Nats & Tigers have most players on Box-Toppers' 2014 preseason all-star teams

The Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers lead the way with the most players on Box-Toppers’ 2014 preseason all-star team.

The Nationals have four players on the National League team and the Tigers have three players on the American League team. The teams were selected based on which player had the highest Box-Toppers points total at their position in 2013. (The top three outfielders and top four starting pitchers in each league were also selected.)

Preseason All-Star Team

Here is Box-Toppers' 2014 preseason all-star team, featuring top players in each position in both the American and National Leagues. The column at right (BTP) shows the number of Box-Toppers points the player scored in 2013. Players are listed based on positions they primarily played during 2013. It is expected some players will change positions in 2014, including Miguel Cabrera, moving from third to first base. The bottom four lines list the top overall pitchers and batters in both leagues in 2013.

POS	PLAYER	TEAM	BTP
	AL
1B	Davis, Chris 2478	bal al	12.7
2B	Cano, Robinson 2092	sea al	12.5
SS	Lowrie, Jed 2437	oak al	8.0
3B	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	det al	16.9
CA	McCann, Brian 2179	nyy al	7.0
OF	Soriano, Alfonso 1445	nyy al	12.9
OF	Raburn, Ryan 2340	cle al	9.5
OF	Jones, Adam 2347	bal al	8.0
DH	Ortiz, David	bos al	12.4
SP	Scherzer, Max 2588	det al	18.1
SP	Sanchez, Anibal 2187	det al	17.1
SP	Masterson, Justin 2462	cle al	16.4
SP	Sale, Chris 2806	chi al	16.1
CP	Holland, Greg 2906	kc al	11.0
	NL
1B	Goldschmidt, Paul 2935	ari nl	13.7
2B	Murphy, Daniel 2589	nym nl	8.5
SS	Desmond, Ian 2673	dc nl	5.5
3B	Zimmerman, Ryan 2180	dc nl	9.2
CA	Ramos, Wilson 2904	dc nl	7.5
OF	Cuddyer, Michael 1826	col nl	11.5
OF	Gonzalez, Carlos 2460	col nl	11.0
OF	Harper, Bryce 3011	dc nl	9.4
SP	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	lad nl	21.7
SP	Wainwright, Adam 2150	stl nl	20.2
SP	Greinke, Zack 1871	lad nl	19.4
SP	Fernandez, Jose 3147	fla nl	19.0
CP	Kimbrel, Craig 2825	atl nl	12.7
ALMVP	Scherzer, Max 2588	det al	18.1
ALBAT	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	det al	16.9
NLMVP	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	lad nl	21.7
NLBAT	Goldschmidt, Paul 2935	ari nl	13.7

The four Nationals players include:

• Shortstop Ian Desmond, who had 5.5 Box-Toppers points in 2013.

• Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman with 9.2.

• Catcher Wilson Ramos with 7.5.

• Outfielder Bryce Harper with 9.4.

The three Tigers players include:

• Third baseman Miguel Cabrera with 16.9 (Cabrera is slated to move to first base for the 2014 season). 

• Starting pitcher Max Scherzer with 18.1.

• Starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez with 17.1.

If Cabrera’s move to first base were taken into account, he would bump Chris Davis of the Orioles (12.7 Box-Toppers points) from the AL first base all-star spot. Cabrera’s third base spot would be filled by Josh Donaldson of the Athletics, who had the second-most points among AL third basemen in 2013 with 9.5.

The NL team is led by overall Box-Toppers points leader for 2013, pitcher Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, who had 21.7 points. The top NL batter is first baseman Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks, who had 13.7 Box-Toppers points in 2013.

Scherzer led all AL players with 18.1 Box-Toppers points and Cabrera’s 16.9 led all AL batters.

Five other teams had two players on the all-star teams, the Orioles, the Yankees, the Indians, the Rockies and the Dodgers. 

Two of the all-stars are on new teams in 2014:

• AL second baseman Robinson Cano (12.5 points) moved from the Yankees to the Mariners.

• AL catcher Brian McCann (7.0 points) moved from the Braves to the Yankees.

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?

Box-Toppers predicts Dodgers over Tigers in 2014 World Series

Box-Toppers predicts the Los Angeles Dodgers will defeat the Detroit Tigers in the 2014 World Series.

The predictions are based on the accumulated Box-Toppers points totals of each player on the team’s 2014 roster. So for example, the Dodgers had two of the three highest-ranked players in Box-Toppers points in 2013—pitcher Clayton Kershaw led all players with 21.7 and pitcher Zack Greinke was in third place with 19.4. Both are returning. In addition, the Dodgers signed pitcher Danny Haren and so the 10.4 Box-Toppers points he earned in 2013 with the Nationals are added to the Dodgers’ accumulated point total.

The Tigers, which Box-Toppers predicts will win the American League title, had three players among the top 10 in Box-Toppers points in 2013—pitcher Max Scherzer (18.1, first among AL players), pitcher Anibal Sanchez (17.1) and third baseman Miguel Cabrera (16.9, first among AL batters).

Both the Dodgers and the Tigers reached their league championship series in 2013, but lost. In 2014, Box-Toppers predicts a script-flip of sorts. The two teams that lost their LCS match-ups last year will win and the teams that won those series will lose. Box-Toppers picks last year’s overall champion, the Red Sox, to lose to the Tigers in the AL Championship Series and the Cardinals to lose to the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

Last year, Box-Toppers also picked the Dodgers to win the World Series. It was a pick that looked terrible for nearly half the season as the Dodgers struggled out of the gate and nearly fired manager Don Mattingly. But late in the season, the Dodgers grabbed the overall top spot in Box-Toppers Team Power Rankings before finishing the season at No. 2, just behind the Tigers.

Box-Toppers pick for 2013 AL champion did not fare as well—the Toronto Blue Jays finished last in the AL East, eight games under .500. This year, Box-Toppers predicts they will again finish last in the division.

In addition, Box-Toppers last year picked the eventual champion Red Sox to finish fourth in the AL East, largely based on their late-season swoon in 2012. Last year’s NL champ Cardinals were picked to finish in second in the NL Central, failing to secure a playoff spot.

Here are an overview of the picks:

Here are the prospective divisional winners in the AL:

• East: Red Sox

• Central: Tigers

• West: Rangers

• Wild cards: Rays, Orioles

And in the NL:

• East: Nationals

• Central: Cardinals

• West: Dodgers

• Wild cards: Reds, Braves

Box-Toppers' 2014 Preseason Predictions

Box-Toppers picks the Dodgers to beat the Tigers in the 2014 World Series. Here is the predicted order of finish of all 30 teams in their divisions.

	2014 PICKS
	AL
	EAST	CENTRAL	WEST
1	Red Sox*	Tigers*	Rangers*
2	Rays**	Indians	Athletics
3	Orioles**	Royals	Angels
4	Yankees	Twins	Mariners
5	Blue Jays	White Sox	Astros
	NL
	EAST	CENTRAL	WEST
1	Nationals*	Cardinals*	Dodgers*
2	Braves**	Reds**	Giants
3	Mets	Pirates	D-Backs
4	Phillies	Brewers	Padres
5	Marlins	Cubs	Rockies

* Division winner, **Wild card
ALCS: Tigers over Red Sox
NLCS: Dodgers over Cardinals
World Series: Dodgers over Tigers

Adrian Gonzalez, top player for Wednesday, Oct. 16, keeps Dodgers alive in NLCS; Austin Jackson top player in Tigers' ALCS win

Adrian Gonzalez hit two home runs to keep the Dodgers alive in the National League Championship Series and is Wednesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Gonzalez, who also went 3-for-4 and scored three times, led the Dodgers to a 6-4 win over the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLCS. The Cardinals now lead the best-of-seven series three games to two as the series returns to St. Louis for Game 6 on Friday.

Gonzalez had 5.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 175th among all players. 

Meanwhile, Austin Jackson of the Tigers is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the American League Championship Series Game 4. Jackson went 2-for-2, walked twice and drove in two runs in the 7-3 win over the Red Sox, to tie the best-of-seven ALCS at two games apiece. Game 5 is Thursday in Detroit.

Jackson had 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the regular season, ranking 576th overall. 

Coming Thursday: The American League Championship Series continues Thursday. Here is the pitching match-up:

ALCS Game 5, Red Sox at Tigers, series tied 2-2

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page)

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1016	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	4.0	Dodgers	Adrian Gonzalez 1B	4	3	3	2	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
AL	3.0	Tigers	Austin Jackson CF	2	1	2	2	2	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Anibal Sanchez (6IP 0H 12K) leads Tigers in Game 1 ALCS win; Wacha tops players in Cards' Game 2 NLCS win for Saturday, Oct. 12

Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who gave up no hits over six innings and struck out 12, is Saturday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Sanchez led the Tigers to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox in Game 1 of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. Five Tigers pitchers combined to give up only one Red Sox hit—and that came with one out in the ninth inning. 

Sanchez threw 116 pitches over six innings, walking six batters. Sanchez had 17.1 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked seventh overall.

Meanwhile, Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is Box-Toppers National League Player of the Day, pitching 6 2/3 shutout innings and striking out eight in the 1-0 win over the Dodgers. The Cardinals now have a two games to zero lead over the Dodgers in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.

Wacha had 3.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked 361st overall. It is the second time this postseason Wacha has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Day Oct. 7 in Game 4 of the NL Division Series against the Pirates. (If Box-Toppers points were kept during the postseason, Wacha would have 3.7 points in the past two games, more than his entire regular season total.) Wacha outdueled Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, who with 21.7 Box-Toppers points, was top player for the season.

Pitchers naturally dominated Box-Toppers game scores in Saturday's two LCS games since the minimum possible number of runs were scored in both games—both games were 1-0 shutouts. 

Coming Sunday: The American League Championship Series continues with Game 2 in Boston. Here is the pitching match-up:

ALCS Game 2, Tigers lead Red Sox 1-0

Tigers: Max Scherzer, 18.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1012	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	12.0	Tigers		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Anibal Sanchez (W, 1-1)	6.0	0	0	0	6	12
NL	8.2	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Michael Wacha (W, 2-0)	6.2	5	0	0	1	8

Cardinals' PH Descalso tops players with walk-off run in 13-inning NLCS Game 1 win, Friday, Oct. 11

Pinch hitter Daniel Descalso, who singled and scored the walk-off run in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Cardinals won Game 1 of the National League Championship Series is Friday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Descalso only had a Box-Toppers game score of 1.0, but it was still more than his Cardinals teammates in the 3-2 win over the Dodgers, allowing the Cardinals to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. 

Descalso had 2.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 367th among all players. 

Coming Saturday: All four remaining playoff teams are in action Saturday in the league championship series. Here are pitching match-ups:

ALCS Game 1, Tigers at Red Sox

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall

NLCS Game 2, Cardinals lead Dodgers 1-0

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, 21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Cardinals: Michael Wacha, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 361st overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1011	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	1.0	Cardinals	Daniel Descalso PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0		0.0	0	0	0	0	0

ALCS Preview: Tigers, with 3 best AL players in Box-Toppers rankings, may have slight edge on Red Sox

The American League Championship Series beginning Saturday features Box-Toppers' top-ranked AL teams and Box-Toppers' three best AL players—who all happen to be Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers may have a slight edge over the Boston Red Sox as they prepare to face off in the best-of-seven series beginning in Boston.

The Tigers were No. 1 in Box-Toppers Team Rankings at the close of the season with 123.4 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox ranked fourth overall (second in the AL) with 121.7 points. However, the Red Sox had the better actual winning percentage (.599 vs. .574), giving them home-field advantage for the series. The Red Sox were tied for the best win-loss record in baseball. The Tigers had the sixth-best record—third in the AL, behind the Red Sox and Athletics.

The Tigers beat the Athletics in the American League Division series, three games to two. The Athletics had 115.3 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked eighth overall. The Red Sox beat the Rays in their ALDS, three games to one. The Rays had 119.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth.

The Tigers have the top three AL players in Box-Toppers points for the season:

• Pitcher Max Scherzer has 18.1 Box-Toppers points and is ranked fifth among all Major League players (see the Player Rankings Top 10 list on the home page).
• Pitcher Anibal Sanchez has 17.1 Box-Toppers points and is ranked seventh among all players.
• Third baseman Miguel Cabrera has 16.9 Box-Toppers points, leads among all Major League batters and is the only batter in the Player Rankings Top 10, in eighth place overall.

The Red Sox top player in Box-Toppers rankings is pitcher Jon Lester with 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has 12.4 Box-Toppers points and is ranked 36th overall, fifth among all AL batters.

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the four most likely starting pitchers, the team's top closer and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player's Box-Toppers points earned in 2013, along with their overall rank among players for the season.

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 15 key players from each team, the Tigers have 104 points and the Red Sox 97.2.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Tigers also have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Tigers have the edge in eight positions, the Red Sox in seven.

The Red Sox have more highly ranked batters than the Tigers. In a position-by-position match-up of the starting nine, the Red Sox have Box-Toppers-superior players in six positions, the Tigers in three (though one of the three is at third base, where Miguel Cabrera beats Will Middlebrooks 16.9 Box-Toppers points to 1.0).

The Tigers dominate pitching match-ups in each category except closer, where Red Sox pitcher Koji Uehara has 6.0 Box-Toppers point while Tigers pitcher Joaquin Benoit has 1.0.

Coming Saturday: Here is the pitching match-up for Game 1 of the AL Championship Series:

ALCS Game 1, Tigers at Red Sox

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.

AL Championship Series player comparisons 

Likely starting players for the Red Sox and Tigers listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2013 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

	Red Sox	BTP	Rank		Tigers	BTP	Rank
1B	Mike Napoli	5.0	170		Prince Fielder	8.5	78
2B	Dustin Pedroia	3.5	286		Omar Infante	4.5	221
SS	Stephen Drew	6.0	143		Jhonny Peralta	3.0	347
3B	Will Middlebrooks	1.0	573		Miguel Cabrera	16.9	8
CA	Jarod Saltalamacchia	4.5	228		Alex Avila	3.0	334
CF	Jacob Ellsbury	5.5	161		Austin Jackson	1.0	576
LF	Jonny Gomes	6.0	156		Don Kelly	0.0	885
RF	Shane Victorino	4.5	224		Torii Hunter	4.0	248
DH	David Ortiz	12.4	36		Victor Martinez	4.2	235
SP	Jon Lester	12.7	34		Max Scherzer	18.1	5
SP	Clay Buchholz	11.1	41		Anibal Sanchez	17.1	7
SP	Jake Peavy	8.0	84		Justin Verlander	10.0	53
SP	John Lackey	6.0	148		Doug Fister	6.7	113
CP	Koji Uehara	6.0	149		Joaquin Benoit	1.0	628
PI	Felix Doubront	5.0	179		Rick Porcello	6.0	139

Dodgers' Hanley Ramirez tops players in Sunday, Oct. 6's NLDS games

Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers is Sunday's Player of the Day in the two National League Division Series playoff games. 

Ramirez scored three runs and went 3-for-4 in the 13-6 win over the Braves to take a 2-1 series lead for the Dodgers. Ramirez had 5.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 177th overall, second among all NL shortstops. 

Marlon Byrd of the Pirates is Sunday's other Player of the Game. Byrd drove in two runs and went 2-for-3 in the 5-3 win over the Cardinals to take a 2-1 series lead for the Pirates. Byrd had 5.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 164th overall. 

 Coming Monday: All four League Division Series continue Monday. Three of the four series could be decided. Here are the pitching match-ups:

ALDS Game 3, Athletics at Tigers, series tied 1-1

Athletics: Jarrod Parker, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 138th overall

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the top 10 Player Rankings list on the home page)

NLDS Game 4, Pirates lead Cardinals 2-1

Cardinals: Michael Wacha, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 361st overall

Pirates: Charlie Morton, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 344th overall

ALDS Game 3, Red Sox lead Rays 2-0

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st overall

Rays: Alex Cobb, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 58th overall

NLDS Game 4, Dodgers lead Braves 2-1

Braves: Freddy Garcia, 1.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 509th overall

Dodgers: Ricky Nolasco, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 60th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1006	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	4.0	Dodgers	Hanley Ramirez SS	4	3	3	2	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Pirates	Marlon Byrd RF	3	1	2	2	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Detroit Tigers take Box-Toppers power rankings lead back from Los Angeles Dodgers

The Detroit Tigers have retaken the top spot in Box-Toppers power rankings, passing the leader for the previous two weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In this, the penultimate (and also next-to-last) look at team power rankings before the end of the season, Tigers players have accumulated 118.9 Box-Toppers points. They were the hottest team in the American League during the past week, picking up 6.2 Box-Toppers points. In addition, the three top AL players in Box-Toppers points are Tigers: 

• Pitcher Max Scherzer has 17.1 Box-Toppers points, leads all AL players and is in sixth place overall in player rankings.
• Pitcher Anibal Sanchez has 17.1 points and is in seventh place overall in player rankings.
• Third baseman Miguel Cabrera has 16.9 points, leads all AL batters and is in eight place overall in player rankings. 

This marks a return to the top spot for the Tigers. They were in first in Box-Toppers rankings for four straight weeks, the last time Aug. 29, before losing the top spot to the surging Dodgers the past two weeks.

The Dodgers remain the top National League team with 117.7 Box-Toppers points, though they only scored 2.5 over the past week, falling from first to second place overall.

The hottest team of the past week, the San Diego Padres, picked up 7.7 Box-Toppers points and now have 79.3 points, in 22nd place overall. 

Several teams contending for playoff berths had relatively bad weeks. The New York Yankees picked up only 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving them 96.7 in 14th place overall. The Texas Rangers picked up only 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving them 104.0, slipping from eighth to 10th in rankings. The Atlanta Braves also picked up only 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving them 101.5, slipping from 10th to 11th place. 

The team with the best actual winning percentage, the Boston Red Sox (.604), maintained their spot in third place in Box-Toppers power rankings and are 1.7 points behind the Tigers, within striking distance of catching them during the upcoming final week of the season.

The Braves have the best actual record in the NL (.592), but are in 11th place in Box-Toppers rankings, behind four other NL teams. 

The Box-Toppers-power-rankings-leader Tigers are tied for the fourth-best record in baseball (.582). 

The St. Louis Cardinals, who led Box-Toppers team power rankings much of the season, remain in fourth place overall and second in the NL, with 113.4 Box-Toppers points. They are 4.3 points behind the NL-leading Dodgers, giving them an outside chance to take the NL lead during the final week of the season.

Top 10 teams

Through Thursday, Sept. 19

919	Top 10 Teams	BTP	BTP/wk	Last week rank
1	Tigers	118.9	6.2	2
2	Dodgers	117.7	2.5	1
3	Red Sox	117.2	5.5	3
4	Cardinals	113.4	5.0	4
5	Rays	109.1	5.0	7
6	Pirates	108.6	2.7	5
7	Reds	108.2	4.0	6
8	Athletics	107.1	5.7	9
9	Indians	104.9	5.5	11
10	Rangers	104.0	2.0	8

BTP: Box-Toppers points total. Accumulated points of all players on team in 2013 season.

BTP/wk: Box-Toppers points for the team for the past week, through games on Thursday.

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.

Nats' Haren tops players for Wednesday, Sept. 11; Tigers' Sanchez rises to 10th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Nationals pitcher Dan Haren is Wednesday's Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Haren pitched six scoreless innings, giving up only one hit and striking out eight, in the 3-0 win over the Mets. 

Sanchez, American League Player of the Day, rises to 10th on the season's Box-Toppers player rankings (see the top 10 player list on the home page). Sanchez pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings and struck out 10 in the 1-0 win over the White Sox. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 16.1 for the season. 

Mike Carp of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Carp hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the top of the 10th inning to beat the Rays, 7-3. 

Jack Hannahan of the Reds is National League Batter of the Day. Hannahan homered and drove in three runs in the 6-0 win over the Cubs. 

Notables: Four other players who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday are among the top 30 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season: 

• Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn rises to 17th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (6IP 0ER 10K ND in 5-1 win vs. Brewers), giving him 14.1 for the season.
• Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks rises to 26th place and remains the top-ranked NL batter. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (4-5 2RBI in 4-1 win vs. Dodgers), giving him 12.7 for the season. 
• Robinson Cano of the Yankees rises to 27th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (HR 2-4 2RBI in 5-4 win vs. Orioles), giving him 12.5 for the season.
• Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee rises to 28th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (8IP 9K W in 4-2 win vs. Padres), giving him 12.4 for the season.

Haren receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Sanchez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Carp and Hannahan 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

911	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	12.0	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Dan Haren (W, 9-13)	6.0	1	0	0	1	8
AL	8.1	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez (W, 14-7)	7.1	5	0	0	4	10
	8.0	`Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Lance Lynn	6.0	5	1	0	2	10
	7.0	Phillies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Cliff Lee (W, 13-6)	8.0	5	2	2	1	9
	6.0	Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			James Shields (W, 11-9)	8.0	4	2	2	1	7
BAT	5.0	Red Sox	Mike Carp PH	1	1	1	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Athletics	Jed Lowrie SS	4	2	2	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	4.0	Reds	Jack Hannahan PH	1	1	1	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Brad Peacock (W, 5-5)	6.0	3	1	1	1	4
	3.0	Marlins	Giancarlo Stanton RF	3	1	2	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Kyle Farnsworth (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Diamondbacks	Paul Goldschmidt 1B	5	0	4	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Yankees	Robinson Cano 2B	4	1	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Angels	Josh Hamilton DH	3	1	3	0	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Giants	Angel Pagan PH, CF	1	1	1	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.

Padres' Kennedy tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 21, Dodgers' Greinke rises to 8th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Wednesday, Aug. 21:

Padres pitcher Ian Kennedy is Wednesday's Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers points among players this season. 

Kennedy pitched seven shutout innings, striking out eight, in the 2-1 win over the Pirates. 

Greinke rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player standings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Greinke (8IP 1R 7K W in the 4-1 win vs. the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.7 for the season. 

Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez is American League Player of the Day. Sanchez struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings in the 7-1 win over the Twins. Sanchez left the game with the Tigers trailing 1-0, so was not eligible for the win. Sanchez rises to 11th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 for the season.

Shin-Soo Choo of the Reds is National League Batter of the Day. Choo homered, drove in three runs and went 4-for-5 in the 10-7 win over the Diamondbacks. 

Dayan Viciedo of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Viciedo hit a grand slam and went 3-for-4 in the 5-2 win over the Royals. 

Kennedy receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Sanchez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Choo and Viciedo 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

821	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	8.0	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ian Kennedy (W, 5-9)	7.0	4	0	0	3	8
	7.0	Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Zack Greinke (W, 12-3)	8.0	6	1	1	0	7
	6.0	`Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jordan Walden	2.0	0	0	0	0	4
BAT	5.0	Reds	Shin-Soo Choo CF	5	3	4	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
AL	4.2	`Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez	6.2	6	1	1	2	8
BAT	4.0	White Sox	Dayan Viciedo LF	4	1	3	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Nationals	Scott Hairston PH	1	1	1	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Mariners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Danny Farquhar (S, 9)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Felix Doubront (W, 9-6)	8.0	5	1	1	1	3
	3.0	`Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Cody Allen (H, 7)	1.0	1	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Phillies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jake Diekman (W, 1-3)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Rangers	Craig Gentry LF	3	3	1	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			David Huff (W, 1-0)	5.0	1	0	0	4	2
	1.0	Cardinals	Carlos Beltran RF	5	2	2	2	0	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Orioles	Adam Jones CF	4	1	2	2	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.

Athletics' Sonny Gray (8IP 0R 9K) tops players for Thursday, Aug. 15

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Thursday, Aug. 15:

Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray is Thursday's Player of the Day. Gray pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 5-0 win over the Astros. 

It is Gray's Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,259th player to debut on Box-Toppers since record-keeping began in 1995. 

Reds pitcher Tony Cingrani is National League Player of the Day. Cingrani struck out nine over 6 1/3 innings in the 2-1 win over the Brewers. 

Wil Myers of the Rays is American League Batter of the Day. He went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs in the 7-1 win over the Mariners. 

Hector Sanchez of the Giants is NL Batter of the Day. He hit a pinch-hit three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to beat the Nationals, 4-3.

Notable: Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez rose to 18th place in Box-Toppers player season standings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Sanchez (7.1IP 1R 5K W in the 4-1 win vs. the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season. 

Gray receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Cingrani receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Myers and Sanchez 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

815	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	12.0	Athletics	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Sonny Gray (W, 1-1)	8.0	4	0	0	1	9
NL	8.1	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tony Cingrani (W, 6-2)	6.1	4	1	1	1	9
	8.0	`Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Zack Wheeler	6.0	7	1	1	1	12
BAT	5.0	Rays	Wil Myers DH	4	2	3	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	Angels	Chris Nelson 3B	4	2	2	5	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	4.0	Giants	Hector Sanchez PH	1	1	1	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Kevin Siegrist (W, 1-1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.1	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez (W, 11-7)	7.1	7	1	1	1	5
	1.0	Twins	Chris Herrmann PH	1	0	1	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Blue Jays	Mark DeRosa PH, 1B	0	0	0	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' Nathan Eovaldi (7IP 1H 0R 8K ND) tops players for Saturday, Aug. 10

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Saturday, Aug. 10:

Marlins pitcher Nathan Eovaldi is Saturday's Player of the Day. Eovaldi gave up one hit and no runs over seven innings, striking out nine, in the 1-0 win over the Braves. Eovaldi, however, did not pick up the win, leaving with the game tied 0-0.

Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez is American League Player of the Day. Sanchez struck out eight over seven innings in the 9-3 win over the Yankees. 

Sanchez is now in 18th place in season player Box-Toppers points. Sanchez earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.7 for the season.  

Jayson Werth of the Nationals is National League Batter of the Day. Werth homered, drove in three and went 3-for-5 in the 8-5 win over the Phillies. 

Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Bautista hit a two-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 5-4 win over the Athletics.  

Notable: Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke is now in 13th place in season player Box-Toppers points. Greinke (6.1IP 0R 7K W in the 5-0 win vs. the Rays) was Player of the Game, earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season.

Eovaldi receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Sanchez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Werth and Bautista 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

810	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			Nathan Eovaldi	7.0	1	0	0	3	8
	9.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tom Gorzelanny (W, 3-4)	7.0	3	0	0	2	7
	6.1	Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Zack Greinke (W, 10-3)	6.1	6	0	0	1	7
AL	6.0	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez (W, 10-7)	7.0	4	2	2	1	8
	5.0	`Giants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chad Gaudin	5.0	2	1	0	3	6
BAT	4.0	Nationals	Jayson Werth RF	5	3	3	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Cubs	Welington Castillo C	1	2	1	2	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	3.0	Blue Jays	Jose Bautista RF	4	2	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tyson Ross (W, 3-5)	7.0	4	1	1	4	6
	2.1	Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Zack Wheeler (W, 5-2)	6.1	6	1	1	0	4
	2.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Brandon Workman (W, 3-1)	1.1	2	0	0	0	3
	2.0	White Sox	Jordan Danks RF	2	2	1	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Rockies	Jonathan Herrera 2B	1	1	1	1	3	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Angels	J.B. Shuck LF	3	0	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Rangers	Alex Rios RF	3	1	2	1	1	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.

Royals' Jeremy Guthrie tops players for Monday, Aug. 5

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Monday, Aug. 5:

Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie is Monday's Player of the Day. Guthrie pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out seven, in the 13-0 win over the Twins. 

Giants pitcher Chad Gaudin is National League Player of the Day. Gaudin struck out eight and gave up one run over 6 1/3 innings (but earned no decision) in the 4-2 win over the Brewers. 

Alex Rios of the White Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Rios drove in four runs and went 2-for-4 in the 8-1 win over the Yankees. 

Notable: Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez became the 25th player this season to earn 10.0 or more Box-Toppers for the season. Sanchez (7.2 IP 11K ND in the 4-2 win vs. the Indians) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 10.0 for the season, putting him in 25th place in Box-Toppers points among players this season.

Guthrie receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Gaudin receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Rios receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

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

805	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	11.0	Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeremy Guthrie (W, 12-7)	9.0	4	0	0	1	7
	8.2	`Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez	7.2	4	2	2	2	11
	5.1	Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Josh Fields (S, 1)	1.1	0	0	0	0	4
NL	4.1	`Giants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chad Gaudin	6.1	4	1	1	4	8
	3.2	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			David Carpenter (W, 3-0)	1.2	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	3.0	White Sox	Alex Rios RF	4	1	2	4	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Paco Rodriguez (S, 2)	2.0	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	Blue Jays	Mark DeRosa PH, 1B	1	0	1	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.1	Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Martin Perez (W, 4-3)	6.1	4	2	2	4	7

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

All-Star rosters include most Box-Toppers points leaders, only a few minor snubs

With the 2013 All-Star Game here, it's time for a Box-Toppers examination of the choices for the game by fans and the managers.

Overall, not bad. The players with the highest Box-Toppers points totals in each league were almost always named to the American League and National League teams. 

For example, Box-Toppers points leader and Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin was named to the NL roster (though Mets pitcher Matt Harvey was named the game's starter). And AL points leader and Indians pitcher Justin Masterson was named to the AL roster (though Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer was named AL starter).

The player with the most Box-Toppers points this season who was not selected as an All-Star is Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller, who has 11.4 Box-Toppers points, the fifth highest among NL pitchers and more than NL starter Harvey (11.0). 

Other notable snubs (a full list is in the chart below) include:

• Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez, the AL player with the most Box-Toppers points (8.0) left off the roster.
• Yunel Escobar of the Rays, who has more Box-Toppers points than any other AL shortstop (4.5). 
• J.P. Arencibia of the Blue Jays, who has more points than any other AL catcher (5.5). 
• Athletics outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Reddick, who are among the top three AL outfielders in Box-Toppers points. Both have 4.5. 
• Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals, who has more points than any other NL third basemen (6.7).

The elected starters for the AL are generally stronger than the starters for the NL in terms of Box-Toppers points and player rankings (see the charts at right). Five players are among the top one or two players in Box-Toppers points at their position among AL starters, while only three players in the NL can say the same.

The chart shows the players Box-Toppers points for the season, BTP, and their rank according to their field position in their league. Generally speaking, the the lower the rank by position number, the better. For example, Chris Davis, Miguel Cabrera, David Ortiz and Carlos Gonzalez all rank No. 1 among players in their respective positions. However, elected NL starter Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals, ranks only 39th among NL outfielders in Box-Toppers points for the season.

While the NL starting line-up is not as strong as the AL line-up, the NL reserves include most of the players leading in Box-Toppers points at their position. For example, in the reserves and pitchers chart at the right below the elected starters, you can see that four NL players leading in Box-Toppers points in their position were selected to the team by NL manager Bruce Bochy of the Giants. They include:

• Brian McCann of the Braves, leading among NL catchers with 7.0 Box-Toppers points.
• Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks, leading among NL first basemen with 9.7 Box-Toppers points. 
• Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals, leading among NL second basemen with 6.0 Box-Toppers points. 
• Everth Cabrera of the Padres, leading among NL shortstops with 4.5 Box-Toppers points. 

Often, players are chosen to the All-Star for sentimental and nostalgic reasons. That might seem to be the case for Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who has only 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season and ranks 137th among AL pitchers in points. And though he's having a strong year (30 saves in 32 chances and a 1.83 ERA), he hasn't picked up a lot of Box-Toppers points since he hasn't been the player who most contributed to the win in most of the games in which he's appeared. Still, Rivera has a very strong career Box-Toppers total. He has 122.4 career Box-Toppers points, 26th among all players since 1995 and second among closing pitchers only to Trevor Hoffman (129.4).  Even if he weren't having a great year statistically, his career Box-Toppers numbers would cry out for his selection to the All-Star Game in this, the year he is retiring.

Box-Toppers is set up to determine the players who most help 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. These top players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game. Among each day's top players, bonus points are awarded for the top players and batters of the day in each league. Players accumulate points through the season to provide a data point for comparison, such as determining which players are most worthy as All-Stars. 

ALL-STAR GAME TOP SNUBS
AL PLAYERS	POS	TEAM	BTP	RANK BY POS.
Anibal Sanchez	PI SP	Tigers	8.0	10
Derek Holland	PI SP	Rangers	7.7	11
Joe Saunders	PI SP	Mariners	7.7	12
R.A. Dickey	PI SP	Blue Jays	6.7	13
Hiroki Kuroda	PI SP	Yankees	6.7	14
Josh Donaldson	3B	Athletics	6.5	2
Yunel Escobar	SS	Rays	4.5	1
J.P. Arencibia	CA	Blue Jays	5.5	1
Yoenis Cespedes	OF	Athletics	4.5	2
Josh Reddick	OF	Athletics	4.5	3
NL PLAYERS	POS	TEAM	BTP	RANK BY POS.
Shelby Miller	PI SP	Cardinals	11.4	5
Zack Greinke	PI SP	Dodgers	10.7	8
Lance Lynn	PI SP	Cardinals	10.4	9
Gio Gonzalez	PI SP	Nationals	8.7	11
Mat Latos	PI SP	Reds	8.7	12
Ryan Zimmerman	3B	Nationals	6.7	1

ALL-STAR GAME ELECTED STARTERS
AL PLAYERS	POS	TEAM	BTP	RANK BY POS.
Chris Davis	1B	Orioles	10.2	1
Robinson Canó	2B	Yankees	7.0	2
J. J. Hardy	SS	Orioles	3.0	4
Miguel Cabrera	3B	Tigers	13.4	1
Joe Mauer	C	Twins	5.0	2
Mike Trout	OF	Angels	3.5	9
Adam Jones	OF	Orioles	3.5	10
José Bautista	OF	Blue Jays	1.5	32
David Ortiz	DH	Red Sox	8.2	1
NL PLAYERS	POS	TEAM	BTP	RANK BY POS.
Joey Votto	1B	Reds	1.5	14
Brandon Phillips	2B	Reds	5.0	2
Troy Tulowitzki	SS	Rockies	2.0	7
David Wright	3B	Mets	1.0	12
Yadier Molina	C	Cardinals	3.0	5
Carlos Beltrán	OF	Cardinals	1.5	39
Carlos González	OF	Rockies	9.5	1
Bryce Harper	OF	Nationals	6.9	2

ALL-STAR GAME RESERVES & PITCHERS
AL PLAYERS	POS	TEAM	BTP	RANK BY POS.
Jason Castro	C	Astros	2.0	7
Salvador Pérez	C	Royals	0.0	18
Prince Fielder	1B	Tigers	3.5	7
Jason Kipnis	2B	Indians	7.0	1
Dustin Pedroia	2B	Red Sox	1.5	9
Ben Zobrist	2B	Rays	2.0	6
Manny Machado	3B	Orioles	1.0	14
Jhonny Peralta	SS	Tigers	1.0	11
Nelson Cruz	OF	Rangers	4.5	1
Alex Gordon	OF	Royals	1.0	42
Torii Hunter	OF	Tigers	1.0	43
Edwin Encarnación	DH	Blue Jays	5.7	2
Justin Masterson	PI SP	Indians	13.7	1
Matt Moore	PI SP	Rays	13.1	2
Chris Sale	PI SP	White Sox	10.7	3
Félix Hernández	PI SP	Mariners	10.4	4
Clay Buchholz	PI SP	Red Sox	10.1	5
Yu Darvish	PI SP	Rangers	10.0	6
Max Scherzer	PI SP	Tigers	9.7	7
Hisashi Iwakuma	PI SP	Mariners	9.7	8
Justin Verlander	PI SP	Tigers	8.0	9
Bartolo Colón	PI SP	Athletics	6.7	15
Greg Holland	PI CP	Royals	6.0	20
Glen Perkins	PI CP	Twins	6.0	21
Chris Tillman	PI SP	Orioles	4.0	35
Joe Nathan	PI CP	Rangers	3.0	59
Grant Balfour	PI CP	Athletics	3.0	60
Brett Cecil	PI MR	Blue Jays	2.0	93
Jesse Crain	PI MR	White Sox	2.0	96
Steve Delabar	PI MR CP	Blue Jays	1.0	112
Mariano Rivera	PI CP	Yankees	1.0	137
NL PLAYERS	POS	TEAM	BTP	RANK BY POS.
Buster Posey	C	Giants	6.0	2
Brian McCann	C	Braves	7.0	1
Paul Goldschmidt	1B	Diamondbacks	9.7	1
Allen Craig	1B	Cardinals	1.0	15
Freddie Freeman	1B	Braves	6.5	2
Matt Carpenter	2B	Cardinals	6.0	1
Marco Scutaro	2B	Giants	0.0	18
Pedro Álvarez	3B	Pirates	6.2	2
Everth Cabrera	SS	Padres	4.5	1
Jean Segura	SS	Brewers	2.5	6
Domonic Brown	OF	Phillies	3.5	15
Michael Cuddyer	OF	Rockies	6.5	3
Carlos Gómez	OF	Brewers	2.0	35
Andrew McCutchen	OF	Pirates	2.0	27
Patrick Corbin	PI SP	Diamondbacks	14.4	1
Clayton Kershaw	PI SP	Dodgers	12.7	2
Madison Bumgarner	PI SP	Giants	11.7	3
Adam Wainwright	PI SP	Cardinals	11.7	4
Matt Harvey	PI SP	Mets	11.0	6
Jordan Zimmermann	PI SP	Nationals	10.7	7
Cliff Lee	PI SP	Phillies	9.4	10
José Fernández	PI SP	Marlins	8.0	14
Aroldis Chapman	PI CP	Reds	6.0	18
Jason Grilli	PI CP	Pirates	5.7	29
Travis Wood	PI CP	Cubs	5.0	33
Jeff Locke	PI SP	Pirates	5.0	36
Craig Kimbrel	PI CP	Braves	3.0	52
Edward Mujica	PI CP	Cardinals	3.0	58
Sergio Romo	PI CP	Giants	2.0	77
Mark Melancon	PI MR	Pirates	1.0	121

BTP: Box-Toppers points for the current season.

RANK BY POS.: A players ranking among players in the same position for the current season. 

Tigers' Anibal Sanchez, Giants' Tim Lincecum top players for Tuesday, June 4

Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez is Tuesday's Player of the Day. Sanchez struck out nine and allowed only one run over seven innings in the 10-1 win over the Tigers.

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is National League Player of the Day. Lincecum gave up just one run over seven innings in the 2-1 win over the Blue Jays. 

Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. In his second Major League game, Puig homered twice, drove in five runs and went 3-for-4 in the 9-7 win over the Padres. This was Puig's Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has been Player of the Game, and he is the 3,193rd player to debut since 1995, when Box-Toppers record-keeping began.

Mike Carp of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Carp homered and went 3-for-4 in the 17-5 win over the Rangers. 

Sanchez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lincecum receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Puig and Carp 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:

604	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.0	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez (W, 6-5)	7.0	4	1	1	1	9
	8.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			David Phelps (W, 4-3)	6.0	1	0	0	4	7
	7.0	Orioles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Tillman (W, 5-2)	7.0	4	1	1	2	8
NL	7.0	Giants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tim Lincecum (W, 4-5)	7.0	3	1	1	1	6
BAT	6.0	Dodgers	Yasiel Puig RF	4	2	3	5	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	6.0	Phillies	John Mayberry PH, RF	3	2	2	5	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	5.0	Red Sox	Mike Carp LF	4	3	3	3	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	`Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jordan Zimmermann	8.0	4	2	0	1	4
	5.0	Twins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Samuel Deduno (W, 2-1)	6.0	4	0	0	2	5
	4.0	Mariners	Raul Ibanez DH	4	2	2	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Diamondbacks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Josh Collmenter (W, 2-0)	4.0	4	0	0	1	5
	2.2	Rockies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Josh Outman (W, 2-0)	0.2	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Angels	Albert Pujols 1B	3	1	1	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	`Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Mike Minor	6.0	4	4	2	0	6
	1.0	Brewers	Yuniesky Betancourt PH, 1B	1	0	1	1	1	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.

Anibal Sanchez, 1 hit from no-hitter, is top player for Friday, May 24

Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who was two outs short of a no-hitter, is Friday's Player of the Day.

Sanchez gave up only one hit—with one out in the ninth—and struck out 12 in the complete game 6-0 shutout of the Twins.

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn is National League Player of the Day. Lynn pitched six shutout innings and struck out nine in the 7-0 win over the Dodgers.​

Chris Young of the Athletics is American League Batter of the Day. Young hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-5 in the 6-5 win over the Astros.​

A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Pollock went 3-for-4 in the 5-2 win over the Padres.​

Sanchez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Lynn receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Young and Pollock receive 1.5 each 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:

524	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	17.0	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez (W, 5-4)	9.0	1	0	0	3	12
NL	12.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Lance Lynn (W, 7-1)	6.0	2	0	0	1	9
	9.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			John Lackey (W, 3-4)	7.0	2	1	0	3	8
	9.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Marco Estrada (W, 4-2)	7.0	4	1	1	0	8
	5.0	Rockies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tyler Chatwood (W, 3-0)	6.0	4	0	0	1	4
BAT	3.0	Athletics	Chris Young RF	5	2	3	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Rangers	Jeff Baker LF	2	1	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.2	Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Garrett Richards (S, 1)	1.2	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Orioles	Nick Markakis RF	5	1	3	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Reds	Brandon Phillips 2B	4	2	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Rafael Soriano (S, 14)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.2	White Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Nate Jones (W, 1-4)	0.2	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Yankees	Lyle Overbay 1B	5	2	2	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	1.0	Diamondbacks	A.J. Pollock CF	4	1	3	1	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Sanchez, Zimmermann top players for Friday, April 26

Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who struck out 17 Braves, is Friday's Player of the Day. Sanchez also gave up no runs, one walk and five hits in eight innings in the 10-0 win.

Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, who threw a one-hit, complete game shutout against the Reds, is National League Player of the Day. Zimmermann struck out four and gave up only one walk in the 1-0 win.​

David Ross of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Ross hit two home runs and went 4-for-4 in the 7-3 win over the Astros.​

Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. Rizzo hit two home runs and went 3-for-4 and drove in all the Cubs' runs in the 4-2 win over the Marlins.​

Sanchez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Zimmermann receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Ross and Rizzo receive 1.5 each 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:

426	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	19.0	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Anibal Sanchez (W, 3-1)	8.0	5	0	0	1	17
NL	11.0	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jordan Zimmermann (W, 4-1)	9.0	1	0	0	1	4
	10.0	Phillies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Kyle Kendrick (W, 2-1)	9.0	3	0	0	1	5
	9.0	Orioles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Wei-Yin Chen (W, 2-2)	8.0	2	0	0	2	5
	9.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Lance Lynn (W, 4-0)	7.0	2	1	1	3	9
	7.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			David Phelps (W, 1-1)	4.0	2	1	1	2	9
	6.0	Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Justin Grimm (W, 2-0)	7.0	5	0	0	0	4
BAT	5.0	Red Sox	David Ross C	4	3	4	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	5.0	Cubs	Anthony Rizzo 1B	4	2	3	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.2	Dodgers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ronald Belisario (W, 2-2)	1.2	0	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Andrew Cashner (W, 1-1)	6.0	5	1	1	1	5
	1.0	Rockies	Jordan Pacheco 1B	4	2	3	0	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	White Sox	Tyler Greene 2B	4	1	2	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Angels	Hank Conger C	4	1	1	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0