Cardinals' Wacha tops players for Monday, April 11; Rangers' Lewis tops AL players

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Wacha struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, in the 10-1 win over the Brewers. Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and ranks sixth in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 11:  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
2	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
3	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	2.5
4	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
5	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
6	Wacha, Michael 3276	pi sp	stl nl	2.0
7	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	2.0
8	Estrada, Marco 2847	pi sp	tor al	2.0
9	Anderson, Chase 3328	pi sp	mil nl	2.0
10	Suarez, Eugenio 3355	3b ss	cin nl	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis struck out six over six innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 7-3 win over the Mariners.

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 9-7 win over the Red Sox. Davis earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day and now has 2.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, rising to third in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 6-4 win over the Braves.

Zimmerman has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Nationals and has 56.3 career points, ninth among active NL batters. His best season was 2013 with the Nationals when he had 9.2 points, sixth among NL batters. He had 3.0 points in 2015 with the Nationals.

Scoring—Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lewis earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Davis and Zimmerman each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’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

4/11	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	8.0	Cardinals	Michael Wacha (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	1	7
AL	5.0	Rangers	Colby Lewis (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	1	6
BAT	4.0	Orioles	Chris Davis, 1B	5	2	2	5	0	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Cubs	Hector Rondon (S,2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Astros	Jose Altuve, 2B	4	3	3	1	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Nationals	Ryan Zimmerman, 1B	3	3	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Angels	Nick Tropeano (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	6	0	0	2	6
	3.0	`Padres	Carlos Villanueva	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.1	Marlins	Chris Narveson (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.1	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	White Sox	Jose Quintana (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	3	5
	1.0	Pirates	Francisco Cervelli, C	4	1	3	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Braves' Miller tops players for Sunday, Oct. 4; Kershaw picks up 3rd season with 25+ Box-Toppers points

Braves pitcher Shelby Miller is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day on the season’s final day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Oct. 4 (Final standings).  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	29.1
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	25.7
3	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	22.4
4	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	21.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	21.1
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	21.0
7	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	20.7
8	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	19.4
9	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	19.0
10	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	18.8

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Sunday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw passed 25 Box-Toppers points in a single season for the third time, only the third player to do that since 1995.

Plus, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom maintained his spot in third place in player rankings, behind Kershaw. In addition, eight players who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday had more than 10 Box-Toppers points on the season.

Player of the Day—Miller pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out seven, in the 6-0 win over the Cardinals.

Miller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season. He becomes the 46th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and ranks 44th among all players, 17th among NL pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels pitched a complete game three-hitter, allowing two runs and striking out eight, in the 9-2 win over the Angels.

Hamels earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 15.4 for the season. He ranks 15th among all players, eighth among AL pitchers.

Hamels rises to 33rd place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his points Sunday, he has 126.2 career points and passes Justin Verlander (124.6) on the “all-time” list. He trails 32nd-ranked player Mariano Rivera (126.4).

American League Batter of the Day—Joey Butler of the Rays hit two home runs—a grand slam and a two-run homer—and went 3-for-4, in the 12-3 win over the Blue Jays.

This was Butler’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Butler made his Major League debut Aug. 7, 2013, and was playing in his 102nd career game. He is the 3,607th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He is the 172nd and final player to debut in Box-Toppers during the 2015 season.

National League Batter of the Day—Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 5-3 win over the Astros.

Goldschmidt earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.2 for the season. He becomes the 47th and final player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, 10th among batters. He ranks 42nd among all players and fourth among NL batters.

Best seasons

Here are all players who have earned 25 or more Box-Toppers points in a single season since 1995, ranked by their single-season Box-Toppers point total. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw picked up his third 25+ point season of his career Sunday—his 25.7 Box-Toppers points in 2015 are tied for the 20th-most points in a single season since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began.  

Rank	Player	Team	Pos	Year	BTP
1	Randy Johnson	Dbacks	pi sp	2000	33.7
1	Randy Johnson	Dbacks	pi sp	2002	33.7
3	Pedro Martinez	Red Sox	pi sp	2000	33.5
4	Randy Johnson	Dbacks	pi sp	1999	31.5
4	Clayton Kershaw	Dodgers	pi sp	2014	31.5
6	Pedro Martinez	Red Sox	pi sp	1999	31.4
7	Randy Johnson	Dbacks	pi sp	2001	29.4
8	*Jake Arrieta	Cubs	pi sp	2015	29.1
9	Pedro Martinez	Red Sox	pi sp	2002	28.8
10	Curt Schilling	Dbacks	pi sp	2002	28.4
11	Roger Clemens	Blue Jays	pi sp	1997	27.4
12	Johan Santana	Twins	pi sp	2004	26.8
13	Pedro Martinez	Expos	pi sp	1997	26.7
13	CC Sabathia	Indians/Brewers	pi sp	2008	26.7
15	Randy Johnson	Mariners/Astros	pi sp	1998	26.4
16	John Smoltz	Braves	pi sp	1996	26.1
16	Clayton Kershaw	Dodgers	pi sp	2011	26.1
18	Roger Clemens	Blue Jays	pi sp	1998	25.8
18	Corey Kluber	Indians	pi sp	2014	25.8
20	Johan Santana	Twins	pi sp	2006	25.7
20	*Clayton Kershaw	Dodgers	pi sp	2015	25.7
22	Cliff Lee	Phillies	pi sp	2011	25.4
	* Current season

Kershaw—Clayton Kershaw (3.2IP 2H 0R 7K ND in the 6-3 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 25.7 for the season. He maintains his rank of second among all players and among NL pitchers, behind overall leader Jake Arrieta of the Cubs (29.1).

But Kershaw has now earned more than 25 Box-Toppers points for the third time in his career, a feat only done by two other players in the 21-season history of Box-Toppers:

Randy Johnson did it five times—1998 (26.4), 1999 (31.5), 2000 (33.7), 2001 (29.4) and 2002 (33.7).

Pedro Martinez did it four times—1997 (26.7), 1999 (31.4), 2000 (33.5) and 2002 (28.8).

Roger Clemens and Johan Santana are the only other players who have earned 25 points in a single season more than once. (See Best seasons chart.)

Kershaw earned 26.1 points in 2011 and 31.5 points in 2014. Despite earning 25.7 points this season, Kershaw’s streak of four straight seasons leading NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points comes to an end this year as he was topped by Arrieta. Kershaw also led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Kershaw now has 159.3 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his spot in 13th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Kershaw trails 12th-place player John Smoltz (160.9).

Other notables who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday—

• Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom (4IP 0H 0R 7K ND in the 1-0 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.4 for the season, maintaining his rank of third among all players and among NL pitchers, behind Arrieta and Kershaw.
• Indians pitcher Danny Salazar (5.1IP 4H R 6K W in the 3-1 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He ranks 22nd among all players and 11th among AL pitchers.
• Pirates pitcher J.A. Happ (6IP 3H 0R 7K W in the 4-0 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.1 for the season. He ranks 24th among all players and 12th among NL pitchers.
• Chris Davis of the Orioles (2HR 2B 3-4 3R 4BI in the 9-4 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks 42nd among all players and fourth among AL batters.
• Cubs pitcher Dan Haren rose to 47th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Haren (6IP 3H R 3K W in the 3-1 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 113.2 for his career. With his point Sunday, he passes Sammy Sosa (113.2) on the “all-time” list. (It should be noted that Sosa began his career in 1989, before the advent of Box-Toppers. Were his entire career tracked, he would have about 135 career Box-Toppers points, according to rough estimates.) Haren trails 46th-ranked player Chris Carpenter (113.3).

Scoring—Miller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hamels earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Butler and Goldschmidt 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.

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

10/4	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	9.0	Braves	Shelby Miller (W,6-17)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	0	0	3	7
	9.0	`Mets	Jacob deGrom	-	-	-	-	-	-		4.0	0	0	0	2	7
	8.2	`Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.2	2	0	0	0	7
AL	8.0	Rangers	Cole Hamels (W,13-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	2	2	2	8
BAT	7.0	Rays	Joey Butler, DH	4	2	3	6	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	7.0	Pirates	J.A. Happ (W,11-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	0	0	3	7
	6.2	Braves	Matt Wisler (W,8-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.2	4	0	0	1	3
	6.0	Orioles	Chris Davis, 1B	4	3	3	4	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	6.0	Tigers	Daniel Norris (W,3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	1	0	0	1	3
	4.1	Indians	Danny Salazar (W,14-10)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.1	4	1	1	1	6
	4.0	Mariners	Tom Wilhelmsen (S,13)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.2	`Phillies	David Buchanan	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	6	2	1	1	7
	3.0	Royals	Salvador Perez, C	3	2	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Dbacks	Paul Goldschmidt, 1B	3	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Rockies	Justin Morneau, PH	1	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Cubs	Dan Haren (W,11-9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	1	3
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Pirates' J.A. Happ (7IP 0R 3H 8K) tops players for Friday, Sept. 4

(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)

Pirates pitcher J.A. Happ is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Friday, Sept. 4.

Happ pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing three hits, in the 9-3 win over the Cardinals.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Sept. 4.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.7
2	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	19.4
3	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	19.1
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	18.1
5	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	18.0
6	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	17.7
7	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	17.1
8	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	16.4
9	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	16.0
10	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	16.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Happ earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season. He becomes the 32nd player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 28th among all players and 12th among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin pitched a complete game, allowing one run and four hits, striking out six, in the 8-1 win over the Tigers.

American League Batter of the Day—Kyle Seager of the Mariners homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 11-8 win over the Athletics.

National League Batter of the Day—Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 14-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Rizzo earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.5 for the season, rising to fifth place among NL batters. He ranks 50th among all players.

Notable—Chris Davis of the Orioles became the 33rd player (and fourth batter) with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Davis (2HR 2-5 2R 3BI in the 10-2 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks third among AL batters, behind Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays (10.4) and Mike Trout (10.0). He ranks 33rd among all players.

Scoring—Happ earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Tomlin earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Seager and Rizzo 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.

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

9/4	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	12.0	Pirates	J.A. Happ (W,8-7)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	0	8
AL	8.0	Indians	Josh Tomlin (W,4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	4	1	1	1	6
	6.0	Rockies	Jorge De La Rosa (W,9-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	1	1	0	7
	5.2	Astros	Collin McHugh (W,15-7)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	7	0	0	1	6
BAT	5.0	Mariners	Kyle Seager, 3B	4	3	3	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	5.0	Cubs	Anthony Rizzo, 1B	3	2	2	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	White Sox	Alexei Ramirez, SS	5	3	4	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Angels	C.J. Cron, DH	4	0	3	5	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Nationals	Michael Taylor, PH	1	1	1	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Yankees	Brian McCann, C	1	3	1	1	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Dodgers	Justin Ruggiano, PH	1	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	`Red Sox	Junichi Tazawa (MR)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	3
	2.0	Marlins	Martin Prado, 3B	6	1	5	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Orioles	Chris Davis, 1B	5	2	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Red Sox' Jackie Bradley (2HR 5-6 5R 7BI) tops players for Saturday, Aug. 15

(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)

Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Red Sox is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Saturday, Aug. 15.

Also, Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander rose to 34th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 15.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	18.4
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	16.7
3	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	16.1
4	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	16.0
5	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	15.8
6	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	15.4
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	15.4
8	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	15.0
9	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	14.7
10	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	14.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Bradley hit two homers and three doubles, going 5-for-6, scoring five times and driving in seven runs, in the 22-10 win over the Mariners.

National League Player of the Day—Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 8-4 win over the Braves.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Duffy of the Giants doubled twice, scored twice and drove in four runs, in the 12-6 win over the Nationals.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Saturday, Aug. 15, because the overall Player of the Day was AL batter Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Red Sox.

Notable—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander rose to 34th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Verlander (7IP 3H 0R 7K ND in the 4-2 win over the Astros) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 120.9 for his career. He passed two players on the “all-time” list (since record keeping began in 1995), Jered Weaver (120.4 Box-Toppers points) and Cole Hamels (120.8 points). Verlander trails 33rd-place player Gary Sheffield (124.1).

Verlander’s 120.9 Box-Toppers points ranks third among active AL pitchers, behind CC Sabathia of the Yankees (178.0 Box-Toppers points) and Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (158.7 points).

Verlander has 2.7 Box-Toppers points for the season.

Also notable—Chris Davis of the Orioles has the highest Box-Toppers season player ranking of all 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Davis (2HR 2-4 2R 3BI in the 4-3 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season. He ranks 41st among all players and third among AL batters.

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

• Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey (6IP H 0R 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Indians) made his Major League debut Aug. 5 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,558th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
• Addison Russell of the Cubs (2B 2-3 2R in the 6-3 win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut April 21 and was playing in his 98th career game. He is the 3,559th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Bradley earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Corbin earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Duffy earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’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

8/15	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	11.0	Red Sox	Jackie Bradley Jr., RF	6	5	5	7	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	9.0	`Tigers	Justin Verlander	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	2	7
NL	8.2	Dbacks	Patrick Corbin (W,3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	0	0	3	8
	7.0	Yankees	Masahiro Tanaka (W,9-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	5	1	1	3	8
	7.0	Twins	Tyler Duffey (W,1-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	1	0	0	5	7
	7.0	Pirates	Joe Blanton (W,4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	1	0	0	1	6
	5.0	Rangers	Shin-Soo Choo, RF	4	3	3	3	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Royals	Jarrod Dyson, CF	4	2	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Giants	Matt Duffy, 3B	5	2	2	4	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Brewers	Scooter Gennett, 2B	4	1	4	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Orioles	Chris Davis, 1B	4	2	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Cardinals	Mark Reynolds, 1B	4	2	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Dodgers	Yasiel Puig, RF	3	2	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Padres	Kevin Quackenbush (W,2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Cubs	Addison Russell, SS	3	2	2	0	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Mets' Matt Harvey tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 5, rises to 7th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Mets pitcher Matt Harvey is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to seventh in player rankings.

Harvey pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six, in the 8-6 win over the Marlins.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 5.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	16.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	16.0
3	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	15.4
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	15.1
5	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	15.0
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	14.4
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	14.4
8	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	14.1
9	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	13.7
10	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	13.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Harvey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 for the season, rising to seventh in season player rankings and fourth among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright struck out nine over eight innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 2-1 win over the Yankees.

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit a game-winning, 10th-inning grand slam in the 7-3 win over the Athletics. Davis went 2-for-4, scoring two runs.

Davis earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, ranking seventh among AL batters.

National League Batter of the Day—Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates homered, scored twice and drove in two runs, going 1-for-2, in the 7-5 win over the Cubs.

McCutchen earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.5 for the season, ranking fourth among NL batters.

Debut—Tigers pitcher Matt Boyd made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Boyd (7IP 7H R 2K W in the 2-1 win over the Royals) made his Major League debut June 27 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,550th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Harvey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Wright earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Davis and McCutchen 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

8/5	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	11.0	Mets	Matt Harvey (W,10-7)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	0	0	0	6
AL	9.0	Red Sox	Steven Wright (W,5-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	1	1	2	9
	7.1	Giants	Madison Bumgarner (W,12-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	7	1	1	0	9
	6.0	White Sox	David Robertson (W,5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	4
	5.0	Brewers	Taylor Jungmann (W,6-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	2	2	0	8
BAT	4.0	Orioles	Chris Davis, 1B	4	2	2	4	1	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Dodgers	Kenley Jansen (S,20)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.1	`Rangers	Spencer Patton (H,3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Blue Jays	Jose Bautista, RF	4	2	1	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Pirates	Andrew McCutchen, CF	2	2	1	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Dbacks	Welington Castillo, C	4	1	2	3	1	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Rockies	Ben Paulsen, 1B	5	2	3	1	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Angels	C.J. Cron, 1B	2	0	1	2	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Cardinals	Peter Bourjos, PH	0	1	0	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	0.0	Tigers	Matt Boyd (W,1-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	1	1	0	2
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Athletics' Sonny Gray (CG 0R 3H 9K) tops players for Tuesday, July 28, rises to 6th in player rankings

Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to sixth place in player rankings.

Gray pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout, striking out nine, in the 2-0 win over the Dodgers.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 28.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	16.4
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	15.4
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	15.0
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	14.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
6	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	13.1
7	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	13.0
8	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	13.0
9	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	13.0
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	12.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Gray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.1 for the season, rising to sixth in player rankings. He ranks fourth among American League pitchers.

Gray had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of 14, tied with Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who was Player of the Game in his team’s win over the Padres. However, Gray won overall Player of the Day on a tie-breaker—he had more innings pitched than Syndergaard (nine vs. eight).

National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out nine, in the 4-0 win over the Padres. Syndergaard had a perfect game until the seventh inning.

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit two homers and drove in five runs in the 7-3 win over the Braves.

National League Batter of the Day—David Peralta of the Diamondbacks doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 8-4 win over the Mariners.

Debut—Yankees pitcher Diego Moreno made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Moreno (5.1IP 0H 0R 5K W in the 21-5 win over the Rangers) made his Major League debut June 22 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,540th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Notable—Eric Hosmer of the Royals earned Player of the Game honors for the second day in a row Tuesday.

Hosmer (HR 3-4 R 2BI in the 2-1 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.5 for the season, rising to fourth among AL batters. Hosmer was AL Batter of the Day Monday, so has earned 2.5 Box-Toppers points in the past two days.

Scoring—Gray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Syndergaard earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Davis and Peralta each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’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

7/28	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	14.0	Athletics	Sonny Gray (W,11-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	0	0	1	9
NL	14.0	Mets	Noah Syndergaard (W,5-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	0	0	0	9
	9.1	Yankees	Diego Moreno (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.1	0	0	0	1	5
	6.0	Reds	Mike Leake (W,9-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	0	0	1	3
BAT	5.0	Orioles	Chris Davis, RF	4	2	2	5	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	White Sox	Geovany Soto, C	2	2	2	3	3	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Rays	Jake Odorizzi (W,6-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	1	1	1	8
	4.0	Astros	Jose Altuve, 2B	5	1	3	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	2.0	Dbacks	David Peralta, LF	4	1	3	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Royals	Eric Hosmer, 1B	4	1	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Brewers	Gerardo Parra, RF	4	3	3	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rockies	DJ LeMahieu, 2B	4	2	3	1	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Marlins	Martin Prado, 3B	3	1	3	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Phillies	Cody Asche, LF	3	1	2	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Pirates	Jung Ho Kang, SS	4	2	2	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-

Tigers' Price tops players for Friday, June 12, rises to 5th in player rankings; Kershaw debuts in top 10

Tigers pitcher David Price is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fifth place in player rankings.

Also Friday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rose to 10th place in player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 12.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	12.4
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	11.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	11.0
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	10.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	10.1
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	9.7
7	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	9.7
8	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	9.0
9	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	8.7
10	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	8.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Price pitched a complete game shutout, striking out eight and allowing seven hits, in the 4-0 win over the Indians.

Price earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.1 points for the season and rises to fifth place in season player rankings, fourth among American League pitchers. He is the fifth player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Price had a Box-Toppers game score of 10, tied with Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia (Player of the Game in the win over the Royals), but Price won overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker because he had more innings pitched—nine vs. eight.

National League Player of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 4-0 win over the Royals.

National League Batter of the Day—Aramis Ramirez of the Brewers drove in five runs on three doubles in the 8-4 win over the Nationals.

Ramirez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day and rises to 57th place among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Ramirez now has 102.3 career Box-Toppers points and with his points Friday, passes six players on Box-Toppers “all-time” list:

• Jason Schmidt 101.2
• Tim Wakefield 101.4
• Adam Wainwright 101.8
• John Lackey 101.8
• Ken Griffey Jr. 102.2
• Miguel Tejada 102.3

Ramirez, who has 2.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, now trails 56th-place player Jamie Moyer (104.0 Box-Toppers points).

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit a three-run home run and went 3-for-5, driving in four total runs, in the 11-3 win over the Yankees.

Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Kershaw (6.2IP 4H R 11K ND in the 4-3 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.

Kershaw led all players in Box-Toppers points with 31.5, the fourth-highest single-season total since record keeping began in 1995. While Kershaw is just now making his debut in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings, he is actually just ahead of his pace for 2014. At this point in 2014, Kershaw had 7.7 Box-Toppers points.

With his point Friday, Kershaw now has 141.6 career Box-Toppers points and remains in 20th place among all players since record keeping began in 1995. He ranks 14th among all pitchers on that list.

Notable—Box-Toppers points leader for 2015 Felix Hernandez had a very un-Box-Toppers points leader kind of day Friday.

Hernandez allowed eight runs and five hits in only one-third of an inning in the 10-0 loss to the Astros. Astros pitcher Brett Oberholtzer (8IP 3H 0R 5K W) was Player of the Game.

Hernandez leads players in Box-Toppers points this season with 12.4.

Debut—Pirates pitcher Arquimedes Caminero made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Caminero (1IP 0H 0R 2K ND in the 1-0 win over the Phillies) made his Major League debut Aug. 16, 2013, and was playing in his 60th career game. He is the 3,498th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Price earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Garcia earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Ramirez and Davis 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.

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

6/12	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	10.0	Tigers	David Price (W, 6-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	7	0	0	0	8
NL	10.0	Cardinals	Jaime Garcia (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	0	0	0	6
	8.2	`Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	4	1	1	3	11
	8.0	Astros	Brett Oberholtzer (W, 1-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	0	0	2	5
	7.0	Dbacks	Chase Anderson (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	1	0	0	1	2
	4.2	`Rangers	Wandy Rodriguez	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	3	1	1	3	6
BAT	4.0	Brewers	Aramis Ramirez 3B	4	0	3	5	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Mets	John Mayberry Jr. LF	2	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Orioles	Chris Davis 1B	5	1	3	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Blue Jays	Justin Smoak 1B	5	2	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Angels	Mike Trout CF	3	2	3	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Rays	Jake McGee (S, 2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	`Pirates	Arquimedes Caminero	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Reds	Todd Frazier 3B	5	3	2	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Marlins	J.T. Realmuto C	4	1	1	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Nationals' Scherzer tops players for Wednesday, May 27, rises to 2nd in player rankings, Mariners' Hernandez extends Box-Toppers points lead

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Wednesday’s Player of the Day and rises to second in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 27.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	11.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	9.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	9.0
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	7.0
5	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	7.0
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
8	Fielder, Prince 2029	dh	tex al	6.5
9	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	6.5
10	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	6.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Wednesday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez maintained his overall Box-Toppers points lead, earning American League Player of the Day honors and becoming the first player in 2015 with 10.0 Box-Toppers points. Plus, despite earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole actually fell from second to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Player of the Day—Scherzer pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 13 and allowing five hits, in the 3-0 win over the Cubs.

Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, rising to second in Box-Toppers player rankings and first among National League pitchers, passing Gerrit Cole of the Pirates. Both Scherzer and Cole have 9.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, but Scherzer holds the tiebreaker because he had more 2014 Box-Toppers points (22.1 vs. 5.7).

American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez pitched a complete game, four-hit shutout, striking out eight, in the 3-0 win over the Rays.

Hernandez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, extending his lead among players in Box-Toppers points for the season. Hernandez is the first player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season. It is the seventh straight season Hernandez has had 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points in a season.

Hernandez now has 154.7 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 13th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 12th-place player Mike Mussina (155.6).

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 5-4 win over the Astros. It is Davis’s first Box-Toppers points of the season and the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors since his drug-related suspension at the end of 2014.

National League Batter of the Day—Will Middlebrooks of the Padres homered, doubled and drove in three runs in the 5-4 win over the Angels. Middlebrooks had a Box-Toppers game score of 2.0, tied with Nolan Arenado of the Rockies, who was Player of the Game Wednesday in the 6-4 win over the Reds. But Middlebrooks won the tiebreaker to earn NL Batter of the Day because he had two extra base hits (home run and double) while Arenado had one (home run).

Rankings—Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole was Player of the Game Wednesday in the 5-2 win over the Marlins (7IP 2R 7K W) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.0 for the season.

Cole actually fell in Box-Toppers player rankings from second to third, despite earning Box-Toppers points Wednesday, because he was passed by overall Player of the Day, Max Scherzer of the Nationals.

Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hernandez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Davis and Middlebrooks 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

5/27	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	14.0	Nationals	Max Scherzer (W, 6-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	0	0	1	13
AL	12.0	Mariners	Felix Hernandez (W, 8-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	4	0	0	1	8
	8.0	Indians	Carlos Carrasco (W, 6-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	1	1	1	8
	7.1	Mets	Noah Syndergaard (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	6	0	0	0	6
	5.2	Yankees	Michael Pineda (W, 6-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	6	1	1	1	8
BAT	3.0	Orioles	Chris Davis 1B	4	2	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Tigers	Yoenis Cespedes LF	3	1	2	3	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Twins	Aaron Hicks CF	2	2	1	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Pirates	Gerrit Cole (W, 7-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	2	2	0	7
	3.0	Giants	Ryan Vogelsong (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	1	1	0	5
BAT	2.0	Padres	Will Middlebrooks 3B	4	1	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rockies	Nolan Arenado 3B	4	1	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Braves	Alex Wood (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	1	1	2	6
	2.0	`White Sox	Jeff Samardzija	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	8	1	0	1	5
	1.2	Cardinals	Seth Maness (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		0.2	0	0	0	0	1
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

ALCS Preview: Royals may have edge not because their pitching is strong, but because Orioles' pitching is weak

The Kansas City Royals may have an edge over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series not because their pitching is so strong but because the Orioles pitching staff is comparatively weaker.

However, the Orioles have the overall higher Box-Toppers team ranking and have two outfielders on Box-Toppers end-of-season 2014 All-Star team. The best-of-seven game ALCS begins Friday in Baltimore.

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.

The top pitcher for both teams, James Shields of the Royals, had 13.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 22nd among all players. The Orioles top pitcher is Bud Norris, with 10.7, ranked 51st among all players. Only three other teams in baseball had their top pitcher earn fewer Box-Toppers points than Norris:

• Padres, Ross Tyson, 9.7.

• Red Sox, Koji Uehara, 9.0.

• Rockies, Tyler Matzek, 4.7.

In fact, the Orioles are one of only two teams in baseball whose leader in Box-Toppers points was a batter—Adam Jones, with 11.5 points, ranked 40th among all players. (The other team was the Rockies—Troy Tulowitzki had 11.6 points.)

Matching up the four top starting pitchers from highest to lowest Box-Toppers points from both teams, the Royals have the edge each time (see the chart below). The Royals also have the edge in closers (Greg Holland with 7.0 over Zachary Britton with 6.0). The Royals also have the edge when matching up the next-highest rated pitcher (Jeremy Guthrie, 7.0 over Ubaldo Jimenez, 3.7). And one more thing, not included in the chart below—the Royals also have the AL’s top middle relief pitcher, Wade Davis, who has 7.0 Box-Toppers points.

The Orioles have the edge in overall Box-Toppers team rankings from 2014. They rank sixth among all teams with 113.4 Box-Toppers points, while the Royals are ranked 10th with 101.1 points—the Royals were the lowest ranked team that qualified for any of the four league division series. However, the Orioles will play the ALCS without suspended first baseman, Chris Davis, who earned 6.2 Box-Toppers points during the regular season.

The Orioles also have two players who will be on Box-Toppers end-of-season AL All-Star team. Adam Jones had the most Box-Toppers points among AL outfielders with 11.5. Nelson Cruz was second with 8.5. The Orioles also have the most notable batter (not included in the prospective starting line-up below) coming off the bench—Delmon Young with 5.5 Box-Toppers points.

However, looking at the prospective starting line-ups below, Royals batters have higher Box-Toppers point totals at five positions, while the Orioles are better in four. Also, adding up Box-Toppers points for the nine batters and six pitchers listed below, the Royals have the point total advantage—83.1 Box-Toppers points vs. 81.5.

Both teams were able to get a lot of bang for their buck this season, spending comparatively little and making it all the way to the ALCS. The Orioles had an opening day payroll of $107 million, ranking 15th among all teams. The Royals’ payroll of $92 million, ranked 19th.

ALCS Game 1, Royals at Orioles

The pitching matchup Friday:

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

Orioles: Chris Tillman, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 152nd among all players, 53rd among AL pitchers.

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.

AL Championship Series player comparisons

Likely starting players for the Royals and Orioles listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2014 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

Pos	Royals	BTP	Rank		Orioles	BTP	Rank
1B	Eric Hosmer	2.5	368		Steve Pearce	7.0	121
2B	Omar Infante	4.0	243		Jonathan Schoop	2.5	395
SS	Alicides Escboar	5.0	190		J.J. Hardy	4.2	236
3B	Mike Moustakas	4.0	251		Ryan Flaherty	0	761
CA	Salvador Perez	4.7	210		Caleb Joseph	2.0	470
CF	Lorenzo Cain	2.0	421		Adam Jones	11.5	40
LF	Alex Gordon	3.0	203		Alejandro De Aza	1.0	537
RF	Norichika Aoki	2.0	443		Nick Markakis	3.0	320
DH	Billy Butler	2.5	365		Nelson Cruz	8.5	77
SP	James Shields	13.7	22		Bud Norris	10.7	51
SP	Danny Duffy	10.0	58		Miguel Gonzalez	8.7	70
SP	Yordano Ventura	8.7	75		Wei-Yin Chen	6.7	131
SP	Jason Vargas	7.0	107		Chris Tillman	6.0	152
CP	Greg Holland	7.0	106		Zachary Britton	6.0	161
PI	Jeremy Guthrie	7.0	113		Ubaldo Jimenez	3.7	270

Dodgers' Kershaw tops players for Friday, May 23; White Sox' Ramirez takes AL batting lead in Box-Toppers points

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Friday’s Player of the Day. Kershaw pitched six scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 2-0 win over the Phillies.

Kershaw, the 2013 overall Box-Toppers points leader with 21.7, earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season. He is currently in 19th place in Box-Toppers player rankings and ninth among National League pitchers.

Rays pitcher Chris Archer is American League Player of the Day. Archer pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 11 in the 1-0 win over the Red Sox. Archer did not pick up the win because he left the game with the score tied 0-0.

Chris Davis of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Davis hit a two-run homer and a two-run double in the 8-4 win over the Indians.

Carlos Gomez of the Brewers is NL Batter of the Day. Gomez went 4-for-5, scored twice and drove in two runs in the 9-5 win over the Marlins.

Notable: Alexei Ramirez rises to first place among AL batters in Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Ramirez (3-for-4, HR in 6-5 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.5 for the season. He moves into 16th place among all players in Box-Toppers player rankings and first place among AL batters. He passes previous leader Chris Colabello of the Twins (5.2 Box-Toppers points).

Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Archer receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Davis and Gomez 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 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

523	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	10.0	Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	2	0	0	3	9
	9.0	Mariners	Felix Hernandez (W, 6-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	1	1	1	9
AL	9.0	`Rays	Chris Archer	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	4	11
	7.0	Padres	Tim Stauffer (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	2	0	0	1	5
BAT	5.0	Orioles	Chris Davis 1B	3	2	2	4	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Braves	Craig Kimbrel (S, 13)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	3.0	Brewers	Carlos Gomez CF	5	2	4	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Tigers	Ian Kinsler 2B	4	3	3	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.2	Giants	Jean Machi (S, 2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	White Sox	Alexei Ramirez SS	4	1	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Reds	Todd Frazier 3B	4	1	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Angels	Erick Aybar SS	3	2	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Blue Jays	Steve Tolleson 2B	3	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Pirates	Jason Grilli (S, 5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	1	1

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

Cards' Adam Wainwright, with a one-hit shutout, tops players for Tuesday, May 20, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, Tuesday’s Player of the Day, rises to second place among all players in Box-Toppers points this season and takes the lead among National League pitchers.

Wainwright pitched a complete game, one-hit shutout, striking out nine—allowing just the one baserunner in the fourth inning—in the 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Wainwright earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season. He moves from fifth to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). He passes previous NL pitching leader, Johnny Cueto of the Reds (7.7). He trails only Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (9.1) in Box-Toppers points this season.

Chris Davis of the Orioles is American League Player of the Day. Davis hit three homers, went 4-for-5 and drove in five runs in the 9-2 win over the Pirates.

Denard Span of the Nationals is NL Batter of the Day. Span went 5-for-5, scored twice and drove in two runs in the 9-4 win over the Reds.

Notable: Braves pitcher Julio Teheran rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Teheran (CG 0R 8K W in the 5-0 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 6.7 for the season. He is in seventh among all players in Box-Toppers points and fourth among NL pitchers. (See the updated top 10 player rankings on the home page.)

Wainwright receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Davis receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Span receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.

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

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

520	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	17.0	Cardinals	Adam Wainwright (W, 7-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	1	0	0	0	9
	9.0	Braves	Julio Teheran (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	6	0	0	2	8
AL	8.0	Orioles	Chris Davis 1B	5	4	4	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Angels	Tyler Skaggs (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	6
	4.2	Cubs	Jason Hammel (W, 5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.2	4	1	1	1	6
BAT	4.0	Nationals	Denard Span CF	5	2	5	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Blue Jays	Melky Cabrera LF	5	3	4	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	White Sox	Andre Rienzo (W, 4-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	2	2	2	8
	3.0	Athletics	Drew Pomeranz (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	3	0	0	2	3
	2.0	Dodgers	Adrian Gonzalez 1B	4	1	3	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rockies	Wilin Rosario C	4	1	2	3	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Phillies	Jimmy Rollins SS	4	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Twins	Glen Perkins (S, 13)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Indians	Asdrubal Cabrera SS	3	1	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Mariners	Nick Franklin DH	3	1	2	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-