Marlins' Jose Fernandez (8IP 0R 8K) tops players for Tuesday, April 29, rises to top of Box-Toppers standings; Tulowitzki takes NL batting lead

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Tuesday’s Player of the Day and rises to the top of Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Meanwhile, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies takes the Box-Toppers points lead among National League batters.

Fernandez pitched eight shutout innings, striking out eight and giving up only two hits, in the 9-0 win over the Braves. Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, passing previous Box-Toppers points leader, Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (6.0). (See the updated top 10 list on the home page.)

Tulowitzki rises to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings and first among NL batters after earning NL Batter of the Day honors Tuesday. Tulowitzki homered and went 2-for-3 in the 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Tulowitzki received 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.9 for the season. He passes Freddie Freeman of the Braves (4.7) to lead NL batters in Box-Toppers points. It is the second straight day Tulowitzki has earned Player of the Game honors—he was NL Player of the Day on Monday. (See the updated top 10 list on the home page.)

Salvador Perez of the Royals is American League Player of the Day. Perez homered, doubled and drove in four runs in the 10-7 win over the Blue Jays.

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Perez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Tulowitzki receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.

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

Box-Toppers 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

429	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	12.0	Marlins	Jose Fernandez (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	2	0	0	2	8
	7.0	Giants	Yusmeiro Petit (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	0	0	0	4
	5.0	Mets	Jon Niese (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	1	5
	5.0	Brewers	Tyler Thornburg (W, 3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	1	4
AL	4.0	Royals	Salvador Perez C	4	2	2	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Rockies	Troy Tulowitzki SS	3	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Athletics	Yoenis Cespedes DH	1	3	1	0	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Red Sox	Shane Victorino RF	4	0	4	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Reds	Billy Hamilton CF	4	2	3	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Mariners	Dustin Ackley PH, LF	2	1	2	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Tigers	Joe Nathan (S, 5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	`Nationals	Gio Gonzalez	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	3	3	2	9
	1.0	Angels	Erick Aybar SS	5	1	4	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-

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

Marlins' Jose Fernandez (8IP 0R 14K) tops players for Tuesday, April 22; Pujols hits 500th HR, moves into Box-Toppers all-time top 10 list

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Tuesday’s Player of the Day, while Albert Pujols of the Angels—who hit his 500th career homer—cracked the all-time Box-Toppers Top 10 player rankings.

Fernandez pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 14, in the 1-0 win over the Braves. He moves up to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season. (See updated Top 10 Box-Toppers player rankings for 2014 on the home page.)

Pujols meanwhile earned American League Batter of the Day honors, hitting two home runs—his career 499th and 500th—and drove in five runs in the 7-2 win over the Nationals. 

Pujols earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 161.3 for his career. He moves into 10th place on Box-Toppers all-time player rankings (record keeping began in 1995), passing John Smoltz (160.9). This was Pujols’ first Box-Toppers points of the season and the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors since July 25, 2013.

Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is AL Player of the Day. McHugh struck out 12 over 6 2/3 scoreless innings in the 5-2 win over the Mariners. This was McHugh’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,316th player to debut on Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

No National League batter earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday, so there is no NL Batter of the Day.

Notable: Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright moves into second place on Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. Wainwright (7IP 0R W in 3-0 win vs. Mets) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.0 for the season. (See updated Top 10 Box-Toppers player rankings for 2014 on the home page.)

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. McHugh receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Pujols receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

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

Box-Toppers 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

422	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	19.0	Marlins	Jose Fernandez (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	0	0	0	14
AL	15.2	Astros	Collin McHugh (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	3	0	0	0	12
	8.0	Rays	David Price (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	6	3	3	1	12
	6.0	Cardinals	Adam Wainwright (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	0	3
BAT	5.0	Angels	Albert Pujols 1B	4	2	2	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Reds	Johnny Cueto (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	1	1	3	4
	5.0	Rockies	Franklin Morales (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	2	7
	5.0	Cubs	Jason Hammel (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	0	4
	5.0	Royals	James Shields (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	2	1	1	9
	3.1	Yankees	Masahiro Tanaka (W, 3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	7	2	2	0	7
	2.0	Tigers	Miguel Cabrera 1B	5	1	3	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Blue Jays	Brett Lawrie 3B	3	1	1	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Padres	Donn Roach (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	1	2
	2.0	Phillies	Antonio Bastardo (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Rangers	Joakim Soria (S, 5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1

Mariners' Felix Hernandez leads all players in Box-Toppers points for 2014

Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez leads all players in Box-Toppers points two weeks into the season.

Hernandez has 3.4 Box-Toppers points. He earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points on March 31 and another 1.7 on April 5, earning American League Player of the Day honors in both starts.

Chris Collabello of the Twins is ranked second among all players and first among AL batters with 3.2 Box-Toppers points.

Top players

Through Thursday, April 10

	2014 LEADERS
	OVERALL LEADERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	3.4
2	Colabello, Chris 3235	1b dh	min al	3.2
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	3.0
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	3.0
5	Braun, Ryan J. 2300	rf	mil nl	3.0
6	Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
7	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	2.0
8	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	2.0
9	Gonzalez, Gio 2626	pi sp	dc nl	2.0
10	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	2.0
	AL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	3.4
2	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	3.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	2.0
4	Buehrle, Mark 1407	pi sp	tor al	2.0
5	Wilson, C.J. 2074	pi sp	ana al	2.0
6	Feldman, Scott 2632	pi cp	hou al	2.0
7	Lackey, John 1640	pi sp	bos al	2.0
8	Smyly, Drew 3009	pi mr cp	det al	2.0
9	McAllister, Zach 3088	pi sp	cle al	1.7
10	Phelps, David 2994	pi cp sp	nyy al	1.7
	AL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Colabello, Chris 3235	1b dh	min al	3.2
2	Hamilton, Josh 2332	lf	ana al	1.7
3	Moss, Brandon 2520	1b	oak al	1.5
4	Joyce, Matt 2480	dh lf rf	tb al	1.5
5	Hunter, Torii 1190	rf	det al	1.5
6	Murphy, David 2348	rf	cle al	1.5
7	Ramirez, Alexei 2537	ss	chi al	1.5
8	Abreu, Jose 3308	1b	chi al	1.5
9	Schoop, Jonathan 3307	3b	bal al	1.5
10	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	1.0
	NL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	3.0
2	Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
3	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	2.0
4	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	2.0
5	Gonzalez, Gio 2626	pi sp	dc nl	2.0
6	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	atl nl	2.0
7	Haren, Danny 1787	pi sp	lad nl	2.0
8	Ryu, Hyun-Jin 3139	pi sp	lad nl	2.0
9	Gallardo, Yovani 2333	pi sp	mil nl	2.0
10	Cashner, Andrew 2807	pi sp	sd nl	2.0
	NL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Braun, Ryan J. 2300	rf	mil nl	3.0
2	Blackmon, Charlie 2891	cf lf	col nl	2.0
3	Freeman, Freddie 2887	1b	atl nl	1.7
4	Tulowitzki, Troy 2308	ss	col nl	1.7
5	Murphy, Daniel 2589	2b	nym nl	1.5
6	Pacheco, Jordan 2961	ca 1b	col nl	1.5
7	LeMahieu, DJ 3091	2b	col nl	1.5
8	Asche, Cody 3268	3b	phi nl	1.5
9	McGehee, Casey 2541	3b 1b	fla nl	1.5
10	Kalish, Ryan 2805	lf	chi nl	1.5

BTP: Box-Toppers points for 2014

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, ranked third among all players, tops all National League pitchers with 3.0 Box-Toppers points.

And Ryan Braun of the Brewers, fifth place among all players, is the top NL batter with 3.0 Box-Toppers points. (Fernandez ranks higher than Braun on the overall player list because he had more points than Braun in 2013—19.0 vs. 3.5.)

Last season’s overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, ranks seventh overall with 2.0 Box-Toppers points. In 2013, he had 21.7 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?

Marlins' Fernandez tops players for Saturday, April 5, Mariners' Hernandez moves into 1st in season rankings

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Saturday’s Player of the Day, while Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, American League Player of the Day, moves into first place among players in Box-Toppers points a week into the season.

Fernandez pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings and struck out eight in the 5-0 win over the Padres. He earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, moving him into second place behind Hernandez.

Hernandez struck out eight over 8 1/3 innings and allowed only one run in the 3-1 win over the Athletics. Hernandez earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 3.4 for the season, more than any other player so far into the young season.

Hernandez and Fernandez are the only two players so far this season who have earned Player of the Game honors more than once.

Nolan Arenado of the Rockies is National League Batter of the Day. Arenado homered twice, drove in three runs and went 3-4 in the 9-4 win over the Diamondbacks. This was Arenado’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,306th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Torii Hunter of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Hunter drove in five runs and went 2-4 with a homer and a double in the 7-6 win over the Orioles. Hunter now has 103.9 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 52nd among all players since 1995.

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hernandez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Arenado and Hunter 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

405	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.2	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Jose Fernandez (W, 2-0)	6.2	3	0	0	2	8
AL	7.1	Mariners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Felix Hernandez (W, 2-0)	8.1	6	1	1	1	8
	7.0	Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Tyler Skaggs (W, 1-0)	8.0	4	1	0	1	5
	6.2	Blue Jays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	R.A. Dickey (W, 1-1)	6.2	5	0	0	1	6
	6.1	`Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Bruce Chen	6.1	6	1	0	0	7
BAT	5.0	Rockies	Nolan Arenado 3B	4	3	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	Mets	Ike Davis PH	1	1	1	4	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	4.0	Tigers	Torii Hunter RF	4	1	2	5	1	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Francisco Rodriguez (S, 2)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.1	Giants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Madison Bumgarner (W, 1-0)	6.1	8	2	2	1	10
	3.0	Phillies	Chase Utley 2B	3	2	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Rays	James Loney 1B	2	1	2	2	2	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Julio Teheran (W, 1-1)	7.0	3	2	2	4	6
	1.0	Cardinals	Jhonny Peralta SS	4	2	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Twins	Trevor Plouffe 3B	3	2	1	1	2	1	0	0	0	0.0	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.

Box-Toppers top rookie Jose Fernandez wins NL newcomer award

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez led the way in voting and in Box-Toppers points on the way to earning National League Rookie of the Year Monday.

But the player voted American League Rookie of the Year ranked fourth among AL rookies in Box-Toppers points, behind a teammate. Wil Myers of the Rays, who served as designated hitter and right fielder, was voted top AL rookie, though his teammate, pitcher Chris Archer, had the most Box-Toppers points among AL rookie vote-getters.

Fernandez, who ranked fourth among all players, briefly led in Box-Toppers overall player rankings in September. He finished with 19.0 Box-Toppers points, in fourth place among all NL players and more than any other AL player.

Dodgers rightfielder Yasiel Puig finished second in voting, though he only earned 1.5 Box-Toppers points during the season.

The National League featured strong rookie pitchers among the top vote-getters. Shelby Miller of the Cardinals (third in voting) had the second-most Box-Toppers points among rookies with 15.4. Julio Teheran of the Braves (fifth in voting) had the third-most Box-Toppers points among rookies with 13.7. Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers (fourth in voting) had 9.7 Box-Toppers points.

Archer far outdistanced all other AL rookies in Box-Toppers points, though he was only voted in third place. Archer had 11.7 Box-Toppers points. Myers, who finished first, had 3.5 Box-Toppers points, tied for the most among AL batters in rookie voting.

Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias (who earlier in the season played for the Red Sox) finished in second in voting, though he earned no Box-Toppers points. In fact, two rookie vote-getters, Iglesias and Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, have yet to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors and so neither have any Box-Toppers points.

One other notable rookie, Athletics pitcher Dan Straily finished fourth in AL rookie voting. He had 7.7 Box-Toppers points, the second-most among AL rookie vote-getters.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. The player on the winning team with the highest Box-Toppers game score is Player of the Game and receives 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The Player of the Game with the highest overall Box-Toppers game score for all the games played that day is Player of the Day and earns a total of 2.0 Box-Toppers points. The top player in the opposite league receives a total of 1.7 Box-Toppers points. If both the day’s top overall player and top player in the opposite league are pitchers, then the top American League and top National League batter of the day receive a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points each.

Jose Fernandez

Here is how Fernandez scored his 19.0 Box-Toppers points this season:

April 13: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point

May 4: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

June 1: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

June 14: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

July 1: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

July 23: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

July 28: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Aug. 2: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Aug. 13: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Aug. 19: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

Aug. 24: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Sept. 6: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

Chris Archer

Here is how Archer scored his 11.7 Box-Toppers points:

June 7: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

July 9: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

July 14: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

July 27: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Aug. 18: American League Player of the Day, 1.7 BTP.

Aug. 28: Player of the Day, 1.0 BTP.

Sept. 13: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Sept. 18: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP

Wil Myers

Here is how Myers scored his 3.5 Box-Toppers points:

July 19: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Aug. 15: American League Batter of the Day, 1.5 BTP.

Sept. 4: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP

How top rookies fared in Box-Toppers points 

Here are the results of Rookie of the Year voting in both leagues. Players are listed in order of their vote total. The far right column shows how many Box-Toppers points (BTP) they earned during the 2013 season. For more: MLB.com’s coverage of the vote.

Top rookies
AL
Player	Pos	Club	1st	2nd	3rd	Points	BTP
Wil Myers	dh rf	Rays	23	5	1	131	3.5
Jose Iglesias	ss	Tigers*	5	17	4	80	0
Chris Archer	pi sp	Rays	1	5	15	35	11.7
Dan Straily	pi sp	Athletics	1	2	4	15	7.7
J.B. Shuck	lf	Angels		1	1	4	3.0
Cody Allen	pi mr	Indians			2	2	1.0
Martin Perez	pi sp	Rangers			2	2	5.0
David Lough	rf	Royals			1	1	3.5
NL
Player		Club	1st	2nd	3rd	Points	BTP
Jose Fernandez	pi sp	Marlins	26	4		142	19.0
Yasiel Puig	rf	Dodgers	4	25		95	1.5
Shelby Miller	pi sp	Cardinals		1	9	12	15.4
Hyun-Jin Ryu	pi sp	Dodgers			10	10	9.7
Julio Teheran	pi sp	Braves			7	7	13.7
Jedd Gyorko	2b	Padres			2	2	2.0
Nolan Arenado	3b	Rockies			1	1	0.0
Evan Gattis	ca	Braves			1	1	1.0

* Jose Iglesias began the season playing for the Red Sox. 

Cardinals' Adam Wainwright grabs slim lead in Box-Toppers player rankings with 1 week to go

Box-Toppers has a new leader in player rankings with only one week left in the season. 

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright takes the lead in the penultimate (and also next-to-last) weekly look at Box-Toppers player rankings. Wainwright has 19.2 Box-Toppers points and passed last week's leader, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (19.0).

Wainwright picked up 2.5 Box-Toppers points over the past week, rising from sixth to first in overall Box-Toppers player rankings. The race for the leading player in Box-Toppers points is tight going into the final week of the season, with eight players within 2.5 points of Wainwright.

Wainwright's outright lead and lead among National League pitchers is slim. Three other NL pitchers could pass him in the season's final week—Dodgers Clayton Kershaw or Zack Greinke or Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks. (Jose Fernandez of the Marlins was not scheduled to pitch again this season.)

National League players hold down the top five spots in player rankings. The top American League player is Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, who this week passed previous AL leader Miguel Cabrera, also of the Tigers. Scherzer is in sixth place overall in player rankings with 17.1 Box-Toppers points and Cabrera with 16.9, has fallen from fifth to eight place overall. 

Scherzer passed previous AL pitching leader Justin Masterson of the Indians this week. And Scherzer's top spot going into the final week is also not secure, with four other AL pitchers within 1.0 Box-Toppers point of him.

Cabrera maintains his dominance among AL batters. He is the sole batter among the top 10 players and leads second-place AL batter, Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees (12.9), by 4.0 Box-Toppers points.  

Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks continues to lead among NL batters with 13.7 Box-Toppers points. His nearest competitors among NL batters are both 2.2 points behind him—Freddie Freeman of the Braves and Michael Cuddyer of the Rockies both have 11.5 Box-Toppers points.

Previous player rankings report from Sept. 12. 

What are those numbers after players' names?

How does Box-Toppers scoring work?

Top players

As of Thursday, Sept. 19

	2013 LEADERS
	OVERALL LEADERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	19.2
2	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	19.0
3	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	18.7
4	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	18.4
5	Corbin, Patrick 3027	pi sp	ari nl	17.4
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	det al	17.1
7	Sanchez, Anibal 2187	pi sp	det al	17.1
8	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	3b	det al	16.9
9	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	16.7
10	Masterson, Justin 2462	pi sp	cle al	16.4
	AL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	det al	17.1
2	Sanchez, Anibal 2187	pi sp	det al	17.1
3	Masterson, Justin 2462	pi sp	cle al	16.4
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	16.1
5	Moore, Matt 2975	pi sp	tb al	16.1
6	Darvish, Yu 3003	pi sp	tex al	15.0
7	Iwakuma, Hisashi 3048	pi sp	sea al	14.4
8	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.1
9	Jimenez, Ubaldo 2349	pi sp	cle al	12.8
10	Tillman, Chris 2754	pi sp	bal al	12.7
	AL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	3b	det al	16.9
2	Soriano, Alfonso 1445	lf	nyy al	12.9
3	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	12.7
4	Cano, Robinson 2092	2b	nyy al	12.5
5	Ortiz, David	dh	bos al	12.4
6	Raburn, Ryan 2340	rf dh lf ph	cle al	9.5
7	Donaldson, Josh 3144	3b	oak al	9.5
8	Butler, Billy 2330	dh	kc al	9.0
9	Encarnacion, Edwin 2098	1b dh	tor al	8.7
10	Fielder, Prince 2029	1b	det al	8.5
	NL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	19.2
2	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	19.0
3	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	18.7
4	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	18.4
5	Corbin, Patrick 3027	pi sp	ari nl	17.4
6	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	16.7
7	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	15.7
8	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	stl nl	15.4
9	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	15.0
10	Lynn, Lance 2992	pi sp	stl nl	14.1
	NL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Goldschmidt, Paul 2935	1b	ari nl	13.7
2	Freeman, Freddie 2887	1b	atl nl	11.5
3	Cuddyer, Michael 1826	rf	col nl	11.5
4	Gonzalez, Carlos 2460	lf	col nl	11.0
5	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf	dc nl	9.4
6	Zimmerman, Ryan 2180	3b	dc nl	9.2
7	Venable, Will 2621	rf cf	sd nl	9.0
8	Phillips, Brandon 1691	2b	cin nl	7.5
9	Carpenter, Matt 2987	2b	stl nl	7.5
10	Murphy, Daniel 2589	2b	nym nl	7.5

BTP: Box-Toppers points for 2013 season

Cardinals' Adam Wainwright takes Box-Toppers points lead (with his bat); Mariners' Iwakuma tops players for Wednesday, Sept. 18

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright takes the lead Wednesday among players in Box-Toppers points for the season—but he does it with his bat. 

Wainwright is Wednesday's National League Batter of the Day, earning 1.5 Box-Toppers points, giving him 19.2 for the season. He passes previous Box-Toppers leader, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (19.0), who had led since Sept. 6. Wainwright, who rises from fourth to first place in Box-Toppers player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page), leads for the first time this season.

Wainwright went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs in the 4-3 win over the Rockies. He is the sixth pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting. 

Meanwhile, Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma is Wednesday's Player of the Day. Iwakuma pitched eight scoreless innings in the 8-0 win over the Tigers. Iwakuma earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 for the season, putting him in 17th place in player rankings.

Padres pitcher Tyson Ross is National League Player of the Day. Ross struck out seven over seven innings in the 3-2 win over the Pirates. Ross picked up a no-decision because he exited with the Padres trailing, but the team came back to take the lead in the top of the ninth. 

Alcides Escobar of the Royals is American League Batter of the Day. Escobar went 2-for-4, drove in two runs and stole home in the 7-2 win over the Indians. 

Notables: Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday are among the top 40 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season: 

• Braves closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel rises to 32nd place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (1IP 1K Sv in 5-2 win vs. Nationals), giving him 11.7 for the season.
• Rays pitcher Chris Archer rises to 34th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (6IP ND in 4-3 win vs. Rangers), giving him 11.7 for the season.

Iwakuma receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Ross receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Wainwright and Escobar 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

918	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	8.0	Mariners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 13-6)	8.0	4	0	0	2	6
NL	7.0	`Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tyson Ross	7.0	3	2	2	0	7
	6.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tyler Thornburg (W, 3-1)	6.0	2	0	0	2	4
	3.2	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			David Huff (W, 3-1)	3.2	1	1	1	0	3
BAT	3.0	Cardinals	Adam Wainwright P	3	1	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	`Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Archer	6.0	4	2	2	1	6
	3.0	`Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Cory Rasmus	2.0	1	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Twins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Glen Perkins (S, 36)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Reds	Billy Hamilton CF	4	2	3	1	2	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Mets	Zach Lutz PH	1	1	1	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Diamondbacks	Martin Prado 3B	1	1	1	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Craig Kimbrel (S, 48)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
BAT	1.0	Royals	Alcides Escobar SS	4	1	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Orioles	Matt Wieters C	5	1	2	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Marlins	Giancarlo Stanton RF	4	1	1	2	1	2			0	0.0	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.

Nats' Roark tops players for Tuesday, Sept. 17, Tigers' Sanchez rises to 7th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark is Tuesday's Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Roark pitched seven scoreless innings and gave up only two hits in the 4-0 win over the Braves.

Sanchez rises to seventh in Box-Toppers player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page) after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Sanchez (6.1IP 10K ND in 6-2 win vs. Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.1 for the season. He and teammate Max Scherzer both have 17.1 Box-Toppers points, but Scherzer holds the lead among AL players since he has more Box-Toppers points over the past two seasons (34.1 vs. 23.8).

Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey is American League Player of the Day. Dickey pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 2-0 win over the Yankees. 

Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is National League Batter of the Day. Holliday homered, drove in three runs and went 4-for-4 in the 11-4 win over the Rockies. 

Alexi Casilla of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Casilla scored the go-ahead run as a pinch runner in the ninth inning in the 3-2 win over the Red Sox. 

Notable: Two top pitchers in Box-Toppers player rankings were pitted against each other Tuesday, but neither picked up Box-Toppers points. Zack Greinke of the Dodgers and Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks, both in Box-Toppers player rankings top 10, were both in position to take over the points lead, but neither earned Player of the Game honors. Corbin (17.4 Box-Toppers points) left the game in the third inning after giving up six runs. His team lost. Greinke (18.4 Box-Toppers points), though he pitched six innings and struck out five, had a lower Box-Toppers game score than eventual Player of the Game Matt Kemp (4.0 vs. 0.0). Greinke remains in third place in Box-Toppers player rankings and Corbin remains in fifth.

Coming Wednesday: Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has a chance to take the lead in Box-Toppers points. Wainwright is starting pitcher against the Rockies Wednesday. Wainwright has 17.7 Box-Toppers points and is in fourth place in player rankings. He trails points leader Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (19.0) by 1.3 Box-Toppers points. If he earns Player of the Day or NL Player of the Day honors, he would pass Fernandez. 

Roark receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Dickey receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Holliday and Casilla 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

917	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	10.0	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tanner Roark (W, 7-0)	7.0	2	0	0	1	6
AL	9.0	Blue Jays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			R.A. Dickey (W, 13-12)	7.0	4	0	0	2	8
	7.0	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Mike Leake (W, 14-6)	8.0	5	0	0	2	6
BAT	5.0	Cardinals	Matt Holliday LF	4	2	4	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	Phillies	Chase Utley 2B	4	2	3	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	Giants	Angel Pagan CF	3	2	3	3	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.1	`Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez	6.1	6	2	2	2	10
	4.0	Dodgers	Matt Kemp CF	4	1	4	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Alexi Ogando (W, 7-4)	5.0	2	1	1	1	4
	4.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Grant Balfour (W, 1-3)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Padres	Jedd Gyorko 2B	5	2	3	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Brewers	Carlos Gomez CF	3	1	2	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	`Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Dan Haren	6.0	3	1	1	2	4
	3.0	`White Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Nate Jones (H, 13)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Perez (S, 25)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	1.0	Orioles	Alexi Casilla PR, DH	0	1	0	0	0	0			0	0.0	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.

Rays' Archer tops players for Friday, Sept. 13, Cards' Wainwright rises to 4th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Rays pitcher Chris Archer is Friday's Player of the Day, while Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. 

Archer pitched six shutout innings and struck out seven in the 3-0 win over the Twins. Archer rises to 41st in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. 

Wainwright rises from sixth to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Friday (see the updated top 10 list on the home page).  Wainwright (8IP 1R 6K ND in 2-1, 10-inning win vs. Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.7 for the season.

Wainwright is among five National League pitchers holding down the top five overall spots in Box-Toppers player rankings, all of whom are only 1.6 points apart. With only two weeks left in the season, that makes the race for top NL pitcher—and top overall Box-Toppers points leader—a virtual toss-up. The current overall leader is Marlins rookie pitcher Jose Fernandez with 19.0 Box-Toppers points. (Fernandez is not scheduled pitch again this season.) Any one of the four pitchers trailing Fernandez could claim the top overall spot after their next start.

Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse is American League Player of the Day. Lohse pitched a complete game, giving up only one run, in the 5-1 win over the Reds.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Saltalamacchia hit a grand slam and went 2-for-3 in the 8-4 win over the Yankees. 

Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals is NL Batter of the Day. Zimmerman homered and went 3-for-5 in the 6-1 win over the Phillies. 

Archer receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lohse receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Saltalamacchia and Zimmerman 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

913	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	10.0	Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Archer (W, 9-7)	6.0	3	0	0	0	7
NL	7.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Kyle Lohse (W, 10-9)	9.0	4	1	1	1	5
	6.2	`Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Danny Salazar	3.2	4	0	0	2	9
BAT	5.0	Red Sox	Jarrod Saltalamacchia C	3	2	2	4	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Athletics	Josh Donaldson 3B	3	2	2	3	2	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Astros	Matt Dominguez 3B	2	1	1	4	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	`Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Adam Wainwright	8.0	6	1	1	2	6
	4.0	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Nick Vincent (W, 5-3)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.2	Orioles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tommy Hunter (W, 5-4)	1.2	1	0	0	0	3
BAT	2.0	Nationals	Ryan Zimmerman 3B	5	3	3	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Rockies	Wilin Rosario C	5	1	2	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Cubs	Brian Bogusevic LF	4	1	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Tigers	Prince Fielder 1B	4	1	2	3	0	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Mets	Andrew Brown RF	2	2	1	1	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Giants	Hunter Pence RF	4	2	2	1	0	0			0	0.0	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.

Marlins' Jose Fernandez leads all players in Box-Toppers points—does he have a shot at Cy Young? Probably not

With only two weeks left in the season, Box-Toppers has a new leader atop player standings—rookie Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. 

Fernandez, who has 19.0 Box-Toppers points this season, passed last week's leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has 18.7 points and is in second place. 

But Fernandez' days atop player rankings may be numbered. He made what was expected to be his final start of the season this week, in part to protect his young arm and also because the Marlins are not in the playoff hunt.

The race for the not-at-all coveted top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings is a tight one. Any one of the top 10 players, who are within 2.9 Box-Toppers points of the lead, could rise and claim it. Nine of the top 10 players are pitchers and could have two or three starts left in the season, giving them plenty of opportunity to pick up 3.0 or more Box-Toppers points to claim the top spot.

The race for top National League pitcher is extremely tight, with Fernandez currently narrowly leading the way. The top four players are all National League pitchers and are only 1.6 points apart. So, for example, if Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin were to earn at least NL Player of the Day honors in his next start, he would earn 1.7 points and have 19.1 for the season, enough to pass Fernandez.

The top American League player remains Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers. The third baseman—the sole batter among the top 10—has 16.9 Box-Toppers points and is in fifth place overall. Though other AL pitchers could challenge him for overall top AL player in Box-Toppers points, his lead among AL batters seems secure—he leads second-place player Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees (12.9) by 4.0 Box-Toppers points.

The top American League pitcher remains Justin Masterson of the Indians with 16.4 Box-Toppers points. He falls from seventh to eight place overall. Masterson continues to lead AL pitchers despite not scoring a Box-Toppers point since July 27. 

Still, he has maintained a narrow lead among AL pitchers of 1.3 points or less since then. In other words, Masterson is not exactly on fire and no other AL pitchers seem eager to steal his crown from him. (Masterson has been injured recently but hopes to return to pitching before the end of the season.) 

Masterson's lead among AL pitchers does appear shaky, with five other pitchers within 1.5 Box-Toppers points of catching him with two weeks left. 

Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks continues to lead among NL batters with 12.7 Box-Toppers points. There are three players who trail him by fewer than 2.0 Box-Toppers points. Freddie Freeman of the Braves and Michael Cuddyer of the Rockies, both of whom have 11.5 Box-Toppers points and both of whom have been hot recently, seem to have the best shot of catching Goldschmidt.

Now: Would any of these leaders in Box-Toppers points categories have any shot at all of winning actual coveted postseason awards? 

For example, if Fernandez keeps his lead among NL pitchers, would he be worthy of winning the NL Cy Young Award? Worthy? Yes. Will he get it? Unlikely, since he comes from a non-playoff team and an ignored media market.  It will probably be Kershaw. However, Fernandez should receive more-than-serious consideration for NL Rookie of the Year.

Will Justin Masterson win the AL Cy Young if he keeps his lead? No, probably not. Though Box-Toppers credits him with being most responsible for bringing his teams wins more often, I don't think he is viewed as The One for the Indians. Plus, the Tigers have overshadowed the Indians in the AL Central and their pitchers, especially Max Scherzer who has 19 wins, have been the media favorites.

Will Cabrera win AL most valuable player? Yes. He should. 

Will Goldschmidt win NL MVP? No. Again, he's playing for a non-playoff team. Freddie Freeman of the Braves, in second in Box-Toppers NL batters list, would be a good candidate, but I think writers will probably pick an "intangible" guy, a leader in the clubhouse, a "spark plug" on the field, a light-hitting catcher or something. Or perhaps even someone like Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers. Though the rookie is a media juggernaut, he earned his 1.5 and only Box-Toppers points of the season on June 4.

Previous player rankings report from Sept. 5. 

What are those numbers after players' names?

How does Box-Toppers scoring work? 

Top players

As of Thursday, Sept. 12

	2013 LEADERS
	OVERALL LEADERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	19.0
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	18.7
3	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	18.4
4	Corbin, Patrick 3027	pi sp	ari nl	17.4
5	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	3b	det al	16.9
6	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	16.7
7	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	16.7
8	Masterson, Justin 2462	pi sp	cle al	16.4
9	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	16.1
10	Sanchez, Anibal 2187	pi sp	det al	16.1
	AL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Masterson, Justin 2462	pi sp	cle al	16.4
2	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	16.1
3	Sanchez, Anibal 2187	pi sp	det al	16.1
4	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	det al	15.4
5	Moore, Matt 2975	pi sp	tb al	15.1
6	Darvish, Yu 3003	pi sp	tex al	15.0
7	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.1
8	Tillman, Chris 2754	pi sp	bal al	12.7
9	Iwakuma, Hisashi 3048	pi sp	sea al	12.4
10	Buchholz, Clay 2363	pi sp	bos al	11.1
	AL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	3b	det al	16.9
2	Soriano, Alfonso 1445	lf	nyy al	12.9
3	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	12.7
4	Cano, Robinson 2092	2b	nyy al	12.5
5	Ortiz, David	dh	bos al	12.4
6	Raburn, Ryan 2340	rf dh lf ph	cle al	9.5
7	Butler, Billy 2330	dh	kc al	9.0
8	Encarnacion, Edwin 2098	1b dh	tor al	8.7
9	Donaldson, Josh 3144	3b	oak al	8.5
10	Beltre, Adrian 1141	3b	tex al	8.4
	NL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	19.0
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	18.7
3	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	18.4
4	Corbin, Patrick 3027	pi sp	ari nl	17.4
5	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	16.7
6	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	16.7
7	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	stl nl	15.4
8	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	15.0
9	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	14.7
10	Lynn, Lance 2992	pi sp	stl nl	14.1
	NL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Goldschmidt, Paul 2935	1b	ari nl	12.7
2	Freeman, Freddie 2887	1b	atl nl	11.5
3	Cuddyer, Michael 1826	rf	col nl	11.5
4	Gonzalez, Carlos 2460	lf	col nl	11.0
5	Venable, Will 2621	rf cf	sd nl	9.0
6	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf	dc nl	8.4
7	Zimmerman, Ryan 2180	3b	dc nl	7.7
8	Phillips, Brandon 1691	2b	cin nl	7.5
9	Carpenter, Matt 2987	2b	stl nl	7.5
10	Murphy, Daniel 2589	2b	nym nl	7.5

BTP: Box-Toppers points for 2013 season

Athletics' Griffin tops players for Thursday, Sept. 12, Dodgers' Greinke, 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings, inches closer to top

Athletics pitcher A.J. Griffin is Thursday's Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke scored a Box-Toppers point to remain in third place in player rankings. 

Griffin gave up one run and two hits over seven innings, striking out eight, in the 8-2 win over the Twins. 

Greinke maintained his spot in third place on Box-Toppers' player rankings list (see the updated top 10 list on the home page) after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.  Greinke (6IP 1R 5K ND in 3-2, 10-inning win vs. Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 18.4 for the season. He trails overall leader, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (19.0) and teammate, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (18.7), in a tight, late-season race atop the player rankings list.

Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke is National League Player of the Day. Locke gave up one run over seven innings in the 3-1 win over the Cubs. 

Ryan Raburn of the Indians is American League Batter of the Day. Raburn hit a three-run homer, drove in five runs and went 3-for-3 in the 14-3 win over the White Sox. 

Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies is NL Batter of the Day. Ruiz drove in three runs and went 3-for-3 in the 10-5 win over the Padres. 

Notable: Freddie Freeman of the Braves rises to 32nd place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Freeman (HR 2RBI 3-4 in 6-1 win vs. Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.5 for the season. 

Griffin receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Locke receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Raburn and Ruiz 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

912	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	10.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			A.J. Griffin (W, 14-9)	7.0	2	1	1	1	8
BAT	7.0	Indians	Ryan Raburn LF	3	2	3	5	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	6.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeff Locke (W, 10-5)	7.0	3	1	1	1	5
	4.2	`Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jamey Wright (BS, 1)	1.2	1	0	0	0	4
BAT	4.0	Phillies	Carlos Ruiz C	3	1	3	3	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Braves	Freddie Freeman 1B	4	2	3	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tyler Thornburg (W, 2-1)	6.0	3	2	2	2	6
	3.0	`Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Zack Greinke	6.0	4	1	1	2	5
	2.0	Nationals	Ryan Zimmerman 3B	4	2	2	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Angels	Kole Calhoun RF	3	1	2	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Mariano Rivera (W, 6-2)	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.

Marlins' Jose Fernandez takes lead among players in Box-Toppers points; Giants' Petit, nearly perfect, tops players for Friday, Sept. 6

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez takes the lead in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. 

Meanwhile, Giants pitcher Yusmeiro Petit, who nearly threw a perfect game, is Friday's overall Player of the Day. 

Fernandez pitched seven shutout innings, giving up only one hit and striking out nine in the 7-0 win over the Nationals. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being top player in the game, giving him 19.0 for the season. He moves from second to first in the Box-Toppers player ranking list, passing previous leader Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (18.7 points), who had led since Aug. 17 (see the updated top 10 player rankings list on the home page). This is the first time Fernandez has led in Box-Toppers points this season. 

Though Fernandez' performance Friday was impressive and his Box-Toppers game score of 13.0 would usually be enough to earn Player of the Day honors, there were three other players who had better scores Friday. 

Petit, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 15.0, is Friday's overall top player. Petit was one strike away from a perfect game in the 3-0 win over the Diamondbacks. He gave up one hit with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning. He struck out seven in the complete game shutout.

This is Petit's first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor since Aug. 27, 2009 when he was with the Diamondbacks.

Indians pitcher Scott Kazmir is American League Player of the Day. Kazmir struck out 12 over six scoreless innings in the 8-1 win over the Mets. 

Omar Infante of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Infante went 5-for-6 and drove in six runs in the 16-2 win over the Royals.

Jon Jay of the Cardinals is National League Batter of the Day. Jay went 3-for-4, scored three times and drove in three runs in the 12-8 win over the Pirates.  

Notable: Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee rises to 29th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Lee (8IP 2H 1R 10K W in 2-1 win vs. Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season. 

Petit receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kazmir receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Infante and Jay 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

906	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	15.0	Giants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Yusmeiro Petit (W, 3-0)	9.0	1	0	0	0	7
	14.0	Phillies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Cliff Lee (W, 12-6)	8.0	2	1	1	0	10
AL	14.0	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Scott Kazmir (W, 8-7)	6.0	4	0	0	0	12
	13.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 11-6)	7.0	1	0	0	2	9
BAT	8.0	Tigers	Omar Infante 2B	5	2	5	6	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	7.1	Cubs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Carlos Villanueva (W, 5-8)	2.1	0	0	0	0	5
	7.0	Red Sox	Mike Napoli 1B	3	3	3	4	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	6.0	Orioles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Scott Feldman (W, 5-4)	9.0	5	0	0	1	3
BAT	5.0	Cardinals	Jon Jay CF	4	3	3	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Reds	Joey Votto 1B	2	2	2	2	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Athletics	Josh Donaldson 3B	5	3	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Angels	Mark Trumbo 1B	4	1	1	3	0	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Mariners	Kyle Seager 3B	3	1	1	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Blue Jays	Jose Reyes SS	3	2	1	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Padres	Jesus Guzman PH	1	0	1	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Marlins' Fernandez, Tigers' Scherzer, top players for Saturday, Aug. 24, both rise into top 5 of Box-Toppers player rankings

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Saturday, Aug. 24:

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, Saturday's Player of the Day, rises to second in Box-Toppers player rankings, while Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, American League Player of the Day, rises to fifth. 

Fernandez pitched seven shutout innings, striking out eight, in the 3-0 win over the Rockies. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 18.0 for the season, rising from fourth to second in Box-Toppers season player standings. He trails overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (18.7 points), by only 0.7.

Scherzer pitched six shutout innings, striking out 11, in the 3-0 win over the Mets. Scherzer earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 15.4 for the season, rising to fifth place on Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. 

Jason Castro of the Astros is AL Batter of the Day. Castro hit two homers, drove in three runs and went 3-for-3 in the 8-5 win over the Blue Jays. 

Darwin Barney of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. Barney homered, drove in two runs and went 3-for-4 in the 3-2 win over the Padres.

Notables: Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller rises to 14th in Box-Toppers player rankings and Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann rises to 20th after both earned Player of the Game honors Saturday:

• Miller (7IP 1R 6K W in the 6-2 win vs. the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season.
• Zimmermann (7.2IP 7K W in the 7-2 win vs. the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season. 

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Scherzer receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Castro and Barney 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

824	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	11.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 10-5)	7.0	4	0	0	0	8
AL	10.0	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Max Scherzer (W, 19-1)	6.0	3	0	0	4	11
	8.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Shelby Miller (W, 12-8)	7.0	3	1	1	0	6
BAT	6.0	Astros	Jason Castro C	3	3	3	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jon Lester (W, 12-7)	7.1	3	1	1	4	6
	4.0	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Aroldis Chapman (S, 33)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	3.0	Cubs	Darwin Barney 2B	4	2	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Indians	Jason Kipnis 2B	3	2	2	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jarrod Parker (W, 10-6)	8.0	5	1	1	3	5
	3.0	Diamondbacks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Trevor Cahill (W, 5-10)	4.0	2	0	0	1	2
	2.0	Rays	Evan Longoria 3B	4	1	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	White Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Nate Jones (W, 4-4)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.2	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jordan Zimmermann (W, 15-7)	7.2	8	2	2	1	7
	1.0	Giants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Sergio Romo (S, 31)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1
	0.1	Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jason Vargas (W, 7-5)	6.1	8	1	1	1	5

Pirates' Liriano tops players for Monday, Aug. 19; Marlins' Fernandez rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Monday, Aug. 19:

Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano, Tuesday's Player of the Day, rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player standings, while Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez rises to third. 

Liriano pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 13 in the 3-1 win over the Padres. Liriano earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.7 for the season.

Fernandez rose from eighth to third place in Box-Toppers player season standings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Fernandez (6IP 8K W in the 6-2 win vs. the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.0 for the season. The rookie pitcher, now Box-Toppers top contender for rookie of the year, has earned 10.0 of his 16.0 points since July 1. 

Mets pitcher Dillon Gee is National League Player of the Day. Gee struck out nine over 7 2/3 innings in the 6-1 win over the Twins. 

Nate Schierholtz of the Cubs is NL Batter of the Day. Schierholtz hit two home runs, drove in six runs and went 3-for-4 in the 11-1 win over the Nationals.

A.J. Pierzynski of the Rangers is American League Batter of the Day. Pierzynski homered, drove in five runs and went 4-for-5 in the 16-5 win over the Astros. 

Liriano receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Gee receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Schierholtz and Pierzynski each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

819	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	14.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Francisco Liriano (W, 14-5)	7.0	4	0	0	2	13
NL	8.2	Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Dillon Gee (W, 9-8)	7.2	6	1	0	1	9
BAT	7.0	Cubs	Nate Schierholtz RF	4	2	3	6	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	7.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jarrod Parker (W, 9-6)	9.0	8	1	1	0	8
BAT	6.0	Rangers	A.J. Pierzynski C	5	2	4	5	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 9-5)	6.0	4	2	1	3	8
	3.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jon Lester (W, 11-7)	8.1	6	0	0	2	3
	2.1	Phillies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ethan Martin (W, 2-2)	6.1	4	2	2	2	6
	2.1	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Zach McAllister (W, 6-7)	6.1	5	1	1	2	5
	2.0	Rays	Matt Joyce LF	3	1	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Cardinals	David Freese PH	1	0	1	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Reds	Brandon Phillips 2B	4	2	3	0	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Marlins' Jose Fernandez tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 13, rises to 7th in Box-Toppers player standings

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Tuesday, Aug. 13:

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Tuesday's Player of the Day and rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers player standings for the season. 

Fernandez pitched seven shutout innings in the 1-0, 10-inning win over the Royals. However, Fernandez left with the game tied 0-0 and earned no decision.

Fernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.0 for the season, moving up to seventh place among all players. 

Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees is American League Player of the Day. Soriano hit two homers and drove in six runs in the 14-7 win over the Angels. 

Scooter Gennett of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Gennett hit two homers and drove in three runs in the 5-1 win over the Rangers.  This was Gennett's Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,254th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record-keeping began in 1995.

Notable: Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks rises to 20th place in Box-Toppers player standings for the season after he earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Goldschmidt (2HR including walk-off, 3-5 in 4-3, 11-inning win vs. Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. In addition, he becomes top NL batter in Box-Toppers points, passing Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies (11.0). 

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Soriano receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Gennett receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

813	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.0	`Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez	7.0	3	0	0	1	6
AL	6.0	Yankees	Alfonso Soriano LF	6	3	3	6	0	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Zach McAllister (W, 5-7)	6.0	4	2	1	1	7
	4.0	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Kris Medlen (W, 10-10)	7.0	5	1	1	1	5
	3.1	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			J.J. Hoover (W, 3-5)	2.1	1	0	0	0	2
	3.1	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tim Stauffer (W, 2-1)	1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	3.0	Brewers	Scooter Gennett 2B	4	2	2	3	0	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	`Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ryan Dempster	7.0	4	1	1	2	4
	3.0	`Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Trevor Rosenthal	1.0	1	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Mariners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Danny Farquhar (S, 5)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Diamondbacks	Paul Goldschmidt 1B	5	2	3	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	White Sox	Avisail Garcia RF	4	2	2	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Dodgers	A.J. Ellis C	2	1	1	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.1	Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chia-Jen Lo (S, 1)	1.1	0	0	0	1	1
	1.0	Nationals	Ian Desmond SS	4	2	3	0	0	1			0	0.0	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.

Marlins' Jose Fernandez tops players for Friday, Aug. 2, rises to 8th in player rankings

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Friday, Aug. 2:

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Friday's Player of the Day and rises to eighth place among players in Box-Toppers points for the season.

Fernandez struck out 14 and allowed no runs over eight innings in the 10-0 win over the Indians. He picks up 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.0 points for the season, moving him to eighth place among players this season. 

Nate McLouth of the Orioles is American League Player of the Day. McLouth hit a grand slam and went 2-for-5 in the 11-8 win over the Mariners.

Allen Craig of the Cardinals is National League Batter of the Day. Craig homered and went 3-for-3, driving in three runs, in the 13-3 win over the Reds. 

Notables: Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner maintains his spot at 10th place in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors. Bumgarner (7IP 11K in 4-1 win vs. the Rays) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season. 

Also, Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, another Player of the Game Friday, is now in 13th place among players in Box-Toppers points. Zimmermann (6IP 0R in 4-1 win vs. the Brewers) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. 

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. McLouth receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Craig 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

802	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	18.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 8-5)	8.0	3	0	0	1	14
BAT	6.0	Cardinals	Allen Craig 1B, LF	3	3	3	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	6.0	Giants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Madison Bumgarner (W, 11-6)	7.0	7	1	1	3	11
	4.0	Diamondbacks	Cody Ross LF	5	2	4	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	`Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Dillon Gee	7.0	3	1	1	2	4
	4.0	`Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			David Carpenter (H, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
AL	3.0	Orioles	Nate McLouth LF	5	2	2	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Angels	Chris Nelson 3B	4	2	3	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Rockies	Troy Tulowitzki SS	3	2	2	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jordan Zimmermann (W, 13-6)	6.0	4	0	0	4	5
	2.0	Padres	Will Venable CF	1	1	1	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Twins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ryan Pressly (W, 3-2)	2.0	1	0	0	0	1
	2.0	`Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Neal Cotts	1.0	0	0	0	1	2
	1.0	Dodgers	Nick Punto SS	4	1	2	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Doug Fister (W, 10-5)	8.0	7	1	1	0	2

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

Marlins' Jose Fernandez tops players for Sunday, July 28, rising to 15th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Sunday, July 28:

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Sunday's Player of the Day. Fernandez struck out 13 over eight innings in the 3-2 win over the Pirates.

Fernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season. He rises to 15th place among all players. He is the 22nd player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. 

Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez is American League Player of the Day. Jimenez allowed no runs and two hits over eight innings in the 6-0 win over the Rangers. 

Denard Span of the Nationals is National League Batter of the Day. Span hit a two-run home run and went 4-for-4 in the 14-1 win over the Mets. 

Nick Franklin of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Franklin hit two home runs, drove in four and went 3-for-4 in the 6-4 win over the Twins. 

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Jimenez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Span and Franklin 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

728	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	12.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 7-5)	8.0	5	2	2	0	13
	11.0	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tyson Ross (W, 2-4)	8.0	3	0	0	1	7
AL	9.0	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 8-5)	8.0	2	0	0	3	6
	9.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jon Lester (W, 10-6)	7.0	4	0	0	2	8
	9.0	`Blue Jays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Todd Redmond	6.0	3	1	1	2	10
	7.2	`Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Capuano	6.2	3	0	0	0	4
BAT	6.0	Nationals	Denard Span CF	4	3	4	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	5.0	Mariners	Nick Franklin 2B	4	2	3	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	Cubs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Travis Wood (W, 7-7)	7.0	4	1	0	4	7
	4.0	Yankees	Alfonso Soriano LF	5	2	4	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	`Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Luke Hochevar	2.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Athletics	Eric Sogard 2B	4	2	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Tigers	Jhonny Peralta SS	5	1	2	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Braves	Chris Johnson 3B	4	3	3	0	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Rockies	Michael Cuddyer RF	4	2	2	2	0	1			0	0.0	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.

Marlins' Jose Fernandez, Rays' Matt Moore top players for Monday, July 1

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Monday's Player of the Day. Fernandez pitched eight scoreless innings, gave up only two hits and struck out 10 in the 4-0 win over the Padres. 

Rays pitcher Matt Moore is American League Player of the Day. Moore gave up no runs over seven innings and struck out nine in the 12-0 win over the Astros. Moore rises to 10th place among players in Box-Toppers points for the season (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). He receives 1.7 Box-Toppers points for AL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season and is the 12th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Robinson Cano of the Yankees is AL Batter of the Day. Cano hit two homers and went 3-for-4 in the 10-4 win over the Twins. 

Todd Frazier of the Reds is National League Batter of the Day. Frazier homered, drove in four runs and went 2-for-3 in the 8-1 win over the Giants. 

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Moore receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Cano and Frazier each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

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

701	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	15.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 5-4)	8.0	2	0	0	1	10
AL	11.0	Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Matt Moore (W, 11-3)	7.0	2	0	0	3	9
BAT	6.0	Yankees	Robinson Cano 2B	4	4	3	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	5.0	Reds	Todd Frazier 3B	3	2	2	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Nationals	Jayson Werth RF	5	1	2	5	0	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Blue Jays	Mark DeRosa 1B	4	1	1	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Mets	Andrew Brown LF	2	0	1	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Miguel Cabrera retakes Box-Toppers points lead; Marlins' Jose Fernandez is top player for Saturday, June 1

Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers retakes the Box-Toppers points lead, while Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Saturday's Player of the Day.

Cabrera (grand slam) was Player of the Game ​in the 10-3 win over the Orioles. Cabrera earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 10.7 for the season, putting him back atop the standings (see updated standings on the home page). While Indians pitcher Justin Masterson also has 10.7 points, Cabrera beats him a in tie-breaker because he has more combined points over the 2012-13 seasons.

Player of the Day Fernandez ​struck out eight over seven innings and gave up no runs in the 8-1 win over the Mets.

Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez is American League Player of the Day. ​Jimenez gave up no runs and struck out seven over eight innings in the 5-0 win over the Rays.

Daniel Nava of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Nava homered and went 4-for-6 in the 11-1 win over the Yankees.​

Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks is NL Batter of the Day. Goldschmidt hit a grand slam and went 2-for-5 in the 12-4 win over the Cubs.​

Standings update: Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller rises to sixth place in player standings (see updated standings on the home page) for the 2013 season. Miller (7IP 0R 7K) was Player of the Game in the 8-0 win over the Giants. Miller earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point Saturday, giving him 8.7 for the season.​

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Jimenez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Nava and Goldschmidt 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:

601	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	11.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 3-3)	7.0	3	0	0	1	8
AL	10.0	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 4-3)	8.0	4	0	0	1	7
	9.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Adam Wainwright (W, 8-3)	9.0	8	1	1	0	10
	7.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Shelby Miller (W, 6-3)	7.0	6	0	0	1	7
	6.1	`Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tim Hudson	7.1	3	1	0	1	4
	6.0	`Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Dan Straily	6.0	6	1	1	0	8
	5.0	Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Bud Norris (W, 5-4)	6.0	4	0	0	3	6
BAT	4.0	Red Sox	Daniel Nava LF	6	2	4	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	4.0	Diamondbacks	Paul Goldschmidt 1B	5	3	2	4	1	3			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	`Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			James Shields	7.0	5	1	1	1	5
	3.0	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Mike Leake (W, 5-2)	6.0	7	0	0	1	5
	2.0	Rockies	Michael Cuddyer RF	4	2	2	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Tigers	Miguel Cabrera 3B	4	1	1	4	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Twins	Ryan Doumit C	5	1	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Padres	Everth Cabrera SS	4	0	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Brewers	Jonathan Lucroy C	4	2	2	1	0	1			0	0.0	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.

Cabrera takes over season Box-Toppers points lead; Fernandez is top player for Saturday, May 4

Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers takes over the season lead in Box-Toppers points after winning Saturday's American League Batter of the Day honors. And Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Saturday's Player of the Day.

Cabrera picked up 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, bringing his season total to 7.2 and passing previous leader Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz with 7.1.​

Cabrera went 4-for-4 with two homers and six RBIs in the 17-2 win over the Astros. It is rare for a batter to lead all players in Box-Toppers points—pitchers usually dominate—however, Albert Pujols (then of the Cardinals) led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2009 as late as August, before then-Royals pitcher Zack Greinke eventually took over the lead.

Saturday was the fifth time this season Cabrera has been a Box-Toppers Player of the Game. This is the third time he was AL Batter of the Day. He was overall AL Player of the Day once.​

Fernandez ​won Player of the Day honors by giving up only one hit and striking out nine over seven innings in the 2-0 win over the Phillies.

​Phil Hughes of the Yankees is American League Player of the Day. Hughes pitched eight shutout innings and struck out nine in the 4-2 win over the Athletics.

A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Pollock homered, drove in three and went 2-for-4 in the 8-1 win over the Padres.​

Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Cabrera and Pollock receive 1.5 each 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:

504	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	14.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Fernandez (W, 1-2)	7.0	1	0	0	1	9
AL	11.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Phil Hughes (W, 1-2)	8.0	4	0	0	2	9
BAT	9.0	Tigers	Miguel Cabrera 3B	4	3	4	6	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	7.0	Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeremy Guthrie (W, 4-0)	9.0	4	0	0	1	3
BAT	4.0	Diamondbacks	A.J. Pollock CF	4	3	2	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Rockies	Troy Tulowitzki SS	3	1	3	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Cardinals	Jon Jay CF	3	1	2	4	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Mariners	Michael Saunders CF	5	2	3	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Indians	Jason Kipnis 2B	4	2	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Giants	Pablo Sandoval 3B	4	3	3	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Rangers	Craig Gentry CF	4	1	2	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Nationals	Ryan Zimmerman 3B	2	3	1	0	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Orioles	Nolan Reimold DH	4	2	1	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Reds	Devin Mesoraco PH, C	0	0	0	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0