Only four of this year’s 18 Silver Slugger-award winners announced this week would receive the honor if it were measured by Box-Toppers points.
Read MoreBox-Toppers 2014 All-Star teams led by Kershaw, Kluber, Abreu, Tulowitzki
The Box-Toppers All-Star teams for the 2014 regular season are led by overall top player for the second straight season, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
Nine teams each have two different players on the teams and a total of 20 teams are represented on the American League and National League teams.
The All-Star teams are comprised of the players with the highest Box-Toppers point totals by position in each league. In addition to the batters—eight in the NL and nine (including the designated hitter) in the AL—are the top four starting pitchers in each league, the top player who was predominately a middle-reliever and the top closing pitcher.
Kershaw was Box-Toppers Player of the Season, the top overall player, with 31.5 Box-Toppers points. Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is the top AL player with 25.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked second overall.
The top AL batter is White Sox rookie first baseman Jose Abreu with 15.5 points, ranked 14th overall. The top NL batter is Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki with 11.6 points, ranked 39th overall. (Tulowitzki was out with injuries nearly half the season, but still surpassed all other NL batters in Box-Toppers points—second among NL batters is Giants catcher Buster Posey with 8.5 points.)
Nine teams each had two players make the teams. In the AL, the Mariners, Angels, Orioles, Indians and Tigers each had two players. In the NL, the Giants, Braves, Marlins and Cardinals each had two players.
Three players from the All-Star teams are still active in the World Series:
• Wade Davis of the Royals, who led AL middle relief pitchers with 7.0 Box-Toppers points.
• Madison Bumgarner of the Giants, who ranked second among NL pitchers with 22.6 points.
• Buster Posey of the Giants, who led NL catchers with 8.5 points.
Six players were on Box-Toppers’ 2013 All-Star teams and returned to the 2014 teams:
• AL 2B: Robinson Cano, last year with the Yankees, this year with the Mariners (12.5 points in 2013, 6.5 in 2014).
• AL OF: Adam Jones, Orioles (8.0 points in 2013, 11.5 in 2014).
• AL Starting pitcher: Max Scherzer, Tigers (18.1 points in 2013, 22.1 in 2014).
• NL Starting pitcher: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (21.7 points in 2013, 31.5 in 2014).
• NL Starting pitcher: Adam Wainwright, Cardinals (20.2 points in 2013, 18.7 in 2014).
• NL Closing pitcher: Craig Kimbrel, Braves (12.7 points in 2013, 11.0 in 2014).
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
End-of-season 2014 Box-Toppers All-Star teams
Here are the Box-Toppers All-Stars by position for both leagues. It includes players with the highest Box-Toppers points (BTP) by position in each league. Also included is the players' overall rank among all players.
| Pos | American League | Team | BTP | Rank | National League | Team | BTP | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Jose Abreu | White Sox | 15.5 | 14 | Lucas Duda | Mets | 8.5 | 79 | ||
| 2B | Robinson Cano | Mariners | 6.5 | 135 | Jedd Gyorko | Padres | 7.2 | 103 | ||
| SS | Erick Aybar | Angels | 6.0 | 155 | Troy Tulowitzki | Rockies | 11.6 | 39 | ||
| 3B | Josh Donaldson | Athletics | 10.5 | 40 | Aramis Ramirez | Brewers | 5.0 | 194 | ||
| CA | Brian McCann | Yankees | 6.5 | 136 | Buster Posey | Giants | 8.5 | 76 | ||
| OF | Adam Jones | Orioles | 11.5 | 40 | Justin Upton | Braves | 8.2 | 80 | ||
| OF | Nelson Cruz | Orioles | 8.5 | 77 | Marcell Ozuna | Marlins | 8.0 | 88 | ||
| OF | Mike Trout | Angels | 8.5 | 78 | Matt Holliday | Cardinals | 7.5 | 97 | ||
| DH | Edwin Encarnacion | Blue Jays | 9.5 | 63 | ||||||
| SP | Corey Kluber | Indians | 25.8 | 2 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 31.5 | 1 | ||
| SP | Max Scherzer | Tigers | 22.1 | 5 | Madison Bumgarner | Giants | 22.6 | 3 | ||
| SP | Felix Hernandez | Mariners | 20.8 | 6 | Johnny Cueto | Reds | 22.4 | 4 | ||
| SP | David Price | Tigers | 19.1 | 7 | Adam Wainwright | Cardinals | 18.7 | 8 | ||
| MR | Wade Davis | Royals | 7.0 | 117 | Michael Dunn | Marlins | 6.0 | 159 | ||
| CP | Carlos Carrasco | Indians | 10.7 | 52 | Craig Kimbrel | Braves | 11.0 | 45 |
Blue Jays' Buehrle, Dbacks Delgado top players for Thursday, Sept. 4
Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Buehrle pitched eight scoreless innings in the 1-0, 10-inning win over the Rays. Buehrle earned a no decision because he left the game with the score tied at 0.
Buehrle has the most Box-Toppers points of any of Thursday’s eight Players of the Game (listed below). He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season. He ranks 68th among all players and 29th among American League pitchers.
Diamondbacks pitcher Randall Delgado is National League Player of the Day. Delgado pitched five shutout innings in the 5-1 win over the Padres.
Robinson Cano of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Cano doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 10-2 win over the Mariners.
There is no NL Batter of the Day for Thursday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Buehrle receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Delgado receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Cano receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 904 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 6.0 | `Blue Jays | Mark Buehrle | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| NL | 5.0 | Dbacks | Randall Delgado (W, 3-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3.1 | `Yankees | Shawn Kelley | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Mariners | Robinson Cano 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Tigers | Victor Martinez 1B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Joe Smith (W, 6-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Orioles | Nelson Cruz DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.1 | Cardinals | Marco Gonzales (W, 2-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 2 | 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.
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?
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.
Giants' Madison Bumgarner (6IP 0R 9K ND) tops players for Sunday, Sept. 8
Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is Sunday's Player of the Day. Bumgarner struck out nine over six scoreless innings in the 3-2, 11-inning win over the Diamondbacks.
Bumgarner did not earn a win-loss decision in the game because the Diamondbacks tied the score 2-2 in the eighth inning after he left the game with the lead in the sixth inning.
Bumgarner rises to 13th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.7 for the season.
Blue Jays pitcher Esmil Rogers is American League Player of the Day. Rogers pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings in the 2-0 win over the Twins.
Eric Hosmer of the Royals is AL Batter of the Day. Hosmer hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 5-2 win over the Tigers.
Nick Hundley of the Padres is National League Batter of the Day. Hundley hit a pinch-hit three-run double to beat the Rockies, 5-2.
Notables: Three of Sunday's Players of the Games are among the top 40 in the Box-Toppers player rankings for the season:
- Reds pitcher Homer Bailey rises to 20th place. Bailey (7IP 9K ND in 3-2 win vs. Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 13.0 for the season.
- Robinson Cano of the Yankees rises to 29th place. Cano (3-4 2RBI in 4-3 win vs. Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 11.5 for the season.
- Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rises to 38th place. Hamels (8IP 2H 9K W in 3-2 win vs. Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 10.4 for the season.
Bumgarner receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Rogers receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Hosmer and Hundley 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
| 908 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.0 | `Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Madison Bumgarner | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 9.0 | Phillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cole Hamels (W, 7-13) | 8.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | |||
| AL | 7.2 | Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Esmil Rogers (W, 5-7) | 7.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 7.0 | Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yovani Gallardo (W, 11-9) | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
| 6.0 | `Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Homer Bailey | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |||
| 5.0 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Michael Wacha (W, 3-0) | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 5.0 | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bartolo Colon (W, 15-6) | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||
| 3.2 | `Mets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Daisuke Matsuzaka | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Royals | Eric Hosmer 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Padres | Nick Hundley PH, C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fernando Rodney (S, 33) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.2 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andre Rienzo (W, 2-1) | 6.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Wilson Ramos C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Yankees | Robinson Cano 2B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Rangers | Alex Rios RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 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.
Pirates' Francisco Liriano tops players for Friday, Aug. 30, rises to fifth in Box-Toppers player rankings
Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano is Friday's Player of the Day and rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.
Liriano pitched eight shutout innings and gave up only two hits in the 5-0 win over the Cardinals. Liriano earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 16.7 for the season.
He rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). This is Liriano's career high Box-Toppers point total for a season. His previous high was 15.7 in 2010 with the Minnesota Twins.
Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle is American League Player of the Day. Buehrle pitched seven scoreless innings in the 3-2 win over the Royals.
Todd Helton of the Rockies is National League Batter of the Day. Helton hit two home runs and drove in six runs in the 9-6 win over the Reds. This is the first time in more than two years that Helton has earned Player of the Game honors—his last time was Aug. 8, 2011. Helton has 116.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 32nd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record-keeping began.
Dustin Ackley of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Ackley went 4-for-5 and drove in four runs in the 7-1 win over the Astros.
Notables: Braves pitcher Julio Teheran rises to 26th in Box-Toppers player rankings and Robinson Cano of the Yankees rises to 30th after both earned Player of the Game honors Friday:
- Teheran (6.1IP 1R 8K W in 2-1 win vs. Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season.
- Cano (2-3 2RBI 2R in 8-5 win vs. Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.5 for the season. Cano is the sixth batter this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Liriano receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Buehrle receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Helton and Ackley 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
| 830 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.0 | Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Francisco Liriano (W, 15-6) | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| AL | 7.0 | Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mark Buehrle (W, 11-7) | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 5.1 | Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Julio Teheran (W, 11-7) | 6.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |||
| BAT | 5.0 | Rockies | Todd Helton 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Mariners | Dustin Ackley CF | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.0 | Dodgers | Adrian Gonzalez 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.1 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Koji Uehara (S, 15) | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 3.0 | Athletics | Kurt Suzuki C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Yankees | Robinson Cano 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jered Weaver (W, 9-7) | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3.0 | Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Glen Perkins (S, 31) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Michael Young 3B | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Victor Martinez DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Mets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | LaTroy Hawkins (S, 6) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 0.0 | Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tim Lincecum (W, 8-13) | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
D-Backs' Corbin, top player for Tuesday, Aug. 20, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings
Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Tuesday, Aug. 20:
Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin, Tuesday's Player of the Day, rises to second place in Box-Toppers points among players for the season.
Corbin pitched a complete game, striking out 10 and giving up only two runs in the 5-2 win over the Reds. Corbin earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 17.4 for the season, moving from fourth to second in Box-Toppers player season rankings.
Indians pitcher Danny Salazar is American League Player of the Day. Salazar struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings in the 4-1, 14-inning win over the Angels. Salazar left the game with the Indians trailing 1-0 and so was not eligible for the win.
Robinson Cano of the Yankees is AL Batter of the Day. Cano drove in four runs and went 4-for-4 in the 8-4 win over the Blue Jays.
Sean Halton of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Halton went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs in the 6-3 win over the Cardinals. This was Halton's Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,263rd player to debut since Box-Toppers record-keeping began in 1995.
Corbin receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Salazar receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Cano and Halton 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
| 820 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 9.0 | Diamondbacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Patrick Corbin (W, 13-3) | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 7.0 | Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A.J. Burnett (W, 6-8) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||
| AL | 5.1 | `Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Danny Salazar | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Yankees | Robinson Cano 2B | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5.0 | Nationals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Dan Haren (W, 8-11) | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |||
| 4.0 | Twins | Justin Morneau 1B | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4.0 | Rays | Matt Joyce LF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4.0 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Joe Nathan (S, 37) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 3.0 | Mariners | Nick Franklin 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Brewers | Sean Halton 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2.0 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | John Danks (W, 3-10) | 8.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Rockies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Rafael Betancourt (S, 16) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kenley Jansen (S, 20) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2.0 | Mets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | LaTroy Hawkins (S, 5) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1.0 | Giants | Roger Kieschnick LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Yankees | Jayson Nix 3B | 4 | 1 | 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 |
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera, Reds' Brandon Phillips among leaders in All-Star voting and Box-Toppers standings
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers and Brandon Phillips of the Reds are among players who are leaders both in fan All-Star voting and Box-Toppers standings.
In fact, Box-Toppers standings roughly coincide with about half of the players currently leading in All-Star voting.
Major League Baseball released All-Star vote standings for the National League on June 9 and released American League standings on June 3. The current leaders by league and by position are listed in the far right columns in the chart below. Note that five of the players currently leading in All-Star voting also rank first in their position in the league in Box-Toppers points. Three others rank second.
Overall, it's either a very good showing by fans or a decent affirmation of Box-Toppers' worth as a measure of player performance. Or it could be that we're all wrong.
Fans and Box-Toppers generally agree on these players:
- AL 1B: Chris Davis of the Orioles.
- AL 2B: Robinson Cano of the Yankees.
- AL 3B: Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers.
- AL CA: Joe Mauer of the Twins. (Mauer ranks second among AL catchers in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season, but leads among AL catchers when both the 2012 and 2013 seasons are combined.)
- AL OF: Mike Trout of the Angels. (Trout ranks seventh among AL outfielders in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season, but leads among AL outfielders over the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons.)
- AL DH: David Oritz of the Red Sox.
- NL 1B: Brandon Phillips of the Reds.
- NL CA: Buster Posey of the Giants. (Posey is second to Brian McCann of the Braves in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season and the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons, but it is a pretty close race.)
- NL OF: Bryce Harper of the Nationals. (Harper is second among NL outfielders in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season.)
There are a few instances in which Box-Toppers ranked a player lower than fans:
- AL SS: Elvis Andrus of the Rangers ranks ninth in Box-Toppers points among AL shortstops for the 2013 season. He has 1.0 point this season and only 2.0 the past two seasons.
- AL OF: Adam Jones of the Orioles ranks 13th in Box-Toppers points among AL outfielders.
- AL OF: Torii Hunter of the Angels ranks 55th in Box-Toppers among AL outfielders. Though Hunter has scored no Box-Toppers points this season, he ranks second among AL outfielders in Box-Toppers points over the period of 2008-2013.
- NL 1B: Joey Votto of the Reds ranks 10th in Box-Toppers points among NL first basemen.
- NL SS: Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies ranks fifth among NL shortstops.
- NL 3B: Pablo Sandoval of the Giants ranks seventh among NL third basemen.
- NL OF: Justin Upton of the Braves ranks 20th among NL outfielders.
- NL OF: Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals ranks 28th among NL outfielders.
There are only a few obvious snubs by Box-Toppers measures, but there are still a couple of weeks before All-Star voting closes to fix the problems:
- NL 1B: Should be Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks. Goldschmidt leads all NL batters in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season with 8.7. He leads NL first basemen in Box-Toppers points for 2013 and over the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons. He is second among NL first basemen in All-Star voting with over 900,000 votes, more than 600,000 behind Votto.
- NL SS: Should be Everth Cabrera of the Padres. Cabrera leads NL shortstops in Box-Toppers points for 2013 and over the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons. He's not in the top five among NL shortstops in All-Star voting.
- NL OF: Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies should be among the top three. He is currently seventh in All-Star voting with 955,000—Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals, currently third in voting among NL outfielders, has 1,550,000. Gonzalez leads all NL outfielders in Box-Toppers points for both the 2013 season and the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons.
- NL CA: Buster Posey leads in fan voting, but Brian McCann of the Braves has very narrow Box-Toppers points leads over Posey. But it hardly matters since Posey has nearly 2 million fan votes and McCann has barely 500,000.
The chart below shows Box-Toppers points leaders by position so far through the 2013 season. The middle columns look at players over the longer run, seeing who is leading in Box-Toppers points for the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons. And the far right columns show the current All-Star fan vote leaders, with their rank by position in Box-Toppers points in the 2013 season.
The chart also includes Box-Toppers points leaders among starting, middle and relief closing pitchers, even though fans don't get to vote on those.
Voting for the All-Star game is open until July 4.
Here is how the Box-Toppers All-Star teams stand as of today:
| 2013 SEASON | 2012-13 SEASONS | ALL-STAR VOTE LEADERS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | PLAYER | TEAM | BTP | PLAYER | TEAM | BTP | PLAYER | TEAM | RANK BY POS. | ||
| First base | Davis, Chris 2478 | bal al | 4.5 | Davis, Chris 2478 | bal al | 16.5 | Chris Davis | bal al | 1 | ||
| Second base | Cano, Robinson 2092 | nyy al | 4.5 | Kipnis, Jason 2933 | cle al | 9.5 | Robinson Cano | nyy al | 1 | ||
| Shortstop | Drew, Stephen 2210 | bos al | 4.5 | Escobar, Yunel 2331 | tb al | 10 | Elvis Andrus | tex al | 9 | ||
| Third base | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 10.7 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 22.4 | Miguel Cabrera | det al | 1 | ||
| Catcher | Arencibia, J.P. 2781 | tor al | 5.5 | Mauer, Joe 1869 | min al | 13 | Joe Mauer | min al | 2 | ||
| Outfield 1 | Johnson, Kelly 2018 | tb al | 4.5 | Trout, Mike 2949 | ana al | 13.5 | Mike Trout | ana al | 7 | ||
| Outfield 2 | Nava, Daniel 2740 | bos al | 4.5 | Hamilton, Josh 2332 | ana al | 11.5 | Adam Jones | bal al | 13 | ||
| Outfield 3 | Raburn, Ryan 2340 | cle al | 4.5 | Rios, Alex 1989 | chi al | 9.9 | Torii Hunter | det al | 55 | ||
| Designated hitter | Ortiz, David | bos al | 5.2 | Butler, Billy 2330 | kc al | 13.7 | David Ortiz | bos al | 1 | ||
| Starting pitcher 1 | Masterson, Justin 2462 | cle al | 10.7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | det al | 30.8 | |||||
| Starting pitcher 2 | Buchholz, Clay 2363 | bos al | 10.1 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 25.8 | |||||
| Starting pitcher 3 | Iwakuma, Hisashi 3048 | sea al | 9.7 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | det al | 25.7 | |||||
| Starting pitcher 4 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 9 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 25.4 | |||||
| Middle reliever | Tazawa, Junichi 3151 | bos al | 4 | Chen, Bruce 1170 | kc al | 8 | |||||
| Closing pitcher | Perkins, Glen 2506 | min al | 5 | Rodney, Fernando 1803 | tb al | 10 | |||||
| NL | |||||||||||
| First base | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | ari nl | 8.7 | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | ari nl | 13.2 | Joey Votto | cin nl | 10 | ||
| Second base | Phillips, Brandon 1691 | cin nl | 5 | Phillips, Brandon 1691 | cin nl | 14.5 | Brandon Phillips | cin nl | 1 | ||
| Shortstop | Cabrera, Everth 2625 | sd nl | 4.5 | Cabrera, Everth 2625 | sd nl | 7.5 | Troy Tulowitzki | col nl | 5 | ||
| Third base | Zimmerman, Ryan 2180 | dc nl | 5.2 | Freese, David 2710 | stl nl | 12.7 | Pablo Sandoval | sf nl | 7 | ||
| Catcher | McCann, Brian 2179 | atl nl | 5 | McCann, Brian 2179 | atl nl | 11 | Buster Posey | sf nl | 2 | ||
| Outfield 1 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 8 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 17.2 | Justin Upton | atl nl | 20 | ||
| Outfield 2 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | dc nl | 5.9 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | mil nl | 16 | Bryce Harper | dc nl | 2 | ||
| Outfield 3 | Pollock, A.J. 3142 | ari nl | 4.7 | Holliday, Matt 1836 | stl nl | 15.7 | Carlos Beltran | stl nl | 28 | ||
| Starting pitcher 1 | Miller, Shelby 3134 | stl nl | 9.7 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 28.8 | |||||
| Starting pitcher 2 | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | ari nl | 9.4 | Lynn, Lance 2992 | stl nl | 26.1 | |||||
| Starting pitcher 3 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | nym nl | 9 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | dc nl | 23.4 | |||||
| Starting pitcher 4 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | stl nl | 8.7 | Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | dc nl | 22.7 | |||||
| Middle reliever | Collmenter, Josh 2863 | ari nl | 3 | Casilla, Santiago 2301 | sf nl | 6 | |||||
| Closing pitcher | Grilli, Jason 2209 | pit nl | 4.7 | Chapman, Aroldis 2826 | cin nl | 18 | |||||
| AL top player | Masterson, Justin 2462 | cle al | 10.7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | det al | 30.8 | |||||
| AL top batter | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 10.7 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 22.4 | |||||
| NL top player | Miller, Shelby 3134 | stl nl | 9.7 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 28.8 | |||||
| NL top batter | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | ari nl | 8.7 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 17.2 |
BTP: Box-Toppers points
RANK BY POS: Where the player ranks by fielding position in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season.
Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Gonzalez among best in Box-Toppers All-Star teams
Still struggling with your All-Star vote?
Are you someone who truly wants to field a great team—voting for the best players—and not someone who is just willing to vote that .125 hitter in simply because he is on your favorite team?
Well, even if you aren't, Box-Toppers is going to take a look at the top players by position in each league. And as in past all-star updates, we'll look at the all-star teams in a couple of different ways: We'll look at who is leading in Box-Toppers points by position so far through the 2013 season. And we'll also look at players over the longer run, seeing who is leading in Box-Toppers points for the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons.
So, for example, Stephen Drew of the Red Sox is leading among American League shortstops so far in 2013 with 4.5 Box-Toppers points. But J.J. Hardy of the Orioles is leading among AL shortstops if you combine his 2012 and 2013 Box-Toppers points. Hardy has 9.2 (7.2 in 2012 and 2.0 in 2013).
Box-Toppers also includes starting, middle relief and closing pitchers in its all-star line-ups, even though fans don't get to vote for them.
Several players appear on both the 2013 and the combined 2012-13 list, indicating they may be especially worthy of your attention as you fill out your ballot. They include:
- AL 1B: Chris Davis of the Orioles.
- AL 2B: Robinson Cano of the Yankees.
- AL 3B: Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who also leads all AL batters in Box-Toppers for 2013 (9.7) and combined 2012-13 seasons (21.4).
- AL pitchers: Yu Darvish of the Rangers and Chris Sale of the White Sox (but, again, fans don't vote on pitchers).
- NL 2B: Brandon Phillips of the Reds.
- NL CA: Brian McCann of the Braves.
- NL OF: Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies.
- NL pitcher: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.
- NL middle reliever: Santiago Casilla of the Giants.
Voting for the All-Star game is open until July 4.
Here is how the Box-Toppers All-Star teams stand as of today:
| 2013 SEASON | 2012-13 SEASONS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | PLAYER | TEAM | BTP | PLAYER | TEAM | BTP | |
| First base | Davis, Chris 2478 | bal al | 4.5 | Davis, Chris 2478 | bal al | 16.5 | |
| Second base | Cano, Robinson 2092 | nyy al | 4.5 | Cano, Robinson 2092 | nyy al | 8.5 | |
| Shortstop | Drew, Stephen 2210 | bos al | 4.5 | Hardy, J.J. 2071 | bal al | 9.2 | |
| Third base | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 9.7 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 21.4 | |
| Catcher | Arencibia, J.P. 2781 | tor al | 5.5 | Mauer, Joe 1869 | min al | 13 | |
| Outfield 1 | Johnson, Kelly 2018 | tb al | 4.5 | Trout, Mike 2949 | ana al | 13.5 | |
| Outfield 2 | Raburn, Ryan 2340 | cle al | 4.5 | Hamilton, Josh 2332 | ana al | 11.5 | |
| Outfield 3 | Joyce, Matt 2480 | tb al | 3 | Rios, Alex 1989 | chi al | 9.9 | |
| Designated hitter | Ortiz, David | bos al | 3.7 | Butler, Billy 2330 | kc al | 12.7 | |
| Starting pitcher 1 | Masterson, Justin 2462 | cle al | 10.7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | det al | 30.8 | |
| Starting pitcher 2 | Buchholz, Clay 2363 | bos al | 9.1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 25.4 | |
| Starting pitcher 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | chi al | 8.7 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 24.8 | |
| Starting pitcher 4 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 8 | Sale, Chris 2806 | chi al | 24.4 | |
| Middle reliever | Scheppers, Tanner 3136 | tex al | 3 | Chen, Bruce 1170 | kc al | 8 | |
| Closing pitcher | Perkins, Glen 2506 | min al | 5 | Rodney, Fernando 1803 | tb al | 10 | |
| NL | |||||||
| First base | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | ari nl | 5.2 | LaRoche, Adam 1910 | dc nl | 11.5 | |
| Second base | Phillips, Brandon 1691 | cin nl | 3.5 | Phillips, Brandon 1691 | cin nl | 13 | |
| Shortstop | Crawford, Brandon 2878 | sf nl | 3 | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | col nl | 7 | |
| Third base | Zimmerman, Ryan 2180 | dc nl | 3.7 | Freese, David 2710 | stl nl | 11.7 | |
| Catcher | McCann, Brian 2179 | atl nl | 5 | McCann, Brian 2179 | atl nl | 11 | |
| Outfield 1 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | dc nl | 5.9 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | mil nl | 16 | |
| Outfield 2 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 5 | Holliday, Matt 1836 | stl nl | 14.7 | |
| Outfield 3 | Pollock, A.J. 3142 | ari nl | 4.7 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 14.2 | |
| Starting pitcher 1 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | nym nl | 9 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 28.8 | |
| Starting pitcher 2 | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | ari nl | 8.4 | Lynn, Lance 2992 | stl nl | 25.1 | |
| Starting pitcher 3 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | dc nl | 23.4 | |
| Starting pitcher 4 | Miller, Shelby 3134 | stl nl | 7.7 | Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | dc nl | 22.7 | |
| Middle reliever | Casilla, Santiago 2301 | sf nl | 2 | Casilla, Santiago 2301 | sf nl | 6 | |
| Closing pitcher | Grilli, Jason 2209 | pit nl | 4.7 | Chapman, Aroldis 2826 | cin nl | 18 | |
| AL top player | Masterson, Justin 2462 | cle al | 10.7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | det al | 30.8 | |
| AL top batter | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 9.7 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 21.4 | |
| NL top player | Harvey, Matt 3075 | nym nl | 9 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 28.8 | |
| NL top batter | Harper, Bryce 3011 | dc nl | 5.9 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | mil nl | 16 |
Clayton Kershaw, striking out 11, is top player for Tuesday, May 14
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Tuesday's Player of the Day. Kershaw struck out 11 and gave up no runs over 8 2/3 innings in the 2-0 win over the Nationals.
Kershaw moves up to fifth place in season Box-Toppers player rankings. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and now has 7.0 points, behind season leader Yu Darvish (8.0).
Tigers pitcher Doug Fister is American League Player of the Day. Fister struck out seven over seven innings in the 6-2 win over the Astros.
Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals is National League Batter of the Day. Beltran homered, went 3-for-5 and drove in four in the 10-4 win over the Mets.
Robinson Cano of the Yankees is American League Batter of the Day. Cano went 2-for-3 in the 4-3 win over the Mariners.
Standings update: Pitcher Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks rose to ninth place among players for the season. Corbin was Player of the Game in the 2-0 win over the Dodgers and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.4 for the season.
Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Fister receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Beltran and Cano receive 1.5 each 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:
| 514 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.2 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Clayton Kershaw (W, 4-2) | 8.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 9.0 | Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Homer Bailey (W, 2-3) | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |||
| 7.0 | Rockies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jeff Francis (W, 2-3) | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |||
| AL | 5.0 | Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Doug Fister (W, 5-1) | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Cardinals | Carlos Beltran RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.0 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jason Vargas (W, 2-3) | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |||
| 4.0 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jake Peavy (W, 5-1) | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |||
| 4.0 | Diamondbacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Patrick Corbin (W, 6-0) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | |||
| 4.0 | Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | R.A. Dickey (W, 3-5) | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |||
| 4.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fernando Rodney (S, 7) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 3.0 | Phillies | John Mayberry CF, RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tanner Scheppers (W, 3-0) | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| BAT | 2.0 | Yankees | Robinson Cano 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1.1 | `Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andrew Cashner | 7.1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 1.0 | Pirates | Neil Walker 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 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.