Padres' Andrew Cashner tops players in Saturday, March 12's spring training games

Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Saturday.

Cashner pitched three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out five, in the 6-3 win over the Indians. Cashner started the game but did not pick up the win. In 2015, Cashner had 3.0 Box-Toppers points.

American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Buck Farmer pitched two scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out five and earned the save, in the 3-0 win over the Pirates. Farmer has appeared in 18 regular season Major League games since 2014, but has yet to earn his first Box-Toppers point by earning Player of the Game honors during the regular season.

National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four, in the 14-9 win over the Mets. Grichuk had 9.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015, fifth among NL batters.

American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 14-5 win over the Athletics. Beltre led AL batters in 2015 with 12.5 Box-Toppers points. He also led AL batters in 2012 with 13.0 points.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Cashner would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Farmer would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Grichuk and Beltre would earn 1.5 points for being top batter in their league for the day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/12 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 7.0 `Padres Andrew Cashner - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 1 5
BAT 6.0 Cardinals Randal Grichuk CF 4 3 3 4 0 1 - - - - - -
6.0 Cubs Jason Hammel (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 4.0 2 0 0 0 4
6.0 `Rockies Taylor Jungmann - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 1 4
5.0 Dbacks Rubby De La Rosa (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 4.0 4 0 0 0 5
AL 5.0 Tigers Buck Farmer (SV, 1) - - - - - - 2.0 2 0 0 0 5
4.2 `Rays Matt Moore - - - - - - 3.2 2 0 0 0 3
BAT 4.0 Rangers Adrian Beltre 3B 3 1 2 4 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Phillies Nick Williams RF 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Mariners Tyler O'Neill PR-LF-RF 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Nationals Michael A. Taylor CF 3 2 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Angels Todd Cunningham PH-CF 2 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Orioles Steve Tolleson 3B 1 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Marlins Derek Dietrich 1B 1 1 1 2 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Cardinals Daniel Poncedeleon (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Dodgers Elian Herrera 2B 5 3 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Dodgers Austin Barnes C 2 2 1 1 1 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Dbacks Michael Freeman LF 1 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.

Athletics' Sam Fuld tops players in Friday, March 11's spring training games

Sam Fuld of the Athletics is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Friday.

Fuld homered and tripled, going 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Reds. Fuld had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 and last earned Box-Toppers points when he was Player of the Game on Aug. 10, 2011, with the Rays. Fuld has 3.5 career Box-Toppers points.

National League Player of the Day—Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis pitched three perfect innings, allowing no hits, runs or baserunners, striking out three, in the 6-1 win over the Indians. Bettis had 5.4 Box-Toppers points with the Rockies in 2015.

National League Batter of the Day—Cesar Hernandez of the Phillies went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 9-2 win over the Braves. Hernandez has no career Box-Toppers points. While he has played in 227 regular season Major League games, he has yet to make his Box-Toppers debut by earning his first regular season Player of the Game honor.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter, Sam Fuld.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Fuld would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Bettis would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day and Hernandez would earn 1.5 points as NL Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/11 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 6.0 Athletics Sam Fuld RF-CF 2 2 2 4 1 0 - - - - - -
NL 6.0 Rockies Chad Bettis (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 0 3
5.2 `Blue Jays Marcus Stroman - - - - - - 4.2 3 0 0 0 4
5.0 White Sox Carlos Rodon (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 4.0 2 0 0 0 3
5.0 Mariners Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 1 4
5.0 Yankees Masahiro Tanaka (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 3
5.0 Angels Yunesky Maya (SV, 1) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Astros Colby Rasmus LF 3 1 2 4 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Rangers Joey Gallo 3B 3 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Cubs Spencer Patton (SV, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Phillies Cesar Hernandez 2B 4 2 3 2 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Nationals Tony Campana CF 2 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Dbacks Chris Herrmann C 4 1 2 3 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 `Pirates Juan Nicasio - - - - - - 3.0 3 0 0 1 3
1.0 Marlins Adeiny Hechavarria SS 3 1 3 0 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Cardinals Jacob Wilson 3B 3 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.

Indians' Carlos Carrasco tops players in Thursday, March 10's spring training games

Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Thursday.

Carrasco pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four, in the 9-4 win over the Padres. Carrasco had 18.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Indians, fifth among American League pitchers. He was Box-Toppers Player of the Day five times during the 2015 regular season.

Carrasco had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +6.0, the same as Twins pitcher Ervin Santana, who was Player of the Game in the 8-2 win over the Red Sox. But Carrasco won overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker—he had more strikeouts (four vs. three).

National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Chris Stratton pitched three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out two, in the 3-1 win over the Brewers. Stratton has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and so has yet to earn his first Box-Toppers points.

American League Batter of the Day—David Adams of the Blue Jays doubled twice and went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 11-4 win over the Yankees. Adams has yet to earn Player of the Day honors during the regular season and so has no career Box-Toppers points.

National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Ellis of the Dodgers hit two doubles, going 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the Athletics. Ellis had no Box-Toppers points in 2015, but had 6.0 Box-Toppers points from 2012 to 2014.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Carrasco would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Stratton would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Adams and Ellis would earn 1.5 points as top batters in their league for the day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Note—Sixteen spring training games were scheduled for Thursday—14 are listed below. Two games are not included because they ended in ties (Tigers vs. Phillies and Yankees vs. Orioles).

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/10 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 6.0 Indians Carlos Carrasco (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 4
6.0 Twins Ervin Santana (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 5.0 Blue Jays David Adams PR-2B 3 3 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
4.1 Rays Drew Smyly (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.1 2 0 0 0 3
NL 4.0 Giants Chris Stratton (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 1 2
4.0 `Mets Noah Syndergaard - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 2
BAT 3.0 Dodgers A.J. Ellis C 3 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Mariners Stefen Romero LF 3 1 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 White Sox Avisail Garcia RF 3 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Jorge Bonifacio PR-LF 2 2 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Reds Seth Mejias-Brean 3B 1 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Astros Collin McHugh (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 2 0 0 0 2
2.0 Dbacks Jason Bourgeois CF 3 1 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Braves Jeff Francoeur RF 2 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Phillies' Darin Ruf tops players in Wednesday, March 9's spring training games

Darin Ruf of the Phillies is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Wednesday.

Ruf hit two homers and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 8-4 win over the Orioles. Ruf had 1.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Phillies.

American League Player of the Day—Alex Gordon of the Royals homered and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-5 win over the Brewers. Gordon had 4.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Royals.

Notable—Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies, who led National League batters in Box-Toppers points in 2015, was Player of the Game in the 8-6 win over the Giants. Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-3, scoring twice. Gonzalez led NL batters in 2015 with 11.5 Box-Toppers points.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Ruf would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gordon would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Note—Sixteen spring training games were scheduled for Tuesday—14 are listed below. Two games are not included because they ended in a tie (Yankees vs. Mets and Dodgers vs. Angels).

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/8 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 5.0 Phillies Darin Ruf 1B 2 2 2 3 1 0 - - - - - -
AL 4.0 Royals Alex Gordon LF 4 2 4 2 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Tigers Nate Schierholtz RF 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Indians Corey Kluber (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 2 0 0 1 4
4.0 `Rangers César Ramos - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 2
3.0 Red Sox Blake Swihart DH 4 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Phillies Cameron Rupp C 3 2 2 2 2 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rockies Carlos González RF 3 2 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Mariners Ed Lucas LF 2 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Astros José Altuve 2B 3 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Blue Jays Ryan Goins SS 3 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Dbacks Zach Borenstein RF 2 1 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Athletics Matt Chapman PH-3B 2 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Marlins Justin Bour 1B 3 0 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.

Nationals' Yusmeiro Petit tops players in Tuesday, March 8's spring training games

Nationals pitcher Yusmeiro Petit is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Tuesday.

Petit pitched three scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing one hit and striking out four, in the 4-2 win over the Astros. Petit had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Giants. He last earned Box-Toppers points Sept. 9, 2014, with the Giants, a season in which he earned 4.0 points.

American League Player of the Day—Avisail Garcia of the White Sox homered, tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 10-8 win over the Brewers. Garcia earned 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the White Sox.

National League Batter of the Day—Christian Arroyo of the Giants hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-2, scoring twice, in the 16-7 win over the Reds. Arroyo has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and so has yet to earn his first Box-Toppers points.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Tuesday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter, Avisail Garcia.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Petit would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Garcia would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Arroyo would earn 1.5 points as NL Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Note—Sixteen spring training games were scheduled for Tuesday—15 are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Diamondbacks vs. Padres).

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/8 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 6.0 Nationals Yusmeiro Petit (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 4
AL 5.0 White Sox Avisail García RF 4 2 3 4 0 1 - - - - - -
5.0 Royals Edinson Vólquez (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 0 2
4.0 Blue Jays Darrell Ceciliani CF 3 1 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 4.0 Giants Christian Arroyo PH-3B 2 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Cardinals Aledmys Diaz SS 4 1 4 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Tigers Bruce Rondon (SV, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 `Braves Matt Marksberry - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Rangers Delino DeShields CF 3 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Angels Carlos Pérez C 3 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Red Sox Marco Hernandez SS 2 2 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Phillies Dalier Hinojosa (SV, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
2.0 Marlins Dustin McGowan (SV, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Indians José Ramírez 3B 3 1 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Dodgers Micah Johnson 2B 4 1 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Diamondbacks' Castillo tops players in Monday, March 7's spring training games

Wellington Castillo of the Diamondbacks is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Monday.

Castillo hit a two-run homer and two doubles, going 3-for-4 and driving in five runs, in the 10-8 win over the Mariners. Castillo had 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015, a season he spent with the Cubs, Mariners and Diamondbacks, but he scored all his Box-Toppers points with the Diamondbacks.

American League Player of the Day—Stephen Vogt of the Athletics hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, going 2-for-3, in the 6-4 win over the Royals. Vogt had 2.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Athletics.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Castillo would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Vogt would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/7 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 5.0 Dbacks Wellington Castillo C 4 1 3 5 0 0 - - - - - -
AL 5.0 Athletics Stephen Vogt DH 3 2 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Nationals Clint Robinson DH 2 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 `Royals Kris Medlen - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Rangers Ryan Rua PH-DH 3 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 White Sox Steve Lombardozzi 2B 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Astros Cesar Valdez (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 2
3.1 Twins Trevor May (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.1 1 0 0 1 3
3.0 Indians Giovanny Urshela 3B 4 1 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Reds Adam Duvall LF 3 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Cardinals Stephen Piscotty RF 2 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Mets Lucas Duda 1B 3 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Padres Derek Norris C 3 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 `Phillies Vince Velásquez - - - - - - 3.0 3 0 0 1 3
2.0 Blue Jays Roberto Osuna (SV, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2
1.0 Rays Logan Forsythe 2B 2 1 2 0 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Rockies Mark Reynolds 1B 2 1 1 1 1 0 - - - - - -
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Twins' Byung Ho Park tops players in Sunday, March 6's spring training games

Byung Ho Park of the Twins is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Sunday.

Park hit a grand slam, going 1-for-3 and scoring twice, in the 5-4 win over the Rays. Park has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and has no career Box-Toppers points.

National League Player of the Day—Yadiel Rivera of the Brewers homered, doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-5 win over the Indians. Rivera played seven regular season games for the Brewers in 2015, but has yet to make his Box-Toppers debut, earning Player of the Game honors in a regular season game for the first time.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Park would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Rivera would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/6 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 4.0 Twins Byung Ho Park 1B 3 2 1 4 0 1 - - - - - -
NL 4.0 Brewers Yadiel Rivera 3B 2 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Red Sox Heath Hembree (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 1 4
4.0 Astros Jandel Gustave (SV, 2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.0 Astros Jon Singleton 1B 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Tigers J.D. Martínez RF 1 2 1 1 2 0 - - - - - -
3.0 White Sox Carlos Rodon (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 1 2
2.0 Rockies Ben Paulsen DH 3 0 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Dodgers Carl Crawford LF 3 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Mariners Shawn O'Malley 2B 3 2 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Phillies Andrew Knapp DH 3 1 1 3 1 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Dbacks Jack Reinheimer SS 2 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Royals Orlando Calixte 3B 2 2 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Mets Ty Kelly PR-LF 0 2 0 0 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Nationals Blake Treinen (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 1
1.0 Athletics Andrew Lambo DH 4 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -

Blue Jays' Michael Saunders top players in Saturday, March 5's spring training games

Michael Saunders of the Blue Jays is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Saturday.

Saunders hit two home runs—a three-run homer and a two-run homer—while going 3-for-3, in the 9-6 win over the Phillies.

Saunders had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Blue Jays, but had 4.5 in 2013 with the Mariners.

National League Player of the Day—Rob Segedin of the Dodgers hit two homers and drove in three runs in the 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Segedin has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and so does not have any career Box-Toppers points.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Saunders would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Segedin would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Note—Sixteen spring training games were scheduled for Saturday—15 are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Brewers vs. Athletics).

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/5 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 7.0 Blue Jays Michael Saunders LF 3 2 3 5 0 0 - - - - - -
NL 5.0 Dodgers Rob Segedin PH-3B 2 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Rays Drew Smyly (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Twins Juan Centeno C 2 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Rockies Mike Tauchman PH-LF 2 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Yankees Aaron Judge RF 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Angels Nick Buss CF 1 2 1 2 1 0 - - - - - -
3.1 Mets Hansel Robles (SV, 1) - - - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 2 4
3.0 White Sox Adam Eaton DH 3 1 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Pirates Pedro Florimón PH-SS 2 0 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rangers Mitch Moreland 1B 2 1 1 3 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Nationals Scott Sizemore 2B 1 2 1 1 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Reds Brandon Finnegan (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 2
3.0 Giants Cory Gearrin (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Cardinals Miguel Socolovich SV, 1 - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1

Astros' Wandy Rodriguez tops players in Friday, March 4's spring training games

Astros pitcher Wandy Rodriguez is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Friday.

Rodriguez started and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four in the 6-3 win over the Cardinals. He earned the win.

Rodriguez had 6.7 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Rangers and Royals. His best season was 2009 with the Astros, when he had 18.7 Box-Toppers points, second among National League pitchers.

National League Player of the Day—Maikel Franco of the Phillies hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, driving in four total runs, in the 12-11 win over the Braves. Franco had 3.2 Box-Toppers points in 2015.

Franco had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0, tied with Gabby Guerrero, who was Player of the Game in the Diamondbacks 6-3 win over the Athletics. Franco and Guerrero also had similar batting lines, but Franco wins NL Player of the Day honors on a tiebreaker because he had fewer strikeouts than Guerrero—zero vs. one.

American League Batter of the Day—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers hit a three-run homer in the 3-0 win over the Yankees.

Cabrera had 4.7 Box-Toppers points in 2015, his lowest total since his rookie year of 2003 with the Marlins, when he had 3.0. Cabrera has twice led AL batters in Box-Toppers points—in 2009 with 16.5 and in 2013, his best season, with 16.9. He has 132.9 career Box-Toppers points, fourth-most among active AL batters (behind Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and David Ortiz).

National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall NL Player of the Day was a batter, Maikel Franco.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Rodriguez would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Franco would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Cabrera would earn 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Note—Sixteen spring training games were scheduled for Friday—12 are listed below. Four games are not included because they ended in ties (Indians vs. White Sox, Dodgers vs. Rangers, Twins vs. Pirates and Marlins vs. Mets).

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers points are a measure of how much a player provides key contributions to his team’s wins. Specifically, Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/4 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 5.0 Astros Wandy Rodríguez (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 4
NL 4.0 Phillies Maikel Franco 3B 3 1 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Dbacks Gabby Guerrero RF 3 1 2 4 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 4.0 Tigers Miguel Cabrera 1B 1 1 1 3 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Athletics Sean Manaea (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 1 4
3.0 Marlins Justin Maxwell PR-RF 3 2 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Red Sox Sam Travis PR-1B 1 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Brewers Andy Wilkins 1B 1 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Padres Tayron Guerrero (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Cubs Addison Russell SS 2 1 1 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Giants Ehire Adrianza 1B 2 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
1.1 Blue Jays Chad Jenkins (SV, 1) - - - - - - 0.1 0 0 0 0 1

For second straight year, Boston Red Sox projected to be Box-Toppers' most improved team

Box-Toppers projects the Boston Red Sox to be the most improved team in baseball in 2016.

But Box-Toppers also projected the Red Sox to be the most improved team going into 2015, a prediction that didn’t quite pan out.

Projecting the Red Sox

For the second straight year, the Boston Red Sox are projected by Box-Toppers to be baseball’s most improved team. Their 2015 rise wasn’t as great as projected. Here are Box-Toppers’ preseason rankings for the Red Sox from 2014 to 2016, including their projected Box-Toppers point (BTP) total for the season and their rank among all 30 teams, followed by their actual Box-Toppers point total and rank at the end of each season.  

Preseason
projection		 Actual
result
BTP Rank BTP Rank
2014 121.7 4th 68.7 30th
2015 92.0 17th 77.6 23rd
2016 103.9 10th ? ?

Both years the prediction happened because the Red Sox had a previous lackluster season followed by an active offseason in which it picked up star players.

This year, the Red Sox picked up 26.3 Box-Toppers points in the offseason, mainly on the strength of signing free agent pitcher David Price, who had 21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Tigers and the Blue Jays, second among American League pitchers.

At the end of 2015, the Red Sox ranked 23rd among the 30 teams in Box-Toppers points. They are now ranked 10th in preseason standings. Last year, they finished fifth in the AL East with 78 wins. This year, Box-Toppers projects them to finish in second (to the Toronto Blue Jays) with 95 wins and earn a wild-card spot.

But Box-Toppers also projected a big Red Sox jump going into 2015, which didn’t quite happen. At the end of 2014, the Red Sox ranked 30th in Box-Toppers team rankings. But in the offseason, they made winter moves and signings that gave them a net gain of 23.3 points. Among Red Sox additions going into 2015 were pitchers Rick Porcello, Justin Masterson and batters Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. None of those players matched their Box-Toppers point totals from 2014 in 2015.

Those additions helped the Red Sox rise to 17th place in Box-Toppers preseason team rankings in 2015. However, they foundered and finished 2015 ranked 23rd—an improvement from 2014, but not as great as the projected improvement. Box-Toppers projected them having 85 wins in 2015—they fell seven wins short.

In addition to Price, the Red Sox picked up other notable players going into the 2016 season—outfielder Chris B. Young (who had 4.5 Box-Toppers points with the Yankees in 2015) and closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel (who had 6.0 points with the Padres in 2015).

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers points are a measure of how much a player provides key contributions to his team’s wins. Specifically, Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Related posts

 

Dodgers' Joe Blanton tops players in Thursday, March 3's spring training games

Dodgers pitcher Joe Blanton is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Thursday.

Blanton pitched two perfect innings of middle relief, striking out three in the 6-1 win over the White Sox. He earned no decision.

Blanton had 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Royals and the Pirates.

American League Player of the Day—Brandon Guyer of the Rays homered and went 3-for-3, driving in three runs, in the 10-3 win over the Orioles. Guyer had 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2015.

National League Batter of the Day—Jorge Alfaro of the Phillies went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 13-4 split-squad win over the Yankees. Alfaro has no career Box-Toppers points and has yet to make his Major League regular season debut.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day Thursday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter, Brandon Guyer.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Blanton would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Guyer would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Alfaro would earn 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/3 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 5.0 `Dodgers Joe Blanton - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
AL 4.0 Rays Brandon Guyer CF 3 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Rangers Brett Nicholas PH-C 3 2 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Angels Ji-Man Choi PH-1B 2 1 2 3 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 `Brewers Josh Hader - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 3
3.0 Mariners Luis Sardiñas 3B 3 0 2 4 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Phillies Jorge Alfaro C 2 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Blue Jays Andy Burns PR-2B 2 2 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Astros Doug Fister (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 2 0 0 1 4
3.0 Red Sox Marco Hernandez PR-2B-SS 1 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Reds Anthony DeSclafani (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 1
2.0 Tigers Víctor Martínez DH 3 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Rockies Trevor Story SS 3 1 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Nationals Anthony Rendón 3B 2 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Cardinals Dean Kiekhefer (SV, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Brewers Eric Young Jr. LF 3 2 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Rangers rookie Nomar Mazara tops players in Wednesday, March 2's spring games

Rangers rookie Nomar Mazara is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Wednesday.

Mazara hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-3, driving in four runs and scoring twice, in the 6-2 win over the Royals.

National League Player of the Day—Braves prospect Ozhaino Albies homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, driving in three and scoring three times, in the 11-4 win over the Orioles.

Neither Mazara nor Albies have any Box-Toppers points and neither has made their regular season Major League debut.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Mazara would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Albies would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Note—Thirteen spring training games were scheduled for Wednesday—nine are listed below. Four games are not included—two because they ended in ties (Phillies vs. Blue Jays and Indians vs. Reds) and two because teams played against non-Major League opponents.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/2 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 6.0 Rangers Nomar Mazara, RF 3 2 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
NL 4.0 Braves Ozhaino Albies 2B-SS 5 3 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Nationals Scott Sizemore 3B 2 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Mariners Chris Iannetta, C 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.1 Giants Michael Broadway, (W 1-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Twins Jorge Polanco 2B 3 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Tigers Jarrod Saltalamacchia DH 3 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Yankees Austin Romine PR-C 3 2 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Dbacks Archie Bradley, (W 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 1 0

Blue Jays' Darwin Barney tops players in spring's first games between MLB teams

In the first day of spring training games played between Major League teams Tuesday, Darwin Barney of the Blue Jays is Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Barney went 3-for-3 with two doubles in the 5-3 win over the Phillies.

If it were a regular season game, Barney would have earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Barney had no points in 2015 and last earned Box-Toppers points Sept. 26, 2014, with the Dodgers, his only points of that season. His best year was 2012 with the Cubs, when he had 7.2 Box-Toppers points.

National League Player of the Day—Reds pitcher Drew Hayes struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in the 6-5 win over the Indians.

Hayes would have earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day if it were a regular season game. Hayes has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.

National League Batter of the Day—Alex Hanson of the Pirates went 1-for-1, scoring and driving in a run, in the 4-2 win over the Tigers.

Hanson would have earned 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day if it were a regular season game. Hanson has no career Box-Toppers points.

Six spring training games were scheduled Tuesday. Two were played against non-Major League teams and one ended in a tie (Orioles-Braves). Those games were not included in Box-Toppers results.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

3/1 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 5.0 Blue Jays Darwin Barney (SS) 3 0 3 5 0 0 - - - - - -
NL 3.0 Reds Drew Hayes (S, 1) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 3
BAT 2.0 Pirates Alen Hanson (2B) 1 1 1 1 1 - - - - - - -