White Sox' Sale tops players for Wednesday, June 3, rises to 6th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank June 4, 2015

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to sixth in season player rankings.

Also Wednesday, Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray and Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings. Plus, Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle earned a Box-Toppers point in his 16th straight season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 3.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	11.4
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	10.0
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	9.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	9.0
5	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	8.7
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	8.4
7	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	7.7
8	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	7.7
9	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	7.7
10	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	phi nl	7.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Sale pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 13, allowing three hits, in the 9-2 win over the Rangers. Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season. He rises to sixth among players in Box-Toppers player rankings, third among American League pitchers.

National League Player of the Day—Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano allowed one run over seven innings, striking out six, in the 5-2 win over the Giants.

National League Batter of the Day—Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs, going 2-for-3, in the 7-6 win over the Dodgers. Tulowitzki led all NL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2014 with 11.6 (despite playing just over half the season). Tulowitzki earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day Wednesday, his first points of the season.

American League Batter of the Day—Steven Souza Jr. of the Rays hit a three-run homer in the 6-5 win over the Angels.

Rankings—Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings for the season:

Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray (8IP 2H 0R 7K W in the 6-1 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising to eighth in player rankings. Gray ranks fifth among AL pitchers.
Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels (7IP 2R 8K ND in the 5-4 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season, rising to 10th in player rankings. Cole ranks fifth among NL pitchers. Hamels also rises to 37th place among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his point earned Wednesday, Hamels now has 117.8 career Box-Toppers points and passes two players on Box-Toppers “all-time” list—Barry Zito (117.4 Box-Toppers points) and Carlos Delgado (117.7 Box-Toppers points). Hamels now trails 36th-place player on the list, Justin Verlander (118.2 Box-Toppers points).

Streak—Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 16 straight seasons.

Buehrle was Player of the Game in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over the Nationals (CG 0R 6H 2K W) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Buehrle earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2000 with the White Sox. His best season was 2005 with the White Sox when he had 17.7 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers. In 2014, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points with the Blue Jays, 28th among AL pitchers.

Buehrle has 115.7 career Box-Toppers points, 41st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his point Wednesday, he passes Tim Lincecum (115.0 Box-Toppers points) on that list. He trails 40th-place player Todd Helton (116.4 Box-Toppers points).

Buehrle’s 115.7 career Box-Toppers points ranks seventh among active pitchers currently in the AL.

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Astros pitcher Lance McCullers (CG 4H R 11K W in the 3-1 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut May 18 and was playing in his fourth career game. He is the 3,488th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Yasmany Tomas of the Diamondbacks (3-5 2R RBI in the 9-8 win over the Braves) made his Major League debut April 15 and was playing in his 38th career game. He is the 3,489th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Liriano earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Tulowitzki and Souza each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    6/3
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    15.0
    White Sox
    Chris Sale (W, 5-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    13
  

    
    14.0
    Astros
    Lance McCullers (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    1
    1
    0
    11
  

    
    14.0
    Twins
    Trevor May (W, 4-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    9
  

    
    12.0
    Athletics
    Sonny Gray (W, 7-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    
    11.0
    Yankees
    Masahiro Tanaka (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    0
    9
  

    
    8.0
    Red Sox
    Eduardo Rodriguez (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    NL
    6.0
    Pirates
    Francisco Liriano (W, 3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Rockies
    Troy Tulowitzki   SS
    3
    1
    2
    5
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Blue Jays
    Mark Buehrle (W, 7-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    6
    0
    0
    1
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Greg Holland (S, 8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    `Phillies
    Cole Hamels
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    2
    2
    3
    8
  

    
    1.0
    Dbacks
    Yasmany Tomas   3B
    5
    2
    3
    1
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Cardinals
    Matt Carpenter   3B
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Marlins
    Adeiny Hechavarria   SS
    4
    2
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    1.0
    Rays
    Steven Souza Jr.   RF
    4
    1
    1
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Padres
    Justin Upton   LF
    3
    2
    2
    0
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

San Francisco Giants rise to top Box-Toppers weekly team rankings

Shawn Plank May 29, 2015

Giants rise from 5th to take top spot. Royals fall from 1st to 4th but still top AL teams. Pirates are hot team of the week.

Giants' Lincecum tops players for Wednesday, May 20, rises to 9th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 21, 2015

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Wednesday’s Player of the Day and rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Also Wednesday, Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings and A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks earned National League Batter of the Day for the second day in a row.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 20.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
3	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
4	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
5	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.7
9	Lincecum, Tim 2288	pi sp	sf nl	5.7
10	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	5.1

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Lincecum pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up three hits, in the 4-0 win over the Dodgers. Lincecum earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 5.7 for the season, moving up to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings, fifth among NL pitchers.

Lincecum also now has 115.0 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 41st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his 2.0 points Wednesday, Lincecum passed four players on that list—Josh Beckett (114.9), Mark Buehrle (114.7), Chris Carpenter (113.3) and Sammy Sosa (113.2). Lincecum’s 115.0 career points ranks ninth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Shaun Marcum struck out six over 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits, in the 4-3 win over the White Sox.

National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks went 3-for-4, scoring four runs, including a steal of home—one of his three stolen bases—in the 6-1 win over the Marlins. This was the second straight day Pollock earned NL Batter of the Day honors.

American League Batter of the Day—Mike Trout of the Angels homered and went 2-for-3, scoring three runs, in the 4-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Rankings—Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Keuchel (7IP R W in the 6-1 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.7 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Braves pitcher Williams Perez (5IP R 7K ND in the 2-1 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut May 8 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,476th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Rangers pitcher Phil Klein (5.1IP R W in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Aug. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 24th career game. He is the 3,477th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Fishy—A.J. Pollock and Mike Trout were the two Box-Toppers Batters of the Day for Wednesday. However, neither Mike Carp nor any player from the Marlins earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Scoring—Lincecum earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Marcum earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Pollock and Trout each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/20
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    6.0
    Giants
    Tim Lincecum (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    5.1
    Cardinals
    Carlos Martinez (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    4
    0
    0
    2
    5
  

    AL
    4.2
    Indians
    Shaun Marcum (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    4
    2
    2
    0
    6
  

    
    4.2
    `Cubs
    Tsuyoshi Wada
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.2
    4
    2
    2
    1
    9
  

    
    4.0
    `Twins
    Mike Pelfrey
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    5
  

    
    3.2
    Mariners
    Roenis Elias (W, 1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    6
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    3.1
    `Tigers
    Shane Greene
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    3
    2
    2
    2
    6
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Dbacks
    A.J. Pollock   CF
    4
    4
    3
    0
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Angels
    Mike Trout   CF
    3
    3
    2
    1
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Nationals
    Jordan Zimmermann (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    2
    2
    1
    6
  

    
    3.0
    `Braves
    Williams Perez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    6
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Phillies
    Jonathan Papelbon (S, 11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Dallas Keuchel (W, 6-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Jeremy Guthrie (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    3
  

    
    1.1
    Rangers
    Phil Klein (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.1
    5
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

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

Angels' Weaver tops players for Friday, May 8; Nationals' Harper rises to lead NL batters in Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank May 9, 2015

Angels pitcher Jered Weaver is Friday’s Player of the Day.

Meanwhile, Bryce Harper of the Nationals takes the Box-Toppers points lead among National League batters, rising to fourth place in overall player rankings and four players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earn Player of the Game honors Friday.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 8.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	7.7
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	5.0
4	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	5.0
5	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7
6	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7
7	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	4.7
8	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	4.7
9	Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	4.5
10	Rodriguez, Alex	dh	nyy al	4.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Weaver pitched a complete game, six-hit shutout, striking out six, in the 2-0 win over the Astros.

Earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Weaver has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Angels. His best year was 2011 with the Angels, when he had 22.8 Box-Toppers points, second among American League pitchers (Justin Verlander of the Tigers had 24.4).

Weaver now has 117.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 37th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his points Friday, he passes Barry Zito (117.4) and Todd Helton (116.4) on that list. Weaver’s 117.4 points ranks 25th among all pitchers since 1995 and fifth among active pitchers currently in the AL.

National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum pitched six scoreless innings, striking out eight, in the 6-0 win over the Marlins.

Lincecum earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 113.0 for his career, which puts him at 45th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his points Friday, Lincecum passes Kevin Brown (112.8) on that list. Lincecum’s 113.0 points ranks 31st among all pitchers since 1995 and ninth among all active pitchers currently in the NL.

American League Batter of the Day—Torii Hunter of the Twins homered and hit two doubles, going 4-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs, in the 9-3 win over the Indians.

Hunter earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 110.4 career Box-Toppers points, putting him in 49th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his points Friday, Hunter passes Dan Haren (110.2) and Jeff Kent (109.7) on that list. Hunter’s 110.4 points ranks 15th among all batters since 1995 and fifth among active batters currently in the AL.

National League Batter of the Day—Bryce Harper of the Nationals hit two home runs and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 9-2 win over the Braves.

Harper earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season. He now leads all NL batters—passing Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins (4.5)—and rises to fourth place among all players this season.

Notable—Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels now has 113.8 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday (7IP R 8K W in the 3-1 win over the Mets).

Hamels now ranks 42nd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With the 1.0 Box-Toppers point he earned Friday, Hamels passes Chris Carpenter (113.3) and Sammy Sosa (113.2) on that list. Hamels’ 113.8 points ranks 29th among all pitchers since 1995 and eighth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

Debut—Mariners pitcher Carson Smith made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Smith (2IP 0R 3K W in the 4-3 win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 24th career game. He is the 3,460th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Weaver earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lincecum earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Hunter and Harper each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/8
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.0
    Angels
    Jered Weaver (W, 1-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    6
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    NL
    8.0
    Giants
    Tim Lincecum (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    3
    8
  

    
    7.0
    Phillies
    Cole Hamels (W, 2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    8
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Twins
    Torii Hunter   RF
    4
    2
    4
    4
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Nationals
    Bryce Harper   RF
    4
    2
    3
    5
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    Rays
    Nathan Karns (W, 2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    2
    2
    2
    9
  

    
    5.0
    Mariners
    Carson Smith (W, 1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Cubs
    Jason Hammel (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    2
    2
    3
    8
  

    
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Aaron Sanchez (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    5
    3
  

    
    2.1
    Yankees
    Dellin Betances (W, 4-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Cardinals
    Kolten Wong   2B
    5
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Padres
    Will Venable   CF
    5
    2
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Tigers
    Ian Kinsler   2B
    4
    0
    4
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Dodgers
    Adrian Gonzalez   1B
    3
    0
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Giants' Tim Lincecum (8IP 0R) tops players for Sunday, May 3

Shawn Plank May 4, 2015

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Sunday’s Player of the Day.

Lincecum pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 5-0 win over the Angels.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 3.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	6.0
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	5.0
4	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7
5	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7
6	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	4.7
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	4.7
8	Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	4.5
9	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	4.4
10	Upton, Justin 2411	lf	sd nl	4.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Lincecum earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season. He now has 111.3 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 46th among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers record keeping began). With his points Sunday, he passed three players on that list—Jon Lester (111.1), Tom Glavine (110.6) and Jeff Kent (109.7). He ranks 32nd among all pitchers since 1995 and ninth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing two hits, in the 7-1 win over the Rangers. Gray rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings—he earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season.

American League Batter of the Day—Evan Gattis of the Astros hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four, in the 7-6 win over the Mariners.

National League Batter of the Day—Justin Upton of the Padres homered and hit two doubles, scoring twice and driving in three, in the 8-6 win over the Rockies. Upton rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season. He ranks second among NL batters, behind Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins (4.5 Box-Toppers points).

Rankings—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday (HR 3-4 R 2BI in the 6-4 win over the Royals). Cabrera earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.7 for the season. He leads all AL batters.

With Sunday’s point, Cabrera now has 132.9 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 25th among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers record keeping began). He is just behind two players with 133.4 Box-Toppers points—David Ortiz and Jason Giambi.

Streak—Aramis Ramirez of the Brewers achieved two Box-Toppers milestones Sunday—he became the 65th player with 100 or more Box-Toppers points and also has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 16 straight seasons.

Ramirez was Player of the Game in Sunday’s 5-3 win over the Cubs (HR 2-3 R 3BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Ramirez earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2000 with the Pirates. His best season was 2005 with the Cubs when he had 11.7 Box-Toppers points, fifth among NL batters. In 2014, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points with the Brewers, most among NL third basemen.

Ramirez has 100.8 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 62nd among all players (since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began). With Sunday’s point, he passes three players on that list—Paul Konerko (100.7), Jeff Bagwell (100.4) and Larry Walker (100.1). Ramirez ranks 21st among all batters since 1995 and sixth among active batters currently in the NL.

Debut—Cardinals pitcher Miguel Socolovich made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Socolovich (1IP 0R K W in the 3-2, 14-inning win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut July 14, 2012, and was playing in his 13th career game. He is the 3,456th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Lincecum earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gray earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Gattis and Upton each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/3
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.0
    Giants
    Tim Lincecum (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    AL
    7.2
    Athletics
    Sonny Gray (W, 4-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    2
    0
    0
    7
    10
  

    
    7.0
    Braves
    Julio Teheran (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    5.2
    Twins
    Ryan Pressly (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Astros
    Evan Gattis   DH
    4
    3
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    `Dodgers
    Brett Anderson
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    4.1
    Nationals
    Doug Fister (W, 2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    5
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    Indians
    Jason Kipnis   2B
    5
    3
    4
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Padres
    Justin Upton   LF
    4
    2
    3
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Brewers
    Aramis Ramirez   3B
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.1
    Orioles
    Zach Britton (S, 5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    1
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Yankees
    Jacoby Ellsbury   CF
    4
    2
    4
    0
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Tigers
    Miguel Cabrera   1B
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Cardinals
    Miguel Socolovich (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Phillies
    Ryan Howard   1B
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Brewers' Fiers tops players for Saturday, May 2; Twins' Hunter extends to 17 consecutive season streak with Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank May 3, 2015

Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers is Saturday’s Player of the Day.

Fiers struck out 12 over six innings, allowing one run, in the 6-1 win over the Cubs.

American League Player of the Day—Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out six, in the 4-0 win over the Rays.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 2.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	6.0
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	5.0
4	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7
5	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	4.7
6	Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	4.5
7	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	4.4
8	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	3.7
9	Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	oak al	3.7
10	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	3.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Batter of the Day—Kyle Blanks of the Rangers homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three, in the 8-7, 10-inning win over the Athletics.

National League Batter of the Day—Zack Cozart of the Reds homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 8-4 win over the Braves.

Rankings—Tigers pitcher David Price rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday (CG 5H R 3K W in the 2-1 win over the Royals). Price earns 1.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 3.7 for the season.

Streak—Two players extended their lengthy streaks of consecutive seasons scoring at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point:

Torii Hunter of the Twins has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 17 straight seasons, which is now the longest currently active streak. The record for most consecutive seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point is 19, held by Jason Giambi (1995-2013). (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) Two other active players had Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons as of 2014 and also have a chance to extend that to 17 straight seasons in 2015—Tim Hudson of the Giants and Carlos Beltran of the Yankees. Neither has earned Box-Toppers points this season.

Hunter was Player of the Game in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the White Sox (HR 3-4 2R 2BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Hunter earned his first Box-Toppers point in 1999 with the Twins. His best season was 2008 with the Angels when he had 12.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among AL batters.. In 2014, he had 5.5 Box-Toppers points with the Tigers.

Hunter has 108.9 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 51st among all players (since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). With Saturday’s point, he passed three players on that list—Billy Wagner (108.7), Kevin Millwood (108.3) and Lance Berkman (108.1). Hunter ranks 16th among all batters since 1995 and ranks fifth among active batters currently in the AL.

Marlins pitcher Dan Haren has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 13 straight seasons. Haren was Player of the Game in Saturday’s 7-6 win over the Phillies (6IP 0R 4K W) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Haren earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2003 with the Cardinals. His best season was 2011 with the Angels, when he had 16.8 Box-Toppers points, fifth among AL pitchers. In 2014, he had 8.0 Box-Toppers points with the Dodgers.

Haren has 109.2 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 50th among all players (since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). With Saturday’s point, he also passed Billy Wagner (108.7) and Kevin Millwood (108.3) on that list. Haren ranks 35th among all pitchers since 1995 and ranks 11th among active pitchers currently in the NL, just behind Tim Lincecum of the Giants (109.3).

Scoring—Fiers earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Blanks and Cozart each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/2
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    Brewers
    Mike Fiers (W, 1-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    1
    2
    12
  

    AL
    8.2
    Orioles
    Miguel Gonzalez (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    4
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    8.0
    Nationals
    Gio Gonzalez (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    2
    9
  

    
    6.0
    Marlins
    Dan Haren (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    5.1
    Yankees
    Dellin Betances (S, 1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    5.0
    Tigers
    David Price (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    3
  

    
    5.0
    Dodgers
    Juan Nicasio (W, 1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Rangers
    Kyle Blanks   1B
    5
    2
    4
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Twins
    Torii Hunter   DH
    4
    2
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Padres
    Craig Kimbrel (S, 7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Reds
    Zack Cozart   SS
    5
    2
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Colby Rasmus   LF
    5
    3
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Blue Jays
    Jose Bautista   DH
    5
    1
    2
    4
    0
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Giants
    Casey McGehee   3B
    4
    1
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Cardinals
    Pete Kozma   2B
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Mariners' Hernandez, pitching complete game shutout, tops players for Friday, April 24, extends his Box-Toppers player rankings lead

Shawn Plank April 25, 2015

Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, pitching a complete game shutout, is Friday’s Player of the Day and extends his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Hernandez struck out nine over nine innings, allowing five hits, in the 2-0 win over the Twins. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season and is now 2.0 points ahead of the second-place player, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole (4.0 Box-Toppers points).

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of April 24.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	6.0
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	4.0
3	Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	oak al	3.7
4	DeSclafani, Anthony 3441	pi sp	cin nl	3.7
5	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	3.4
6	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	3.4
7	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	3.0
8	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
9	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	3.0
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	3.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Hernandez now has 149.3 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 16th among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1994. With Friday's points, he passes Chipper Jones (149.0 Box-Toppers points) on the "all-time" list (since 1995).

National League Player of the Day—Phillies pitcher Aaron Harang pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing two hits, in the 1-0 win over the Braves. Harang had a no-decision because he left the game with the score tied 0-0. The Phillies won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off run by Freddy Galvis.

Harang earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 3.4 for the season. He rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for 2015.

American League Batter of the Day—Brandon Moss of the Indians homered twice, doubled and drove in seven runs in the 13-1 win over the Tigers.

National League Batter of the Day—DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies hit two doubles and went 3-for-4, driving in two runs and scoring another, in the 6-4 win over the Giants.

Rankings—Besides Hernandez and Harang, three other players who earned Player of the Game honors Friday rose in Box-Toppers player rankings:

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole (7.2IP R 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks) rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.0 for the season.
Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke (7IP 0R 7K W in the 3-0 win over the Padres) rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season. Greinke now has 128.7 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 28th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With Friday's point, he passes Vladimir Guerrero (128.3 Box-Toppers points) on the "all-time" list (since 1995).
Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel (9IP 2H 0R 4K ND in the 5-4 win over the Athletics) rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.

Streak—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. Lester was Player of the Game in Friday’s 7-3 win over the Reds (6IP 3R 10K ND) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Lester earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Red Sox. His best season was 2010 with the Red Sox when he had 23.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among all players. In 2014, he had 16.4 Box-Toppers points in a season split between the Red Sox (10.0 Box-Toppers points) and the Athletics (6.4 points). He ranked sixth among AL pitchers in 2014.

Lester has 110.1 career Box-Toppers points, moving him up to 47th place among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. (With Friday’s 1.0 Box-Toppers point, he passes Jeff Kent—109.7 and Tim Lincecum—109.3.) Lester ranks 33rd among all pitchers in Box-Toppers points since 1995 and ranks ninth among active pitchers currently in the NL.

Debut—Tim Beckham of the Rays made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Beckham (HR 2-2 R 2BI in the 12-3 win over the Blue Jays) made his Major League debut Sept. 19, 2013, and was playing in the 21st game of his career. He is the 3,452nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Hernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Harang earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Moss and LeMahieu each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/24
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.0
    Mariners
    Felix Hernandez (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    9
  

    NL
    11.0
    `Phillies
    Aaron Harang
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    9.0
    Cardinals
    Carlos Martinez (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    
    9.0
    `Astros
    Dallas Keuchel
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    2
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    7.2
    Yankees
    Michael Pineda (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    5
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    BAT
    7.0
    Indians
    Brandon Moss   RF
    5
    2
    3
    7
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    7.0
    Dodgers
    Zack Greinke (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    3
    7
  

    
    4.0
    `Cubs
    Jon Lester
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    3
    3
    1
    10
  

    
    3.2
    Pirates
    Gerrit Cole (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    7
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Rays
    Tim Beckham   PH, DH
    2
    1
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Rockies
    DJ LeMahieu   2B
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Red Sox
    Brock Holt   SS, LF
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Angels
    Garrett Richards (W, 1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    2
    2
    3
    5
  

    
    1.0
    Marlins
    Adeiny Hechavarria   SS
    3
    2
    2
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2014

Shawn Plank January 24, 2015

Box-Toppers leading pitchers win postseason awards four times as often as Box-Toppers leading batters. Randy Johnson has led his league category in Box-Toppers points more than any other player (six). And the Cardinals and Red Sox have had more players win season Box-Toppers points titles than any other team.

A look at Box-Toppers top 100 players of 'all-time'

Shawn Plank January 3, 2015

Randy Johnson’s perch atop Box-Toppers’ “all-time” player standings was safe during 2014.The flame-throwing, likely Hall-of-Fame pitcher retired in 2009 with 278.8 Box-Toppers points, the most of any player since record keeping began in 1995.

Royals sweep Giants in series—in regular season, interleague series back in August, that is

Shawn Plank October 19, 2014

On Friday, Aug. 8, two teams that seemed destined to meet in the World Series began a regular season interleague series.

Yes, the Baltimore Orioles faced the St. Louis Cardinals. The Orioles, up five games in the American League East and the Cardinals, a game out in the National League Central.

Incidentally, two other teams faced each other in another interleague series beginning that night. But these were two ragtag teams struggling to hold on to their Wild Card spots, both in second place in their division. Few people were likely touting this as a possible World Series preview, few even could find intrigue in matching up two teams from different leagues with no trace of geographical or historical rivalry of any kind.

But it was on the schedule, so the San Francisco Giants traveled to Kansas City to face the Royals in a three-game series. A little more than two months later, these two unlikely teams have made their way to the World Series to face each other again.

The Royals swept the three-game series in August. Here is a series recap with Box-Toppers Players of the Game for each game:

Friday, Aug. 8: Royals 4, Giants 2

Player of the Game: Billy Butler of the Royals hit a home run and went 2-for-3, driving in three runs. Butler earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game and finished the season with 2.5 Box-Toppers points.

Madison Bumgarner was starting pitcher for the Giants and picked up the loss. He pitched a complete game (eight innings) and allowed seven hits and four runs, striking out five. Bumgarner finished the season with 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Complete Box-Toppers results for Aug. 8.

Saturday, Aug. 9: Royals 5, Giants 0

Player of the Game: Royals pitcher James Shields pitched a complete game shutout, allowing four hits and striking out five. Shields earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game and finished the season with 13.7 Box-Toppers points.

Giants pitcher Tim Hudson (6IP 6H 3R K) picked up the loss.

Complete Box-Toppers results for Aug. 9.

Sunday, Aug. 10: Royals 7, Giants 4

Player of the Game: Norichika Aoki of the Royals went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in a run. Aoki earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game and finished the season with 2.0 Box-Toppers points. Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum (3.1IP 7H 6R 2K) picked up the loss.

Complete Box-Toppers results for Aug. 10.

That same weekend, as mentioned previously, the Orioles and the Cardinals met—two teams that seemed more likely to go to the World Series, but two teams that would both go on to lose their league championship series. For what it’s worth, the Orioles took two out of three in that series.

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

Top player from each game

Here are the Players of the Game from each of the three games played between the Giants and Royals in August. The Royals swept the series, 3-0.

  
    Date
    Score
    Team
    Player of the Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    8/8
    3.0
    Royals
    Billy Butler   1B
    3
    1
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    8/9
    9.0
    Royals
    James Shields (W, 11-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    5
  

    8/10
    3.0
    Royals
    Norichika Aoki   RF
    2
    2
    2
    1
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Previously: Box-Toppers World Series preview: Giants have clear Box-Toppers advantage over Royals in World Series, but since 2014 is underdog year, watch out for David slaying 'Giant'

Giants have clear Box-Toppers advantage over Royals in World Series, but since 2014 is underdog year, watch out for David slaying 'Giant'

Shawn Plank October 18, 2014

The San Francisco Giants have the clear Box-Toppers advantage over the Kansas City Royals in the upcoming 2014 World Series.

Giants players accumulated more Box-Toppers points during the regular season and position-by-position match-ups tend to favor Giants in both batting and pitching.

But in a postseason dominated by underdog Davids beating baseball’s Goliaths, it would be folly to rule out the Royals slaying these Giants.

The best-of-seven game World Series begins Tuesday in Kansas City.

Both teams entered the postseason as Wild Cards with no division title. Both had to endure a one-game Wild Card playoff. Both went on to beat the top-seeded team in their league in their League Division Series. All around them, the mighty teams fell, leaving two final teams no one could have predicted.

The Giants have the fewest Box-Toppers points of any team to qualify to play in one of the National League Division Series—they are ranked eighth among all teams with 110.8 Box-Toppers points. The Royals have the fewest Box-Toppers points of any American League team to qualify for the playoffs—they are ranked 10th, with 101.1 Box-Toppers points.

With the downtrodden, underdog quality of both teams, it’s hard to cast the Giants as “Goliath.” If anything, the 2014 World Series between the Royals and Giants will not be a contest of David and Goliath, but one of David and a slightly-larger David.

But is it possible that in this topsy-turvy postseason that being the lesser team actually is the thing that gives a team the advantage? If so, then the Royals are bound to win. They are the bigger underdog, having not won a World Series since 1985 and have endured a playoff drought ever since. Meanwhile, the Giants win the Fall Classic every even-numbered year. (But the Royals bigger underdog status does have one flaw—they actually won more games during the regular season than did the Giants—89 to 88.)

The Royals may also have the advantage in the bullpen with three pitchers closing down teams at the end of playoff games. They may also have an advantage with speed on the bases and defense, factors Box-Toppers doesn’t directly measure.

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the highest-rated starting pitchers in Box-Toppers points, the top closing pitcher and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player’s Box-Toppers points earned in 2014, along with their overall rank among all players.

Matching up 15 key players against each other position-by-position, the Giants have the advantage in nine spots, the Royals only in six spots (the players with the advantage below are denoted with a checkmark in the “Adv” column). The Giants have the advantage in both batting and pitching. In the nine key batting positions, the Giants have the advantage in five spots, the Royals four. In six key pitching spots, the Giants have the advantage, 4-2.

When adding the Box-Toppers points of those 15 key players together, the Giants have the advantage over the Royals—92.1 Box-Toppers points to 83.1.

The Giants have two players who will be on Box-Toppers end-of-season NL All-Star team:

• Madison Bumgarner, starting pitcher, 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players and second among NL pitchers.

• Buster Posey, catcher, 8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among NL batters.

The Royals have one player who will be on Box-Toppers end-of-season AL All-Star team:

• Wade Davis, middle relief pitcher, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, first among AL middle relievers.

We have taken some liberties with the “starting” players listed below. We’ve plugged Michael Morse into the designated hitter spot for the Giants (when they play in Kansas City) because he is the batter with the most regular season Box-Toppers points who hasn’t regularly started in postseason games. Tim Lincecum has not pitched yet this postseason and hasn’t started a game since August, but he is listed because he is still on postseason rosters and still has the second-most Box-Toppers points among Giants starters this season (he pitched a no-hitter on June 25). Sergio Romo is listed as closer for the Giants (even though Santiago Casilla has been closing games recently) because Romo has more Box-Toppers points.

World Series Game 1: Giants at Royals

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Giants: Madison Bumgarner, 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Royals: James Shields, 13.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 22nd among all players, 11th among AL pitchers.

World Series player comparisons

Likely starting players for the Giants and Royals listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2014 regular season and their overall player rank among all players. The column "Adv" shows which team's position player has a higher Box-Toppers player ranking.

  
    

    Giants
    BTP
    Rank
    Adv
    

    Royals
    BTP
    Rank
    Adv
  

    1B
    Brandon Belt
    2.0
    412
    
    
    Eric Hosmer
    2.5
    368
    ✓
  

    2B
    Joe Panik
    1.0
    701
    
    
    Omar Infante
    4.0
    243
    ✓
  

    SS
    Brandon Crawford
    3.0
    322
    
    
    Alicides Escboar
    5.0
    190
    ✓
  

    3B
    Pablo Sandoval
    4.5
    220
    ✓
    
    Mike Moustakas
    4.0
    251
    
  

    CA
    Buster Posey
    8.5
    76
    ✓
    
    Salvador Perez
    4.7
    210
    
  

    CF
    Gregor Blanco
    3.0
    346
    ✓
    
    Lorenzo Cain
    2.0
    421
    
  

    LF
    Travis Ishikawa
    1.0
    644
    
    
    Alex Gordon
    3.0
    203
    ✓
  

    RF
    Hunter Pence
    2.5
    367
    ✓
    
    Norichika Aoki
    2.0
    443
    
  

    DH
    Michael Morse
    6.5
    144
    ✓
    
    Billy Butler
    2.5
    365
    
  

    SP
    Madison Bumgarner
    22.6
    3
    ✓
    
    James Shields
    13.7
    22
    
  

    SP
    Tim Lincecum
    10.4
    54
    ✓
    
    Danny Duffy
    10.0
    58
    
  

    SP
    Tim Hudson
    8.7
    71
    ✓
    
    Yordano Ventura
    8.7
    75
    
  

    SP
    Ryan Vogelsong
    8.7
    74
    ✓
    
    Jason Vargas
    7.0
    107
    
  

    CP
    Sergio Romo
    4.0
    242
    
    
    Greg Holland
    7.0
    106
    ✓
  

    PI
    Jake Peavy
    5.7
    165
    
    
    Jeremy Guthrie
    7.0
    113
    ✓
  

Angels' Richards, Giants' Lincecum top players for Friday, July 11; Mariners' Hernandez rises to 5th in Box-Toppers rankings

Shawn Plank July 12, 2014

Angels pitcher Garrett Richards, Friday’s Player of the Day, rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Meanwhile, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to fifth place in rankings.

Richards pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 3-0 win over the Rangers. Richards earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, rising to sixth place among all players. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He is in fourth place among American League pitchers.

Hernandez rises from eighth to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Hernandez struck out nine over eight innings, allowing two runs, in the 3-2 win over the Athletics. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.8 for the season and is in third place among AL pitchers.

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is National League Player of the Day. Lincecum pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out six in the 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks. Lincecum earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season, moving into 12th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He is the 15th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Richards and Lincecum had identical Box-Toppers game scores of 8.0, but Richards earned overall Player of the Day honors on a tiebreaker—he had more strikeouts, eight vs. six.

David Wright of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Wright homered, went 4-for-4, scored twice and drove in two runs, in the 7-1 win over the Marlins.

Christian Vazquez of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Vazquez went 3-for-4, scored twice and drove in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the Astros. This was Vazquez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,380th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He made his Major League debut July 9 and was playing in his second game.

Richards receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lincecum receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Wright and Vazquez 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.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Friday, 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

  
    711
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.0
    Angels
    Garrett Richards (W, 11-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    NL
    8.0
    Giants
    Tim Lincecum (W, 9-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    5.0
    Mariners
    Felix Hernandez (W, 11-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    6
    2
    2
    2
    9
  

    
    4.1
    Blue Jays
    Aaron Loup (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Mets
    David Wright   3B
    4
    2
    4
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Red Sox
    Christian Vazquez   C
    4
    2
    3
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Indians
    Cody Allen (S, 11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    Reds
    Aroldis Chapman (S, 20)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Cardinals
    Matt Holliday   LF
    4
    3
    3
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Phillies
    Jimmy Rollins   SS
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Padres
    Jesse Hahn (W, 5-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    1
    4
    6
  

    
    3.0
    `Orioles
    Miguel Gonzalez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    5
  

    
    2.0
    Rockies
    Brandon Barnes   PH
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Cubs
    Chris Coghlan   LF
    3
    1
    2
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Tigers
    Austin Jackson   CF
    4
    1
    3
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Blue Jays' Hutchison, Giants' Lincecum top players for Tuesday, July 1

Shawn Plank July 2, 2014

Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison is Tuesday’s Player of the Day. Hutchison struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing only one run and three hits, in the 4-1 win over the Brewers.

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is National League Player of the Day. Lincecum pitched eight shutout innings and struck out six in the 5-0 win over the Cardinals.

Eduardo Nunez of the Twins is American League Batter of the Day. Nunez homered and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in two runs in the 10-2 win over the Royals.

Seth Smith of the Padres is NL Batter of the Day. Smith homered and went 3-for-4, scoring three runs, in the 8-2 win over the Reds.

Hutchison receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lincecum receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Nunez and Smith 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.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Tuesday, 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

  
    701
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    Blue Jays
    Drew Hutchison (W, 6-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    2
    10
  

    NL
    8.0
    Giants
    Tim Lincecum (W, 7-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    7.2
    Nationals
    Stephen Strasburg (W, 7-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    5
    1
    1
    1
    8
  

    
    7.0
    Angels
    Garrett Richards (W, 9-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    3
    3
    2
    9
  

    
    7.0
    Rays
    David Price (W, 7-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    3
    9
  

    
    5.0
    Tigers
    Rick Porcello (W, 11-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    0
  

    
    4.0
    Mariners
    Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 6-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    7
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    
    4.0
    Braves
    Craig Kimbrel (S, 26)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Twins
    Eduardo Nunez   SS
    5
    3
    3
    2
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Padres
    Seth Smith   RF, LF
    4
    3
    3
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Angels
    Howie Kendrick   2B
    3
    2
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Orioles
    Caleb Joseph   C
    3
    2
    1
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Marlins
    Bryan Morris (W, 6-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Indians
    Yan Gomes   C
    4
    2
    2
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Pirates
    Ike Davis   PH
    1
    0
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Cubs
    Pedro Strop (W, 1-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
  

San Francisco Giants retake top spot in Box-Toppers weekly team rankings

Shawn Plank June 27, 2014

The San Francisco Giants have retaken the top spot in Box-Toppers team rankings this week.

Top 10 teams
Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, June 26. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated so far this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams have accumulated during the past week.





  
    

626
    

Teams
    

BTP
    
BTP
/wk
    Last 
wk 
rank
  

    1
    Giants
    56.9
    5.0
    2
  

    2
    Blue Jays
    56.3
    6.9
    5
  

    3
    Dodgers
    56.2
    6.7
    4
  

    4
    Athletics
    55.9
    3.0
    1
  

    5
    Brewers
    55.6
    6.0
    3
  

    6
    Angels
    54.5
    6.5
    6
  

    7
    Cardinals
    51.5
    5.0
    7
  

    8
    Mariners
    51.0
    6.0
    9
  

    9
    Nationals
    48.2
    4.0
    11
  

    10
    Reds
    48.1
    6.5
    19
  

BTP: Box-Toppers points

Giants players have accumulated 56.9 Box-Toppers points. They pass last week’s top team, the Oakland Athletics, now in fourth place in team rankings with 55.9 Box-Toppers points. The Giants have been the top team in Box-Toppers rankings five of the past seven weeks and have been the top National League team for five straight weeks.

The Giants are led by pitchers Madison Bumgarner (12.5 Box-Toppers points, fourth place among all players, third among NL pitchers), Tim Hudson (6.7 Box-Toppers points, 15th among NL pitchers) and Tim Lincecum (6.0 Box-Toppers points, 20th among NL pitchers). Lincecum pitched a no-hitter this week. Nineteen different Giants players have earned Player of the Game honors and picked up at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season.

The Giants have the third-best winning percentage in baseball (.582), behind the Athletics (.615—55.9 Box-Toppers points, fourth place overall) and the Milwaukee Brewers (.605—55.6 Box-Toppers points, fifth place overall).

The Toronto Blue Jays, the hottest team of the week, are the top American League team in Box-Toppers rankings. The Blue Jays moved from fifth place to second among all teams and passed last week’s AL and overall leader, the Athletics. They regain their spot atop the AL after losing it last week to the Athletics—previously, they were top AL team for three straight weeks.

Blue Jays players have accumulated 56.3 Box-Toppers points, including 6.9 during the past week—more than any other team.

The Blue Jays are led by first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (7.0 Box-Toppers points, third place among AL batters) and pitcher Drew Hutchison (7.0 Box-Toppers points, 12th place among AL pitchers). Twenty-one different Blue Jays players have earned Player of the Game honors and picked up at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season.

The Blue Jays have the fourth-best winning percentage in the AL (.556), behind the Athletics, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels.

Two teams rose into the top 10 this week: The Washington Nationals rose from 11th to ninth place and the Cincinnati Reds rose from 19th to 10th place. Two teams fell out of the top 10: The Miami Marlins fell from eighth to 11th place and the Kansas City Royals fell from 10th to 14th place.

The Arizona Diamondbacks remain the lowest-rated team with 34.9 Box-Toppers points, picking up only 1.0 point during the past week.

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.

Giants' Tim Lincecum, pitching a no-hitter, tops players for Wednesday, June 25

Shawn Plank June 26, 2014

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, pitching his second career no-hitter, is Wednesday’s Player of the Day.

Lincecum allowed only one walk and struck out six in the complete game, shutout no-hitter, a 4-0 win over the Padres.

Rays pitcher David Price is American League Player of the Day. Price struck out 11 over 8 1/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 5-1 win over the Pirates. Price rises to 17th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season. He ranks eighth among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

Scooter Gennett of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Gennett hit a grand slam and went 2-for-5, driving in five runs, in the 9-2 win over the Nationals.

David Ortiz of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Ortiz homered, went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs in the 5-4 win over the Mariners.

Lincecum receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Price receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Gennett and Ortiz 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.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Wednesday, 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

  
    625
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    14.0
    Giants
    Tim Lincecum (W, 6-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    AL
    11.1
    Rays
    David Price (W, 6-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.1
    5
    1
    1
    1
    11
  

    
    10.0
    Indians
    Corey Kluber (W, 7-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    
    7.0
    Braves
    Alex Wood (W, 6-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    
    5.0
    Reds
    Mat Latos (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    5
  

    
    4.2
    Dodgers
    Jamey Wright (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.2
    2
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    4.2
    Yankees
    David Robertson (S, 18)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Brewers
    Scooter Gennett   2B
    5
    2
    2
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Marlins
    Steve Cishek (S, 18)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    Athletics
    Sean Doolittle (S, 11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    2.1
    `Orioles
    Ryan Webb
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Red Sox
    David Ortiz   DH
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Angels
    Erick Aybar   SS
    3
    2
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Cardinals
    Daniel Descalso   PH
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Tigers
    Victor Martinez   DH
    5
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Giants' Tim Lincecum (7.2IP 11K) tops players for Monday, May 12

Shawn Plank May 13, 2014

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Monday’s Player of the Day. Lincecum gave up one run and two hits over 7 2/3 innings, striking out 11, in the 4-2 win over the Braves.

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is American League Player of the Day. Lewis struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the 4-0 win over the Astros.

Junior Lake of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. Lake homered, drove in six runs and went 3-for-6 in the 17-5 win over the Cardinals.

Stefen Romero of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Romero doubled, homered and drove in three runs in the 12-5 win over the Rays. This was Romero’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,330th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Notables: Athletics pitcher Jesse Chavez rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Chavez (8IP 7K W in 5-4 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.7 for the season. (See the updated Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings on the home page.)

Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers earned Player of the Game honors for the first time this season Monday and only the second time in his career (he was NL Batter of the Day on June 4, 2013). Puig went 1-for-3, hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs in the 6-5 win over the Marlins. He has 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season and 2.5 for his career.

Lincecum receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lewis receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Lake and Romero 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.

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

512ScoreTeamPlayerABRHBIBBKIPHRERBBK
MLB10.2GiantsTim Lincecum (W, 3-2)------7.2211411
BAT5.0CubsJunior Lake   LF623601------
AL4.2RangersColby Lewis (W, 3-2)------5.270028
BAT4.0MarinersStefen Romero   RF533301------
4.0AthleticsJesse Chavez (W, 3-1)------8.052227
3.0Blue JaysJose Bautista   RF, CF413300------
3.0TigersIan Kinsler   2B322210------
3.0DodgersYasiel Puig   RF311420------
3.0NationalsTyler Clippard (W, 3-2)------1.000002
2.0MetsEric Young   LF523200------

Ryan Dempster to sit out 2014, not retiring, but return to mound seems unlikely

Shawn Plank March 11, 2014

[NOTE: Ryan Dempster announced his official retirement Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, after sitting out the 2014 season. At the close of the 2014 season, he had 95.2 career Box-Toppers points, which at the time ranked him 75th among all players and 45th among all pitchers. Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.]

Box-Toppers’ Stick-A-Fork-In-Them series looks at 14 players whose careers are done or may be done. Included is a look at how they have fared in Box-Toppers points over their careers, reflecting their impact on the game over time. This is the 14th of the series:

14. Ryan Dempster

Ryan Dempster, 36, citing health and family concerns, says he will not pitch in 2014, but did not announce his formal retirement.

Coming back to the game seems unlikely given what he said as quoted in The Boston Globe in February: “I’m just looking at the 2014 season and know that I won’t be playing this year. If something changes, then obviously something changes. I don’t see that changing anywhere in the future, but I also don’t want to close the door on that. If this is the end, what a great way to go out.”

Ryan Dempster

Here are Ryan Dempster's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1998	fla nl	1.0
1999	fla nl	6.0
2000	fla nl	9.7	AS, BTP-56, BTP-NL pi-16
2001	fla nl	7.0
2002	fla nl/cin nl	2.0
2003	cin nl	2.7
2004	chi nl	0.0
2005	chi nl	6.0
2006	chi nl	3.0
2007	chi nl	6.0
2008	chi nl	12.7	AS, BTP-22, BTP-NL pi-9, CYA-6
2009	chi nl	7.7
2010	chi nl	7.7
2011	chi nl	8.7
2012	chi nl/tex al	11.0	BTP-41, BTP-AL pi-15
2013	bos al	4.0
Total		95.2	BTP-70, BTP-pi-42

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Dempster won a World Series championship with the Red Sox in 2013.

Dempster has 95.2 career Box-Toppers points, 42nd among pitchers and 70th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He began his career in 1998 with the Marlins, moved to the Reds in midseason 2002, played for the Cubs from 2004 to 2012 and finished 2012 with the Rangers before playing for the Red Sox in 2013.

Some career highlights:

• In 2000 with the Marlins, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 16th among National League pitchers and 56th among all players.

• In 2008 with the Cubs, he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, a career season high, ninth among NL pitchers and 22nd among all players. He finished sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting, the only season he received votes. Tim Lincecum of the Giants won the award; he had 17.7 Box-Toppers points, second among NL pitchers. CC Sabathia of the Brewers led NL pitchers with 26.7 Box-Toppers points.

• In 2012 with the Cubs and the Rangers, he had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, 15th among American League pitchers and 41st among all players.

Dempster had two seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

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

Coming next in the series: Series recap, featuring 14 players plus honorable mention retirees

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Todd Helton, Barry Zito, Chris Carpenter, Lance Berkman

Chris Carpenter retires; he led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2005

Shawn Plank March 4, 2014

12. Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter, who retired at the end of the 2013 season, led all National League pitchers in Box-Toppers points in 2005, the same year he won the NL Cy Young Award.

Chris Carpenter

Here are Chris Carpenter's Box-Toppers statistics. The third column shows his Box-Toppers points (BTP) per season. The final column shows his All-Star Selections, his Box-Toppers key season rankings and his standing in key postseason awards voting.

Year	Team	BTP	Notes
1997	tor al	1.0
1998	tor al	5.7
1999	tor al	5.0
2000	tor al	2.0
2001	tor al	10.0	BTP-67, BTP-AL pi-21
2002	tor al	1.0
2003	stl nl	0.0
2004	stl nl	10.7	BTP-41, BTP-NL pi-17
2005	stl nl	21.0	AS, BTP-2, BTP-NL pi-1, CYA-1, MVP-8
2006	stl nl	15.4	AS, BTP-9, BTP-NL pi-4, CYA-3, MVP-19
2007	stl nl	0.0
2008	stl nl	1.0
2009	stl nl	15.7	BTP-14, BTP-NL pi-4, CYA-2, MVP-14
2010	stl nl	16.1	AS, BTP-10, BTP-NL pi-6
2011	stl nl	8.7
2012	stl nl	0.0
2013	stl nl	0.0
Total		113.3	BTP-37, BTP-pi-24

AS All-star selection
BTP Finish among all players in Box-Toppers points
BTP-AL pi Finish among all AL pitchers in BTP
BTP-NL pi Finish among all NL pitchers in BTP
CYA Finish in league Cy Young Award voting
MVP Finish in league Most Valuable Player Award voting

Source: Information for player awards comes from Baseball-Reference.com

Carpenter, 38, was also among the top 10 NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points four times in his 17-year career and three times among the top three in NL Cy Young voting.

Carpenter recorded 113.3 career Box-Toppers points, 24th among all pitchers and 37th among all players (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995). He battled injury several times during his career but consistently battled back to pitch effectively and rank among the league’s top players in Box-Toppers points.

He was NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2009 with the Cardinals and a two-time World Series champion with the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011.

He began his career in 1997 with the Blue Jays and moved to the Cardinals in 2004. Injuries prevented him from playing in 2003 and 2013, his final season. He played in only three games in 2012. And he earned his final Box-Toppers points Sept. 28, 2011, when he was Player of the Day.

Some career highlights:

• In 2001 with the Blue Jays, he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 21st among American League pitchers and 67th among all players.

• In 2004 with the Cardinals, he had 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 17th among NL pitchers and 41st among all players. He had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the previous two seasons—2002 and 2003.

• In 2005, he had 21.0 Box-Toppers points, a career high, the most among NL pitchers and second among all players (behind only Johan Santana of the Twins, with 24.1.) Carpenter won the NL Cy Young Award over Dontrelle Willis of the Marlins (Willis had 18.7 Box-Toppers points, third among NL pitchers).

• In 2006, he had 15.4 Box-Toppers points, fourth among NL pitchers and ninth among all players. He finished third in NL Cy Young voting. (Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks won the NL Cy Young. Webb had 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ninth among NL pitchers. John Smoltz of the Braves led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 19.1.)

• In 2009, he had 15.7 Box-Toppers points after scoring only 1.0 point the previous two seasons—2007 and 2008. Carpenter ranked fourth among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points and 14th among all players. He finished second in NL Cy Young voting. (Tim Lincecum of the Giants won the NL Cy Young and led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 19.7.)

• In 2010, he had 16.1 Box-Toppers points, sixth among NL pitchers and 10th among all players. Though it was his second-best season in Box-Toppers points, he received no NL Cy Young votes. Roy Halladay won the NL Cy Young and led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 23.4.

Carpenter had six seasons with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, three seasons with 15.0 or more and one season with 20.0 or more.

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.

Coming next in the series: Lance Berkman

Previously in the series: Alex Rodriguez, Roy Halladay, Manny Ramirez, Johan Santana, Jim Thome, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Todd Helton, Barry Zito

Giants' Lincecum tops players for Thursday, Aug. 8, Tigers' Scherzer rises to 6th in player Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank August 23, 2013

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Thursday, Aug. 8:

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Thursday's Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer rises to sixth place in player Box-Toppers points for the season.

Lincecum allowed only one hit and no runs over eight innings, while striking out eight, in the 4-1 win over the Brewers.

Scherzer earned Player of the Game honors Thursday (7IP 5K W in the 10-3 win vs. the Indians), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.7 for the season. He rises to sixth place overall and passes Miguel Cabrera (13.4) as the Box-Toppers points leader among Detroit Tigers players.

Royals pitcher Bruce Chen is American League Player of the Day. Chen pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and gave up no runs in the 5-1 win over the Red Sox.

John McDonald of the Phillies is National League Batter of the Day. McDonald homered and drove in two runs in the 12-1 win over the Cubs.

No American League batter earned Player of the Game honors, so there is no AL Batter of the Day for Thursday.

Lincecum receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Chen receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. McDonald receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.

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

808ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB14.0Giants 0000000  Tim Lincecum (W, 6-11)8.010018
 8.0Dodgers 0000000  Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 11-3)7.051007
AL3.2Royals 0000000  Bruce Chen (W, 5-0)7.250012
BAT3.0Phillies       John McDonald   2B111200  00.000000
 3.0Tigers0000000  Max Scherzer (W, 17-1)7.042215
 2.0Pirates Neil Walker   2B303210  00.000000
 1.0Mets 0000000  LaTroy Hawkins (S, 2)1.000000

Giants' Tim Lincecum, pitching a no-hitter, is top player for Saturday, July 13

Shawn Plank July 14, 2013

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, pitching a no-hitter against the Padres, is Saturday's Player of the Day.

Lincecum struck out 13 and allowed only four walks in the 9-0 win.

Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is American League Player of the Day. Hernandez threw eight scoreless innings in the 6-0 win over the Angels.

Lonnie Chisenhall of the Indians is AL Batter of the Day. Chisenhall hit a grand slam in the 5-3 win over the Royals.

Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. Soriano homered and went 2-for-5 in the 6-4 win over the Cardinals.

Notable: Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke and Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez are the 14th and 15th players with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season. Both were top players in their games Saturday. Greinke (CG 0R 2H 9K in the 1-0 win vs. the Rockies) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season, putting him in 12th place overall. Hernandez, the AL Player of the Day, earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points, giving him 10.4 for the season, putting him in 13th place overall.

Lincecum receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hernandez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Chisenhall and Soriano 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:

713ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB18.0Giants 0000000  Tim Lincecum (W, 5-9)9.0000413
 15.0Dodgers 0000000  Zack Greinke (W, 8-2)9.020019
AL5.0Mariners 0000000  Felix Hernandez (W, 10-4)8.070004
 4.0Athletics 0000000  A.J. Griffin (W, 8-6)8.060013
 4.0`Phillies 0000000  John Lannan 8.041113
 4.0Braves 0000000  Craig Kimbrel (S, 26)1.000003
BAT3.0Indians Lonnie Chisenhall   3B412401  00.000000
 3.0Rays0000000  Fernando Rodney (S, 22)1.000002
 3.0Diamondbacks 0000000  Will Harris (W, 2-0)1.000002
 2.2Blue Jays 0000000  Casey Janssen (S, 18)0.200002
 2.0Rangers Nelson Cruz   RF524101  00.000000
 2.0Twins Pedro Florimon   SS211210  00.000000
 2.0Pirates 0000000  Jason Grilli (S, 29)1.000001
 1.1`White Sox 0000000  Nate Jones 1.120002
 1.0Marlins 0000000  Steve Cishek (W, 3-4)1.020002
BAT0.0Cubs Alfonso Soriano   LF522100  00.000000

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Friday, Aug. 8: Royals 4, Giants 2

Saturday, Aug. 9: Royals 5, Giants 0

Sunday, Aug. 10: Royals 7, Giants 4

Top player from each game

World Series Game 1: Giants at Royals

World Series player comparisons

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

Top 10 teams

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

14. Ryan Dempster

Ryan Dempster

Coming next in the series: Series recap, featuring 14 players plus honorable mention retirees

12. Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter

Coming next in the series: Lance Berkman

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers

Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.