Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Gonzalez among best in Box-Toppers All-Star teams

Box-Toppers all-stars graphic.png

Still struggling with your All-Star vote?

Are you someone who truly wants to field a great team—voting for the best players—and not someone who is just willing to vote that .125 hitter in simply because he is on your favorite team?

Well, even if you aren't, Box-Toppers is going to take a look at the top players by position in each league. And as in past all-star updates, we'll look at the all-star teams in a couple of different ways: We'll look at who is leading in Box-Toppers points by position so far through the 2013 season. And we'll also look at players over the longer run, seeing who is leading in Box-Toppers points for the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons.

So, for example, Stephen Drew of the Red Sox is leading among American League shortstops so far in 2013 with 4.5 Box-Toppers points. But J.J. Hardy of the Orioles is leading among AL shortstops if you combine his 2012 and 2013 Box-Toppers points. Hardy has 9.2 (7.2 in 2012 and 2.0 in 2013).

Box-Toppers also includes starting, middle relief and closing pitchers in its all-star line-ups, even though fans don't get to vote for them.

Several players appear on both the 2013 and the combined 2012-13 list, indicating they may be especially worthy of your attention as you fill out your ballot. They include:

  • AL 1B: Chris Davis of the Orioles.​
  • AL 2B: Robinson Cano of the Yankees.​
  • AL 3B: Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who also leads all AL batters in Box-Toppers for 2013 (9.7) and combined 2012-13 seasons (21.4).
  • AL pitchers: Yu Darvish of the Rangers and Chris Sale of the White Sox (but, again, fans don't vote on pitchers). 
  • NL 2B: Brandon Phillips of the Reds.​
  • NL CA: Brian McCann of the Braves.
  • NL OF: Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies.
  • NL pitcher: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.
  • NL middle reliever: Santiago Casilla of the Giants.

Voting for the All-Star game is open until July 4.

Here is how the Box-Toppers All-Star teams stand as of today:

​

2013 SEASON   2012-13 SEASONS  
ALPLAYERTEAMBTP PLAYERTEAMBTP
First baseDavis, Chris 2478bal al4.5 Davis, Chris 2478bal al16.5
Second baseCano, Robinson 2092nyy al4.5 Cano, Robinson 2092nyy al8.5
ShortstopDrew, Stephen 2210bos al4.5 Hardy, J.J. 2071bal al9.2
Third baseCabrera, Miguel 1776det al9.7 Cabrera, Miguel 1776det al21.4
CatcherArencibia, J.P. 2781tor al5.5 Mauer, Joe 1869min al13
Outfield 1Johnson, Kelly 2018tb al4.5 Trout, Mike 2949ana al13.5
Outfield 2Raburn, Ryan 2340cle al4.5 Hamilton, Josh 2332ana al11.5
Outfield 3Joyce, Matt 2480tb al3 Rios, Alex 1989chi al9.9
Designated hitterOrtiz, Davidbos al3.7 Butler, Billy 2330kc al12.7
Starting pitcher 1Masterson, Justin 2462cle al10.7 Verlander, Justin 2112det al30.8
Starting pitcher 2Buchholz, Clay 2363bos al9.1 Hernandez, Felix 2064sea al25.4
Starting pitcher 3Sale, Chris 2806chi al8.7 Darvish, Yu 3003tex al24.8
Starting pitcher 4Darvish, Yu 3003tex al8 Sale, Chris 2806chi al24.4
Middle relieverScheppers, Tanner 3136tex al3 Chen, Bruce 1170kc al8
Closing pitcherPerkins, Glen 2506min al5 Rodney, Fernando 1803tb al10
NL       
First baseGoldschmidt, Paul 2935ari nl5.2 LaRoche, Adam 1910dc nl11.5
Second basePhillips, Brandon 1691cin nl3.5 Phillips, Brandon 1691cin nl13
ShortstopCrawford, Brandon 2878sf nl3 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308col nl7
Third baseZimmerman, Ryan 2180dc nl3.7 Freese, David 2710stl nl11.7
CatcherMcCann, Brian 2179atl nl5 McCann, Brian 2179atl nl11
Outfield 1Harper, Bryce 3011dc nl5.9 Braun, Ryan J. 2300mil nl16
Outfield 2Gonzalez, Carlos 2460col nl5 Holliday, Matt 1836stl nl14.7
Outfield 3Pollock, A.J. 3142ari nl4.7 Gonzalez, Carlos 2460col nl14.2
Starting pitcher 1Harvey, Matt 3075nym nl9 Kershaw, Clayton 2494lad nl28.8
Starting pitcher 2Corbin, Patrick 3027ari nl8.4 Lynn, Lance 2992stl nl25.1
Starting pitcher 3Kershaw, Clayton 2494lad nl8 Strasburg, Stephen 2736dc nl23.4
Starting pitcher 4Miller, Shelby 3134 stl nl7.7 Gonzalez, Gio 2626dc nl22.7
Middle relieverCasilla, Santiago 2301sf nl2 Casilla, Santiago 2301sf nl6
Closing pitcherGrilli, Jason 2209pit nl4.7 Chapman, Aroldis 2826cin nl18
AL top playerMasterson, Justin 2462cle al10.7 Verlander, Justin 2112det al30.8
AL top batterCabrera, Miguel 1776det al9.7 Cabrera, Miguel 1776det al21.4
NL top playerHarvey, Matt 3075nym nl9 Kershaw, Clayton 2494lad nl28.8
NL top batterHarper, Bryce 3011dc nl5.9 Braun, Ryan J. 2300mil nl16

Cabrera, Mauer, Braun, McCann among top candidates for Box-Toppers All-Star teams

Box-Toppers all-stars graphic.png

Who is worthy of your All-Star vote?

Let's take a look at who is leading Box-Toppers points by position and in each league. We'll look at it in a couple of different ways: We'll look at who is leading so far through the 2013 season. And since the sample size of the 1.5-month-old season is still fairly small, we'll also look at who is leading in Box-Toppers points for the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons.​

So, for example, Mitch Moreland of the Rangers is leading among American League first basemen ​so far in 2013 with 3.5 Box-Toppers points. But Mike Napoli of the Red Sox is leading among AL first basemen if you combine his 2012 and 2013 Box-Toppers points. Napoli has 10.7 (8.2 in 2012 and 2.5 in 2013).

Box-Toppers also includes starting, middle relief and closing pitchers in its all-star line-ups, even though fans don't get to vote for them.

Several players appear on both the 2013 and the combined 2012-13 list, indicating they may be especially worthy of your attention as you fill out your ballot. They include:​

  • ​AL 3B: Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who also leads all AL batters in Box-Toppers for 2013 (7.2) and combined 2012-13 seasons (18.9).
  • AL CA: Joe Mauer of the Twins.
  • AL OF: Chris Davis of the Orioles.​
  • AL pitcher: Yu Darvish of the Rangers (but, again, fans don't vote on pitchers). Darvish leads all players in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season with 8.0.​
  • NL CA: Brian McCann of the Braves.​
  • NL OF: Ryan Braun of the Brewers. Braun leads NL batters for the combined 2012-13 seasons with 16.0.​
  • NL OF: Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies.​
  • NL pitcher: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. Kershaw leads NL players in points for the combined 2012-13 seasons with 27.8.​
  • NL middle reliever: Santiago Casilla of the Giants.​

Here is how the Box-Toppers All-Star teams stood as of May 3.​

Voting for the All-Star game is open until July 4.

Here is how the Box-Toppers All-Star teams stand as of today:​

2013 SEASON   2012-13 SEASONS 
ALPLAYERTEAMBTP PLAYERTEAMBTP
First baseMoreland, Mitch 2799tex al3.5 Napoli, Mike 2161bos al10.7
Second baseCano, Robinson 2092nyy al3.5 Cano, Robinson 2092nyy al7.5
ShortstopDrew, Stephen 2210bos al2.5 Hardy, J.J. 2071bal al9.2
Third baseCabrera, Miguel 1776det al7.2 Cabrera, Miguel 1776det al18.9
CatcherMauer, Joe 1869min al3 Mauer, Joe 1869min al12
Outfield 1Raburn, Ryan 2340cle al3.5 Davis, Chris 2478bal al14
Outfield 2Wells, Vernon 1548nyy al3 Trout, Mike 2949ana al12
Outfield 3Davis, Chris 2478bal al2 Hamilton, Josh 2332ana al11.5
Designated hitterHafner, Travis 1650nyy al3.5 Butler, Billy 2330kc al12.7
Starting pitcher 1Darvish, Yu 3003tex al8 Verlander, Justin 2112det al29.8
Starting pitcher 2Masterson, Justin 2462cle al7.7 Darvish, Yu 3003tex al24.8
Starting pitcher 3Buchholz, Clay 2363bos al7.1 Hernandez, Felix 2064sea al24.4
Starting pitcher 4Sale, Chris 2806chi al6.7 Dickey, R.A. 1734tor al23.1
Middle relieverScheppers, Tanner 3136tex al3 Chen, Bruce 1170kc al8
Closing pitcherBalfour, Grant 1880oak al3 Rodney, Fernando 1803tb al10
NL       
First baseGoldschmidt, Paul 2935ari nl3.5 Jones, Garrett 2655pit nl9.5
Second baseCarpenter, Matt 2987stl nl3.5 Phillips, Brandon 1691cin nl12
ShortstopDesmond, Ian 2673dc nl2.5 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308col nl7
Third baseZimmerman, Ryan 2180dc nl3.7 Freese, David 2710stl nl10.7
CatcherMcCann, Brian 2179atl nl3 McCann, Brian 2179atl nl9
Outfield 1Harper, Bryce 3011dc nl5.9 Braun, Ryan J. 2300mil nl16
Outfield 2Gonzalez, Carlos 2460col nl4 Holliday, Matt 1836stl nl14.7
Outfield 3Braun, Ryan J. 2300mil nl3.5 Gonzalez, Carlos 2460col nl13.2
Starting pitcher 1Miller, Shelby 3134stl nl7.7 Kershaw, Clayton 2494lad nl27.8
Starting pitcher 2Kershaw, Clayton 2494lad nl7 Lynn, Lance 2992stl nl23.4
Starting pitcher 3Harvey, Matt 3075nym nl7 Bumgarner, Madison 2753sf nl22.4
Starting pitcher 4Corbin, Patrick 3027ari nl6.4 Strasburg, Stephen 2736dc nl22.4
Middle relieverCasilla, Santiago 2301sf nl2 Casilla, Santiago 2301sf nl6
Closing pitcherFeldman, Scott 2632chi nl3 Chapman, Aroldis 2826cin nl16
AL top playerDarvish, Yu 3003tex al8 Verlander, Justin 2112det al29.8
AL top batterCabrera, Miguel 1776det al7.2 Cabrera, Miguel 1776det al18.9
NL top playerMiller, Shelby 3134stl nl7.7 Kershaw, Clayton 2494lad nl27.8
NL top batterHarper, Bryce 3011dc nl5.9 Braun, Ryan J. 2300mil nl16

Justin Masterson, throwing complete game shutout, is top player for Monday, May 13

Box-Toppers Daily Scorecard graphic.png

Indians pitcher Justin Masterson is Monday's Player of the Day. Masterson pitched a complete game shutout, striking out nine, in the 1-0 win over the Yankees.

​Masterson moves up to second place in season Box-Toppers player rankings. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and now has 7.7 points, behind season leader Yu Darvish (8.0).

Brewers pitcher Marco Estrada is National League Player of the Day. Estrada gave up one run over seven innings in the 5-1 win over the Pirates.​

Billy Butler of the Royals is American League Batter of the Day. Butler went 5-for-5 with five RBIs in the 11-4 win over the Angels.​

Brian McCann of the Braves is NL Batter of the Day. McCann went 2-for-3 and homered in the 10-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Standings update: Bryce Harper of the Nationals rose to ninth place among players for the season. Harper was Player of the Game in the 6-2 win over the Dodgers and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.9 for the season. He is the Box-Toppers points leader among NL batters.​

​Masterson receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Estrada receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Butler and McCann receive 1.5 each for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

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

513ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB11.0Indians 0000000  Justin Masterson (W, 6-2)9.040039
BAT7.0Royals Billy Butler DH525500  00.000000
 7.0Athletics 0000000  A.J. Griffin (W, 4-3)7.061108
NL6.0Brewers 0000000  Marco Estrada (W, 3-2)7.031115
 6.0Yankees 0000000  Adam Warren (S, 1)4.020004
 5.0Tigers Andy Dirks LF423400  00.000000
BAT4.0Braves Brian McCann C322310  00.000000
 4.0Twins Aaron Hicks CF332210  00.000000
 4.0Cubs 0000000  Travis Wood (W, 4-2)7.020032
 2.0Cardinals Matt Carpenter 2B, 3B422211  00.000000
 2.0Nationals Bryce Harper RF121020  00.000000

Scott Kazmir, striking out 10, tops players for Thursday, May 9

Box-Toppers Daily Scorecard graphic.png

Indians pitcher Scott Kazmir, who struck out 10 over six innings, is Thursday's Player of the Day. Kazmir allowed only one run in the 9-2 win over the Athletics.​

Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin is National League Player of the Day. Corbin gave up just one run over 6 1/3 innings in the 2-1 win over the Phillies. As NL Player of the Day, Corbin picks up 1.7 Box-Toppers points, giving him 5.4 for the season, moving him up to ninth place among all players in 2013.​

​Brian McCann of the Braves is NL Batter of the Day. McCann homered and went 3-for-5 in the 6-3 win over the Giants.

Oswaldo Arcia of the Twins is American League Batter of the Day. Arcia hit a two-run homer and a triple in the 5-3 win over the Red Sox. Arcia and Alex Gordon, who was Player of the Game in the Royals 6-2 win over the Orioles, had identical Box-Toppers game scores of 2.0 and identical stat lines (4AB 2R 2H 2BI). Arcia was given the AL ​Batter of the Day nod because he had a homer and triple, while Gordon had a homer and a single.

Kazmir receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Corbin receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. McCann and Arcia receive 1.5 each 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:

509ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB9.0Indians 0000000  Scott Kazmir (W, 2-1)6.0511010
 4.2Angels 0000000  Ernesto Frieri (S, 5)1.200003
NL2.1Diamondbacks 0000000  Patrick Corbin (W, 5-0)6.141124
BAT2.0Braves Brian McCann C513301  00.000000
BAT2.0Twins Oswaldo Arcia RF422200  00.000000
 2.0Royals Alex Gordon LF422201  00.000000
 2.0`Rays 0000000  David Price 8.074218
 2.0`Yankees 0000000  CC Sabathia 4.011112
 1.0Nationals Ryan Zimmerman 3B413100  00.000000
 1.0Mets Mike Baxter PH101100  00.000000

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

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