Kershaw extends Box-Toppers points lead. Indians' Danny Salazar takes lead among AL pitchers. Machado, Suarez lead batters.
Read MoreDodgers' Kershaw tops players for Sunday, May 29, extends lead in season Box-Toppers points
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and extends his lead in season Box-Toppers player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 29:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 |
| 2 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 3 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 5 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 8.7 |
| 6 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 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 | 7.0 |
| 10 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 6.4 |
Also Sunday, Athletics pitcher Rich Hill maintained his rank of eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Kershaw struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits, in the 4-2 win over the Mets. Kershaw picked up a no decision and did not earn the win because the Mets tied the game after he exited.
Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.0 for the season. He holds a dominating lead in player rankings, 5.0 points ahead of second-place player, Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto (9.0).
Kershaw also has 173.3 career Box-Toppers points, seventh among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails sixth-ranked player, Albert Pujols of the Angels (176.3).
American League Player of the Day—Twins pitcher Ricky Nolasco struck out seven over six innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 5-4 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Wilson Ramos of the Nationals homered and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 10-2 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the 13th inning in the 8-6 win over the Angels.
Rankings—Athletics pitcher Rich Hill maintained his rank of eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Hill (6.1IP 5H 2R 9K W in the 4-2 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.4 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Chris Sale of the White Sox (8.7).
Streak—Hunter Pence of the Giants has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Pence (3-2B 3-5 2R 3BI in the 8-3 win over the Rockies) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2007 with the Astros and has 49.7 career points, 10th among active NL outfielders. His best season was 2008 with the Astros, when he had 8.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among NL outfielders. In 2015, Pence had 2.0 Box-Toppers points with the Giants.
Notable—Cubs pitcher John Lackey rises to 46th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Lackey (7IP 4H R 6K W in the 7-2 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 113.5 for his career. Since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, Lackey now ranks 46th and with his point Sunday, he passes four players on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” list—Kevin Brown (112.8), Sammy Sosa (113.2), Dan Haren (113.2) and Chris Carpenter (113.3). Lackey now trails 45th-ranked player Josh Beckett (114.9). Lackey has 5.7 Box-Toppers points for the season, 11th among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Nolasco earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Ramos and Correa 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.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/29 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.2 | `LAD 4/NYM 2 | Clayton Kershaw | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | DC 10/STL 2 | Wilson Ramos, C | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.1 | ARI 6/SD 3 | Archie Bradley (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 5.0 | MIA 7/ATL 3 | Derek Dietrich, 2B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| AL | 5.0 | MIN 5/SEA 4 | Ricky Nolasco (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| 4.0 | MIL 5/CIN 4 | Jonathan Villar, SS | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | HOU 8/LAA 6 | Carlos Correa, SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.1 | OAK 4/DET 2 | Rich Hill (W,8-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 3.0 | SF 8/COL 3 | Hunter Pence, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CHC 7/PHI 2 | John Lackey (W,5-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | NYY 2/TB 1 | Nathan Eovaldi (W,6-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | BOS 5/TOR 3 | Koji Uehara (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | KC 5/CHW 4 | Lorenzo Cain, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `BAL 6/CLE 4 | Darren O'Day | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | TEX 6/PIT 2 | Mitch Moreland, 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `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 | 14.0 | 39.7 | 139.8 | 173.3 | -11.7 |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 32.1 | 4.4 |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 5.7 | 15.4 | 35.1 | 113.5 | -4.0 |
| Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | nyy al | 5.7 | 7.7 | 24.8 | 24.8 | 3.7 |
| Cain, Lorenzo 3171 | cf | kc al | 4.0 | 12.2 | 18.2 | 18.2 | -4.2 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | min al | 3.7 | 5.7 | 26.4 | 79.5 | 1.7 |
| Correa, Carlos 3506 | ss | hou al | 2.5 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | -4.7 |
| Uehara, Koji 2802 | pi mr cp | bos al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 24.0 | 28.0 | -3.0 |
| O’Day, Darren 2577 | pi mr | bal al | 2.0 | 3.7 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 0.3 |
| Ramos, Wilson 2904 | ca | dc nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 0.5 |
| Moreland, Mitch 2799 | 1b | tex al | 1.0 | 7.2 | 15.2 | 16.2 | -5.2 |
| Pence, Hunter 2287 | rf | sf nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 22.0 | 49.7 | -1.0 |
| Dietrich, Derek 3199 | 2b | fla nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Bradley, Archie 3438 | pi sp | ari nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Villar, Jonathan 3233 | ss | mil nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
Dodgers' Kershaw tops players for Monday, May 23, extends season lead, rises to 7th in Box-Toppers all-time rankings
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, extending his lead in season player rankings and rising to seventh place in Box-Toppers “all-time” rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 23:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 12.0 |
| 2 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 3 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 5 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 7.7 |
| 6 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 7.4 |
| 7 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 7.0 |
| 8 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 6.7 |
| 9 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 6.7 |
| 10 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 6.4 |
Also Monday, Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Kershaw pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out seven, in the 1-0 win over the Reds.
Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.0 for the season, extending his lead in season player rankings. Kershaw also now has 171.3 career Box-Toppers points and rises to seventh among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Roy Halladay (170.7) on the “all-time” list to become the fifth-ranked pitcher since 1995. Kershaw now trails sixth-ranked player Albert Pujols of the Angels (176.3).
Kershaw had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of +13.0, tied with Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto, who was Player of the Game in the 1-0 win over the Padres. But Kershaw won overall Player of the Day honors on a tiebreaker: He had more strikeouts than Cueto—7 vs. 6.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | nyy al | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 181.0 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 176.3 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 171.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 11 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 12 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 164.7 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 16 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 17 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 18 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 151.4 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Cody Anderson struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 5-1 win over the White Sox.
American League Batter of the Day—Miguel Cabrera hit two homers and went 3-for-3 in the 5-4 win over the Phillies. It is the second straight day Cabrera has earned Player of the Game honors.
Cabrera earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 136.9 for his career. He maintains his rank of 26th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began and trails 25th-ranked player Jake Peavy of the Giants (137.8).
National League Batter of the Day—Miguel Rojas of the Marlins doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-6 win over the Rays.
This was Rojas’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Rojas made his Major League debut June 6, 2014, and was playing in his 178th career game. He is the 3,642nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Rankings—In addition to Kershaw, two players in Box-Toppers top 10 season rankings earned Player of the Game honors:
- Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto (CG 2H 0R 6K in the 1-0 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.0 for the season, rising from fourth to second in player rankings. Cueto trails overall leader Kershaw by 3.0 Box-Toppers points (12.0 vs. 9.0). Cueto barely missed beating out Kershaw for Player of the Day. Had Cueto won Player of the Day Monday over Kershaw, he still would trail Kershaw in season points, but the margin would be closer (11.0 vs. 10.0).
- Athletics pitcher Rich Hill (8IP 8H 0R 6K W in the 5-0 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.4 for the season, rising to sixth in player rankings. Hill ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Chris Sale of the White Sox (8.7).
Notable—Neil Walker won Player of the Game honors over Yoenis Cespedes in the Mets’ 7-1 win over the Nationals Monday in one of the lowest-level tiebreakers ever used in Box-Toppers tracking.
Both Walker and Cespedes had Box-Toppers game scores of +1.0, the highest on the team and both had extremely similar batting lines (HR 2-4 2R BI). Both struck out once and did not walk. Both left two runners on base. Both had five total bases. Walker won Player of the Game over Cespedes simply because he batted lower in the lineup—fifth vs. fourth.
Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Anderson earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Cabrera and Rojas each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/23 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,7-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 13.0 | Giants | Johnny Cueto (W,7-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| AL | 9.0 | Indians | Cody Anderson (W,1-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 7.2 | Angels | Nick Tropeano (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | Athletics | Rich Hill (W,7-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Tigers | Miguel Cabrera, 1B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | White Sox | Brett Lawrie, DH | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Royals | Salvador Perez, C | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Marlins | Miguel Rojas, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Matt Adams, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Pirates | Josh Harrison, 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Mets | Neil Walker, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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 | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 12.0 | 37.7 | 137.8 | 171.3 | -13.7 |
| Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 | 21.8 | 73.0 | 92.4 | -3.8 |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 7.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 31.1 | 3.4 |
| Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 4.0 | 8.7 | 57.3 | 136.9 | -0.7 |
| Perez, Salvador 2972 | ca | kc al | 2.5 | 7.0 | 20.2 | 20.2 | -2.0 |
| Walker, Neil 2756 | 2b | nym nl | 2.0 | 6.0 | 23.5 | 29.0 | -2.0 |
| Tropeano, Nick 3451 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | -1.7 |
| Anderson, Cody 3509 | pi sp | cle al | 1.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | -1.3 |
| Rojas, Miguel 3642 | 2b | fla nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Adams, Matt 3220 | 1b ph | stl nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | -1.5 |
| Lawrie, Brett 2934 | dh 3b | chi al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 10.7 | 10.7 | -0.5 |
| Harrison, Josh 2947 | 2b 3b | pit nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
Giants' Cueto tops players for Wednesday, May 18, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings
Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to second place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 18:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.0 |
| 2 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 8.0 |
| 3 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 7.7 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 6.7 |
| 5 | Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b ss | bal al | 6.7 |
| 6 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 6.4 |
| 7 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 6.1 |
| 8 | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | pi sp | phi nl | 6.0 |
| 9 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 5.7 |
| 10 | Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 5.7 |
Cueto pitched a complete game, allowing one run, four hits and striking out eight, in the 2-1 win over the Padres.
Cueto earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, rising to second in season player rankings, behind overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (10.0).
American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Nathan Eovaldi allowed one run and one hit over six innings, striking out five, in the 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
American League Batter of the Day—Matt Wieters of the Orioles homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 5-2 win over the Mariners.
Wieters had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 and won AL Batter of the Day honors on a tiebreaker over Ian Kinsler of the Tigers, who had an identical game score and nearly identical batting line. Kinsler was Player of the Game in the 6-3 win over the Twins (HR 3-4 2R 2BI). Wieters beat Kinsler because he had two extra base hits (a home run and a double) while Kinsler had one (home run).
National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Rankings—In addition to Cueto, two other players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
- Athletics pitcher Rich Hill (6IP 3H R 6K W in the 8-1 win over the Rangers) rises to sixth place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.4 for the season. Hill ranks second among AL pitchers.
- Red Sox pitcher David Price (7.1IP 5H 2R 5K W in the 5-2 win over the Royals) rises to ninth place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.7 for the season. Price ranks fourth among AL pitchers.
Notable—Two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points also won Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
- Cubs pitcher John Lackey (6IP 4H R 5K ND in the 13-inning, 2-1 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 112.5 for his career. He ranks 50th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began and trails 49th-ranked player Kevin Brown (112.8). Lackey has 4.7 points for the season.
- Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (6.2IP 6H 0R 5K W in the 2-0 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 104.3 for his career. He rises to 60th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, passing Jamie Moyer (104.0) on the “all-time” list. He trails 59th-ranked player, Adrian Beltre of the Rangers (104.3). (Beltre is ranked ahead of Wainwright on a tiebreaker because he had more 2015 Box-Toppers points—12.5 vs. 3.0.) Wainwright has 2.5 Box-Toppers points on the season.
Scoring—Cueto earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Eovaldi earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Wieters earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/18 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Giants | Johnny Cueto (W, 6-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| AL | 8.0 | Yankees | Nathan Eovaldi (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 6.0 | Athletics | Rich Hill (W,6-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 5.2 | Braves | Julio Teheran (W,1-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.2 | Cardinals | Adam Wainwright (W,4-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4.1 | Rays | Alex Colome (S,10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Indians | Cody Allen (W,1-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.2 | `Royals | Ian Kennedy | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 3.1 | Nationals | Gio Gonzalez (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Orioles | Matt Wieters, C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Tigers | Ian Kinsler, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Mike Trout, CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Astros | Jason Castro, C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Cubs | John Lackey | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 2.1 | Red Sox | David Price (W,6-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Jeanmar Gomez (S,16) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
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 | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 8.0 | 20.8 | 72.0 | 91.4 | -4.8 |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 6.4 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 30.1 | 2.4 |
| Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 5.7 | 26.8 | 82.8 | 99.5 | -15.4 |
| Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 | 11.7 | 55.5 | 61.5 | -1.7 |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 4.7 | 14.4 | 34.1 | 112.5 | -5.0 |
| Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.7 | 5.7 | 22.8 | 22.8 | 1.7 |
| Trout, Mike 2949 | cf | ana al | 3.0 | 15.0 | 39.5 | 39.5 | -9.0 |
| Colome, Alex 3189 | pi cp | tb al | 3.0 | 8.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 | -2.0 |
| Kinsler, Ian 2144 | 2b | det al | 2.5 | 9.0 | 28.2 | 58.6 | -4.0 |
| Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.5 | 5.5 | 53.6 | 104.3 | -0.5 |
| Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 2.0 | 11.7 | 68.8 | 82.5 | -7.7 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 9.7 | 37.8 | 37.8 | -5.7 |
| Gomez, Jeanmar 2759 | pi cp | phi nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 |
| Wieters, Matt 2643 | ca | bal al | 1.5 | 2.5 | 20.5 | 26.2 | 0.5 |
| Allen, Cody 3265 | pi mr cp | cle al | 1.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -3.0 |
| Castro, Jason 2743 | ca | hou al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 1.0 |
Brewers' Hill tops players for Saturday, May 7; Dodgers' Kershaw takes Box-Toppers points lead
Aaron Hill of the Brewers 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 May 7:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 2 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 5.7 |
| 4 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 5.4 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 5.0 |
| 6 | Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 5.0 |
| 7 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.0 |
| 8 | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | pi sp | phi nl | 5.0 |
| 9 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 4.7 |
| 10 | Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 4.7 |
Meanwhile, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rises to take the lead in season Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Hill hit three homers, including a 10th-inning, go-ahead grand slam, in the 13-7 win over the Reds. Hill went 3-for-5 and drove in seven total runs.
American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale struck out nine over seven innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 7-2 win over the Twins.
Sale earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season, rising to third place in season player rankings, first among AL players.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit two homers and went 2-for-4, driving in four runs, in the 10-5 win over the Tigers.
Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 104.3 for his career. He rises to 59th place in points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Saturday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (103.3) and Jamie Moyer (104.0). Beltre has 2.5 Box-Toppers points for the season.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall Player of the Day was an NL batter, Aaron Hill of the Brewers.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rose to first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Kershaw (7IP 8H 2R 10K W in the 6-2 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season. He passes previous leader, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (6.0).
Also, Kershaw now has 166.3 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of 10th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails ninth-place player, Johan Santana (166.6).
Notable—Two other players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday:
- Athletics pitcher Rich Hill (5.2IP 2H R 5K W in the 8-4 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.4 for the season, rising to fourth place.
- Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto (8.1IP 8H 0R 3K ND in the 2-1, 13-inning win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to fifth place.
Scoring—Hill earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Sale earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Beltre earns 1.5 points for being AL 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
| 5/7 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | Brewers | Aaron Hill, 3B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 8.0 | White Sox | Chris Sale (W,7-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |
| 7.0 | Royals | Ian Kennedy (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 5.1 | `Mariners | Nathan Karns | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 5.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rangers | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Yankees | Nathan Eovaldi (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 3.2 | Athletics | Rich Hill (W,4-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Stephen Piscotty, RF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Mets | David Wright, 3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | `Giants | Johnny Cueto | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Cubs | Addison Russell, SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Brett Oberholtzer (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | `Dbacks | Tyler Clippard | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Orioles | Zach Britton (S,7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Rays | Steven Souza, RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 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
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 | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 | 32.7 | 132.8 | 166.3 | -18.7 |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 5.7 | 24.5 | 76.7 | 78.7 | -13.1 |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 5.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 29.1 | 1.4 |
| Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 5.0 | 17.8 | 69.0 | 88.4 | -7.8 |
| Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi sp | kc al | 4.0 | 10.7 | 54.5 | 60.5 | -2.7 |
| Souza, Steven Jr. 3461 | rf | tb al | 2.7 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.2 | -2.8 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 2.5 | 15.0 | 40.9 | 104.3 | -10.0 |
| Karns, Nathan 3414 | pi sp | sea al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -3.0 |
| Hill, Aaron 2056 | 3b 2b | mil nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 19.0 | 38.0 | -1.0 |
| Russell, Addison 3559 | ss | chi nl | 2.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | -0.5 |
| Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 | 4.0 | 21.1 | 21.1 | 0.0 |
| Britton, Zachary 2835 | pi cp | bal al | 1.0 | 9.7 | 29.1 | 29.1 | -7.7 |
| Piscotty, Stephen 3570 | rf | stl nl | 1.0 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | -3.2 |
| Clippard, Tyler 2291 | pi mr | ari nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 17.0 | 28.4 | 0.0 |
| Oberholtzer, Brett 3244 | pi mr | phi nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Wright, David 1911 | 3b | nym nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 24.5 | 75.1 | 1.0 |
Giants' Cueto tops players for Tuesday, April 26; Athletics' Hill tops AL players
Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto 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 26:| 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 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 4.4 |
| 4 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 4.0 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 4.0 |
| 6 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 4.0 |
| 7 | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | pi sp | phi nl | 4.0 |
| 8 | Santiago, Hector 3109 | pi sp | ana al | 3.7 |
| 9 | Latos, Mat 2644 | pi sp | chi al | 3.7 |
| 10 | Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b | bal al | 3.5 |
Cueto pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing seven hits and one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Padres.
Cueto earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, rising to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Rich Hill struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits, in the 5-1 win over the Tigers.
Hill earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 4.4 for the season, rising to third in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
National League Batter of the Day—Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates hit three homers and went 3-for-5, driving in five runs, in the 9-4 win over the Rockies.
American League Batter of the Day—Johnny Giavotella of the Angels hit a three-run homer in the 9-4 win over the Royals. Giavotella also doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times.
Rankings—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Sale (8IP 4H R 6K W in the 10-1 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.0 for the season.
Scoring—Cueto earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hill earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. McCutchen and Giavotella 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.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/26 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | Giants | Johnny Cueto (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| AL | 11.0 | Athletics | Rich Hill (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 10.0 | Red Sox | David Price (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 8.0 | Cardinals | Carlos Martinez (W,4-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 8.0 | Mariners | Nathan Karns (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Pirates | Andrew McCutchen, CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | White Sox | Chris Sale (W,5-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | Rangers | A.J. Griffin (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Angels | Johnny Giavotella, 2B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Cubs | Adam Warren (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Mets | Yoenis Cespedes, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.1 | `Twins | Ricky Nolasco | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 3.0 | Phillies | Andres Blanco, SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.2 | Rays | Alex Colome (S,5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Marlins | Christian Yelich, LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `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 | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 4.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 28.1 | 0.4 |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 4.0 | 22.8 | 75.0 | 77.0 | -14.8 |
| Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 4.0 | 16.8 | 68.0 | 87.4 | -8.8 |
| Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 3.0 | 24.1 | 80.1 | 96.8 | -18.1 |
| Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | cf lf dh ph | nym nl | 3.0 | 13.9 | 34.9 | 34.9 | -7.9 |
| Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 | -11.7 |
| Nolasco, Ricky 2125 | pi sp | min al | 2.0 | 4.0 | 24.7 | 77.8 | 0.0 |
| McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | cf | pit nl | 1.5 | 12.0 | 42.7 | 48.4 | -9.0 |
| Giavotella, Johnny 2931 | 2b | ana al | 1.5 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -2.0 |
| Colome, Alex 3189 | pi cp sp mr | tb al | 1.0 | 6.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | -4.0 |
| Karns, Nathan 3414 | pi sp | sea al | 1.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -4.0 |
| Warren, Adam 3169 | pi mr sp | chi nl | 1.0 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | -2.7 |
| Yelich, Christian 3334 | lf | fla nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -1.5 |
| Blanco, Andres 2980 | ss | phi nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Griffin, A.J. 3074 | pi sp | tex al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 1.0 |
Phillies' Velasquez tops players for Saturday, April 9; Kershaw extends lead, Beltran extends consecutive season streak to 18
Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, making his Box-Toppers debut.
Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extended his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings, becoming the first player in 2016 to earn Player of the Game honors for the second time.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 9:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.0 |
| 2 | Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 3 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 |
| 4 | Rizzo, Anthony 3063 | 1b | chi nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 2.0 |
| 6 | Nicasio, Juan 2888 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 7 | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | pi sp | tex al | 2.0 |
| 8 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 1.7 |
| 9 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 1.7 |
| 10 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 1.7 |
In addition, Carlos Beltran of the Yankees extended his streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points to 18, which is the most of any active player and one short of the record of 19 held by Jason Giambi.
Player of the Day—Velasquez struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 1-0 win over the Mets. Velasquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and ranks seventh in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
This was also Velasquez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Velasquez made his Major League debut June 10, 2015, and was playing in his 20th career game. He is the 3,611th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Rich Hill struck out 10 over six innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 6-1 win over the Mariners.
National League Player of the Day—Matt Kemp of the Padres hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, driving in six runs, in the 16-3 win over the Rockies.
Kemp has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Dodgers and has 53.1 career points, which ranks fifth among active NL outfielders. His best season was 2012 with the Dodgers when he had 10.0 points, ranked third among NL batters. He had 5.5 points in 2015 with the Padres.
American League Batter of the Day—Colby Rasmus of the Astros hit two homers and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 6-4 win over the Brewers.
Leader—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw maintained his lead in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Kershaw (8IP 4H 2R 5K ND in the 3-2 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season. He is the first player this season to earn Player of the Game honors for the second time. (Kershaw did not earn the win because the Dodgers were not leading when he exited the game.)
With his point Saturday, Kershaw now has 162.3 career Box-Toppers points, 12th-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 11th-place player, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, who has 162.7.
Box-Toppers season streaks
Here are the players who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. Jason Giambi earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 19 straight seasons from 1995 to 2013, more than any other player. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.) Players are listed by duration of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.| Streak | Player | Pos | Duration | Career BTP |
|
| 1 | 19 | Jason Giambi | 1b | 1995-2013 | 133.4 |
| 2 | 18 | Jim Thome | 1b dh | 1995-2012 | 146.7 |
| 2 | 18 | Chipper Jones | 3b | 1995-2012 | 149.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Johnny Damon | lf | 1995-2012 | 63.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | 1996-2013 | 187.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Carlos Beltran* | rf | 1999-2016 | 99.9 |
| 7 | 17 | Mariano Rivera | pi cp | 1995-2011 | 126.4 |
| 7 | 17 | Derek Jeter | ss | 1996-2012 | 76.4 |
| 7 | 17 | Paul Konerko | 1b | 1998-2014 | 100.7 |
| 7 | 17 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | 1999-2015 | 157.0 |
| 7 | 17 | Torii Hunter | cf | 1999-2015 | 115.9 |
* Active player.
Streak—Carlos Beltran of the Yankees has now earned Box-Toppers points in 18 straight seasons, extending his lead in that category among active players. It is tied for the second-longest streak since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, trailing only Jason Giambi’s record 19-season streak.
Beltran (HR 2-4 2R 2BI) was Player of the Game in the 8-4 win over the Tigers and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Beltran earned his first points in 1999 with the Royals and has 99.9 career points, 69th among all players since 1995, 26th among all batters in the span and sixth among all active batters. His best season was 2003 with the Royals, when he had 13.9 points, second among AL batters. He had 3.5 points in 2015 with the Yankees.
Notable—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers rises to 60th place in “all-time” Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Beltre (HR 2-4 2R 2BI in the 4-1 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point and now has 102.8 career points, moving to 60th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Beltre passes two players on the “all-time” list, Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and Miguel Tejada (102.3). Beltre trails 59th-place player Jamie Moyer (104.0). Beltre’s 102.8 points ranks fifth among active batters.
Scoring—Velasquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hill earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Kemp and Rasmus each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/9 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Phillies | Vince Velasquez (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
| AL | 8.0 | Athletics | Rich Hill (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 7.2 | Royals | Ian Kennedy (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Padres | Matt Kemp, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Astros | Colby Rasmus, LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Reds | Eugenio Suarez, 3B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | `Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | White Sox | Avisail Garcia, DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cubs | Hector Rondon (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Yankees | Carlos Beltran, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Red Sox | Dustin Pedroia, 2B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Rangers | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Matt Carpenter, 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
In 2015, pitchers had more Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors than batters
Analysis of the 2,429 games played and tracked by Box-Toppers in 2015 shows pitchers bested batters with more Player of the Game honors, more Box-Toppers points and far and away the most Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreRed Sox' Hill tops players for Sunday, Sept. 13; Dodgers' Greinke rises to 4th in player rankings
Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, marking the first time he’s earned Box-Toppers points in more than six years.
Also Sunday, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rose to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rose to 10th.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Sept. 13.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 22.1 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.7 |
| 3 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 20.4 |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 19.7 |
| 5 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 19.4 |
| 6 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 19.4 |
| 7 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 19.1 |
| 8 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 17.1 |
| 9 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 17.0 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 17.0 |
Player of the Day—Hill pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out 10, in the 2-0, 13-inning win over the Rays. Hill did not pick up the win, earning a no-decision, because he exited with the game in a scoreless tie.
This was the first time Hill has earned Player of the Game honors since June 1, 2009, with the Orioles, when he was Player of the Day. Hill’s best season was 2007 with the Cubs when he had 11.7 Box-Toppers points.
National League Player of the Day—Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10, in the 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Greinke earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 19.7 for the season and rising to fourth place in player rankings. He also ranks fourth place among NL pitchers.
Greinke now also has 145.4 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of 21st place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 20th-place player Jim Thome (146.7).
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit two homers and drove in five runs in the 12-4 win over the Athletics.
National League Batter of the Day—Matt Adams of the Cardinals hit a two-run, pinch-hit home run in the 9-2 win over the Reds.
Rankings—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Scherzer (8IP 5H 0R 6K W in the 5-0 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.0 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.
Scherzer also rises to 61st place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his point Sunday, Scherzer now has 102.0 career Box-Toppers points and passes three players on the “all-time” list—Jason Schmidt (101.2), Tim Wakefield (101.4) and Adam Wainwright (101.8). He trails 60th-place player Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2).
Debut—Dixon Machado of the Tigers made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Machado (2B 2-3 2R 2BI in the 9-2 win over the Indians) made his Major League debut May 25 and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,590th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Hill earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Greinke earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Beltre and Adams each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/13 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | `Red Sox | Rich Hill | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| NL | 11.0 | Dodgers | Zack Greinke (W,17-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 10.0 | Yankees | Masahiro Tanaka (W,12-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 9.0 | Nationals | Max Scherzer (W,12-11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 8.2 | Twins | Kyle Gibson (W,10-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rangers | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Astros | Jed Lowrie, DH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Orioles | Jonathan Schoop, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Tigers | Dixon Machado, SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Cardinals | Matt Adams, PH-1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Giants | Angel Pagan, CF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Curtis Granderson, RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Ryan Howard, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Pedro Alvarez, 1B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | John Axford (S,23) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Indians | Chris Johnson, 1B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||