Cubs' Hammel tops players for Saturday, June 4; Dodgers' Kershaw extends dominant Box-Toppers points lead

Shawn Plank June 5, 2016

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of June 4:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	15.0
2	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	9.7
3	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	9.0
4	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	8.7
5	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	8.7
6	Machado, Manny 3087	ss 3b	bal al	8.7
7	Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	8.7
8	Hill, Rich 2215	pi sp	oak al	8.4
9	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	8.0
10	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	7.8

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his dominant lead in season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Player of the Day—Hammel struck out six over seven innings, allowing two runs and one hit, in the 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

American League Player of the Day—Elvis Andrus of the Rangers hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring three times, in the 10-4 win over the Mariners.

National League Batter of the Day—Adam Duvall of the Reds hit a three-run homer in the 6-3 win over the Nationals.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall AL Player of the Day was batter Elvis Andrus.

Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extended his dominant lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Kershaw (6IP 3H 0R 4K W in the 4-0 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.0 for the season. He leads second-place player Jose Fernandez of the Marlins (9.7) by 5.3 Box-Toppers points, meaning Fernandez would need to earn Player of the Day honors three times to pass Kershaw.

Kershaw also now has 174.3 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of seventh place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails sixth-place player Albert Pujols of the Angels (176.3). (See home page for updated Box-Toppers “All-time” top 20 player rankings.)

Kershaw had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +6.0, the same as Player of the Day Jason Hammel. But Hammel won Player of the Day over Kershaw on a tiebreaker—he had more innings pitched (7 vs. 6).

Debut—Matt Reynolds of the Mets made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Reynolds (PH 1-1 BI in the 6-4 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut May 17 and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,650th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Reynolds now ranks second in career Box-Toppers points among all players named Matt Reynolds. The other Matt Reynolds, a middle relief pitcher, has 2.0 Box-Toppers points earned in 2010 and 2011, while playing for the Rockies. Prior to the start of the 2016 season, Reynolds (the middle reliever) was released by the Diamondbacks.

Scoring—Hammel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Andrus earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Duvall earns 1.5 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    6/4
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    6.0
    CHC 5/ARI 3
    Jason Hammel (W,7-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    1
    2
    2
    2
    6
  

    
    6.0
    LAD 4/ATL 0
    Clayton Kershaw (W,8-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    AL
    4.0
    TEX 10/SEA 4
    Elvis Andrus, SS
    4
    3
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    DET 7/CHW 4
    J.D. Martinez, RF
    3
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.1
    SD 4/COL 3
    Kevin Quackenbush (H,6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    3.0
    STL 7/SF 4
    Trevor Rosenthal (S,9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    CLE 7/KC 1
    Francisco Lindor, SS
    4
    1
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    TB 7/MIN 4
    Steven Souza Jr., RF
    3
    1
    1
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    CIN 6/DC 3
    Adam Duvall, LF
    3
    1
    1
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    BOS 6/TOR 4
    Blake Swihart, LF
    1
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    MIL 6/PHI 3
    Jonathan Villar, SS
    5
    1
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    HOU 6/OAK 5
    Carlos Correa, SS
    5
    1
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    NYY 8/BAL 6
    Starlin Castro, 2B
    5
    1
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    PIT 8/LAA 7
    Josh Harrison, 2B
    5
    2
    3
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    NYM 6/MIA 4
    Matt Reynolds, PH
    1
    0
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).


Player of Game	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	15.0	40.7	140.8	174.3	-10.7
Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	5.0	14.7	38.1	51.2	-4.7
Souza, Steven Jr. 3461	rf	tb al	3.7	9.2	9.2	9.2	-1.8
Correa, Carlos 3506	ss	hou al	3.5	10.7	10.7	10.7	-3.7
Martinez, J.D. 2922	rf	det al	3.5	5.2	15.2	15.2	1.8
Duvall, Adam 3573	lf	cin nl	3.5	5.0	5.0	5.0	2.0
Andrus, Elvis 2582	ss	tex al	2.7	2.7	10.2	13.2	2.7
Lindor, Francisco 3586	ss	cle al	2.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	1.5
Rosenthal, Trevor 3124	pi cp	stl nl	2.0	8.0	20.0	20.0	-4.0
Castro, Starlin 2767	ss	nyy al	2.0	6.5	19.5	20.5	-2.5
Harrison, Josh 2947	2b 3b	pit nl	2.0	3.0	8.0	8.0	1.0
Villar, Jonathan 3233	ss	mil nl	2.0	2.0	4.0	4.0	2.0
Swihart, Blake 3565	lf ca	bos al	1.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	-2.0
Quackenbush, Kevin 3462	pi mr	sd nl	1.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	-1.0
Reynolds, Matt 3650	ph	nym nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Cubs' Hammel tops players for Sunday, April 24; Red Sox' Hembree tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 25, 2016

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Hammel struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 9-0 win over the Reds. Hammel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, the most of any of Sunday’s Players of the Game. He ranks 14th 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 24:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	5.0
2	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	4.4
3	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	4.0
4	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
5	Santiago, Hector 3109	pi sp	ana al	3.7
6	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	3.7
7	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	3.5
8	Cano, Robinson 2092	2b	sea al	3.5
9	Suarez, Eugenio 3355	3b	cin nl	3.5
10	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Red Sox closing pitcher Heath Hembree pitched three scoreless innings of extra-inning relief, allowing two hits and striking out four, in the 7-5, 12-inning win over the Astros.

This was Hembree’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Hembree made his Major League debut Sept. 3, 2013, and was playing in his 40th career game. He is the 3,620th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—Alex Presley of the Brewers hit a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the 8-5 win over the Phillies.

Presley had a Box-Toppers game score of +3, tied with Jason Rogers of the Pirates, who was Player of the Game in the 12-10, 13-inning win over the Diamondbacks (1-1 R 2BI), but Presley won NL Batter of the Day on a tiebreaker—he hit a home run, while Rogers hit a triple.

American League Batter of the Day—Marlon Byrd of the Indians went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 6-3 win over the Tigers.

Debuts—In addition to Hembree, two other players made their Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Joc Pederson of the Dodgers (HR 1-1 2R BI in the 12-10 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 187th career game. He is the 3,621st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Michael Conforto of the Mets (2B 1-3 2BI in the 3-2 win over the Braves) made his Major League debut July 24, 2015, and was playing in his 72nd career game. He is the 3,622nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Hammel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hembree earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Presley and Byrd each earn 1.5 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

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

    MLB
    8.0
    Cubs
    Jason Hammel (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    7
  

    AL
    5.0
    Red Sox
    Heath Hembree (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    4.0
    Rays
    Drew Smyly (W,1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Royals
    Yordano Ventura (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    2
    4
  

    
    4.0
    White Sox
    David Robertson (S,7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.2
    `Nationals
    Yusmeiro Petit
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.2
    2
    1
    1
    3
    6
  

    
    3.2
    Mariners
    Nick Vincent (S,1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Brewers
    Alex Presley, PH-CF
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Pirates
    Jason Rogers, 1B
    1
    1
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Dodgers
    Joc Pederson, CF
    1
    2
    1
    1
    3
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Cardinals
    Kevin Siegrist (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Marlins
    J.T. Realmuto, C
    4
    1
    4
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Indians
    Marlon Byrd, RF
    3
    1
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Blue Jays
    Roberto Osuna (S,6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    0.0
    Mets
    Michael Conforto, LF
    3
    0
    1
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players


Player	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	3.0	12.7	36.1	49.2	-6.7
Smyly, Drew 3009	pi sp	tb al	3.0	9.0	31.1	31.1	-3.0
Osuna, Roberto 3512	pi cp	tor al	3.0	7.0	7.0	7.0	-1.0
Ventura, Yordano 3294	pi sp	kc al	2.0	13.7	23.4	23.4	-9.7
Robertson, David 2774	pi cp	chi al	2.0	10.0	22.0	23.0	-6.0
Siegrist, Kevin 3260	pi mr	stl nl	2.0	6.0	8.0	8.0	-2.0
Petit, Yusmeiro 2337	pi mr sp	dc nl	2.0	2.0	9.0	18.7	2.0
Hembree, Heath 3620	pi cp	bos al	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7
Byrd, Marlon 1751	rf	cle al	1.5	6.5	15.5	40.0	-3.5
Presley, Alex 2900	cf ph	mil nl	1.5	1.5	4.5	4.5	1.5
Realmuto, J.T. 3491	ca	fla nl	1.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	-4.0
Rogers, Jason 3602	3b	pit nl	1.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	0.0
Vincent, Nick 3203	pi cp	sea al	1.0	1.0	4.0	4.0	1.0
Conforto, Michael 3622	lf	nym nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Pederson, Joc 3621	cf	lad nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Rays' Smyly tops players for Tuesday, April 19; Nationals' Strasburg tops NL players

Shawn Plank April 20, 2016

Rays pitcher Drew Smyly is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 19:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	3.7
3	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
4	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
5	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
6	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	3.0
7	Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	3.0
8	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	2.7
9	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	2.7
10	Santiago, Hector 3109	pi sp	ana al	2.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Smyly struck out 11 over eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 3-0, 10-inning win over the Red Sox. Smyly did not earn the win, picking up a no decision, because he exited with the game tied, 0-0.

National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg struck out 10 over eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 7-0 win over the Marlins. Strasburg earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, rising to ninth place in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Tyler Flowers of the Braves went 4-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-1 win over the Dodgers.

American League Batter of the Day—Salvador Perez of the Royals hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, driving in five runs, in the 8-6 win over the Tigers.

Rankings—Besides Strasburg, two other players rose into Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday:

White Sox pitcher Mat Latos rose to second place (6.1IP 2H 0R 5K W in the 5-0 win over the Angels), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.7 for the season.
Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco rose to eighth place (6.1IP 4H R 5K W in the 3-2 win over the Mariners), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season.

Streak—Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Hammel (6IP 5H R 6K W in the 2-1 win over the Brewers) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Rays and has 47.2 career points, which ranks 27th among active NL pitchers. His best season was 2014 with the Cubs and the Athletics when he had 10.4 points, 25th among AL pitchers. In 2015, he had 9.7 points with the Cubs, 22nd among NL pitchers.

Debut—Reds pitcher Robert Stephenson made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Stephenson (7IP 3H R 3K W in the 4-3 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut April 7 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,617th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Smyly earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Strasburg earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Flowers and Perez each earn 1.5 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/19
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    16.0
    `Rays
    Drew Smyly
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    2
    11
  

    NL
    13.0
    Nationals
    Stephen Strasburg (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    10
  

    
    7.0
    Dbacks
    Robbie Ray (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    
    6.1
    White Sox
    Mat Latos (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    2
    0
    0
    3
    5
  

    
    5.0
    Cubs
    Jason Hammel (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Braves
    Tyler Flowers, C
    4
    1
    4
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Royals
    Salvador Perez, C
    4
    1
    2
    5
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mets
    Yoenis Cespedes, CF-LF
    3
    2
    1
    3
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Reds
    Robert Stephenson (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    2
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Athletics
    Fernando Rodriguez (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.1
    Indians
    Carlos Carrasco (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    4
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    2.1
    Blue Jays
    Roberto Osuna (S,5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Padres
    Fernando Rodney (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Rangers
    Elvis Andrus, SS
    3
    1
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Brewers
    Chris Carter, 1B
    1
    0
    0
    2
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games


Player	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	3.7	7.7	44.9	63.6	-0.3
Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	2.7	20.7	36.8	36.8	-15.3
Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	2.7	16.7	62.8	70.5	-11.3
Cespedes, Yoenis 3008	cf lf dh	nym nl	2.0	12.9	33.9	33.9	-8.9
Smyly, Drew 3009	pi sp	tb al	2.0	8.0	30.1	30.1	-4.0
Osuna, Roberto 3512	pi cp	tor al	2.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	-2.0
Perez, Salvador 2972	ca	kc al	1.5	6.0	19.2	19.2	-3.0
Flowers, Tyler 3101	ca	atl nl	1.5	2.5	10.0	10.0	0.5
Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	1.0	10.7	34.1	47.2	-8.7
Ray, Robbie 3502	pi sp	ari nl	1.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	-3.0
Carter, Chris 2828	1b dh	mil nl	1.0	2.0	19.9	20.9	0.0
Rodney, Fernando 1803	pi cp	sd nl	1.0	2.0	19.0	31.0	0.0
Rodriguez, Fernando 3537	pi mr	oak al	1.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	0.0
Andrus, Elvis 2582	ss	tex al	1.0	1.0	8.5	11.5	1.0
Stephenson, Robert 3617	pi sp	cin nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Mets' deGrom, Royals' Escobar top players in Tuesday, Oct. 20's league championship games

Shawn Plank October 21, 2015

Jacob deGrom struck out seven over seven innings, allowing two runs and four hits to lead the Mets to a win Tuesday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

deGrom is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Tuesday, while Alcides Escobar was Player of the Game in the Royals Game 4 win over the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.

National League Championship Series Game 3: Mets 5, Cubs 2

deGrom had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.0 to lead all Mets players, as the Mets took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Yoenis Cespedes had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Mets batters of +1.0 (2B 3-5 R 2BI).

During the regular season, deGrom had 22.4 Box-Toppers points, third among all players and third among NL pitchers.

It is the second time this postseason deGrom has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game in the NL Division Series Game 1 win over the Dodgers.

The series resumes Wednesday with Game 4 in Chicago (more details below).

American League Championship Series Game 4: Royals 14, Blue Jays 2

Alcides Escobar went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in four runs, as the Royals took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.

Escobar had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0, highest among Royals players. Lorenzo Cain had the second-highest score of +3.0 (2-3 R 3BI).

During the regular season, Escobar had 3.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 283rd among all players, 60th among AL batters and fifth among AL shortstops.

The series resumes Wednesday with Game 5 in Toronto (more details below).

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    10/20
    Score
    Team
    Players
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    POG
    5.0
    Mets
    Jacob deGrom (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    2
    2
    1
    7
  

    POG
    4.0
    Royals
    Alcides Escobar, SS 
    3
    1
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Coming Wednesday:

ALCS Game 5, Royals lead Blue Jays, 3-1

The pitching match-up Wednesday:

Royals—Edinson Volquez, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, 105th among all players, 39th among AL pitchers. Volquez was Player of the Game in the ALCS Game 1 win over the Blue Jays.

Blue Jays—Marco Estrada, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, 85th among all players, 34th among AL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player match ups.

NLCS Game 4, Mets lead Cubs, 3-0

The pitching match-up Wednesday:

Mets—Steven Matz, 3.5 Box-Toppers points, 298th among all players, 76th among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Jason Hammel, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 52nd among all players, 22nd among NL pitchers.

Oct. 21, 2015 is the day in the “Back to the Future” movies in which the Cubs are predicted to win the World Series in a sweep over Miami, a city without a Major League team in the 1980s when the movies were made. It could actually be the day in which the Cubs are swept in the NLCS.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player match ups.

Mets' Travis d'Arnaud tops player in Monday, Oct. 12's divisional playoff games

Shawn Plank October 13, 2015

Travis d’Arnaud of the Mets is Box-Toppers top player in Monday’s four league division series playoff games.

Other Players of the Game Monday:

Jorge Soler of the Cubs
Royals closing pitcher Wade Davis
Kevin Pillar of the Blue Jays

National League Division Series Game 3: Mets 13, Dodgers 7

Travis d’Arnaud of the Mets homered and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs to earn overall Player of the Day honors Monday.

During the regular season, d’Arnaud had 2.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 381st among all players, 189th among NL batters and ninth among NL catchers.

d’Arnaud had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0, the same as teammate Yoenis Cespedes, who had a similar batting line (HR 3-5 3R 3BI), but d’Arnaud won Player of the Game honors on a low-level tie-breaker—he left fewer runners on base than Cespedes—zero vs. one.

D’Arnaud’s Box-Toppers game score of +4.0 is also tied with Players of the Game in two other games—Jorge Soler of the Cubs and Royals pitcher Wade Davis. But d’Arnaud beat Soler because he had more at bats (five vs. two) and he beat Davis because in cases of Box-Toppers game score ties, batters beat pitchers.

The Mets now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-1, which resumes Tuesday in New York.

National League Division Series Game 3: Cubs 8, Cardinals 6

Jorge Soler of the Cubs hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-2, to earn Player of the Game honors.

During the regular season, Soler had 3.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked 306th among all players, 70th among NL batters and 33rd among NL outfielders.

Box-Toppers points leader Jake Arrieta (29.1) started the game for the Cubs. Arrieta (5.2IP 5H 4R 9K W) had a Box-Toppers game score of −0.8. It is the first time since Aug. 15 that Arrieta did not earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in a start. He had 10 straight starts in which he earned Player of the Game honors, including in the postseason on Oct. 7, when he was Player of the Game in the NL Wild Card Game. In his final nine starts of the regular season, Arrieta earned 14.7 Box-Toppers points.

The Cubs now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-1, which resumes Tuesday in Chicago.

American League Division Series Game 4: Royals 9, Astros 6

Royals closing pitcher Wade Davis struck out three over two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and picking up the save, to earn Player of the Game honors.

During the regular season, Davis had 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 235th among all players, 74th among AL pitchers and ninth among AL closing pitchers.

The best-of-five game series is now tied 2-2 and concludes Wednesday in Kansas City.

American League Division Series Game 4: Blue Jays 8, Rangers 4

Kevin Pillar homered and went 3-for-4, driving in three runs to earn Player of the Game honors.

During the regular season, Pillar had 3.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 300th among all players, 68th among AL batters and 22nd among AL outfielders.

Blue Jays pitcher David Price, ranked second among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points (21.1) pitched three innings of middle relief. Price (3IP 6H 3R 2K W) had a Box-Toppers game score of −7.0.

The best-of-five game series is now tied 2-2 and concludes Wednesday in Toronto.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    10/12
    Score
    Team
    Players
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    POG
    4.0
    Mets
    Travis d'Arnaud, C
    5
    3
    3
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    POG
    4.0
    Cubs
    Jorge Soler, RF
    2
    2
    2
    2
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    POG
    4.0
    Royals
    Wade Davis (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    POG
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Kevin Pillar, CF
    4
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Coming Tuesday, the NL Division Series playoff games resume:

NL Division Series Game 4, Cubs lead Cardinals, 2-1

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Cardinals—John Lackey, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 51st among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Jason Hammel, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 52nd among all players, 22nd among NL pitchers. (Though Lackey and Hammel have the same Box-Toppers point totals for 2015, Lackey places higher because he holds the tiebreaker—he had more Box-Toppers points in 2014, 10.7 vs. 10.4.)

See series preview and Box-Toppers point totals of all Cardinals and Cubs who earned Player of the Game honors in the 2015 regular season.

NL Division Series Game 4, Mets lead Dodgers, 2-1

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 25.7 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Mets—Steven Matz, 3.5 Box-Toppers points, 298th among all players, 76th among NL pitchers.

See series preview and Box-Toppers point totals of all Mets and Dodgers who earned Player of the Game honors in the 2015 regular season.

Mariners' Montgomery tops players for Tuesday, June 23; Archer, Price rise in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings

Shawn Plank June 24, 2015

Mariners pitcher Mike Montgomery is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, two pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings for the season earned Player of the Game honors—Rays pitcher Chris Archer and Tigers pitcher David Price.

Player of the Day—Montgomery pitched a complete game, four-hit shutout, striking out 10, in the 7-0 win over the Royals.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 23.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	13.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
4	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	11.1
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	10.4
7	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	9.7
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	9.7
9	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7
10	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	9.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

This was Montgomery’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Montgomery made his Major League debut June 2 and was playing in his fifth career game. He is the 3,513th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six, in the 1-0, 10-inning win over the Dodgers. Hammel picked up a no-decision and did not earn the win because he left the game with a scoreless tie. The Cubs won on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning.

National League Batter of the Day—Maikel Franco of the Phillies hit a three-run homer, a double and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 11-6 win over the Yankees. This was the second straight day Franco earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He was NL Player of the Day on Monday, June 22.

American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 3-for-6, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 13-3 win over the Angels.

Rankings—Two pitchers rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday:

Chris Archer of the Rays rose from fourth to third place. Archer (8IP 3H 2R 7K W in the 4-2 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.0 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind overall leader Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (13.4 Box-Toppers points).
David Price of the Tigers rose from sixth to fifth place. Price (6.2IP 9H R 7K W in the 7-3 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.1 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Debut—Xavier Scruggs of the Cardinals also made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Scruggs (2B 3-4 R 2BI in the 4-3 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut Sept. 4, 2014, and was playing in his 14th career game. He is the 3,514th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Montgomery earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hammel earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Franco and Correa 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    6/23
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    15.0
    Mariners
    Mike Montgomery (W, 2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    10
  

    NL
    9.2
    `Cubs
    Jason Hammel
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    2
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    8.0
    Rays
    Chris Archer (W, 9-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    2
    1
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Phillies
    Maikel Franco   1B
    3
    2
    2
    5
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    Nationals
    Stephen Strasburg (W, 4-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    4.1
    Brewers
    Will Smith (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Astros
    Carlos Correa   SS
    6
    3
    3
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Rockies
    Nolan Arenado   3B
    4
    2
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Pirates
    Mark Melancon (S, 24)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Athletics
    Josh Phegley   C
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Orioles
    David Lough   CF
    3
    2
    1
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Padres
    Brandon Maurer (W, 5-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    2
  

    
    2.2
    Tigers
    David Price (W, 7-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    9
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    
    2.0
    Cardinals
    Xavier Scruggs   1B
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.2
    White Sox
    Jake Petricka (S, 2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
  

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

Indians' Corey Kluber (8IP H 0R 18K) tops players for Wednesday, May 13 with highest Box-Toppers game score of 2015

Shawn Plank May 14, 2015

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber, who struck out 18 and allowed one hit over eight innings, is Wednesday’s Player of the Day.

Kluber did not allow a hit until the seventh inning in the 2-0 win over the Cardinals. His Box-Toppers game score of 25 is the highest of the season, far outdistancing the previous high game scores of 15.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 13.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	8.7
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	6.0
3	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
4	Miller, Shelby 3134	pi sp	atl nl	5.0
5	Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	5.0
6	Harper, Bryce 3011	lf rf	dc nl	5.0
7	Heston, Chris 3437	pi sp	sf nl	5.0
8	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	4.7
9	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7
10	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	4.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Kluber led American League players in Box-Toppers points in 2014 with 25.8. This was his first Player of the Game honor this season and first Box-Toppers points of the season. Until now, he held the distinction of the player with the highest 2014 Box-Toppers point total who had yet to earn points in 2015, a dubious honor that now goes to Twins pitcher Phil Hughes (14.1 points in 2014).

Though it was Kluber’s first points of the season, he is not very far off pace from his 2014 point total. As Wednesday’s Player of the Day, Kluber now has 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the season. As of May 14, 2014, Kluber had 3.0 Box-Toppers points. His 25.8 Box-Toppers points were the 17th-most points scored by a player in a single season since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Player of the Day—Reds pitcher Raisel Iglesias allowed one run and two hits over eight innings in the 5-1 win over the Braves.

This was Iglesias’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut April 12 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,467th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—Michael Taylor of the Nationals hit a grand slam in the 9-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

American League Batter of the Day—Prince Fielder of the Rangers homered and went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the 5-2 win over the Royals.

Fielder has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2005 with the Brewers. His best year was 2011 with the Brewers when he had 15.7 Box-Toppers points, first among NL batters. In 2014, he had 1.0 Box-Toppers point with the Rangers.

Fielder has 71.8 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 73rd among all batters since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. His career 71.8 points ranks ninth among active batters currently in the AL.

Notable—Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels moves up to 41st place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Hamels now has 114.8 Box-Toppers points and moves past Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle (114.7). He trails 40th-place player Josh Beckett (114.9).

Hamels (7IP 2R 9K W in the 3-2 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 4.0 for the season, 19th among all players for 2015.

Hammel, Hamels—Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel and Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels have been Box-Toppers Players of the Game on the same day three times this season, including Wednesday. Obviously, the similarly-named hurlers are on the same starting rotation schedule and both are doing well so far—Hamels has earned Player of the Game honors four times and has 4.0 Box-Toppers points. Hammel has earned Player of the Game honors three times and also has 4.0 Box-Toppers points. Both were top players in their games on April 27, May 8 and May 13. In addition, the two have shared Player of the Game honors on the same day in previous seasons three different times—April 25, 2012, June 6, 2014, and Sept. 1, 2014.

Scoring—Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Iglesias earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Taylor and Fielder 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/13
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    25.0
    Indians
    Corey Kluber (W, 1-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    18
  

    
    10.0
    White Sox
    Jose Quintana (W, 2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    10
  

    NL
    6.0
    Reds
    Raisel Iglesias (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    6.0
    Phillies
    Cole Hamels (W, 3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    2
    2
    1
    9
  

    
    6.0
    `Cubs
    Jason Hammel
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    
    5.2
    Orioles
    Miguel Gonzalez (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    3
    1
    0
    3
    5
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Nationals
    Michael Taylor   RF
    1
    1
    1
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    `Angels
    Hector Santiago
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    7
    1
    1
    0
    8
  

    
    4.0
    Padres
    James Shields (W, 5-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    1
    1
    3
    9
  

    
    3.1
    Twins
    Ricky Nolasco (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.1
    4
    2
    0
    3
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Rays
    Brad Boxberger (S, 10)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    Marlins
    A.J. Ramos (S, 1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Rangers
    Prince Fielder   DH
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Chad Qualls (W, 1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Red Sox
    Daniel Nava   1B
    3
    1
    2
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Cubs' Jason Hammel (8IP 0R 7K) tops players for Monday, April 27

Shawn Plank April 28, 2015

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel is Monday’s Player of the Day.

Hammel pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 4-0 win over the Pirates.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	6.0
2	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	5.0
3	Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	4.5
4	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	4.0
5	Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	oak al	3.7
6	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	3.7
7	DeSclafani, Anthony 3441	pi sp	cin nl	3.7
8	Hechavarria, Adeiny 3445	ss	fla nl	3.5
9	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	3.4
10	Harang, Aaron 1599	pi sp	phi nl	3.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Hammel has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. He earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2006 with the Rays. His best season was 2014 when he had 10.4 Box-Toppers points with the Cubs (8.7) and the Athletics (1.7). He has 38.5 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks him 44th among active pitchers currently in the National League.

American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Adam Warren struck out six over 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run in the 4-1 win over the Rays. Warren earned no decision because he left with the game tied, 1-1.

National League Batter of the Day—Jay Bruce of the Reds hit a two-run homer, scored twice and drove in three runs, in the 9-6 win over the Brewers.

American League Batter of the Day—Pablo Sandoval of the Red Sox homered, went 2-for-2 and drove in three runs, in the 6-5 win over the Blue Jays.

Streak—Justin Morneau of the Rockies has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 12 straight seasons. Morneau was Player of the Game in Monday’s 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks (3R HR 2-3 3BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Morneau earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2004 with the Twins. His best season was 2006 with the Twins when he had 12.2 Box-Toppers points, ranking seventh among AL batters. In 2014, he had 3.2 Box-Toppers points with the Rockies.

Morneau has 72.3 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 71st among all batters since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995, behind Ryan Braun (72.7) and ahead of Chase Utley (72.1). He ranks sixth among active batters currently in the NL.

Debut—Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Walker (7IP R 5K W in the 3-1 win over the Rangers) made his Major League debut Aug. 30, 2013, and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,453rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Hammel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Warren earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Bruce and Sandoval each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/27
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    Cubs
    Jason Hammel (W, 2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    7
  

    
    6.0
    Phillies
    Cole Hamels (W, 1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    4
    9
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Reds
    Jay Bruce   RF
    1
    2
    1
    3
    3
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    AL
    4.2
    `Yankees
    Adam Warren
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    5
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Red Sox
    Pablo Sandoval   3B
    2
    1
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Dodgers
    Justin Turner   PH
    1
    1
    1
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Mariners
    Taijuan Walker (W, 1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    0
    1
    5
  

    
    3.0
    Braves
    Kelly Johnson   LF
    4
    1
    3
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Rockies
    Justin Morneau   1B
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.2
    `Mets
    Dillon Gee
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    6
    1
    1
    0
    3
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Mike Moustakas   3B
    5
    2
    4
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Colby Rasmus   LF
    5
    2
    2
    3
    0
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Tigers
    Yoenis Cespedes   LF
    4
    1
    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.
  

Washington Nationals top Box-Toppers' 2015 preseason team rankings

Shawn Plank March 14, 2015

Nationals' offseason net gain in Box-Toppers points pushes them to top of preseason team rankings. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Athletics plummet in rankings and the Cubs and Red Sox make big leaps upward.

Athletics' Jon Lester faces Royals' James Shields in AL Wild Card Game

Shawn Plank September 30, 2014

The Oakland Athletics visit the Kansas City Royals Tuesday in the American League one-game Wild Card playoff game.

Starting pitchers are:

Athletics: Jon Lester, 16.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked sixth among AL pitchers, 12th overall.

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

While the Royals have one more win on the season than the Athletics (89 vs. 88), the Athletics have a wide lead in team Box-Toppers points—117.6 vs. 101.1. The Athletics rank third overall and second among AL teams while the Royals rank 10th overall, sixth among AL teams.

The Athletics led Box-Toppers team rankings much of the season and were bolstered by mid-season trades that brought in Lester from the Red Sox and Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija from the Cubs. However, the Athletics slumped after those trades, fell out of Box-Toppers team rankings top spot and were in danger of not making the postseason. In fact, the Athletics were the final team to qualify for a postseason spot with their win Sunday.

The winner of Tuesday’s AL Wild Card game will face the Los Angeles Angels in the best-of-five AL Division Series beginning Thursday in Los Angeles. The Angels are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers rankings with 124.2 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. 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.

Los Angeles Angels dethrone Athletics to top Box-Toppers team rankings

Shawn Plank September 5, 2014

The Los Angeles Angels have dethroned the Oakland Athletics from the top of Box-Toppers team rankings, a spot they held since July 13.

In this week’s report, the Angels have 107.7 Box-Toppers points, passing the Athletics, with 107.4 points.

Top 10 teams
Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, Sept. 4. 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 in the past week.





  
    904
    Teams
    BTP
    BTP
/wk
    Last 
wk 
rank
  

    1
    Angels
    107.7
    4.0
    2
  

    2
    Athletics
    107.4
    2.2
    1
  

    3
    Dodgers
    104.1
    3.0
    3
  

    4
    Cardinals
    101.1
    7.0
    4
  

    5
    Tigers
    99.4
    6.0
    5
  

    6
    Giants
    97.1
    6.7
    6
  

    7
    Orioles
    95.4
    10.4
    8
  

    8
    Nationals
    94.0
    4.7
    7
  

    9
    Blue Jays
    92.0
    10.0
    13
  

    10
    Mariners
    88.4
    5.0
    11
  

BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Angels have the best winning percentage in baseball (.604). And they’ve had the best winning percentage the past two weeks, but until now, were never able to overtake the Athletics in Box-Toppers points. The Athletics were able to boost their Box-Toppers points total through July trades, especially an early July trade with the Cubs, bringing them pitchers Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija.

But the Angels swept the Athletics in a four-game series last weekend, helping them move to the top in Box-Toppers rankings. The Athletics, now in second place in Box-Toppers rankings, have a winning percentage of .568, third-best in the American League and fourth best among all teams.

The Angels leading player, pitcher Garrett Richards, who has 15.7 Box-Toppers points, is out for the season with a torn knee tendon. Richards still ranks ninth among all players and sixth among AL pitchers. The next-highest rated Angels player is pitcher Matt Shoemaker, with 10.7 Box-Toppers points. He ranks 17th among AL pitchers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are still the top National League team in Box-Toppers points. Dodgers players have accumulated 104.1 Box-Toppers points and remain in third place among all teams. They’ve been the top NL team since the July 3 team rankings report.

The Dodgers are led by overall Box-Toppers points leader, pitcher Clayton Kershaw (27.8) and pitcher Zack Greinke (13.8 Box-Toppers points, who ranks fifth among NL pitchers).

The Dodgers have the second-best winning percentage in the NL (.557), behind the Washington Nationals (.572). The Nationals have 94.0 Box-Toppers points and rank eighth among all teams, fourth among NL teams..

The Baltimore Orioles had the best week of any team, scoring 10.4 Box-Toppers points, rising from eighth to seventh place with 95.4.

The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners both rose into the top 10 list this week. The Blue Jays picked up 10.0 Box-Toppers points to rise from 13th to ninth place with 92.0 Box-Toppers points. And the Mariners picked up 5.0 Box-Toppers points to rise from 11th to 10th place, with 88.4.

The Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers both fell out of the top 10. The Royals fell from ninth to 11th place, with 86.6 Box-Toppers points, picking up only 2.0 points during the week. The Brewers fell from 10th to 13th place, with 84.0 Box-Toppers points, after they picked up 0.0 points during the week.

The Boston Red Sox remain the lowest-ranked team with 56.7 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.

Phillies' Hamels, Athletics' Hammel top players for Monday, Sept. 1

Shawn Plank September 2, 2014

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels, who pitched the first six innings in a combined no-hitter, is Monday’s Player of the Day.

Hamels pitched six no-hit innings, allowing no runs, walking five and striking out seven, in the 7-0 win over the Braves. The other three Phillies pitchers who combined for the no-hitter were Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon.

Hamels earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season. He becomes the 40th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 25th among all players and ninth among National League pitchers. Hamels has now earned 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points in each of the nine years of his career.

Athletics pitcher Jason Hammel is American League Player of the Day. Hammel allowed one run over eight innings, striking out five, in the 6-1 win over the Mariners. Hammel earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points earned since being traded from the Cubs, giving him 10.4 for the season. He becomes the 41st player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 40th among all players and 19th among AL pitchers.

Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Cabrera hit two home runs, going 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 12-1 win over the Indians. Cabrera becomes the 42nd player this season to earn 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks 41st among all players and second among AL batters, behind Jose Abreu of the White Sox (15.5 Box-Toppers points). In 2013, Cabrera led AL batters with 16.9 Box-Toppers points.

Josh Rutledge of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Rutledge went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 10-9 win over the Giants.

Notable: Rays pitcher Drew Smyly rose to 21st place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Smyly (5.2IP 7K ND in the 4-3 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.4 for the season. He ranks 13th among AL pitchers.

Hamels receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hammel receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Cabrera and Rutledge 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    901
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.0
    Phillies
    Cole Hamels (W, 8-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    0
    0
    0
    5
    7
  

    AL
    7.0
    Athletics
    Jason Hammel (W, 2-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Tigers
    Miguel Cabrera   DH
    5
    4
    4
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.1
    Cubs
    Jacob Turner (W, 5-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    5
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    5.0
    Twins
    Joe Mauer   DH
    4
    2
    3
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Rockies
    Josh Rutledge   SS
    3
    3
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Padres
    Tyson Ross (W, 13-12)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    1
    1
    2
    8
  

    
    3.2
    `Rays
    Drew Smyly
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    3
    2
    2
    2
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Royals
    Salvador Perez   C
    4
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Giants
    Hunter Pence   RF
    3
    2
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Cardinals
    Kolten Wong   PH
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Marlins
    Steve Cishek (S, 32)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Nationals
    Denard Span   CF
    5
    2
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Oakland Athletics remain atop Box-Toppers team rankings; Angels, Tigers, Rays among hottest teams

Shawn Plank July 26, 2014

The Oakland Athletics remain atop Box-Toppers team rankings in the most recent report, through the games of Thursday, July 24.

Athletics players have accumulated 83.5 Box-Toppers points this season. They rose to the top spot for the report ending July 13, at the All-Star break.

Top 10 teams
Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, July 24. 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 since the last team rankings report through July 13.





  
    724
    Teams
    BTP
    BTP
/wk
    Last 
wk 
rank
  

    1
    Athletics
    83.5
    4.5
    1
  

    2
    Angels
    76.5
    7.0
    3
  

    3
    Dodgers
    71.7
    2.0
    2
  

    4
    Giants
    70.0
    5.7
    4
  

    5
    Blue Jays
    67.3
    6.0
    5
  

    6
    Tigers
    67.1
    7.0
    11
  

    7
    Brewers
    66.1
    5.5
    8
  

    8
    Nationals
    63.9
    4.7
    12
  

    9
    Braves
    63.9
    3.7
    10
  

    10
    Mariners
    62.7
    2.0
    6
  

BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Athletics are led by pitchers Scott Kazmir (13.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among all players) and Jason Hammel (8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 13th among American League pitchers). (Hammel earned all his points with the Cubs before being traded to the Athletics.)

The Los Angeles Dodgers remain the top National League team for the third straight week, but fall from second to third place overall, falling behind the Los Angeles Angels. The Dodgers have 71.7 Box-Toppers points. The Angels have 76.5.

The Dodgers are led by starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (18.1 Box-Toppers points, overall player rankings leader) and Zack Greinke (who had 10.1 Box-Toppers points after Thursday, but has since scored another 2.0, giving him 12.1).

The Los Angeles Angels, the Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Rays all tied for the hottest team since the last team rankings report on July 13. All three teams accumulated 7.0 Box-Toppers points over that period.

The Angels rose from third to second place in team rankings with 76.5 Box-Toppers points. The Tigers rose from 11th to sixth place in team rankings with 67.1 Box-Toppers points. And the Rays rose from 16th to 12th place with 62.2 points.

Two teams rose into the top 10: The Tigers, as previously mentioned, from 11th to sixth, and the Washington Nationals, from 12th to eighth, with 63.9 Box-Toppers points. Two teams fell out of the top 10: The St. Louis Cardinals fell from ninth to 11th, with 62.5 Box-Toppers points, and the Cincinnati Reds fell from seventh to 16th place, with 60.6 Box-Toppers points. The Reds scored 0.0 Box-Toppers points since July 13.

The Chicago Cubs remain the lowest-ranked team. Gaining 1.0 Box-Toppers point since July 13, the Cubs have 39.7 points, 5.1 points behind the 29th-place Texas Rangers.

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.

Oakland Athletics have most players on Box-Toppers Top 100 list

Shawn Plank July 17, 2014

The Oakland Athletics, baseball’s best team at the All-Star break, has seven players on Box-Toppers Top 100 players list, the most of any team.

The list is led by Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw who has earned 18.1 Box-Toppers points this season and Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer with 16.1. Kershaw led all players in 2013 with 21.7 Box-Toppers points and Scherzer led all American League players in 2013 with 18.1.

Top 100 list 2014
Here is Box-Toppers Top 100, listing players with the highest Box-Toppers points totals at the All-Star break.






  
    

    Player
    Pos
    Team
    BTP
  

    1
    Kershaw, Clayton 2494
    pi sp
    lad nl
    18.1
  

    2
    Scherzer, Max 2588
    pi sp
    det al
    16.1
  

    3
    Wainwright, Adam 2150
    pi sp
    stl nl
    14.0
  

    4
    Bumgarner, Madison 2753
    pi sp
    sf nl
    13.5
  

    5
    Kazmir, Scott 1947
    pi sp
    oak al
    13.1
  

    6
    Hernandez, Felix 2064
    pi sp
    sea al
    12.8
  

    7
    Richards, Garrett 3042
    pi sp
    ana al
    12.7
  

    8
    Cueto, Johnny 2400
    pi sp
    cin nl
    12.7
  

    9
    Tanaka, Masahiro 3305
    pi sp
    nyy al
    12.7
  

    10
    Tulowitzki, Troy 2308
    ss
    col nl
    11.6
  

    11
    Teheran, Julio 3176
    pi sp
    atl nl
    11.4
  

    12
    Lincecum, Tim 2288
    pi sp
    sf nl
    10.4
  

    13
    Price, David 2593
    pi sp
    tb al
    10.4
  

    14
    Kluber, Corey 3200
    pi sp
    cle al
    10.4
  

    15
    Greinke, Zack 1871
    pi sp
    lad nl
    10.1
  

    16
    Sale, Chris 2806
    pi sp
    chi al
    10.0
  

    17
    Abreu, Jose 3308
    1b
    chi al
    9.5
  

    18
    Darvish, Yu 3003
    pi sp
    tex al
    9.4
  

    19
    Strasburg, Stephen 2736
    pi sp
    dc nl
    9.0
  

    20
    Hutchison, Drew 3038
    pi sp
    tor al
    9.0
  

    21
    Colon, Bartolo
    pi sp
    nym nl
    8.7
  

    22
    Alvarez, Henderson 2951
    pi sp
    fla nl
    8.7
  

    23
    Simon, Alfredo 2718
    pi sp
    cin nl
    8.7
  

    24
    Hammel, Jason 2235
    pi sp
    oak al
    8.7
  

    25
    Keuchel, Dallas 3050
    pi sp
    hou al
    8.7
  

    26
    Lohse, Kyle 1487
    pi sp
    mil nl
    8.4
  

    27
    Ryu, Hyun-Jin 3139
    pi sp
    lad nl
    8.4
  

    28
    Hughes, Phil 2272
    pi sp
    min al
    8.4
  

    29
    Young, Chris 1933
    pi sp
    sea al
    8.4
  

    30
    Kimbrel, Craig 2825
    pi cp
    atl nl
    8.0
  

    31
    Lester, Jon 2173
    pi sp
    bos al
    8.0
  

    32
    Encarnacion, Edwin 2098
    1b dh lf
    tor al
    8.0
  

    33
    Freeman, Freddie 2887
    1b
    atl nl
    7.7
  

    34
    Hudson, Tim 1231
    pi sp
    sf nl
    7.7
  

    35
    Lackey, John 1640
    pi sp
    bos al
    7.7
  

    36
    Arrieta, Jake 2738
    pi sp
    chi nl
    7.7
  

    37
    Chavez, Jesse 2780
    pi sp
    oak al
    7.7
  

    38
    Beckett, Josh 1544
    pi sp
    lad nl
    7.7
  

    39
    Cabrera, Miguel 1776
    1b
    det al
    7.5
  

    40
    Fernandez, Jose 3147
    pi sp
    fla nl
    7.0
  

    41
    Lynn, Lance 2992
    pi sp
    stl nl
    7.0
  

    42
    Iwakuma, Hisashi 3048
    pi sp
    sea al
    7.0
  

    43
    Zimmermann, Jordan 2612
    pi sp
    dc nl
    7.0
  

    44
    Gonzalez, Gio 2626
    pi sp
    dc nl
    7.0
  

    45
    Santana, Ervin 2005
    pi sp
    atl nl
    7.0
  

    46
    Uehara, Koji 2802
    pi cp
    bos al
    7.0
  

    47
    Gray, Sonny 3259
    pi sp
    oak al
    7.0
  

    48
    Shields, James 2157
    pi sp
    kc al
    6.7
  

    49
    Kennedy, Ian 2723
    pi sp
    sd nl
    6.7
  

    50
    Donaldson, Josh 3144
    3b
    oak al
    6.5
  

    51
    Cespedes, Yoenis 3008
    lf
    oak al
    6.5
  

    52
    McCutchen, Andrew 2637
    cf
    pit nl
    6.5
  

    53
    Archer, Chris 3194
    pi sp
    tb al
    6.4
  

    54
    McHugh, Collin 3316
    pi sp
    hou al
    6.4
  

    55
    Colabello, Chris 3235
    1b dh rf
    min al
    6.2
  

    56
    Gallardo, Yovani 2333
    pi sp
    mil nl
    6.0
  

    57
    Collmenter, Josh 2863
    pi sp
    ari nl
    6.0
  

    58
    Aybar, Erick 2416
    ss
    ana al
    6.0
  

    59
    Duffy, Danny 2915
    pi sp mr
    kc al
    6.0
  

    60
    Doolittle, Sean 3052
    pi cp
    oak al
    6.0
  

    61
    Elias, Roenis 3309
    pi sp
    sea al
    6.0
  

    62
    Buehrle, Mark 1407
    pi sp
    tor al
    5.7
  

    63
    Wilson, C.J. 2074
    pi sp
    ana al
    5.7
  

    64
    Fister, Doug 2688
    pi sp
    dc nl
    5.7
  

    65
    Ross, Tyson 2840
    pi sp
    sd nl
    5.7
  

    66
    Vogelsong, Ryan 1820
    pi sp
    sf nl
    5.7
  

    67
    Hahn, Jesse 3354
    pi sp
    sd nl
    5.7
  

    68
    Hunter, Torii 1190
    rf
    det al
    5.5
  

    69
    Rizzo, Anthony 3063
    1b
    chi nl
    5.5
  

    70
    Ramirez, Alexei 2537
    ss
    chi al
    5.5
  

    71
    Morse, Michael 2020
    lf
    sf nl
    5.5
  

    72
    Upton, Justin 2411
    lf
    atl nl
    5.2
  

    73
    Masterson, Justin 2462
    pi sp
    cle al
    5.0
  

    74
    Miller, Shelby 3134
    pi sp
    stl nl
    5.0
  

    75
    Bailey, Homer 2324
    pi sp
    cin nl
    5.0
  

    76
    Holland, Greg 2906
    pi cp
    kc al
    5.0
  

    77
    Hamels, Cole 2135
    pi sp
    phi nl
    5.0
  

    78
    Burnett, A.J. 1300
    pi sp
    phi nl
    5.0
  

    79
    Vargas, Jason 2055
    pi sp
    kc al
    5.0
  

    80
    Cashner, Andrew 2807
    pi sp
    sd nl
    5.0
  

    81
    Wood, Travis 2777
    pi sp
    chi nl
    5.0
  

    82
    Chapman, Aroldis 2826
    pi cp
    cin nl
    5.0
  

    83
    Leake, Mike 2709
    pi sp
    cin nl
    5.0
  

    84
    Porcello, Rick 2573
    pi sp
    det al
    5.0
  

    85
    Smyly, Drew 3009
    pi sp mr
    det al
    5.0
  

    86
    Cishek, Steve 2997
    pi cp
    fla nl
    5.0
  

    87
    Perez, Martin 3213
    pi sp
    tex al
    5.0
  

    88
    Roark, Tanner 3261
    pi sp
    dc nl
    5.0
  

    89
    Volquez, Edinson 2220
    pi sp
    pit nl
    5.0
  

    90
    Wacha, Michael 3276
    pi sp
    stl nl
    5.0
  

    91
    Suzuki, Kurt 2344
    ca
    min al
    5.0
  

    92
    Seager, Kyle 3031
    3b
    sea al
    5.0
  

    93
    Koehler, Tom 3159
    pi sp
    fla nl
    5.0
  

    94
    Dozier, Brian 3219
    2b
    min al
    5.0
  

    95
    Robertson, David 2774
    pi cp
    nyy al
    5.0
  

    96
    Tomlin, Josh 2771
    pi sp cp
    cle al
    5.0
  

    97
    Rodriguez, Sean 2729
    lf 1b 2b dh ph
    tb al
    5.0
  

    98
    Duda, Lucas 2818
    1b
    nym nl
    5.0
  

    99
    deGrom, Jacob 3343
    pi sp
    nym nl
    5.0
  

    100
    Cobb, Alex 2916
    pi sp
    tb al
    4.7
  

BTP: Box-Toppers points 

Pitcher Scott Kazmir leads the seven Athletics on the top 100 list, he has 13.1 Box-Toppers points and is in fifth place overall (second among AL pitchers). The other Athletics players are:

• Jason Hammel, starting pitcher, in 24th place with 8.7. (Hammel earned all 8.7 Box-Toppers points with the Cubs, prior to being traded to the Athletics.)

• Jesse Chavez, starting pitcher, in 37th place with 7.7.

• Sonny Gray, starting pitcher, in 47th place with 7.0.

• Josh Donaldson, third base, in 50th place with 6.5.

• Yoenis Cespedes, left field, in 51st place with 6.5.

• Sean Doolittle, closing pitcher, in 60th place with 6.0.

Athletics players have accumulated 79.0 Box-Toppers points this season, the most of any team. The Los Angeles Dodgers, in second place, have 69.7.

While the addition of Hammel gives the Athletics seven players in the top 100, they would still have the most players on the list without him, with six. No other team has more than five players on the list. There are five teams with five players each—the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds, the Washington Nationals, the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.

All but one team is represented on the top 100 list. The only team without a member is the Baltimore Orioles. That team’s leader in Box-Toppers points, Nelson Cruz, designated hitter and left fielder, has 4.5 points, in 109th place. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies both have one player on the top 100 list.

Pitchers dominate the top 100 list, with 80 members—73 of them starting pitchers. Box-Toppers tends to favor pitchers over batters, especially in the short-term. Star pitchers tend to rack up points in quick batches while batters tend to pick up points steadily over long periods of time. For example, the Box-Toppers “all-time” top 100 list has 45 batters and 55 pitchers (the “all-time” list tracks players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began).

Here is a breakdown of the top 100 list by position:

• Starting pitchers 73

• Closing pitchers 7

• First base 7

• Outfield 6 (4 LF, 1 CF, 1 RF)

• Shortstop 3

• Third base 2

• Second base 1

• Catcher 1

Here are some notable players’ statuses in the top 100.

• Last year’s Cy Young Award winners are ranked No. 1 and 2. Kershaw, the reigning National League winner, is in first place with 18.1 Box-Toppers points and Scherzer, the reigning AL winner, is in second place with 16.1.

• Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies leads all NL batters and is in 10th place overall, with 11.6 Box-Toppers points.

• Jose Abreu of the White Sox leads all AL batters and is in 17th place overall, with 9.5 Box-Toppers points.

• Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, 2013’s AL Most Valuable Player is in 39th place overall with 7.5 Box-Toppers points. He ranks third among AL batters.

• Pitcher Jose Fernandez of the Marlins, 2013’s NL Rookie of the Year is in 40th place overall with 7.0 Box-Toppers points. However, Fernandez is injured and now out for the rest of the season.

• Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, 2013’s NL MVP, is in 52nd place overall with 6.5 Box-Toppers points (already more than the 6.0 he earned last season, when he ranked 22nd among NL batters). McCutchen currently ranks third among NL batters.

• Pitcher Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals, who started the All-Star Game for the NL, is ranked third overall with 14.0 Box-Toppers points. He ranks second among NL pitchers.

• Pitcher Felix Hernandez of the Mariners, who started the All-Star Game for the AL, is ranked sixth overall with 12.8 Box-Toppers points. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

• Wil Myers of the Rays, 2013’s AL Rookie of the Year has 1.0 Box-Toppers point and is not on this year’s top 100. (He had 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2013.)

• Pitcher Chris Archer of the Rays, who led AL Rookies in Box-Toppers points in 2013, is in 53rd place with 6.4 Box-Toppers points. (Last season, he had 11.7 Box-Toppers points.)

So far this season, 578 players have earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors and so have at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Eighty new players have earned Player of the Game honors for the first time this season, making their Box-Toppers debut.

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

What are those numbers after players' names?

Trade boosts Oakland Athletics to top of Box-Toppers team rankings at All-Star break

Shawn Plank July 15, 2014

The Oakland Athletics, largely on the strength of their trade to acquire two starting pitchers from the Chicago Cubs, have risen to the top of Box-Toppers team rankings at the All-Star break.

Top 10 teams
Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Sunday, July 13. 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 since the last team rankings report July 3.





  
    

713
    

Teams
    

BTP
    
BTP
/wk
    Last 
wk 
rank
  

    1
    Athletics
    79.0
    19.1
    2
  

    2
    Dodgers
    69.7
    8.1
    1
  

    3
    Angels
    69.5
    11.0
    5
  

    4
    Giants
    64.3
    5.7
    4
  

    5
    Blue Jays
    61.3
    2.0
    3
  

    6
    Mariners
    60.7
    3.0
    6
  

    7
    Reds
    60.6
    9.5
    12
  

    8
    Brewers
    60.6
    3.0
    7
  

    9
    Cardinals
    60.5
    6.0
    8
  

    10
    Braves
    60.2
    6.0
    10
  

BTP: Box-Toppers points

Athletics players have accumulated 79.0 Box-Toppers points, rising from second place at the time of the last team rankings report July 3 to regain the top spot. They pass the Los Angeles Dodgers, the leader at the July 3 report. The Dodgers have 69.7 Box-Toppers points, dipping to second place, still leading among all National League teams.

The Athletics jumped in total Box-Toppers points when on July 5, they acquired starting pitchers Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija from the Cubs. Hammel has 8.7 Box-Toppers points and Samardzija has 4.0. At the time, the trade gave the Athletics a net gain of 10.7 Box-Toppers points, boosting them to the top of team rankings and pushing the Cubs to the bottom—30th place.

The trade helped make the Athletics the hottest team since the last team rankings report on July 3. They picked up 19.1 Box-Toppers points over that period.

The Athletics are led by pitchers Scott Kazmir (13.1 Box-Toppers points, fifth place among all players) and newly-acquired Hammel (his 8.7 Box-Toppers points puts him at 11th place among AL pitchers, even though all his points were earned while pitching in the NL for the Cubs).

The Athletics also have baseball’s best winning percentage (.621). The Athletics previously led in Box-Toppers team rankings at the weekly June 19 report.

The Dodgers remain the top NL team for the second week with 69.7 Box-Toppers points. They fall from first to second place overall.

The Dodgers are led by starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (18.1 Box-Toppers points, overall player rankings leader) and Zack Greinke (10.1 Box-Toppers points, seventh place among NL pitchers).

The Dodgers have NL’s best winning percentage (.557).

The Cincinnati Reds rise into the top 10 at the All-Star break. They picked up a NL-high 9.5 Box-Toppers points since the last report July 3, giving them 60.6 for the season, rising from 12th to seventh in team rankings. The Detroit Tigers fell from the top 10 list—with 60.1 Box-Toppers points, they fell from ninth to 11th.

As previously mentioned, the Chicago Cubs dropped to the bottom of Box-Toppers team rankings, with a net loss of points in the trade with the Athletics. They lost 7.2 Box-Toppers points since the last report July 3, giving them 38.7 for the season. The previous report’s 30th-ranked team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, rose to 28th place, picking up 6.4 Box-Toppers points, giving them 47.5 for the season.

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.

Trade lifts Athletics to top of Box-Toppers team rankings, pushes Cubs to bottom

Shawn Plank July 5, 2014

The trade Friday sending Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija from the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics sends the Athletics to the top of Box-Toppers team rankings and the Cubs to the bottom.

These players were traded from the Cubs to the Athletics:

• Pitcher Jason Hammel, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, previously ranked ninth among National League pitchers, now ranked 10th among American League pitchers. (Hammel had been the Cubs leader in Box-Toppers points.)

• Pitcher Jeff Samardzija, 3.0 Box-Toppers points.

These players were reported to have been traded from the Athletics to the Cubs:

• Shortstop prospect Addison Russell, who has yet to make his Major League debut.

• Outfield prospect Billy McKinney, who has yet to make his Major League debut.

• Pitcher Dan Straily, who has 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season.

In the short term, the Athletics have a net gain of 10.7 Box-Toppers points—picking up the 11.7 points from the Cubs and losing Straily’s 1.0 point.

For Box-Toppers rankings, each team inherits the total points of players acquired and loses the points of players traded away. This provides the Athletics a huge boost. At the July 3 team rankings report, the Athletics were the second-ranked team with 59.9 Box-Toppers points, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (61.6). The trade would boost that total to 70.6, giving them a 9.0-point lead over the Dodgers.

Conversely, the trade puts the Cubs at the bottom of Box-Toppers rankings. As of July 3, the Cubs rank 20th among all teams with 45.9 Box-Toppers points. Their net loss of 10.7 points (nearly a quarter of their season total) gives them 35.2 for the season, below the current lowest-ranked team, the Arizona Diamondbacks (41.1 Box-Toppers points).

But of course, the Cubs are playing for the long term, hoping the prospects pan out to be stars, racking up huge Box-Toppers points in the coming seasons.

Nats' Tanner Roark (8IP 0R 11K) tops players for Friday, June 6

Shawn Plank June 7, 2014

Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark is Friday’s Player of the Day. Roark pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 11 in the 6-0 win over the Padres.

Rays pitcher Erik Bedard is American League Player of the Day. Bedard pitched six scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 4-0 win over the Mariners.

Russell Martin of the Pirates is National League Batter of the Day. Martin went 3-for-3, scored three times and drove in four runs in the 15-5 win over the Brewers.

Michael Choice of the Rangers is AL Batter of the Day. Choice hit the go-ahead home run and went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the 6-4 win over the Indians. This was Choice’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,348th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Choice made his Major League debut on Sept. 2, 2013, and was playing in his 58th game.

Notable: Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel rises to seventh 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.) Hammel (7IP 0R 8K ND in the 5-3 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

Roark receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Bedard receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Martin and Choice 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

  
    606
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    16.0
    Nationals
    Tanner Roark (W, 4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    11
  

    AL
    9.0
    Rays
    Erik Bedard (W, 3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    
    8.0
    `Cubs
    Jason Hammel
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    
    7.2
    Phillies
    Cole Hamels (W, 2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    5
    0
    0
    2
    7
  

    BAT
    7.0
    Pirates
    Russell Martin   C
    3
    3
    3
    4
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Braves
    Jason Heyward   RF
    4
    3
    3
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Astros
    Dallas Keuchel (W, 7-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Dodgers
    Dee Gordon   2B
    4
    2
    3
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Athletics
    Sean Doolittle (S, 8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Rangers
    Michael Choice   DH
    3
    2
    2
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Giants
    Buster Posey   C
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Tigers
    Torii Hunter   RF
    4
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Angels
    Kole Calhoun   RF
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Blue Jays
    Marcus Stroman (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    7
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    
    1.0
    Yankees
    Mark Teixeira   1B
    2
    2
    1
    0
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Red Sox' De La Rosa, Cubs' Hammel top players for Saturday, May 31; Yankees' Tanaka rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank June 1, 2014

Red Sox pitcher Rubby De La Rosa is Saturday’s Player of the Day. De La Rosa pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 7-1 win over the Rays.

This was De La Rosa’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,342nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. De La Rosa made his Major League debut May 24, 2011 and was playing in the 26th game of his career and his first of the season.

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel is National League Player of the Day. Hammel pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 8-0 win over the Brewers. Hammel earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, moving him up to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings (see the top 10 list on the home page). He ranks fifth in Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers.

De La Rosa and Hammel had virtually identical statistics Saturday and were tied for highest Box-Toppers game score of the day with 11.0. But De La Rosa was given the nod as Player of the Day because he hit no batters and Hammel hit two.

Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. Ramirez hit two home runs, went 4-for-4 and drove in five runs in the 12-2 win over the Pirates.

Yoenis Cespedes of the Athletics is American League Player of the Day. Cespedes hit a three-run homer, a two-run triple and doubled in the 11-3 win over the Angels.

Notables: Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Tanaka (8IP 1R 9K W in the 3-1 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season. He remains the top-ranked AL pitcher and trails only Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (11.0 Box-Toppers points).

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Cueto (7.1IP 0R 7K W in the 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season. He rises to third place among NL pitchers.

De La Rosa receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hammel receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Ramirez and Cespedes each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

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

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    531
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    Red Sox
    Rubby De La Rosa (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    NL
    11.0
    Cubs
    Jason Hammel (W, 6-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    10.0
    Yankees
    Masahiro Tanaka (W, 8-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    0
    2
    9
  

    
    10.0
    Cardinals
    Michael Wacha (W, 4-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    7
  

    BAT
    9.0
    Dodgers
    Hanley Ramirez   SS
    4
    4
    4
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    8.1
    Reds
    Johnny Cueto (W, 5-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    5
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    
    6.1
    `Mets
    Jacob deGrom
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    3
    3
    3
    2
    11
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Athletics
    Yoenis Cespedes   LF
    5
    2
    3
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    `Indians
    Trevor Bauer
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    2
    2
    1
    8
  

    
    5.0
    Blue Jays
    Marcus Stroman (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Orioles
    Nelson Cruz   DH
    2
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Nationals
    Anthony Rendon   3B
    5
    3
    4
    1
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Padres
    Will Venable   RF, CF
    4
    1
    4
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mariners
    Chris Young (W, 5-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    2
    2
    2
    6
  

    
    2.0
    Braves
    Gerald Laird   C
    4
    3
    2
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Phillies' A.J. Burnett (8IP 0R 8K) tops players for Sunday, April 27; Cards' Wainwright takes Box-Toppers points lead

Shawn Plank April 28, 2014

Phillies pitcher A.J. Burnett is Sunday’s Player of the Day, while Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright takes the season lead among players in Box-Toppers points.

Burnett pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Wainwright pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 7-0 win over the Pirates. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 6.0 for the season and rising to the top of Box-Toppers player rankings, passing previous leader Chris Colabello of the Twins (5.2 points). (See updated top 10 rankings on Box-Toppers’ home page.)

Astros pitcher Collin McHugh is American League Player of the Day. McHugh pitched 8 2/3 innings, allowing only one run and striking out seven in the 5-1 win over the Athletics.

Omar Infante of the Royals is AL Batter of the Day. Infante hit a two-run homer and drove in six runs in the 9-3 win over the Orioles.

There is no National League Batter of the Day because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Notables: Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Hammel (7IP 0R 7K in 4-0 win vs. Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.0 for the season. (See updated top 10 rankings on Box-Toppers’ home page.)

Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Tanaka (6.1IP 11K ND in 3-2 win vs. Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 4.7 for the season. (See updated top 10 rankings on Box-Toppers’ home page.)

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

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

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

427ScoreTeamPlayerABRHBIBBKIPHRERBBK
MLB11.0PhilliesA.J. Burnett (W, 1-1)------8.050008
0PadresIan Kennedy (W, 2-3)------7.031109
0CardinalsAdam Wainwright (W, 5-1)------8.030027
0CubsJason Hammel (W, 4-1)------7.030027
0`GiantsRyan Vogelsong------7.020026
AL8.2AstrosCollin McHugh (W, 2-0)------8.221137
0`BravesJulio Teheran------8.030025
0MetsDillon Gee (W, 2-1)------8.030046
BAT6.0RoyalsOmar Infante   2B312610------
1Blue JaysR.A. Dickey (W, 2-3)------6.151106
1`YankeesMasahiro Tanaka------6.1522411
0White SoxJose Abreu   DH422400------
0MarinersKyle Seager   3B422401------
0RockiesJorge De La Rosa (W, 2-3)------7.041123

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

Cubs' Jason Hammel (6.2IP 1R 2H) tops players for Thursday, April 3

Shawn Plank April 4, 2014

Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Hammel gave up one run on two hits over 6 2/3 innings in the 3-2 win over the Pirates.

Chris Colabello of the Twins is American League Player of the Day. Colabello drove in six runs in the 10-9 win over the White Sox.

Casey McGehee of the Marlins is National League Batter of the Day. McGehee went 2-3 with a triple and drove in three runs in the 8-5 win over the Rockies.

Hammel receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Colabello receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. McGehee 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.

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

403ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB6.2Cubs 000000000Jason Hammel (W, 1-0)6.221115
AL3.0Twins Chris Colabello   1B5026011000.000000
 3.0Yankees Yangervis Solarte   3B3231101000.000000
BAT3.0Marlins Casey McGehee   3B3123200000.000000
 3.0Rays 000000000Chris Archer (W, 1-0)6.042227
 2.1Cardinals 000000000Trevor Rosenthal (S, 2)1.100001
 2.0Nationals Ryan Zimmerman   3B5142000000.000000
 2.0Giants Angel Pagan   CF5133000000.000000
 2.0Red Sox 000000000Koji Uehara (S, 1)1.000001
 1.0Athletics Coco Crisp   CF3211310000.000000

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games

National League Championship Series Game 3: Mets 5, Cubs 2

American League Championship Series Game 4: Royals 14, Blue Jays 2

Top player from each game

ALCS Game 5, Royals lead Blue Jays, 3-1

NLCS Game 4, Mets lead Cubs, 3-0

National League Division Series Game 3: Mets 13, Dodgers 7

National League Division Series Game 3: Cubs 8, Cardinals 6

American League Division Series Game 4: Royals 9, Astros 6

American League Division Series Game 4: Blue Jays 8, Rangers 4

Top player from each game

NL Division Series Game 4, Cubs lead Cardinals, 2-1

NL Division Series Game 4, Mets lead Dodgers, 2-1

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 teams

Top player from each game

Top 10 teams

Top 100 list 2014

Top 10 teams

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

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.