Rookie of the Year finlists Fulmer, Maeda lead newcomers in Box-Toppers points. Cy Young finalists Scherzer, Kluber lead pitchers in points. But Box-Toppers batting leaders Arenado, Machado not among MVP finalists.
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers' top 100 players for 2016
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer leads the list of the top 100 players for 2016 with 25.7 Box-Toppers points, the 20th-highest single-season point total since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began.
Read MoreJon Lester tops players in NLCS Game 5 Thursday as Cubs take 3-2 lead over Dodgers in series
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Thursday’s National League Championship Series Game 5.
National League Championship Series Game 5: Cubs 8, Dodgers 4
Lester allowed one run over seven innings, allowing five hits, one walk and striking out six, as the Cubs take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven game series.
Lester had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +5.0, highest among Cubs players. Second baseman Javier Baez had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) among Cubs batters (2B 3-5 R 3BI).
Opposing starting pitcher Kenta Maeda of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.2 (3.2IP 3H R 2BB 6K ND).
Lester, during the regular season, had 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers. This was the second time this postseason he’s earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game in the NL Division Series Game 1 win over the Giants, 1-0, on Oct. 7.
The series resumes Saturday with Game 6 in Chicago. There are no games scheduled for Friday.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 5.0 | CHC 8, LAD 4 | Jon Lester (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Ryan Merritt tops players as Indians eliminate Blue Jays in ALCS; Cubs' Rizzo tops players in NLCS Game 4 win
Pitcher Ryan Merritt led the Indians to a clinching American League Championship Series Game 5 win Wednesday, even though he has never earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors during the regular season.
Also Wednesday, Anthony Rizzo was Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the Cubs’ Game 4 win to even the National League Championship Series with the Dodgers at two games apiece.
American League Championship Series Game 5: Indians 3, Blue Jays 0
Merritt pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out three, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.
The Indians win the best-of-seven-game series over the Blue Jays, 4-1, and advance to the World Series beginning next Tuesday in Cleveland.
Merritt picked up a no decision because he did not pitch the requisite five innings to earn the win. However, he did pitch at least three innings, enough to qualify to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game.
Merritt had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +5.1, most of any Indians player. Left fielder Coco Crisp had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Indians batters (HR 1-2 R BI).
Opposing pitcher Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (6IP 5H 3R 0BB 7K L).
Merritt had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season and in fact is unranked because he has yet to earn his first career Player of the Game honor during the regular season. Merritt made his Major League debut May 30 and has played in four games, pitching a total of 11 innings.
The Indians ranked higher than the Blue Jays in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Indians ranked fourth with an accumulated 123.7 Box-Toppers points earned by their players in 2016. The Blue Jays ranked ninth with 114.0, the lowest of the five AL teams to qualify for the playoffs.
Yet, the Indians were weakened by the loss of two of their top starting pitchers—Danny Salazar (12.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among AL pitchers) and Carlos Carrasco (12.4 points, ranked 10th among AL pitchers). Both were out with injuries. A third starter, Trevor Bauer (11.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers), was injured during the series—cutting his pinky finger repairing a drone—and could only pitch 2/3 of an inning in Game 3 before having to be removed because he was bleeding so profusely from his drone wound.
Yet, the Indians were able to cobble together four wins with bullpen stars like Andrew Miller (8.0 Box-Toppers points, first among AL middle relievers) and Cody Allen (7.0 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL closers), plus their ace starter Corey Kluber (21.2 Box-Toppers points, first among AL pitchers).
One final note: In March, Box-Toppers somehow made the correct preseason forecast that the Indians and Blue Jays would face off in the American League Championship Series and the Cubs and Dodgers would face off in the National League Championship Series.
The only problem with that: Box-Toppers picked the Blue Jays to win the ALCS and the World Series. Now, that ain’t gonna happen.
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
National League Championship Series Game 4: Cubs 10, Dodgers 2
Rizzo homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.
The Cubs now even the best-of-seven-game National League Championship Series with the Dodgers, 2-2.
Rizzo had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +3.0, most among Cubs players. Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.0 (4IP 3H 2R 3BB 3K ND).
Opposing pitcher Julio Urias of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of −6.8 (3.2IP 4H 4R 2BB 4K L).
Rizzo had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 71st among NL batters and 16th among NL first basemen.
The series resumes Thursday with Game 5 in Los Angeles.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 5.1 | `CLE 3, TOR 0 | Ryan Merritt | - | - | - | - | 4.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3.0 | CHC 10, LAD 2 | Anthony Rizzo, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | |||||||||||||
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
National League Championship Series Game 5, Cubs at Dodgers, series tied, 2-2
The pitching matchup Thursday is a rematch of the Game 1 starters from Saturday. The Cubs won that game, 8-4:
Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.
Indians' Corey Kluber tops players in ALCS Game 1 win over Blue Jays
Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Player of the Game in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.
The Indians beat the Blue Jays 2-0 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven game series.
Kluber pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits, two walks and striking out six. It is the second time this postseason Kluber has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game in the AL Division Series Game 2 win over the Red Sox on Oct. 7.
Kluber has 21.2 Box-Toppers points on the season, fifth among all players and first among AL pitchers.
Kluber had a Box-Toppers game score Friday of +4.1. The Indians top batter, Francisco Lindor, had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.0 (HR 2-4 R 2BI).
On the losing side, Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada pitched a complete game and had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (8IP 6H 2R BB 6K L).
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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.1 | CLE 2, TOR 0 | Corey Kluber (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Saturday:
ALCS Game 2: Indians lead Blue Jays, 1-0
The pitching matchup Saturday:
Blue Jays—J.A. Happ, 14.7 Box-Toppers points, 11th among all players, third among AL pitchers.
Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among AL pitchers.
NLCS Game 1: Dodgers at Cubs
The pitching matchup Saturday:
Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.
Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.
Two relievers are Box-Toppers top players in Sunday's two Division Series games
Two relief pitchers were Box-Toppers’ top players in two League Division Series playoff games Sunday:
- Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was Player of the Game in the 7-6, 10-inning win over the Rangers, as his team swept Texas in the series.
- And Nationals middle reliever Blake Treinen was Player of the Game in the 5-2 win over the Dodgers to even that series at one game apiece.
ALDS Game 3, Blue Jays 7, Rangers 6 (10 innings)
Osuna pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win. The Blue Jays win the best-of-five game series, 3-0 and advance to the American League Championship Series beginning Friday against the winner of the Red Sox-Indians series.
Osuna was also Player of the Game in the Blue Jays’ Game 2 win agains the Rangers on Friday. He is the first player this postseason to earn Player of the Game honors more than once.
During the regular season, Osuna had 3.0 Box-Toppers points (all in April) and ranked 319th among all players, 87th among AL pitchers and 15th among AL closers.
Osuna had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +4.0. Blue Jays’ top batter in the game was Edwin Encarnacion, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 2-3 R 3BI).
NLDS Game 2: Nationals 5, Dodgers 2
Nationals middle reliever Blake Treinen pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win.
Treinen had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season. He has 1.0 for his career, earned June 10, 2015.
Treinen had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +3.1. Nationals’ top batter in the game, Daniel Murphy, had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (3-3 R 2BI).
The best-of-five game series is now tied 1-1 and resumes Monday in Los Angeles.
ALDS Game 3 between the Red Sox and Indians was rained out Sunday and rescheduled for Monday. More details below.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.0 | TOR 7, TEX 6 (10) | Roberto Osuna (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3.1 | WSH 5, LAD 2 | Blake Treinen (W,1-0; H,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Monday: League Division playoff games resume:
NL Division Series Game 3, Nationals at Dodgers, series tied, 1-1
The pitching matchup Monday:
Nationals—Gio Gonzalez, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, 158th among all players, 45th among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.
AL Division Series Game 3, Indians lead Red Sox, 2-0
The pitching matchup Monday:
Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among AL pitchers.
Red Sox—Clay Buchholz, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 200th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.
NL Division Series Game 3, Cubs lead Giants, 2-0
The pitching matchup Monday:
Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.
Giants—Madison Bumgarner, 13.0 Box-Toppers points, 19th among all players, 12th among NL pitchers.
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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Yankees' Gary Sanchez tops players for Wednesday, Sept. 21; Scherzer extends Box-Toppers lead, Kluber secures AL Player of Year, Arenado rises to lead NL batters
Gary Sanchez of the Yankees is Wednesday’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 Sept. 21:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 24.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 22.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 21.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym al | 15.7 |
| 8 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 15.4 |
| 9 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
| 10 | Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 14.7 |
Also Wednesday, three players reached notable milestones after earning Player of the Game honors:
- Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer extended his Box-Toppers season player rankings lead.
- Indians pitcher Corey Kluber all but secured his status as Box-Toppers American League Player of the Year, rising to fourth place in season player rankings.
- Nolan Arenado of the Rockies rose to lead National League batters in Box-Toppers points.
Player of the Day—Sanchez hit two home runs—including a three-run shot—in the 11-5 win over the Rays. Sanchez went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five runs.
National League Player of the Day—Nolan Arenado of the Rockies hit a grand slam and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 11-1 win over the Cardinals.
Arenado earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season, rising to first place among NL batters, passing previous leader Kris Bryant of the Cubs (10.5).
If Arenado’s lead with 10.7 points stands with a little more than week to go in the season, it will be the lowest point total to lead a category in Box-Toppers’ 22-season history. The record was set in 2015 when Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies led NL batters with 11.5 points. Interestingly, the previous record was 2014 when Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies led NL batters with 11.6. So if Arenado’s lead holds, not only will the low-point record be broken three years in a row, it will be broken each time by a batter from the Colorado Rockies.
Arenado becomes the 45th player (and ninth batter) in 2016 with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.
Batters of the Day—There are no separate AL and NL Batters of the Day for Wednesday because both the overall Player of the Day (Gary Sanchez) and NL Player of the Day (Nolan Arenado) are batters.
Rankings—Two players among Box-Toppers top five in season player rankings earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
- Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (6.2IP 4H 3R 2BB 8K W in the 8-3 win over the Marlins) extended his Box-Toppers season player rankings lead, earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 24.7 for the season. He is now 2.0 Box-Toppers points ahead of second-place player, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22.7), meaning Kershaw still has a chance to pass Scherzer on his next start.
Scherzer now has 130.7 career Box-Toppers points, 31st-most since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 30th-ranked player Jason Giambi (133.4) on the “all-time” list.
- Indians pitcher Corey Kluber (6.1IP 6H 2R 2BB 9K W in the 4-3 win over the Royals) all but secured his status as Box-Toppers American League Player of the Year. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 21.2 for the season, extending his lead among AL pitchers and is now 4.4 points ahead of second-place AL pitcher Cole Hamels of the Rangers (16.8). Hamels would need at least three starts to pass Kluber in Box-Toppers points—he likely only has two starts remaining in the season’s final 10 days.
This will be the second time Kluber has led AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points in a season. He also did it in 2014 when he had 25.8 points and also won the AL Cy Young Award. In 2015 he had 13.4 Box-Toppers points, 10th among AL pitchers. Kluber also rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
Notable—Two other players with 10 or more Box-Toppers points on the season earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
- Mike Trout of the Angels (HR 1-4 R 3BI in the 5-4 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season, rising to third among AL batters, behind leader Manny Machado of the Orioles (12.7) and Jose Altuve of the Astros (12.5).
- Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda (5IP 3H 2R 2BB 6K W in the 9-3 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He becomes the 46th player in 2016 with 10 or more points and ranks 46th among all players, 19th among NL pitchers.
Also notable—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez now has 168.7 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Hernandez (7IP 2H 0R 3BB 4K ND in the 2-1, 12-inning win over the Blue Jays) maintains his ninth-place rank in career Box-Toppers points since Box-Toppers player tracking began in 1995. He trails eighth-place player Roy Halladay (170.7) on the “all-time” list. (See Box-Toppers career top 20 list on the home page.) Hernandez has 6.0 Box-Toppers points on the season. If that total stands, it would be his lowest season total in his 12-year career. His previous low was 7.4 in 2008 with the Mariners.
Scoring—Sanchez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Arenado earns 1.7 points for being NL Player 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/21 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | NYY 11, TB 5 | Gary Sanchez, C | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | `SEA 2, TOR 1 (12) | Felix Hernandez | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| NL | 5.0 | COL 11, STL 1 | Nolan Arenado, 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | BOS 5, BAL 1 | Clay Buchholz (W,8-10) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | PIT 4, MIL 1 | Chad Kuhl (W,5-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 3.1 | CLE 4, KC 3 | Corey Kluber (W,18-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 3.0 | HOU 6, OAK 5 | Evan Gattis, DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | ARI 3, SD 2 | Paul Goldschmidt, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 9, SF 3 | Kenta Maeda (W,16-9) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2.2 | WSH 8, MIA 3 | Max Scherzer (W,18-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2.0 | CHC 9, CIN 2 | Miguel Montero, C | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | PHI 8, CHW 3 | Tommy Joseph, 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.1 | `ATL 4, NYM 3 | Chaz Roe | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | LAA 5, TEX 4 | Mike Trout, CF | 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 | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 24.7 | 45.7 | 110.3 | 130.7 | 3.7 |
| Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 21.2 | 34.6 | 65.4 | 65.4 | 7.8 |
| Trout, Mike 2949 | cf | ana al | 11.0 | 23.0 | 47.5 | 47.5 | -1.0 |
| Arenado, Nolan 3306 | 3b | col nl | 10.7 | 19.2 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 2.2 |
| Maeda, Kenta 3609 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 6.0 | 25.4 | 91.4 | 168.7 | -13.4 |
| Buchholz, Clay 2363 | pi sp | bos al | 5.0 | 11.0 | 39.2 | 58.9 | -1.0 |
| Gattis, Evan 3179 | ca | hou al | 5.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 1.0 |
| Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 4.5 | 14.7 | 39.9 | 39.9 | -5.7 |
| Sanchez, Gary 3701 | ca dh | nyy al | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Joseph, Tommy 3681 | 1b ph | phi nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Kuhl, Chad 3687 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Montero, Miguel 2304 | ca | chi nl | 1.0 | 6.5 | 20.7 | 30.9 | -4.5 |
| Roe, Chaz 3597 | pi mr | atl nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
Giants' Madison Bumgarner tops players for Sunday, July 10, rising to 6th in Box-Toppers rankings
Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, earning the season’s second-highest Box-Toppers game score and rising to sixth 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 July 10:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 14.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 13.4 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 |
| 6 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.0 |
| 7 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
| 8 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 10.7 |
| 9 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 10.5 |
| 10 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 10.4 |
Bumgarner pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout, striking out 14 and walking one in the 4-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Bumgarner earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season, rising to sixth in player rankings and fifth among National League pitchers.
He had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +21.0, the second-highest of the season, behind only the +22.0 score earned April 14 by Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez. (See chart below for the 12 highest Box-Toppers game score earned by Players of the Games in 2016.)
Also Sunday, Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda had the 11th-highest Box-Toppers game score of the season, +16.0, but since he was beaten out by NL pitcher Bumgarner for Player of the Day, he only earns Player of the Game honors and 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Maeda was Player of the Game in the 3-1 win over the Padres (7IP 2H R 0BB 13K W).
Bumgarner also now has 103.7 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 62nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Sunday, he passes four players on the “all-time” list—Carlos Beltran (101.9), Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2), Miguel Tejada (102.3) and Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir (103.4). He now trails 61st-ranked player Jamie Moyer (104.0).
American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher David Price pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing four hits and two walks, in the 4-0 win over the Rays.
Price earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and now has 102.2 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 65th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes five players on the “all-time” list—Paul Konerko (100.7), Jason Schmidt (101.2), Tim Wakefield (101.4), Carlos Beltran of the Yankees (101.9) and Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2). Price trails 64th-ranked player Miguel Tejada (102.3).
American League Batter of the Day—Kennys Vargas of the Twins homered and went 1-for-2, scoring three times, in the 15-5 win over the Rangers.
National League Batter of the Day—Cameron Rupp of the Phillies homered and went 4-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 10-3 win over the Rockies.
Scoring—Bumgarner earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Price earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Vargas and Rupp 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
| 7/10 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 21.0 | SF 4/ARI 0 | Madison Bumgarner (W,10-4) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | |
| 16.0 | LAD 3/SD 1 | Kenta Maeda (W,8-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | ||
| AL | 13.0 | BOS 4/TB 0 | David Price (W,9-6) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 12.0 | ATL 2/CHW 0 | Mike Foltynewicz (W,3-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 9.0 | STL 5/MIL 1 | Mike Leake (W,6-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 4.1 | `DC 3/NYM 2 | Tanner Roark | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | PHI 10/COL 3 | Cameron Rupp, C | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | `HOU 2/OAK 1 | Dallas Keuchel | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3.1 | NYY 11/CLE 7 | Nathan Eovaldi (W,7-6) | - | - | - | - | 4.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | MIN 15/TEX 5 | Kennys Vargas, 1B | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | TOR 6/DET 1 | R.A. Dickey (W,7-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 2.1 | SEA 8/KC 5 | Mike Montgomery (W,3-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | BAL 4/LAA 2 | J.J. Hardy, SS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | MIA 7/CIN 3 | Mike Dunn (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | CHC 6/PIT 5 | Hector Rondon (S,14) | - | - | - | - | 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 of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.0 | 28.0 | 98.0 | 103.7 | -6.0 |
| Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 | 29.5 | 85.5 | 102.2 | -12.7 |
| Roark, Tanner 3261 | pi sp | dc nl | 7.7 | 8.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 | 6.7 |
| Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | nyy al | 6.7 | 8.7 | 25.8 | 25.8 | 4.7 |
| Maeda, Kenta 3609 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 5.0 | 26.4 | 40.8 | 40.8 | -16.4 |
| Dickey, R.A. 1734 | pi sp | tor al | 5.0 | 10.0 | 54.2 | 75.9 | 0.0 |
| Rondon, Hector 3201 | pi cp | chi nl | 4.0 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 |
| Rupp, Cameron 3556 | ca | phi nl | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 |
| Leake, Mike 2709 | pi sp | stl nl | 3.0 | 13.0 | 38.1 | 42.6 | -7.0 |
| Montgomery, Mike 3513 | pi cp mr sp | sea al | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -1.0 |
| Foltynewicz, Mike 3455 | pi sp | atl nl | 3.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 0.3 |
| Hardy, J.J. 2071 | ss | bal al | 2.7 | 2.7 | 24.1 | 51.3 | 2.7 |
| Vargas, Kennys 3511 | 1b | min al | 2.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 |
| Dunn, Michael 2867 | pi mr cp | fla nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 1.0 |
Highest Box-Toppers game scores of 2016
Here are the highest Box-Toppers game scores earned by Players of the Games in 2016. Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez had the highest score of +22.0 on April 14 when he was Player of the Day (earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points). All but two players among the top 12 here earned Player of the Day honors. Cardinals pitcher Jamie Garcia and Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda earned Player of the Game honors (worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point) because they finished behind that day’s overall top player—Garcia finished behind Velasquez on April 14 and Garcia finished behind Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner on July 10.| Date | Bonus | Score | Team | Players | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 1 | 4/14 | MLB | 22.0 | Phillies | Vince Velasquez (W,2-0) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2 | 7/10 | MLB | 21.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W,10-4) | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 3 | 5/1 | MLB | 20.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,3-1) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | 4/14 | 20.0 | Cardinals | Jaime Garcia (W,1-0) | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | |
| 5 | 5/11 | MLB | 19.0 | Nationals | Max Scherzer (W,4-2) | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| 6 | 5/12 | MLB | 18.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,5-1) | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 7 | 4/23 | MLB | 17.0 | Nationals | Tanner Roark (W,2-2) | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| 8 | 6/5 | MLB | 17.0 | Marlins | Jose Fernandez (W,9-2) | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 9 | 4/15 | MLB | 16.0 | White Sox | Chris Sale (W,3-0) | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 10 | 6/8 | MLB | 16.0 | Mariners | Taijuan Walker (W,3-6) | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 11 | 7/10 | 16.0 | Dodgers | Kenta Maeda (W,8-6) | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | |
| 12 | 4/19 | MLB | 16.0 | `Rays | Drew Smyly | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | |||||||||||
Pirates' Juan Nicasio tops players for Wednesday, April 6; Rays' Souza tops AL players
Pirates pitcher Juan Nicasio is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Nicasio struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 5-1 win over the Cardinals. Nicasio earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and is in fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 6:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 2 | Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 3 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 |
| 4 | Nicasio, Juan 2888 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 1.7 |
| 6 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 1.7 |
| 7 | Volquez, Edinson 2220 | pi sp | kc al | 1.7 |
| 8 | Souza, Steven Jr. 3461 | rf | tb al | 1.7 |
| 9 | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 1.5 |
| 10 | Kinsler, Ian 2144 | 2b | det al | 1.5 |
American League Player of the Day—Steven Souza of the Rays hit two home runs, including a three-run go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, in the 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Souza also doubled and went 4-for-4.
National League Batter of the Day—Matt den Dekker of the Nationals hit a seventh-inning, pinch-hit, two-run, go-ahead double in the 3-1 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because the over AL Player of the Day is a batter, Steven Souza.
Streaks—Two players Wednesday extended their streak of 10 or more consecutive seasons earning at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
- Robinson Cano of the Mariners has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons. Cano (2HR 2-4 2R 5BI) was Player of the Game in the 9-5 win over the Rangers and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Cano earned his first points in 2005 with the Yankees. He has 68.4 career points, most among active AL second basemen and fourth among all second basemen since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. His best year was 2013 with the Yankees when he had 12.5 points, fourth among AL batters. In 2015, he had 6.5 points with the Mariners, 22nd among all AL batters and third among AL second basemen.
- Yovani Gallardo of the Orioles has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons. Gallardo (5IP 2H R 4K W) was Player of the Game in the 4-2 win over the Twins and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Gallardo earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2007 with the Brewers. He has 88.7 career points, ranking 98th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began and eighth among active AL pitchers. His best year was 2011 with the Brewers when he had 19.9 points, ranked fourth among NL pitchers. In 2015, he had 5.0 points with the Rangers.
Debut—Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Maeda (6IP 5H 0R 4K W in the 7-0 win over the Padres) was making his Major League debut. He is the 3,609th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Maeda also hit a home run in the game.
Scoring—Nicasio earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Souza earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and den Dekker earns 1.5 points for being NL 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
| 4/6 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Pirates | Juan Nicasio (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| 7.0 | `Reds | Brandon Finnegan | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | Rays | Steven Souza, RF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Yankees | Starlin Castro, SS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | Mariners | Robinson Cano, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | Dodgers | Kenta Maeda (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Indians | Carlos Santana, DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Tigers | Victor Martinez, PH-DH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Athletics | Sonny Gray (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Nationals | Matt den Dekker, PH-LF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Orioles | Yovani Gallardo (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Brewers | Jeremy Jeffress (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Rockies | DJ LeMahieu, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||