For second straight year, Boston Red Sox projected to be Box-Toppers' most improved team

Box-Toppers projects the Boston Red Sox to be the most improved team in baseball in 2016.

But Box-Toppers also projected the Red Sox to be the most improved team going into 2015, a prediction that didn’t quite pan out.

Projecting the Red Sox

For the second straight year, the Boston Red Sox are projected by Box-Toppers to be baseball’s most improved team. Their 2015 rise wasn’t as great as projected. Here are Box-Toppers’ preseason rankings for the Red Sox from 2014 to 2016, including their projected Box-Toppers point (BTP) total for the season and their rank among all 30 teams, followed by their actual Box-Toppers point total and rank at the end of each season.  

	Preseason projection			Actual result
	BTP	Rank		BTP	Rank
2014	121.7	4th		68.7	30th
2015	92.0	17th		77.6	23rd
2016	103.9	10th		?	?

Both years the prediction happened because the Red Sox had a previous lackluster season followed by an active offseason in which it picked up star players.

This year, the Red Sox picked up 26.3 Box-Toppers points in the offseason, mainly on the strength of signing free agent pitcher David Price, who had 21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Tigers and the Blue Jays, second among American League pitchers.

At the end of 2015, the Red Sox ranked 23rd among the 30 teams in Box-Toppers points. They are now ranked 10th in preseason standings. Last year, they finished fifth in the AL East with 78 wins. This year, Box-Toppers projects them to finish in second (to the Toronto Blue Jays) with 95 wins and earn a wild-card spot.

But Box-Toppers also projected a big Red Sox jump going into 2015, which didn’t quite happen. At the end of 2014, the Red Sox ranked 30th in Box-Toppers team rankings. But in the offseason, they made winter moves and signings that gave them a net gain of 23.3 points. Among Red Sox additions going into 2015 were pitchers Rick Porcello, Justin Masterson and batters Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. None of those players matched their Box-Toppers point totals from 2014 in 2015.

Those additions helped the Red Sox rise to 17th place in Box-Toppers preseason team rankings in 2015. However, they foundered and finished 2015 ranked 23rd—an improvement from 2014, but not as great as the projected improvement. Box-Toppers projected them having 85 wins in 2015—they fell seven wins short.

In addition to Price, the Red Sox picked up other notable players going into the 2016 season—outfielder Chris B. Young (who had 4.5 Box-Toppers points with the Yankees in 2015) and closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel (who had 6.0 points with the Padres in 2015).

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers points are a measure of how much a player provides key contributions to his team’s wins. Specifically, 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.

Related posts

• Box-Toppers preseason rankings for 2016
• Box-Toppers preseason rankings for 2015

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

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.

White Sox' Chris Sale (8IP 0R 6K) tops players for Sunday, April 6

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Sale pitched eight shutout innings and struck out six in the 5-1 win over the Royals.

Sale moves into fourth place among players in Box-Toppers points in the young 2014 season. He has 3.0 points.

Reds pitcher Alfredo Simon is National League Player of the Day. Simon allowed one run over seven innings and struck out six in the 2-1 win over the Mets.

Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. Ramirez homered twice and went 3-4 in the 6-2 win over the Giants.

Chris Colabello of the Twins is American League Batter of the Day. Colabello drove in four runs and went 2-5 in the 10-7 win over the Indians. Colabello is the first batter to earn Player of the Game honors more than once so far this season. With 3.2 Box-Toppers points, he moves into second place among all players for the season, behind only Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (3.4).

Sale receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Simon receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Kemp and Colabello each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

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

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

406	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.0	White Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Sale (W, 2-0)	8.0	4	0	0	1	6
NL	6.0	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Alfredo Simon (W, 1-0)	7.0	4	1	1	1	6
	5.1	Orioles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Tillman (W, 1-0)	8.1	5	1	1	1	5
	5.0	Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Yu Darvish (W, 1-0)	7.0	7	0	0	1	6
	5.0	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ian Kennedy (W, 1-1)	6.0	3	1	1	1	5
	4.1	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tony Watson (W, 1-0)	1.1	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	4.0	Dodgers	Hanley Ramirez SS	4	3	3	2	0	0
	4.0	Cubs	Ryan Kalish LF	3	2	2	3	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.2	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Yovani Gallardo (W, 2-0)	6.2	7	0	0	0	3
BAT	2.0	Twins	Chris Colabello DH	5	1	2	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Astros	Jonathan Villar SS	3	2	1	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Athletics	Jed Lowrie SS	1	1	1	1	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jerry Blevins (W, 1-0)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Yankees	Brett Gardner LF	4	2	1	2	1	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Diamondbacks	Mark Trumbo LF	3	1	1	2	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

NLCS Preview: Cardinals-Dodgers features 2 top-ranked NL Box-Toppers teams, top 3 overall players—Kershaw, Wainwright, Greinke

The National League Championship Series beginning Friday features the top two NL teams in Box-Toppers Team Rankings and the top three players in overall Box-Toppers points.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers begins in St. Louis. The Dodgers just edged out the Cardinals as top NL team in Box-Toppers points for the season with 122.7 (second place overall, behind the Detroit Tigers). The Cardinals were in second in the NL (third overall) with 122.4. 

The Cardinals had the best actual winning percentage in the NL (.599). The Dodgers were in fourth (.568), behind the Cardinals, Braves and Pirates. 

The Cardinals prevailed over the Pirates in the National League Division Series. The Pirates had 115.6 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked seventh overall. The Dodgers beat the Braves in their NLDS. The Braves had 111.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th overall. 

The NLCS between the Cardinals and Dodgers features the top three players in Box-Toppers Player Rankings for the season:

• Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has 21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first in player rankings.
• Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has 20.2 points, ranked second. 
• Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke has 19.4 points, ranked third. 

In addition, Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller are both in the top 10 in Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers. Lynn ranks seventh with 16.1 points and Miller ranks ninth with 15.4. 

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

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 14 key players from each team, the Cardinals have 103.7 points and the Dodgers 98.7.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Cardinals have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Cardinals have the edge in seven positions, the Dodgers in six and they tie in one position (both first basemen Matt Adams and Adrian Gonzalez have 5.0 Box-Toppers points).

In general, the Cardinals edge the Dodgers among batters, with more offensive players with higher Box-Toppers points—in fact, Hanley Ramirez is the only Dodger batter with a higher Box-Toppers point total (5.0) than his Cardinals shortstop counterpart Pete Kozma (2.5).

All three likely starting outfielders for the Dodgers have Box-Toppers point totals of 2.0 or less, meaning they were very rarely the key contributor to Dodgers wins. Carl Crawford was Player of the Game twice during the season earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points. Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig was NL Batter of the Day in his second career game June 4, earning 1.5 points, his only points of the season. And Skip Schumaker, though he appeared in 125 games, did not earn Player of the Game honors during the season, earning 0.0 Box-Toppers points.

To be fair, Dodgers pitchers were often the key contributor to the team's wins, with higher Box-Toppers game scores and earning Player of the Game honors. In fact, Dodgers pitchers have a slight edge over the Cardinals, with two of the three top overall players in Box-Toppers points (Kershaw and Greinke). The Dodgers' closer, Kenley Jansen has more Box-Toppers points than Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal (9.7 to 6.0).

So: The Dodgers have the overall higher Box-Toppers Team Ranking. The Cardinals have a better winning percentage. The Dodgers have a slight edge in pitching. The Cardinals have a seeming clear edge among batters. The Dodgers have the edge in the pitching match-up in Game 1. The Cardinals have home-field advantage. Baseball's best three players this season (by Box-Toppers measures) will be in action. It promises to be a great series. 

Coming Friday: Here is the pitching match-up for Game 1 of the NL Championship Series:

NLCS Game 1, Dodgers at Cardinals

Dodgers: Zack Greinke, 19.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked third overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Cardinals: Joe Kelly, 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 264th overall

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

NL Championship Series player comparisons 

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

	Cardinals	BTP	Rank		Dodgers	BTP	Rank
1B	Matt Adams	5.0	198		Adrian Gonzalez	5.0	175
2B	Matt Carpenter	7.5	100		Mark Ellis	3.5	295
SS	Pete Kozma	2.5	408		Hanley Ramirez	5.0	177
3B	David Freese	5.5	154		Juan Uribe	3.0	323
CA	Yadier Molina	4.0	253		A.J. Ellis	2.5	387
CF	Jon Jay	5.5	162		Skip Schumaker	0.0	920
LF	Matt Holliday	6.5	121		Carl Crawford	2.0	450
RF	Carlos Beltran	2.5	378		Yasiel Puig	1.5	542
SP	Adam Wainwright	20.2	2		Clayton Kershaw	21.7	1
SP	Lance Lynn	16.1	11		Zack Greinke	19.4	3
SP	Joe Kelly	4.0	264		Hyun-Jin Ryu	9.7	61
SP	Michael Wacha	3.0	361		Ricky Nolasco	9.7	60
CP	Trevor Rosenthal	6.0	147		Kenley Jansen	9.7	59
PI	Shelby Miller	15.4	17		Chris Capuano	6.0	134

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NLDS Game 4, Pirates lead Cardinals 2-1

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

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

ALDS Game 3, Red Sox lead Rays 2-0

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

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

NLDS Game 4, Dodgers lead Braves 2-1

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

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

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

Top player from each game 

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

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

Red Sox' John Lackey (CG 2H) tops players for Thursday, Sept. 19

Red Sox pitcher John Lackey is Thursday's Player of the Day. Lackey, who gave up his first hit in the seventh inning, pitched a complete-game two-hitter, striking out eight, in the 3-1 win over the Orioles, clinching a playoff spot for Boston.

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole is National League Player of the Day. Cole struck out 12 over six innings in the 10-1 win over the Padres. 

Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. Ramirez homered twice, drove in four runs and went 4-for-5 in the 7-6 win over the Diamondbacks, as Los Angeles won the NL West title. 

Prince Fielder of the Tigers is American League Batter of the Day. Fielder went 3-for-4 in the 5-4 win over the Mariners.

Notables: Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Thursday are among the top 25 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season: 

• Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner rises to 13th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (7IP 1R 10K W in the 2-1 win vs. Mets), giving him 15.7 for the season.
• Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez rises to 25th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (7IP 1R 9K ND in 2-1 win vs. Astros), giving him 12.8 for the season.

Coming Friday: Two pitchers among the top 10 in Box-Toppers player rankings (see the list on the home page) are scheduled to start Friday:

• Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer starts against the White Sox. Scherzer has 17.1 Box-Toppers points, is in sixth place overall and leads all AL players.
• Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano starts against the Reds. Liriano has 16.7 Box-Toppers points and is in ninth place overall.

Neither Scherzer nor Liriano is in position Friday to take the outright lead in Box-Toppers points (held by Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright with 19.2) since the most they could earn is 2.0 Box-Toppers points.

Lackey receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Cole receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Ramirez and Fielder each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

919	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	11.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			John Lackey (W, 10-12)	9.0	2	1	1	2	8
NL	9.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Gerrit Cole (W, 9-7)	6.0	4	1	1	3	12
	8.0	Giants	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Madison Bumgarner (W, 13-9)	7.0	4	1	1	3	10
	8.0	`Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ubaldo Jimenez	7.0	6	1	1	0	9
	7.0	Blue Jays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Todd Redmond (W, 4-2)	7.0	4	1	1	1	7
	6.0	Cubs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jake Arrieta (W, 3-2)	7.0	3	1	1	1	5
BAT	5.0	Dodgers	Hanley Ramirez SS	5	2	4	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	5.0	`Rockies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Wilton Lopez	2.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Nationals	Bryce Harper LF	4	1	3	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	2.0	Tigers	Prince Fielder 1B	4	2	3	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Athletics	Coco Crisp CF	4	2	2	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Rangers	Elvis Andrus SS	6	2	2	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

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

Cardinals' Adam Wainwright tops players for Saturday, June 29, rises to 9th place in Box-Toppers points

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is Saturday's Player of the Day and rises to ninth place among players in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season (see updated top 10 list on the home page).

Wainwright pitched a complete game, struck out eight and gave up only one run in the 7-1 win over the Athletics. 

Wainwright earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He is the 10th player to reach 10.0 or more Box-Topers points this season.

Chris Davis of the Orioles is American League Player of the Day. Davis homered twice and drove in five runs in the 11-3 win over the Yankees. 

Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers is National League Batter of the Day. Ramirez homered, drove in three runs and went 3-for-4 in the 4-3 win over the Phillies. 

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

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

629	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	8.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Adam Wainwright (W, 11-5)	9.0	5	1	1	2	8
AL	7.0	Orioles	Chris Davis 1B	3	3	2	5	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	6.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jacob Turner (W, 2-0)	9.0	7	1	1	1	7
	5.0	`Blue Jays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Esmil Rogers	6.0	6	0	0	1	6
BAT	4.0	Dodgers	Hanley Ramirez SS	4	2	3	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Joe Blanton (W, 2-10)	7.0	3	2	2	2	6
	4.0	`Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Alex Torres	2.0	0	0	0	1	3
	3.0	Braves	Freddie Freeman 1B	3	3	1	2	2	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Cubs	Alfonso Soriano DH	5	1	3	3	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Reds	Shin-Soo Choo CF	4	2	3	1	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Indians	Jason Kipnis 2B	3	1	2	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Twins	Justin Morneau 1B	3	1	2	2	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Francisco Liriano (W, 7-3)	6.0	7	1	1	1	6
	2.0	Rockies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Rafael Betancourt (W, 2-3)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Mets	Marlon Byrd RF	3	2	1	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

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