the Rays). They picked up David Price (14.1 points, from the Rays). Price has the highest Box-Toppers point total of any player traded this season.

Recent trades

How did last week's deadline trades affect key teams involved? The Tigers traded away players who had a combined 7.0 Box-Toppers points and picked up David Price, who had 14.1 Box-Toppers points, to gain a net of 7.1 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox traded away players with 21.7 Box-Toppers points and picked up players with 11.0, losing a net 10.7 points.

Team BTP 
lost		 BTP 
gained		 BTP 
net
Tigers -7.0 14.1 7.1
Cardinals -3.0 9.7 6.7
Athletics -8.0 12.0 4.0
Mariners -1.0 1.0 0.0
Rays -14.1 7.0 -7.1
Red Sox -21.7 11.0 -10.7
BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Athletics added 4.0 Box-Toppers points at the trade deadline, picking up two players from Red Sox—pitcher Jon Lester (10.0 points) and outfielder Johnny Gomes (2.0 points)—in exchange for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (8.0 points). Cespedes, the new member of the Red Sox, has the highest Box-Toppers point total of any batter traded this season—he ranks third among AL batters.

The Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox both lost more Box-Toppers points than they gained through trades. The Rays, trading away Price, lost a net of 7.1 points. And the Red Sox, trading away Lester, Lackey and Gomes, lost a net of 10.7 points.

The Dodgers gained the most Box-Toppers points of any team not involved in key deadline trades, picking up 9.2 points.

With the trade, the Red Sox drop to the bottom of Box-Toppers team rankings, displacing the former 30th-place team, the Chicago Cubs. The Red Sox shed 12.7 Box-Toppers points through the week and had 41.0 points as of July 31, falling from 22nd place. The Cubs moved to 29th place with 43.2.

 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.

Angels' Richards tops players for Monday, Aug. 4, rises to 6th in Box-Toppers rankings; Indians' Kluber rises to 7th

Angels pitcher Garrett Richards is Monday’s Player of the Day and rises to sixth in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Richards pitched a complete game shutout and struck out nine in the 5-0 win over the Dodgers. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 14.7 for the season, rising to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He is ranked second among American League pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Tigers (18.1 Box-Toppers points).

Giants closing pitcher Santiago Casilla is National League Player of the Day. Casilla pitched a shutout ninth inning and struck out  one, earning the save, in the 4-3 win over the Mets. Casilla was the only NL player to earn Player of the Game honors Monday. In the day’s seven games, only five NL teams were active—three lost in interleague games to AL teams—and the Giants were the only team to win.

Tyler Flowers of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Flowers homered, tripled and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 5-3 win over the Rangers.

Notable: Indians pitcher Corey Kluber rose from ninth to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kluber (7.1IP R 7K W in the 7-1 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Richards receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Casilla receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Flowers receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

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

804 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 11.0 Angels Garrett Richards (W, 12-4) - - - - - - 9.0 5 0 0 2 9
5.2 Yankees Brandon McCarthy (W, 4-0) - - - - - - 5.2 5 1 0 2 8
BAT 5.0 White Sox Tyler Flowers C 3 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.1 Indians Corey Kluber (W, 12-6) - - - - - - 7.1 6 1 1 2 7
3.0 Orioles Caleb Joseph C 3 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Athletics Ryan Cook (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
NL 2.0 Giants Santiago Casilla (S, 9) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1

Tigers' Sanchez tops player for Sunday, Aug. 3; Giants' Bumgarner bolsters 3rd place spot in Box-Toppers rankings

Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez is Sunday’s Player of the Day, while Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner bolsters his third-place spot in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Sanchez pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out 12, in the 4-0 win over the Rockies. This was the first time this season Sanchez has earned Player of the Game honors. Last season, he ranked second among all American League players with 17.1 Box-Toppers points. He now has 2.0 Box-Toppers points for 2014.

Bumgarner, Sunday’s National League Player of the Day, strengthens his third-place spot in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Bumgarner pitched a complete game shutout, allowing two hits and striking out 10, in the 9-0 win over the Mets. Bumgarner earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points, giving him 17.9 for the season, which is now his highest total for any season—in 2012, he had 17.7. He ranks second among NL pitchers.

Danny Santana of the Twins is AL Batter of the Day. Santana tripled, doubled and went 5-for-6, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 16-3 win over the White Sox.

Chris Coghlan of the Cubs is NL Batter of the Day. Coghlan homered and doubled, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-3 win over the Dodgers.

Notable: Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg becomes the 22nd player to 10.0 Box-Toppers points this season after he earned Player of the Game honors Sunday. Strasburg (7IP 0R 10K W in the 4-0 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks 22nd among all players and 10th among NL pitchers.

Sanchez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Bumgarner receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Santana and Coghlan 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

803 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 17.0 Tigers Anibal Sanchez (W, 8-5) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 0 12
NL 16.0 Giants Madison Bumgarner (W, 13-8) - - - - - - 9.0 2 0 0 1 10
13.0 Nationals Stephen Strasburg (W, 8-9) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 1 10
9.0 Orioles Chris Tillman (W, 8-5) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 0 6
BAT 5.0 Twins Danny Santana CF 6 2 5 4 1 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Yankees Esmil Rogers (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 1 3
4.0 `Dbacks Trevor Cahill - - - - - - 7.0 7 1 1 1 7
3.0 Indians David Murphy RF 3 1 2 3 2 0 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Cubs Chris Coghlan LF 3 2 2 2 2 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Padres Tim Stauffer (W, 4-2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Angels Mike Trout DH 4 1 3 2 1 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Astros Matt Dominguez 3B 3 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Royals James Shields (W, 10-6) - - - - - - 8.0 4 2 2 0 2
2.0 Reds Mike Leake (W, 9-9) - - - - - - 6.0 3 1 1 4 5
2.0 Cardinals Trevor Rosenthal (S, 34) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 1 3

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