A look at Box-Toppers points leaders by position and by league for the 2016 season and for the combined 2015-16 seasons.
Read MoreNationals' Max Scherzer ‘most worthy but unchosen' player for 2016 All-Star Game
A look at the All-Star rosters based on Box-Toppers points. Which players were worthy but unchosen? Which players made it but probably shouldn't have?
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers All-Stars at the season's halfway point
Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league in both the 2016 season the combined 2015-16 seasons.
Read MoreA late June look at Box-Toppers All-Star teams, led by Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw
Eight AL players and five NL players occupy All-Star spots at their position in both the 2016 season and the combined 2015-16 seasons.
Read MoreDodgers' Clayton Kershaw continues lead of Box-Toppers All-Star teams for both 2015 and 2015-16
A look at leaders in Box-Toppers points by position and league over both 2016 and 2015-16.
Read MoreMets' Syndergaard tops players for Wednesday, June 15; Kershaw extends dominant season Box-Toppers lead
Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fifth 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 June 15:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 11.7 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 10.0 |
| 5 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 10.0 |
| 6 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.4 |
| 7 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 8 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 8.8 |
| 9 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 10 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
Also Wednesday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extended his dominant lead in season player rankings and Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to fourth in player rankings.
Player of the Day—Syndergaard struck out 11 over 8 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, five hits and no walks, in the 11-2 win over the Pirates.
Syndergaard earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season, becoming the fourth player this season with 10 or more points. It is the second straight year Syndergaard has reached 10 points—in 2015, he had 10.4.
American League Player of the Day—Rays pitcher Drew Smyly struck out 12 over 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, four hits and no walks, in the 3-2, 13-inning win over the Mariners. Smyly did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was tied when he exited.
National League Batter of the Day—Melvin Upton of the Padres homered and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-3 win over the Marlins.
Upton had a Box-Toppers game score of +4, the same as DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies, who was Player of the Game in the 6-3 win over the Yankees. While both players also had similar batting lines (3-3 2R 2BI), Upton won NL Batter of the Day honors on a tiebreaker because he hit a home run.
American League Batter of the Day—Hanley Ramirez of the Red Sox hit a three-run homer, going 2-for-3 and scoring twice, in the 6-4 win over the Orioles.
Kershaw—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his dominant lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Kershaw (7.1IP 5H 2R BB 11K W in the 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 18.0 for the season. He now leads second-place player, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (11.7) by 6.3 points, meaning Fernandez would need at least four starts to have a chance of catching Kershaw.
Kershaw also now has 177.3 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of sixth place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began (see homepage for updated list of “all-time” top 20 players in career points). Kershaw trails fifth-ranked player, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (182.0).
Rankings—Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Cueto (7IP 7H R BB 9K W in the 10-1 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He becomes the fifth player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. It is the fifth season Cueto has reached 10 points, the third straight season.
Notable—With the rise of Syndergaard and Cueto in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings, the only batter—Manny Machado of the Orioles—has slipped off the top 10 list. Machado, who leads AL batters with 8.7 Box-Toppers points, now ranks 11th among all players. Machado had been in the top 10 overall rankings since May 8.
The top NL batter, Eugenio Suarez of the Reds (7.0), ranks 20th among all players.
Also, with Machado sliding out of the top 10, eight of the top 10 players are now from the NL. The only two from the AL are Indians pitcher Danny Salazar (8.8 points, eighth place) and White Sox pitcher Chris Sale (8.7 points, 10th place).
Debut—Tim Anderson of the White Sox made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Anderson (3B 3-5 3R in the 5-3 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut June 10 and was playing in his sixth career game. He is the 3,659th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Syndergaard earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Smyly earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Upton and Ramirez each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/15 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.1 | NYM 11/PIT 2 | Noah Syndergaard (W,7-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| AL | 10.2 | `TB 3/SEA 2 | Drew Smyly | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | |
| 8.1 | LAD 3/ARI 2 | Clayton Kershaw (W,10-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 6.0 | SF 10/MIL 1 | Johnny Cueto (W,10-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 6.0 | `DC 5/CHC 4 | Stephen Strasburg | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | LAA 10/MIN 2 | Hector Santiago (W,4-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | SD 6/MIA 3 | Melvin Upton, LF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | COL 6/NYY 3 | DJ LeMahieu, 2B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | BOS 6/BAL 4 | Hanley Ramirez, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | TEX 7/OAK 5 | Rougned Odor, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.2 | TOR 7/PHI 2 | Marco Estrada (W,5-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 1.2 | `HOU 4/STL 1 | Collin McHugh | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1.0 | CHW 5/DET 3 | Tim Anderson, SS | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | KC 9/CLE 4 | Eric Hosmer, 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | `ATL 9/CIN 8 | Bud Norris | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | ||
| `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 | 18.0 | 43.7 | 143.8 | 177.3 | -7.7 |
| Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 10.0 | 22.8 | 74.0 | 93.4 | -2.8 |
| Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 10.0 | 20.4 | 20.4 | 20.4 | -0.4 |
| Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.4 | 22.4 | 68.5 | 76.2 | -5.6 |
| Santiago, Hector 3109 | pi sp | ana al | 6.4 | 14.4 | 26.8 | 26.8 | -1.6 |
| Estrada, Marco 2847 | pi sp | tor al | 6.0 | 14.0 | 38.1 | 38.1 | -2.0 |
| Smyly, Drew 3009 | pi sp | tb al | 4.7 | 10.7 | 32.8 | 32.8 | -1.3 |
| LeMahieu, DJ 3091 | 2b | col nl | 4.5 | 11.5 | 17.5 | 17.5 | -2.5 |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | hou al | 3.0 | 12.7 | 24.5 | 24.5 | -6.7 |
| Hosmer, Eric 2886 | 1b | kc al | 3.0 | 12.0 | 25.5 | 25.5 | -6.0 |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 |
| Norris, Bud 2638 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 33.4 | 42.4 | 1.0 |
| Ramirez, Hanley 2119 | 1b ss | bos al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 24.2 | 52.1 | 1.5 |
| Upton, Melvin 1922 | lf | sd nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 14.5 | 36.2 | 1.5 |
| Anderson, Tim 3659 | ss | chi al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Dodgers' Kazmir tops players for Tuesday, May 31; Marlins' Fernandez rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers rankings
Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and becomes the 70th player since 1995 to earn 100 or more career Box-Toppers points.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 31:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 |
| 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 | 7.0 |
| 10 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 6.4 |
Also Tuesday, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Kazmir pitched six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out seven, in the 5-0 win over the Cubs. Kazmir did not earn the win, picking up a no decision because the game was tied when he exited.
Kazmir earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 101.4 career Box-Toppers points. He becomes the 70th player with 100 or more points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he rises to 64th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” list, passing seven players—Red Sox pitcher David Price (99.5), Larry Walker (100.1), Jeff Bagwell (100.4), Paul Konerko (100.7), Carlos Beltran of the Yankees (100.9), Jason Schmidt (101.2) and Tim Wakefield (101.4). Kazmir trails 63rd-ranked player Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2).
Kazmir has 5.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 15th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Mookie Betts of the Red Sox hit three home runs, going 3-for-5 and driving in five runs, in the 6-2 win over the Orioles.
National League Batter of the Day—DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies homered and hit two doubles, going 4-for-4, scoring four times and driving in two runs, in the 17-4 win over the Reds.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Tuesday because the AL Player of the Day is a batter, Mookie Betts.
Rankings—Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Fernandez (7IP 3H 0R 6K W in the 3-1 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season, rising to second in season player rankings, trailing only Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (14.0).
Notable—Giants pitcher Jake Peavy rises to 24th place among all players in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Peavy (7IP H 0R 3K W in the 4-0 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 138.8 career points, passing Andy Pettitte (138.5) on the “all-time” list. He now trails 23rd-ranked player David Ortiz of the Red Sox (141.4). Peavy has 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time they earned Player of the Game honors:
- Tyler Saladino of the White Sox (HR 2-2 2R 2BI in the 6-4 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut July 10, 2015, and was playing in his 93rd career game. He is the 3,645th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Blue Jays pitcher Joe Biagini (1IP H 0R 2K W in the 4-1 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut April 8 and was playing in his 17th career game. He is the 3,646th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Kazmir earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Betts earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. LeMahieu earns 1.5 points for being NL 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
| 5/31 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | `LAD 5/CHC 0 | Scott Kazmir | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 10.0 | MIA 3/PIT 1 | Jose Fernandez (W,8-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 9.0 | SF 4/ATL 0 | Jake Peavy (W,2-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | BOS 6/BAL 2 | Mookie Betts, RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 6.0 | COL 17/CIN 4 | DJ LeMahieu, 2B | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | STL 10/MIL 3 | Matt Carpenter, 3B | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | SEA 16/SD 4 | Kyle Seager, 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | HOU 8/ARI 5 | George Springer, RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | LAA 11/DET 9 | C.J. Cron, DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | DC 5/PHI 1 | Joe Ross (W,5-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | KC 10/TB 5 | Lorenzo Cain, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | CHW 6/NYM 4 | Tyler Saladino, SS | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | TEX 7/CLE 3 | Colby Lewis (W,5-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 7/MIN 4 | Danny Valencia, 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 4/NYY 1 | Joe Biagini (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 9.7 | 14.4 | 40.4 | 40.4 | 5.0 |
| Lewis, Colby 1567 | pi sp | tex al | 5.7 | 13.4 | 31.6 | 43.0 | -2.0 |
| Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | lad nl | 5.0 | 17.7 | 45.6 | 101.4 | -7.7 |
| Cain, Lorenzo 3171 | cf | kc al | 5.0 | 13.2 | 19.2 | 19.2 | -3.2 |
| Ross, Joe 3499 | pi sp | dc nl | 4.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | -0.3 |
| Betts, Mookie 3404 | rf | bos al | 4.7 | 7.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 1.7 |
| Valencia, Danny 2772 | 3b | oak al | 4.5 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 1.0 |
| LeMahieu, DJ 3091 | 2b | col nl | 3.5 | 10.5 | 16.5 | 16.5 | -3.5 |
| Carpenter, Matt 2987 | 3b 1b | stl nl | 3.5 | 9.0 | 23.5 | 23.5 | -2.0 |
| Seager, Kyle 3031 | 3b | sea al | 3.5 | 8.5 | 22.5 | 22.5 | -1.5 |
| Springer, George 3337 | rf | hou al | 3.5 | 4.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 2.5 |
| Peavy, Jake 1635 | pi sp | sf nl | 2.0 | 7.0 | 35.1 | 138.8 | -3.0 |
| Cron, C.J. 3338 | dh 1b | ana al | 1.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -5.0 |
| Biagini, Joe 3646 | pi mr | tor al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Saladino, Tyler 3645 | ss | chi al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
How 2015 Silver Slugger winners fared in Box-Toppers points and rankings
Only 5 of 17 Silver Slugger Award winners also led their position in Box-Toppers points.
Read MoreAstros' Keuchel tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 25, rises to 6th in player rankings; Cubs' Arrieta rises to 4th
(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)
Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Tuesday, Aug. 25 and rises to sixth place in player rankings.
Also Tuesday, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta rose to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning NL Player of the Day honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 25.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 19.4 |
| 2 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 17.1 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 17.1 |
| 4 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 17.1 |
| 5 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 16.7 |
| 6 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 16.7 |
| 7 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 8 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 16.0 |
| 9 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
| 10 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 15.4 |
Player of the Day—Keuchel pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out nine, in the 15-1 win over the Yankees.
Keuchel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 16.7 for the season, rising to sixth place in player rankings. He ranks third among AL pitchers, behind David Price of the Blue Jays and Chris Sale of the White Sox (both with 17.1 Box-Toppers points).
National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 8-5 win over the Giants.
Arrieta earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 17.1 for the season, rising to fourth place in player rankings. He ranks second among NL pitchers behind Jacob deGrom of the Mets (19.4 Box-Toppers points).
American League Batter of the Day—Michael Brantley of the Indians hit two homers and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-6 win over the Brewers.
National League Batter of the Day—DJ LaMahieu of the Rockies went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 5-1 win over the Braves.
Scoring—Keuchel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Arrieta earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Brantley and LeMahieu each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/25 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | Astros | Dallas Keuchel (W,15-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| NL | 8.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W,16-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Indians | Michael Brantley, LF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Nationals | Stephen Strasburg (W,8-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | Cardinals | Jaime Garcia (W,6-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | `White Sox | Zach Duke (MR) (H,21) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | Mets | Jeurys Familia (S,34) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Rockies | DJ LeMahieu, 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Royals | Wade Davis (S,12) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Erick Aybar, SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Jimmy Rollins, SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Twins | Miguel Sano, DH | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Roberto Osuna (S,15) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Mariners | Austin Jackson, CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Marlins | Justin Bour, 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Mariners' Hernandez, pitching complete game shutout, tops players for Friday, April 24, extends his Box-Toppers player rankings lead
Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, pitching a complete game shutout, is Friday’s Player of the Day and extends his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Hernandez struck out nine over nine innings, allowing five hits, in the 2-0 win over the Twins. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season and is now 2.0 points ahead of the second-place player, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole (4.0 Box-Toppers points).
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of April 24.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 6.0 |
| 2 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 4.0 |
| 3 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 4 | DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.7 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.4 |
| 6 | Harang, Aaron 1599 | pi sp | phi nl | 3.4 |
| 7 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 |
| 8 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.0 |
| 9 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 3.0 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 3.0 |
Hernandez now has 149.3 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 16th among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1994. With Friday's points, he passes Chipper Jones (149.0 Box-Toppers points) on the "all-time" list (since 1995).
National League Player of the Day—Phillies pitcher Aaron Harang pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing two hits, in the 1-0 win over the Braves. Harang had a no-decision because he left the game with the score tied 0-0. The Phillies won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off run by Freddy Galvis.
Harang earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 3.4 for the season. He rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for 2015.
American League Batter of the Day—Brandon Moss of the Indians homered twice, doubled and drove in seven runs in the 13-1 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies hit two doubles and went 3-for-4, driving in two runs and scoring another, in the 6-4 win over the Giants.
Rankings—Besides Hernandez and Harang, three other players who earned Player of the Game honors Friday rose in Box-Toppers player rankings:
- Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole (7.2IP R 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks) rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.0 for the season.
- Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke (7IP 0R 7K W in the 3-0 win over the Padres) rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season. Greinke now has 128.7 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 28th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With Friday's point, he passes Vladimir Guerrero (128.3 Box-Toppers points) on the "all-time" list (since 1995).
- Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel (9IP 2H 0R 4K ND in the 5-4 win over the Athletics) rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.
Streak—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. Lester was Player of the Game in Friday’s 7-3 win over the Reds (6IP 3R 10K ND) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Lester earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Red Sox. His best season was 2010 with the Red Sox when he had 23.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among all players. In 2014, he had 16.4 Box-Toppers points in a season split between the Red Sox (10.0 Box-Toppers points) and the Athletics (6.4 points). He ranked sixth among AL pitchers in 2014.
Lester has 110.1 career Box-Toppers points, moving him up to 47th place among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. (With Friday’s 1.0 Box-Toppers point, he passes Jeff Kent—109.7 and Tim Lincecum—109.3.) Lester ranks 33rd among all pitchers in Box-Toppers points since 1995 and ranks ninth among active pitchers currently in the NL.
Debut—Tim Beckham of the Rays made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Beckham (HR 2-2 R 2BI in the 12-3 win over the Blue Jays) made his Major League debut Sept. 19, 2013, and was playing in the 21st game of his career. He is the 3,452nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Hernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Harang earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Moss and LeMahieu each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
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
| 4/24 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| NL | 11.0 | `Phillies | Aaron Harang | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 9.0 | Cardinals | Carlos Martinez (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 9.0 | `Astros | Dallas Keuchel | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 7.2 | Yankees | Michael Pineda (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | Indians | Brandon Moss RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | Dodgers | Zack Greinke (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | `Cubs | Jon Lester | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 3.2 | Pirates | Gerrit Cole (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Rays | Tim Beckham PH, DH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Rockies | DJ LeMahieu 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Brock Holt SS, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 1.0 | Marlins | Adeiny Hechavarria SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Colorado Rockies climb to top of Box-Toppers team power rankings
The Colorado Rockies have moved to the top of Box-Toppers team power rankings this week.
Rockies players have accumulated 29.3 Box-Toppers points this season, picking up 7.2 points in the past week to rise from third place a week ago.
The Rockies are led by overall top-ranked player, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (9.1 Box-Toppers points) and second baseman DJ LeMahieu (3.0 points).
Top 10 teams
Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, May 8. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated so far this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams have accumulated during the past week.The Rockies are in second place in the National League West, a game behind the San Francisco Giants, with a .595 winning percentage. The Giants are ranked fifth in Box-Toppers rankings, with 24.0 Box-Toppers points.
Last week’s top team, the Oakland Athletics, fall to third place with 24.7 Box-Toppers points after picking up only 2.0 points during the past week. However, the Athletics remain the top American League team in Box-Toppers rankings for the fourth straight week.
The Athletics are led by pitchers Jesse Chavez (4.7 Box-Toppers points) and Scott Kazmir (4.0 points).
The Miami Marlins were the hottest team in the past week, picking up 8.5 Box-Toppers points. They rose to second place overall, from fifth a week ago, with 28.9 Box-Toppers points.
Last week’s top National League team, the Milwaukee Brewers, fell to fourth place overall, picking up only 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the week. The Brewers have 24.2 Box-Toppers points.
The Detroit Tigers have the best record in baseball with a .667 winning percentage. Tigers players have 22.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among all teams.
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.
Marlins' Tom Koehler (8IP 0R ND) tops players for Wednesday, May 7
Marlins pitcher Tom Koehler is Wednesday’s Player of the Day. Koehler pitched eight shutout innings in the 1-0 win over the Mets. Koehler did not pick up the win, earning the no-decision, because he left the game in a scoreless tie.
Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle is American League Player of the Day. Buehrle pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out six in the 10-0 win over the Phillies.
Eric Hosmer of the Royals is AL Batter of the Day. Hosmer went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs in the 8-0 win over the Padres.
DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies is National League Batter of the Day. LeMahieu went 3-for-3 with a triple in the 9-2 win over the Rangers.
Notable: Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright rises to second place in Box-Toppers player standings and now leads NL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Wainwright (8IP 1R 6K W in the 7-1 win vs. the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 7.0 for the season. He passes previous NL pitching leader Jose Fernandez of the Marlins (7.0). (Both Wainwright and Fernandez have 7.0 Box-Toppers points for 2014, but Wainwright wins the tie-breaker because he has more total points over 2013-14—27.2 vs. 26.0.)
Koehler receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Buehrle receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Hosmer and LeMahieu each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers 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
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Braves' Ervin Santana (8IP 0R) is top player for Wednesday, April 9
Braves pitcher Ervin Santana is Wednesday’s Player of the Day. He pitched eight shutout innings, allowing only three hits, in the 4-3 win over the Mets.
Indians pitcher Zach McAllister is American League Player of the Day. McAllister pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings and struck out seven in the 2-0 win over the Padres.
DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies is National League Batter of the Day. LeMahieu went 3-4 and drove in three runs in the 10-4 win over the White Sox.
Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Schoop hit a three-run home run and went 2-4 in the 5-4 win over the Yankees. This was Schoop’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,307th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Santana receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. McAllister receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. LeMahieu and Schoop each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers 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
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.