Nationals' Max Scherzer tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 30, extending his season Box-Toppers points lead

Shawn Plank August 31, 2016

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and extends his lead in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 30:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	22.7
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	18.4
4	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	17.2
5	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	16.8
6	Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	chi nl	15.4
7	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	14.4
8	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	14.1
9	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	14.0
10	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	13.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Scherzer struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing two runs, three hits and one walk, in the 3-2 win over the Phillies.

Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 22.7 for the season. Scherzer took the Box-Toppers points lead in his last start Aug. 25, passing previous leader Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0 Box-Toppers points).

Scherzer’s 22.7 points is now his single-season career high, passing his 2014 point total of 22.1 he earned with the Tigers.

Scherzer also now has 128.7 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 32nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he passes three players on the “all-time” list—Roy Oswalt (127.2), A.J. Burnett (127.8) and Vladimir Guerrero (128.3). Scherzer now trails 31st-ranked player Trevor Hoffman (129.4).

American League Player of the Day—Astros pitcher Collin McHugh pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, one walk and striking out five, in the 3-1 win over the Athletics.

National League Batter of the Day—Curtis Granderson of the Mets hit two homers and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Marlins.

American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers homered and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 8-7 win over the Mariners.

Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 111.3 career points, rising to 52nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he passes Tom Glavine (110.6) on the “all-time” list and now trails 51st-ranked player Kevin Brown (112.8).

Beltre has 9.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, fifth among AL batters.

Notable—Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright now has 110.0 career Box-Toppers points—54th-most among players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Wainwright (7IP 3H R 0BB 7K ND in the 3-1, 10-inning win over the Brewers) passes Jeff Kent (109.7) on the “all-time” list and now trails 53rd-ranked player Tom Glavine (110.6).

Wainwright has 8.2 Box-Toppers points on the season, 21st among NL pitchers.

Also notable—Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks has 11.7 Box-Toppers points on the season after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Hendricks (7IP 3H 0R BB 4K W in the 3-0 win over the Pirates) ranks 18th among all players and 12th among NL pitchers.

Debut—Rays pitcher Enny Romero made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.

Romero (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 4-3 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Sept. 22, 2013, and was playing in his 68th career game. He is the 3,726th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and McHugh earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Granderson and Beltre 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    8/30
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    WSH 3, PHI 2
    Max Scherzer (W,15-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    2
    2
    1
    11
  

    
    9.0
    `STL 2, MIL 1 (10)
    Adam Wainwright
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    
    7.0
    CHC 3, PIT 0
    Kyle Hendricks (W,13-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    AL
    6.0
    HOU 3, OAK 1
    Collin McHugh (W,9-10)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    5
  

    
    5.2
    CLE 5, MIN 4
    Dan Otero (W,4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    5.0
    NYM 7, MIA 4
    Curtis Granderson, PH-RF
    2
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    ATL 7, SD 3
    Julio Teheran (W,4-9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    8
  

    BAT
    4.0
    TEX 8, SEA 7
    Adrian Beltre, 3B
    5
    3
    3
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    NYY 5, KC 4 (10)
    Dellin Betances (W,3-4; BS,4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    LAA 4, CIN 2
    C.J. Cron, 1B
    4
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    DET 8, CHW 4
    J.D. Martinez, RF
    3
    2
    3
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    TB 4, BOS 3
    Enny Romero (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.1
    BAL 5, TOR 3
    Brad Brach (W,8-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    0.0
    ARI 4, SF 3
    Welington Castillo, C
    4
    0
    2
    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	+/-
Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	22.7	43.7	108.3	128.7	1.7
Hendricks, Kyle 3386	pi sp	chi nl	11.7	21.4	26.4	26.4	2.0
Beltre, Adrian 1141	3b	tex al	9.5	22.0	47.9	111.3	-3.0
Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	8.2	11.2	59.3	110.0	5.2
Teheran, Julio 3176	pi sp	atl nl	7.0	14.7	42.8	42.8	-0.7
McHugh, Collin 3316	pi sp	hou al	6.7	16.4	28.2	28.2	-3.0
Castillo, Wellington 3251	ca	ari nl	5.0	8.5	11.5	11.5	1.5
Martinez, J.D. 2922	rf	det al	4.5	6.2	16.2	16.2	2.8
Cron, C.J. 3338	1b dh	ana al	3.7	9.7	10.7	10.7	-2.3
Betances, Dellin 3333	pi mr cp	nyy al	3.0	7.0	11.7	11.7	-1.0
Granderson, Curtis 2051	rf ph	nym nl	3.0	7.0	31.9	64.3	-1.0
Brach, Brad 3374	pi mr	bal al	3.0	6.0	7.0	7.0	0.0
Otero, Dan 3365	pi mr	cle al	3.0	4.7	5.7	5.7	1.3
Romero, Enny 3726	pi mr	tb al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Tigers' Justin Verlander tops players for Friday, Aug. 26; Cubs' Bryant extends Box-Toppers points lead among NL batters

Shawn Plank August 27, 2016

Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander is Friday’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 Aug. 26:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	20.7
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	18.4
4	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	17.2
5	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	16.8
6	Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	chi nl	15.4
7	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	14.4
8	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	14.1
9	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	13.7
10	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	13.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Friday, Kris Bryant of the Cubs extended his lead in season Box-Toppers points among National League batters after earning NL Batter of the Day honors.

Player of the Day—Verlander struck out eight over 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk, in the 4-2 win over the Angels.

Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 133.6 career points, rising to 29th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Jason Giambi (133.4) on the “all-time” list and now trails 28th-ranked player, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (136.5). Verlander has 9.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 15th among American League pitchers.

National League Player of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Luke Weaver allowed one run over six innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits and two walks, in the 14-4 win over the Athletics.

This was Weaver’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Weaver made his Major League debut Aug. 13 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,719th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

American League Batter of the Day—Justin Smoak of the Blue Jays hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 15-8 win over the Twins.

Smoak and Gary Sanchez of the Yankees (Player of the Game in the 14-4 win over the Orioles) both had Box-Toppers game scores of +5.0 Friday, but Smoak holds the tiebreaker to earn AL Batter of the Day honors because he had more RBIs than Sanchez—5 vs. 4.

National League Batter of the Day—Kris Bryant of the Cubs hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 6-4, 10-inning win over the Dodgers.

Bryant earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.5 for the season, extending his lead among NL batters—second place NL batter is Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals (8.5).

Bryant becomes the 31st player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points, the fourth batter and the first NL batter. He is the sixth Cubs player to reach 10 points in 2016 (The others: Jon Lester—15.4, Jake Arrieta—13.7, John Lackey—12.4, Jason Hammel—11.0, Kyle Hendricks—10.7). He ranks 26th among all players in season player rankings. It is Bryant’s first 10-point season; in his rookie season of 2015, he had 8.5 points.

Streak—Rickie Weeks of the Diamondbacks has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game of the season Friday.

Weeks (HR 3B 2-3 2R BI in the 4-3, 11-inning win over the Reds) earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2005 with the Brewers and has 37.1 career points, third among active NL second basemen. His best season was 2007 with the Brewers when he had 6.2 Box-Toppers points. In 2015, he had 1.0 Box-Toppers point with the Mariners.

Scoring—Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Weaver earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Smoak and Bryant each earn 1.5 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    8/26
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    6.2
    DET 4, LAA 2
    Justin Verlander (W,14-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    4
    2
    2
    1
    8
  

    BAT
    5.0
    TOR 15, MIN 8
    Justin Smoak, 1B
    5
    2
    3
    5
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    NYY 14, BAL 4
    Gary Sanchez, C
    5
    3
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    NL
    5.0
    STL 3, OAK 1
    Luke Weaver (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    
    4.2
    SEA 3, CHW 1
    Edwin Diaz (S,11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    CLE 12, TEX 1
    Abraham Almonte, RF
    5
    2
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    CHC 6, LAD 4 (10)
    Kris Bryant, 3B
    4
    3
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    NYM 9, PHI 4
    Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
    4
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    SF 7, ATL 0
    Jeff Samardzija (W,11-9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    7
    0
    0
    3
    6
  

    
    3.0
    MIA 7, SD 6
    Fernando Rodney (W,2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    KC 6, BOS 3
    Eric Hosmer, 1B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    PIT 5, MIL 3
    Jordy Mercer, SS
    4
    1
    1
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    ARI 4, CIN 3 (11)
    Rickie Weeks, LF
    3
    2
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    WSH 8, COL 5
    Daniel Murphy, 2B
    3
    2
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    HOU 5, TB 4
    Evan Gattis, C
    4
    1
    2
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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


Player of Game	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Bryant, Kris 3465	lf 3b rf	chi nl	10.5	19.0	19.0	19.0	2.0
Verlander, Justin 2112	pi sp	det al	9.0	15.4	78.6	133.6	2.6
Murphy, Daniel 2589	2b	dc nl	7.5	9.0	31.0	32.5	6.0
Samardzija, Jeff 2495	pi sp	sf nl	6.7	16.1	44.8	45.8	-2.7
Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	6.0	15.0	28.5	28.5	-3.0
Rodney, Fernando 1803	pi cp	fla nl	5.0	6.0	23.0	35.0	4.0
Diaz, Edwin 3690	pi cp	sea al	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0
Smoak, Justin 2731	1b	tor al	3.5	8.5	18.4	22.9	-1.5
Gattis, Evan 3179	ca	hou al	3.0	7.0	9.0	9.0	-1.0
Mercer, Jordy 3206	ss	pit nl	3.0	3.0	9.0	9.0	3.0
Sanchez, Gary 3701	dh ca	nyy al	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5
Cabrera, Asdrubal 2362	ss	nym nl	2.0	5.0	26.7	42.7	-1.0
Almonte, Abraham 3554	rf ph	cle al	2.0	3.5	3.5	3.5	0.5
Weaver, Luke 3719	pi sp	stl nl	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7
Weeks, Rickie 2035	lf 2b	ari nl	1.0	2.0	17.9	37.1	0.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Marlins' Jose Fernandez tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 24, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank August 25, 2016

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third 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 Aug. 24:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	18.7
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	18.4
4	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	17.2
5	Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	chi nl	15.4
6	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	15.1
7	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	14.4
8	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	14.1
9	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	13.7
10	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	13.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Fernandez pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing six hits and two walks, in the 3-0 win over the Royals.

Fernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 18.4 for the season, rising from fourth to third place among all players and among all National League pitchers in 2016.

Fernandez is now 1.6 Box-Toppers points behind overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0 points), meaning Fernandez could pass Kershaw for the season lead in his next start if he earns NL Player of the Day (worth 1.7 points) or overall Player of the Day (worth 2.0 points). Kershaw has led all players since May 7 and maintained his lead despite spending the past nearly two months on the disabled list.

American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing six hits and one walk, in the 5-0 win over the Mariners.

Tanaka earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 12.4 for the season, rising to 15th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Manny Machado of the Orioles homered and went 4-for-6, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 10-8 win over the Nationals.

Machado earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 11.7 for the season. He maintains his rank of second among AL batters, behind Jose Altuve of the Astros (12.5 points). Machado ranks 18th among all players.

National League Batter of the Day—Jake Lamb of the Diamondbacks homered, doubled and went 3-for-6, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 10-9, 11-inning win over the Braves. Lamb and teammate Paul Goldschmidt both had Box-Toppers game scores of +2.0 Wednesday with similar line scores (3-6 3R 2BI), but Lamb won Player of the Game honors over Goldschmidt because he had both a homer and a double, while Goldschmidt had just a home run.

Notable—Three other players became the 28th, 29th and 30th players to reach the 10.0-Box-Toppers point threshold for the 2016 season:

Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks (6IP 4H 2R 2BB 8K W in the 6-3 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season, becoming the 28th player with 10 or more this season. Hendricks rises to 22nd place among all players and 14th among NL pitchers. He is the fifth Cubs pitcher this season with 10 or more points.
Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill (6IP 5H 0R 0BB 3K W in the 1-0 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season, becoming the 29th player with 10 or more this season. Hill ranks 29th among all players and 15th among NL pitchers. It is Hill’s second 10-point season; his other was 2007 with the Cubs when he had 11.7. Wednesday marked Hill’s first Player of the Game honor since being traded from the Athletics to the Dodgers.
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (HR 2B 4-5 2R 2BI in the 9-4 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season, becoming the 30th player (and third batter) with 10 or more this season. Cabrera ranks third among AL batters and 30th among all players. It is his seventh season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.

Cabrera also now has 142.9 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 23rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Cabrera passes David Ortiz of the Red Sox (142.9) on the “all-time” list, to become the seventh-ranked active player in career points, second among all active batters, behind Albert Pujols of the Angels (181.3). While Cabrera and Ortiz both have the same 142.9 career Box-Toppers point total, Cabrera now ranks ahead because he has more points in 2016—10.0 vs. 5.0. Cabrera now trails 22nd-ranked player, Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon (145.8).

Scoring—Fernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Tanaka earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Machado and Lamb 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    8/24
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.0
    MIA 3, KC 0
    Jose Fernandez (W,13-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    2
    9
  

    AL
    5.0
    NYY 5, SEA 0
    Masahiro Tanaka (W,11-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    1
    5
  

    
    5.0
    LAA 8, TOR 2
    Matt Shoemaker (W,8-13)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    BAT
    4.0
    BAL 10, WSH 8
    Manny Machado, 3B
    6
    2
    4
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    STL 8, NYM 1
    Carlos Martinez (W,12-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    4.0
    MIL 7, COL 1
    Zach Davies (W,10-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    3
    8
  

    
    4.0
    CHC 6, SD 3
    Kyle Hendricks (W,12-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    2
    2
    2
    8
  

    
    4.0
    LAD 1, SF 0
    Rich Hill (W,10-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.2
    `TB 4, BOS 3 (11)
    Alex Colome
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    DET 9, MIN 4
    Miguel Cabrera, 1B
    5
    2
    4
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    HOU 5, PIT 4
    Ken Giles (S,5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    ARI 10, ATL 9 (11)
    Jake Lamb, 3B
    6
    3
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    PHI 5, CHW 3
    Aaron Altherr, LF
    3
    1
    2
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    TEX 6, CIN 5
    Nomar Mazara, LF-RF
    4
    1
    1
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    OAK 5, CLE 1
    Ryon Healy, 3B
    3
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

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


Player of Game	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	18.4	23.1	49.1	49.1	13.7
Tanaka, Masahiro 3305	pi sp	nyy al	12.4	20.4	33.1	33.1	4.4
Machado, Manny 3087	ss 3b	bal al	11.7	19.2	22.7	22.7	4.2
Hendricks, Kyle 3386	pi sp	chi nl	10.7	20.4	25.4	25.4	1.0
Hill, Rich 2215	pi sp	lad nl	10.4	14.4	14.4	34.1	6.4
Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	10.0	14.7	63.3	142.9	5.3
Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	7.7	21.4	22.4	22.4	-6.0
Shoemaker, Matt 3290	pi sp	ana al	7.0	12.7	25.4	25.4	1.3
Colome, Alex 3189	pi cp	tb al	7.0	12.0	15.7	15.7	2.0
Davies, Zach 3581	pi sp	mil nl	5.0	8.0	8.0	8.0	2.0
Mazara, Nomar 3614	rf lf	tex al	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5
Lamb, Jake 3517	3b	ari nl	4.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	3.0
Healy, Ryon 3685	3b	oak al	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
Altherr, Aaron 3563	rf lf	phi nl	2.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	1.5
Giles, Ken 3402	pi mr cp	hou nl	2.0	5.0	7.0	7.0	-1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Chicago Cubs, week's hottest team, maintain 1st place in Box-Toppers team rankings

Shawn Plank August 12, 2016

Cubs expand narrow lead over 2nd-place Dodgers. Red Sox top AL teams.

Rangers' Yu Darvish tops players for Sunday, Aug. 7; Orioles' Machado regains AL batting Box-Toppers points lead

Shawn Plank August 8, 2016

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Sunday, Manny Machado of the Orioles regained the Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 7:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	18.7
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	16.4
4	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	16.2
5	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	14.4
6	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	14.1
7	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	14.1
8	Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	chi nl	13.4
9	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	11.7
10	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	11.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Darvish pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing five hits and no walks, in the 5-3, 11-inning win over the Astros. Darvish did not earn the win, picking up a no decision, because after he exited, the Astros tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.

National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks allowed one run over 7 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, no walks and striking out four, in the 3-1 win over the Athletics.

American League Batter of the Day—Manny Machado of the Orioles hit three homers, going 3-for-6 and driving in seven runs, in the 10-2 win over the White Sox.

Machado earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.2 for the season. He becomes the 20th player with 10 or more Box-Toppers points this season and the second batter. He passes Jose Altuve of the Astros (10.0) to retake the Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters. Machado ranks 19th among all players, the highest-ranked batter.

National League Batter of the Day—Martin Prado of the Marlins doubled and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 10-7 win over the Rockies.

Ichiro Suzuki
Suzuki joined the 3,000-hit club Sunday. Here are his career season-by-season Box-Toppers points totals:

    Yr
    Team
    BTP
  
    2001
    SEA
    4.0
  
    2002
    SEA
    2.5
  
    2003
    SEA
    4.2
  
    2004
    SEA
    5.0
  
    2005
    SEA
    6.0
  
    2006
    SEA
    3.5
  
    2007
    SEA
    8.0*
  
    2008
    SEA
    3.5
  
    2009
    SEA
    5.5
  
    2010
    SEA
    1.0
  
    2011
    SEA
    2.0
  
    2012
    SEA/NYY
    2.5
  
    2013
    NYY
    2.0
  
    2014
    NYY
    1.0
  
    2015
    MIA
    1.0
  
    2016
    MIA
    2.0
  
    Total
    
    53.7
  
* Best season, 9th among AL OF

16 straight seasons w/B-T pts, tied for 13th-longest streak since ’95

272nd among all players since ’95

7th among active NL OF

Notable—Ichiro Suzuki of the Marlins picked up his 3,000th Major League hit, a triple, Sunday in the 10-7 win over the Rockies. (Teammate Martin Prado was Player of the Game.)

Suzuki has 53.7 career Box-Toppers points. He ranks 272nd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He ranks 57th among all outfielders since 1995, ninth among all active outfielders and seventh among active NL outfielders.

Suzuki has earned Box-Toppers points in each of his 16 Major League seasons, tied for the 13th-longest streak in Box-Toppers tracking history. While Suzuki has consistently earned Box-Toppers points, he doesn’t earn very many since he doesn’t frequently hit for power, with few home runs and RBIs. His best season was 2007 with the Mariners when he had 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ninth among AL outfielders.

He’s had fewer than 3.0 Box-Toppers points in eight seasons—half his Major League career, including three seasons with only 1.0 point, just enough to keep the consecutive season streak with Box-Toppers points alive. In 2015, he had 1.0 point and so far in 2016, he has 2.0 points.

Only two other players in the 3,000-hit club earned nearly all their hits while being tracked by Box-Toppers (which began in 1995):

Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees has 3,114 hits (including 11 earned in 1994 before Box-Toppers tracking). Rodriguez has 187.0 career Box-Toppers points, most among all batters since 1995 and most among all active players. Rodriguez Sunday announced he will play his final game for the Yankees this Friday.
Derek Jeter, who played his entire career for the Yankees from 1995 to 2014 (all tracked by Box-Toppers), has 3,465 hits. Jeter, who like Suzuki, didn’t hit primarily for power, has 76.4 Box-Toppers points, 62nd-most among all batters since 1995 and second among all shortstops (behind Miguel Tejada with 102.3).

Scoring—Darvish earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hendricks earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Machado and Prado each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    8/7
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    `TEX 5, HOU 3 (11)
    Yu Darvish
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    7.1
    SEA 3, LAA 1
    James Paxton (W,4-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.1
    5
    1
    0
    1
    6
  

    BAT
    7.0
    BAL 10, CHW 2
    Manny Machado, 3B
    6
    3
    3
    7
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    NL
    6.1
    CHC 3, OAK 1
    Kyle Hendricks (W,11-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    3
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    6.0
    NYY 3, CLE 2
    Masahiro Tanaka (W,8-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    1
    1
    0
    8
  

    
    4.0
    MIN 6, TB 3
    Miguel Sano, 3B
    4
    2
    2
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    MIA 10, COL 7
    Martin Prado, 3B
    3
    2
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    WSH 1, SF 0
    Tanner Roark (W,12-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    3
    5
  

    
    4.0
    LAD 8, BOS 5
    Kenley Jansen (S,34)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    `PHI 6, SD 5
    Hector Neris (H,21)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    KC 7, TOR 1
    Kendrys Morales, DH
    3
    1
    1
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    ARI 9, MIL 3
    Phil Gosselin, PH
    1
    1
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    CIN 7, PIT 3
    Dan Straily (W,7-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    2
    2
    0
    4
  

    
    3.0
    NYM 3, DET 1
    Jeurys Familia (S,39)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    ATL 6, STL 3
    Jim Johnson (S,8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    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


Player of Game	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Machado, Manny 3087	ss 3b	bal al	10.2	17.7	21.2	21.2	2.7
Hendricks, Kyle 3386	pi sp	chi nl	9.7	19.4	24.4	24.4	0.0
Tanaka, Masahiro 3305	pi sp	nyy al	9.7	17.7	30.4	30.4	1.7
Roark, Tanner 3261	pi sp	dc nl	9.7	10.7	25.7	25.7	8.7
Jansen, Kenley 2871	pi cp	lad nl	6.0	10.0	36.4	36.4	2.0
Familia, Jeurys 3446	pi cp	nym nl	5.0	13.0	13.0	13.0	-3.0
Morales, Kendrys 2142	dh	kc al	4.0	8.7	18.7	34.7	-0.7
Darvish, Yu 3003	pi sp	tex al	3.7	3.7	48.9	48.9	3.7
Prado, Martin 2511	3b	fla nl	3.0	9.0	22.5	29.0	-3.0
Johnson, Jim 2417	pi cp mr	atl nl	3.0	5.0	15.0	20.7	1.0
Straily, Dan 3080	pi sp	cin nl	3.0	3.0	13.7	13.7	3.0
Paxton, James 3280	pi sp	sea al	2.7	3.7	9.4	9.4	1.7
Sano, Miguel 3527	rf 3b	min al	2.0	8.0	8.0	8.0	-4.0
Neris, Hector 3553	pi mr	phi nl	2.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	1.0
Gosselin, Philip 3398	2b ph	ari nl	1.0	2.0	3.0	3.0	0.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Toronto Blue Jays have most players (seven) in Box-Toppers top 100 of 2016 at All-Star break

Shawn Plank July 12, 2016

A look at Box-Toppers 100 top-ranked players for 2016 at the All-Star break. Blue Jays and top-ranked Cubs have most representatives on the list.

Cubs' Hendricks tops players for Saturday, May 28; Rangers' Darvish tops AL players

Shawn Plank May 29, 2016

Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Hendricks pitched a complete game, allowing one run and five hits, striking out seven, in the 4-1 win over the Phillies.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 28:


	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	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	7.4
9	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	7.0
10	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	6.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish struck out seven over five innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 5-2 win over the Pirates.

National League Batter of the Day—Buster Posey of the Giants hit two three-run homers in the 10-5 win over the Rockies.

American League Batter of the Day—Russell Martin of the Blue Jays homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-9 win over the Red Sox.

Scoring—Hendricks earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Darvish earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Posey and Martin 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/28
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.0
    CHC 4/PHI 1
    Kyle Hendricks (W,3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    AL
    6.0
    TEX 5/PIT 2
    Yu Darvish (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    5.0
    SF 10/COL 5
    Buster Posey, C
    5
    2
    2
    6
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    HOU 4/LAA 2
    Dallas Keuchel (W,3-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    2
    2
    0
    5
  

    BAT
    4.0
    TOR 10/BOS 9
    Russell Martin, C
    5
    3
    3
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    LAD 9/NYM 1
    Chase Utley, 2B
    5
    2
    2
    5
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    TB 9/NYY 5
    Hank Conger, C
    4
    2
    3
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    CIN 7/MIL 6
    Adam Duvall, LF
    5
    2
    2
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    ARI 8/SD 7
    Michael Bourn, RF
    4
    2
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    OAK 12/DET 3
    Danny Valencia, 3B
    4
    3
    3
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    ATL 7/MIA 2
    Gordon Beckham, 2B
    4
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    MIN 6/SEA 5
    Eduardo Nunez, 3B
    5
    2
    4
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    STL 9/DC 4
    Greg Garcia, 3B
    4
    2
    3
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    KC 8/CHW 7
    Drew Butera, C
    1
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    CLE 11/BAL 4
    Juan Uribe, 3B
    4
    2
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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


Player of Game	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Valencia, Danny 2772	3b	oak al	3.5	7.0	9.0	12.0	0.0
Nunez, Eduardo 2795	2b ss 3b	min al	3.5	5.5	11.5	13.0	1.5
Hendricks, Kyle 3386	pi sp	chi nl	3.0	12.7	17.7	17.7	-6.7
Martin, Russell 2202	ca	tor al	2.5	7.5	24.0	45.0	-2.5
Posey, Buster 2745	1b ca	sf nl	2.5	6.5	27.5	32.0	-1.5
Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	2.0	23.4	37.8	37.8	-19.4
Darvish, Yu 3003	pi sp	tex al	1.7	1.7	46.9	46.9	1.7
Uribe, Juan 1542	3b	cle al	1.0	4.0	12.0	47.7	-2.0
Bourn, Michael 2505	rf	ari nl	1.0	3.5	5.5	12.0	-1.5
Duvall, Adam 3573	lf	cin nl	1.0	2.5	2.5	2.5	-0.5
Conger, Hank 2843	ca	tb al	1.0	2.0	6.5	6.5	0.0
Garcia, Greg 3331	3b	stl nl	1.0	2.0	3.0	3.0	0.0
Beckham, Gordon 2620	2b	atl nl	1.0	2.0	7.5	13.5	0.0
Utley, Chase 1861	2b	lad nl	1.0	1.0	13.0	73.1	1.0
Butera, Drew 2883	ca	kc al	1.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Blue Jays' Ryan Goins tops players in ALCS Game 3 win, Monday, Oct. 19

Shawn Plank October 20, 2015

Ryan Goins homered and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, as the Blue Jays beat the Royals Monday in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

Goins is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Monday in the 11-8 win, the Blue Jays’ first in the best-of-seven series, which the Royals now lead 2-1.

Goins, who started at second base and moved to shortstop, had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0, tied for highest among all Blue Jays players with second baseman Troy Tulowitzki, who had an identical line (HR 2-4 2R 3BI). But Goins won Player of the Game on a tiebreaker because he had fewer strikeouts—one vs. two. After Tulowitzki’s second strikeout in the seventh inning, he was ejected for arguing and Goins replaced him defensively at shortstop.

During the regular season, Goins had 4.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 221st among all players, 52nd among AL batters, fourth among AL shortstops and sixth among AL second basemen (Goins was Player of the Game four times in 2015—twice at shortstop and twice at second base).

In a game dominated by offense, neither starting pitcher fared well in Box-Toppers game score. Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman picked up the win, but had a Box-Toppers game score of −12.9 (6.1IP 11H 4R K). Royals starter Johnny Cueto, who picked up the loss, had a Box-Toppers game score of −22.0 (2IP 6H 8R 2K).

The series resumes Tuesday with Game 4 in Toronto (more details below).

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    10/19
    Score
    Team
    Players
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  
    POG
    3.0
    Blue Jays
     Ryan Goins, 2B-SS
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -

Coming Tuesday:

ALCS Game 4, Royals lead Blue Jays, 2-1

The pitching match-up Tuesday:

Royals—Chris Young, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, 78th among all players, 29th among AL pitchers.

Blue Jays—R.A. Dickey, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 180th among all players, 64th among AL pitchers.

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

NLCS Game 3, Mets lead Cubs, 2-0

The pitching match-up Tuesday:

Mets—Jacob deGrom, 22.4 Box-Toppers points, third among all players, third among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 54th among all players, 24th among NL pitchers.

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

Mets' deGrom tops players in 4 league division playoff games, Friday, Oct. 9

Shawn Plank October 10, 2015

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Box-Toppers top player in Friday’s four league division series playoff games.

Other Players of the Game Friday:

Cardinals pitcher John Lackey.
Rangers closing pitcher Ross Ohlendorf.
Salvador Perez of the Royals.

NLDS Game 1: Mets 3, Dodgers 1

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 13 and allowing five hits.

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

He outdueled Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw who was ranked second overall in Box-Toppers points with 25.7. Kershaw (6.2IP 4H 3R 11K) had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.2 and picked up the loss.

The Mets now lead the best-of-five game series, 1-0, which resumes Saturday in Los Angeles.

NLDS Game 1: Cardinals 4, Cubs 0

Cardinals pitcher John Lackey pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five.

During the regular season, Lackey had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 51st among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.

The Cardinals now lead the best-of-five game series, 1-0, which resumes Saturday in St. Louis.

ALDS Game 2: Rangers 6, Blue Jays 4

Rangers pitcher Ross Ohlendorf pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out the side, allowing no hits and earning the save.

During the regular season, Ohlendorf had 1.0 Box-Toppers point, ranked 651st among all players and 163rd among the 189 AL pitchers who earned Box-Toppers points this season.

The Rangers now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-0, which resumes Sunday in Texas.

ALDS Game 2: Royals 5, Astros 4

Salvador Perez of the Royals homered and went 2-for-3, driving in two runs.

During the regular season, Perez had 4.5 Box-Toppers points, 211th among all players, 45th among AL batters and third among AL catchers, behind Brian McCann of the Yankees (6.5) and Russell Martin of the Blue Jays (5.0).

The best-of-five game series is tied 1-1 and resumes Sunday in Houston.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    10/9
    Score
    Team
    BATTERS
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    POG
    14.0
    Mets
    Jacob deGrom (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    13
  

    POG
    9.1
    Cardinals
    John Lackey (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    2
    0
    0
    1
    5
  

    POG
    4.0
    Rangers
    Ross Ohlendorf (S,1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    POG
    2.0
    Royals
    Salvador Perez, C
    3
    1
    2
    2
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Coming Saturday: The National League Division Series playoffs resume with two Game 2s:

NL Division Series Game 2, Cardinals lead Cubs, 1-0

The pitching matchup Saturday:

Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 24th among NL pitchers.

Cardinals—Jaime Garcia, 9.4 Box-Toppers points, 59th among all players, 25th among NL pitchers.

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

NL Division Series Game 2, Mets lead Dodgers, 1-0

The pitching matchup Saturday:

Mets—Noah Syndergaard, 10.4 Box-Toppers points, 41st among all players, 16th among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Zack Greinke, 20.7 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all players, fifth among NL pitchers.

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

Mariners' Montgomery tops players for Tuesday, June 30; Sale, Keuchel rise in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings

Shawn Plank July 1, 2015

Mariners pitcher Mike Montgomery 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 2015 season as of June 30.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
4	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
5	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	11.4
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
7	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	11.1
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7
9	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
10	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Tuesday, two players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to fifth place and Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rose to eighth place. Plus, Brewers closing pitcher Francisco Rodriguez has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 13 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Player of the Day—Montgomery pitched a complete game, one-hit shutout, striking out seven, in the 5-0 win over the Padres.

Montgomery had a Box-Toppers game score of 11, tied with White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, who was Player of the Game in the 2-1 win over the Cardinals. But Montgomery won overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker because he earned the win in his game, while Sale picked up a no decision in his.

National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks pitched six scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing three hits, in the 1-0 win over the Mets.

American League Batter of the Day—Mitch Moreland of the Rangers hit two home runs and drove in four runs in the 8-6 win over the Orioles.

National League Batter of the Day—Howie Kendrick of the Dodgers homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Rankings—Two pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings who started Tuesday earned Player of the Game honors. But another top 10 pitcher who started Tuesday did not:

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to fifth in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors in the 2-1, 11-inning win over the Cardinals (8IP 6H R 12K ND). Sale earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.
Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rose to eighth in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors in the 4-0 win over the Royals (8IP 7H 0R 7K W). Keuchel earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He is the ninth player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season. He ranks fifth among AL pitchers.
Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole, ranked fourth in Box-Toppers player rankings, did not earn Player of the Game honors in his start Tuesday. Cole (6.2IP 9H 2R 6K ND) had a Box-Toppers game score of −0.8 in the 5-4, 14-inning win over the Tigers. Player of the Game was closing pitcher Deolis Guerra (3IP 3H 0R 3K W), who had a Box-Toppers game score of 3. Cole has 12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among NL pitchers.

Streak—Brewers closing pitcher Francsico Rodriguez has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 13 straight seasons.

Rodriguez was Player of the Game in Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Phillies (1IP 0H 0R 2K Sv) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Rodriguez earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2003 with the Angels. The most Box-Toppers points he had in a single season was 10.0, in both 2005 and 2008 with the Angels. In 2014, he had 4.0 Box-Toppers points with the Brewers.

Rodriguez has 60.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 12th among all closing pitchers since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He has more career Box-Toppers points than all active closing pitchers—second place is Joe Nathan of the Tigers (52.0).

Debut—Pirates pitcher Deolis Guerra made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Guerra (3IP 3H 0R 3K W in the 5-4, 14-inning win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut June 27 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,521st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Montgomery earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hendricks earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Moreland and Kendrick each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    6/30
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    Mariners
    Mike Montgomery (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    1
    0
    0
    4
    7
  

    
    11.0
    `White Sox
    Chris Sale
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    6
    1
    1
    1
    12
  

    
    8.0
    Astros
    Dallas Keuchel (W, 10-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    7
    0
    0
    0
    7
  

    
    8.0
    Angels
    Andrew Heaney (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    NL
    8.0
    Cubs
    Kyle Hendricks (W, 3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    7.2
    Nationals
    Jordan Zimmermann (W, 6-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    6
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Rangers
    Mitch Moreland   1B
    3
    2
    2
    4
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    `Marlins
    Carter Capps (H, 5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Rockies
    Jorge De La Rosa (W, 5-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    4
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Pirates
    Deolis Guerra (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    2.2
    Indians
    Danny Salazar (W, 7-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    2
    2
    1
    2
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Dodgers
    Howie Kendrick   2B
    5
    1
    4
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Twins
    Eduardo Nunez   SS
    4
    2
    3
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Red Sox
    Eduardo Rodriguez (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    4
  

    
    2.0
    Brewers
    Francisco Rodriguez (S, 17)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    2
  

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Ichiro Suzuki

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top player from each game

ALCS Game 4, Royals lead Blue Jays, 2-1

NLCS Game 3, Mets lead Cubs, 2-0

NLDS Game 1: Mets 3, Dodgers 1

NLDS Game 1: Cardinals 4, Cubs 0

ALDS Game 2: Rangers 6, Blue Jays 4

ALDS Game 2: Royals 5, Astros 4

Top player from each game

NL Division Series Game 2, Cardinals lead Cubs, 1-0

NL Division Series Game 2, Mets lead Dodgers, 1-0

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers

Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.