Tigers' Michael Fulmer tops players for Sunday, Aug. 14; Mets' Matz tops NL players

Shawn Plank August 15, 2016

Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, becoming the 22nd player this season with 10.0 Box-Toppers points.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 14:


	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	Happ, J.A. 2536	pi sp	tor al	12.7
10	Altuve, Jose 3007	2b	hou al	12.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

Fulmer pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out nine and walking none, in the 7-0 win over the Rangers.

Fulmer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season, rising to 17th place in season player rankings, fifth among American League pitchers.

National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Steven Matz pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks and striking out eight, in the 5-1 win over the Padres.

Matz earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 12.1 Box-Toppers points for the season, most of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday. Matz rises to 12th place in season player rankings, eighth among NL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Mookie Betts of the Red Sox hit three home runs and went 4-for-6, scoring four times and driving in eight runs, in the 16-2 win over the Diamondbacks.

Betts had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +10.0, tied with two others for the highest score for any batter earning Player of the Game honors this season. Betts’ performance Sunday ranks second for the season, just behind C.J. Cron of the Angels, who on July 2 also had a score of +10. Cron’s score ranks higher because he had more hits than Betts—six vs. four. Betts’ performance ranks ahead of Kris Bryant of the Cubs, who on June 27 also had a score of +10, because Betts had more at bats—six vs. five.

Last season, the highest Box-Toppers game score earned by a batter was +11.0, done by four players.

National League Batter of the Day—Ryan Braun of the Brewers hit two homers and a double, going 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 7-3 win over the Reds.

Braun earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, rising to second among NL batters, behind leader Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals (8.5).

Scoring—Fulmer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Matz earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Betts and Braun 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    8/14
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    14.0
    DET 7, TEX 0
    Michael Fulmer (W,10-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    9
  

    NL
    12.1
    NYM 5, SD 1
    Steven Matz (W,9-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    1
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    BAT
    10.0
    BOS 16, ARI 2
    Mookie Betts, RF
    6
    4
    4
    8
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    8.0
    MIL 7, CIN 3
    Ryan Braun, LF
    4
    3
    3
    6
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.1
    TOR 9, HOU 2
    Marcus Stroman (W,9-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    5
    2
    1
    0
    8
  

    
    5.0
    KC 11, MIN 4
    Paulo Orlando, CF
    5
    3
    4
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.2
    STL 6, CHC 4
    Seung Hwan Oh (S,11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    1
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    4.0
    TB 12, NYY 3
    Evan Longoria, 3B
    4
    1
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    PIT 11, LAD 3
    Sean Rodriguez, RF
    4
    1
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    PHI 7, COL 6
    Jimmy Paredes, LF
    4
    1
    3
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    WSH 9, ATL 1
    Anthony Rendon, 3B
    3
    1
    1
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    CLE 5, LAA 4
    Cody Allen (S,22)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    BAL 8, SF 7
    Matt Wieters, C
    5
    2
    5
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    SEA 8, OAK 4
    Kyle Seager, 3B
    5
    1
    2
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    MIA 5, CHW 4
    Mike Dunn (W,3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

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	+/-
Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	12.1	15.6	15.6	15.6	8.6
Fulmer, Michael 3640	pi sp	det al	10.7	10.7	10.7	10.7	10.7
Braun, Ryan J. 2300	lf	mil nl	8.0	13.0	44.0	85.7	3.0
Wieters, Matt 2643	ca	bal al	8.0	9.0	27.0	32.7	7.0
Seager, Kyle 3031	3b	sea al	7.0	12.0	26.0	26.0	2.0
Betts, Mookie 3404	rf	bos al	6.2	9.2	11.2	11.2	3.2
Stroman, Marcus 3327	pi sp	tor al	5.7	8.4	22.1	22.1	3.0
Allen, Cody 3265	pi mr cp	cle al	5.0	9.0	14.0	14.0	1.0
Orlando, Paulo 3526	rf cf	kc al	3.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	2.0
Longoria, Evan 2423	3b	tb al	2.5	5.5	22.0	43.0	-0.5
Rendon, Anthony 3258	3b	dc nl	2.0	3.0	8.5	8.5	1.0
Dunn, Michael 2867	pi mr cp	fla nl	2.0	2.0	10.0	10.0	2.0
Rodriguez, Sean 2729	rf1b 2b	pit nl	2.0	2.0	13.5	18.5	2.0
Oh, Seung Hwan 3693	pi cp	stl nl	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Paredes, Jimmy 3278	lf	phi nl	1.0	3.5	6.0	6.0	-1.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

Blue Jays' J.A. Happ tops players for Sunday, July 24; Astros' Altuve takes Box-Toppers lead among AL batters

Shawn Plank July 25, 2016

Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ is Sunday’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 July 24:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
2	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	16.4
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	16.0
4	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	14.4
5	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	12.5
6	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	12.1
7	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	11.4
8	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	11.0
9	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	11.0
10	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	10.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Sunday, Jose Altuve of the Astros rises to lead American League batters in Box-Toppers points after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.

Player of the Day—Happ pitched six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and four walks, striking out six, in the 2-0 win over the Mariners.

National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Steven Matz pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks, striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Marlins.

Matz earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season, the most among the 16 who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday. Matz becomes the 17th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points and now ranks 15th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Jose Altuve of the Astros hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, driving in six runs, in the 13-3 win over the Angels.

Altuve earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season. He becomes the 16th player and first batter this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. He also takes the lead in season Box-Toppers points among AL batters, passing Manny Machado of the Orioles (8.7). Altuve ranks 17th among all players.

National League Batter of the Day—Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers hit a grand slam and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-6 win over the Cardinals.

Notable—Carlos Beltran of the Yankees rises to 64th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Beltran (HR 2-4 2R BI in the 5-2 win over the Giants) now has 102.9 career Box-Toppers points and passes three players on the “all-time” list—Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2, who was inducted Sunday into the Baseball Hall of Fame and now ranks 67th), Red Sox pitcher David Price (102.2) and Miguel Tejada (102.3). Beltran now trails 63rd-ranked player, Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (103.7). Beltran now ranks 21st in career Box-Toppers points among all batters since 1995.

Beltran has 4.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 34th among AL batters.

Scoring—Happ earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Matz earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Altuve and Gonzalez 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/24
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    7.0
    TOR 2, SEA 0
    J.A. Happ (W,13-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    1
    0
    0
    4
    6
  

    
    6.2
    `CHW 5, DET 4
    Jose Quintana
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    3
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    BAT
    6.0
    HOU 13, LAA 3
    Jose Altuve, 2B
    5
    2
    3
    6
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    NL
    6.0
    NYM 3, MIA 0
    Steven Matz (W,8-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    5.2
    `OAK 3, TB 2
    Jesse Hahn
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    4
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    BAT
    4.0
    LAD 9, STL 6
    Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
    5
    2
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    ARI 9, CIN 8
    Yasmany Tomas, RF
    4
    3
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    PIT 5, PHI 4
    Matt Joyce, RF
    2
    2
    2
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    BAL 5, CLE 3
    Darren O'Day (W,3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.1
    CHW 4, DET 3
    David Robertson (W,1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    BOS 8, MIN 7
    Hanley Ramirez, DH
    4
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `SD 10, WSH 6
    Carlos Villanueva
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    2
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    2.0
    COL 7, ATL 2
    Nolan Arenado, 3B
    5
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    CHC 6, MIL 5
    Tommy La Stella, 2B
    3
    1
    3
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    NYY 5, SF 2
    Carlos Beltran, DH
    4
    2
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    TEX 2, KC 1
    Delino DeShields, LF
    3
    1
    2
    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	+/-
Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	10.4	13.9	13.9	13.9	6.9
Altuve, Jose 3007	2b	hou al	10.0	17.0	26.5	26.5	3.0
Happ, J.A. 2536	pi sp	tor al	9.0	22.1	37.5	45.5	-4.1
Quintana, Jose 3040	pi sp	chi al	7.7	13.7	32.5	32.5	1.7
Arenado, Nolan 3306	3b	col nl	5.5	14.0	15.5	15.5	-3.0
Robertson, David 2774	pi cp	chi al	5.0	13.0	25.0	26.0	-3.0
Beltran, Carlos 1194	rf dh	nyy al	4.0	7.5	24.9	102.9	0.5
Tomas, Yasmany 3489	lf rf	ari nl	3.5	7.0	7.0	7.0	0.0
Gonzalez, Adrian 2193	1b	lad nl	3.0	7.0	33.7	69.6	-1.0
Ramirez, Hanley 2119	1b dh ss	bos al	4.0	4.0	26.7	54.6	4.0
O’Day, Darren 2577	pi mr cp	bal al	3.0	4.7	12.7	13.7	1.3
Joyce, Matt 2480	rf dh	pit nl	3.0	3.0	19.2	28.7	3.0
DeShields, Delino 3557	cf lf	tex al	2.0	6.5	6.5	6.5	-2.5
Hahn, Jesse 3354	pi sp	oak al	2.0	6.0	12.7	12.7	-2.0
Villanueva, Carlos 2241	pi mr	sd nl	2.0	5.7	16.7	30.4	-1.7
LaStella, Tommy 3367	3b 2b	chi nl	2.0	2.0	4.0	4.0	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Dodgers' Kershaw leads Box-Toppers player rankings for 6th week; Indians' Salazar now leads AL pitchers

Shawn Plank June 17, 2016

Kershaw extends Box-Toppers points lead. Indians' Danny Salazar takes lead among AL pitchers. Machado, Suarez lead batters.

Mets' Steven Matz tops players for Wednesday, May 25, rises to 5th in player rankings

Shawn Plank May 26, 2016

Mets pitcher Steven Matz 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 May 25:


	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	Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	8.7
6	Machado, Manny 3087	ss 3b	bal al	7.7
7	Hill, Rich 2215	pi sp	oak al	7.4
8	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	7.0
9	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	6.7
10	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	6.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Matz pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits, in the 2-0 win over the Nationals.

Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, rising to fifth in player rankings, fourth among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Adam Lind of the Mariners hit two homers and a double, going 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 13-3 win over the Athletics.

Lind has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Blue Jays and has 55.8 career points, seventh among active AL first basemen. His best season was 2009 with the Blue Jays when he had 16.4 Box-Toppers points, second among AL batters. He had 6.5 points in 2015 with the Brewers.

National League Batter of the Day—Kris Bryant of the Cubs hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 9-8 win over the Cardinals.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter, Adam Lind.

Streak—Russell Martin of the Blue Jays has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Martin (2HR 2-5 2R 3BI in the 8-4 win over the Yankees) earned his first points in 2006 with the Dodgers and has 43.5 career points, second among active AL catchers, behind Brian McCann of the Yankees (55.2). His best season was 2007 with the Dodgers when he had 8.5 points, first among NL catchers. He had 5.0 points in 2015 with the Blue Jays.

Scoring—Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lind earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Bryant 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/25
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    NYM 2/DC 0
    Steven Matz (W,7-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    
    10.0
    LAD 3/CIN 1
    Scott Kazmir (W,4-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    12
  

    AL
    9.0
    SEA 13/OAK 3
    Adam Lind, 1B
    4
    3
    4
    6
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.1
    CLE 4/CHW 3
    Corey Kluber (W,4-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    7
    2
    1
    1
    9
  

    
    4.0
    TEX 15/LAA 9
    Ryan Rua, LF
    4
    3
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    CHC 9/STL 8
    Kris Bryant, LF
    3
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `MIL 3/ATL 2
    Junior Guerra
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    0
    0
    4
    6
  

    
    3.0
    `MIA 4/TB 3
    David Phelps (H,11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    `HOU 4/BAL 3
    Ken Giles (H,9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    2.0
    TOR 8/NYY 4
    Russell Martin, C
    5
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    BOS 10/COL 3
    Travis Shaw, 3B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    PHI 8/DET 5
    Andres Blanco, 3B
    3
    2
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    MIN 7/KC 5
    Miguel Sano, RF
    3
    2
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.2
    SF 4/SD 3
    George Kontos (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    0.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    PIT 5/ARI 4
    Gregory Polanco, RF
    4
    1
    3
    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	+/-
Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	8.7	12.2	12.2	12.2	5.2
Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	4.4	17.8	48.6	48.6	-9.0
Bryant, Kris 3465	lf 3b	chi nl	3.5	12.0	12.0	12.0	-5.0
Polanco, Gregory 3361	rf lf	pit nl	3.5	6.5	10.5	10.5	0.5
Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	lad nl	3.0	15.7	43.6	99.4	-9.7
Phelps, David 2994	pi mr	fla nl	3.0	6.4	19.8	19.8	-0.4
Guerra, Junior 3633	pi sp	mil nl	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
Shaw, Travis 3544	1b	bos al	2.5	6.7	6.7	6.7	-1.7
Blanco, Andres 2980	ss 3b	phi nl	2.0	3.0	4.0	4.0	1.0
Rua, Ryan 3631	lf 1b	tex al	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Lind, Adam 2238	1b	sea al	1.7	8.2	28.2	55.8	-4.8
Sano, Miguel 3527	rf dh	min al	1.0	7.0	7.0	7.0	-5.0
Martin, Russell 2202	ca	tor al	1.0	6.0	22.5	43.5	-4.0
Giles, Ken 3402	pi mr	hou nl	1.0	4.0	6.0	6.0	-2.0
Kontos, George 3106	pi cp	sf nl	1.0	3.0	5.7	5.7	-1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Rangers' Lewis tops players for Friday, May 20; Cubs' Arrieta rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers rankings

Shawn Plank May 21, 2016

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis 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 May 20:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	10.0
2	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	8.7
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	8.7
4	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	8.0
5	Machado, Manny 3087	ss 3b	bal al	7.7
6	Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	6.7
7	Hill, Rich 2215	pi sp	oak al	6.4
8	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	6.1
9	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	6.0
10	Price, David 2593	pi sp	bos al	5.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Friday, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings, Manny Machado of the Orioles extended his Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia extended his career Box-Toppers points lead among all active pitchers.

Player of the Day—Lewis pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 2-1 win over the Astros.

National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Steven Matz struck out eight over seven innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 3-2 win over the Brewers.

Matz earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, rising to sixth in season player rankings, fourth among NL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners homered and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the Reds.

National League Batter of the Day—Christian Bethancourt of the Padres hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the 7-6 win over the Dodgers.

Rankings—Besides Matz, two other players in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings earned Player of the Game honors Friday:

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (7IP 4H R 8K W in the 8-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season and rising to second place in player rankings, trailing only Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (10.0).
Manny Machado of the Orioles (HR 2-4 2R BI in the 9-4 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, maintaining his rank of fifth place among all players and his rank of first among AL batters. He is the only batter among the top 10 players. Also, his 7.7 Box-Toppers points this season is already better than the 7.5 he earned in all of 2015 (his previous best year), when he finished the season ranked 18th among AL batters.

Streak—Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Bautista (HR 2-5 2R 3BI in the 9-3 win over the Twins) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Pirates and has 62.9 career points, 12th among active AL batters and second among active AL outfielders. His best year was 2010 with the Blue Jays when he led AL batters with 15.2 points. In 2015, he had 10.0 points with the Blue Jays, sixth among AL batters.

Notable—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, the active leader among pitchers in career Box-Toppers points, earned Player of the Game honors Friday.

Sabathia (6IP 3H R 8K W in the 8-3 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 181.0 career Box-Toppers points. He ranks fifth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, behind teammate Alex Rodriguez (187.0), and first among active pitchers. Sabathia has 2.0 points for the season.

Scoring—Lewis earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Matz earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Lee and Bethancourt 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/20
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.0
    Rangers
    Colby Lewis (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    NL
    8.0
    Mets
    Steven Matz (W,6-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    2
    2
    0
    8
  

    
    8.0
    Yankees
    CC Sabathia (W,3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    8
  

    
    7.0
    Cubs
    Jake Arrieta (W,8-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    8
  

    
    4.2
    Braves
    Matt Wisler (W,2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    5
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Mariners
    Dae-Ho Lee, PH-1B
    2
    1
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.2
    Nationals
    Tanner Roark (W,3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    6
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Padres
    Christian Bethancourt, PH
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Royals
    Dillon Gee (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    
    3.0
    Indians
    Cody Allen (S,10)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    2.0
    Blue Jays
    Jose Bautista, RF
    5
    2
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Dbacks
    Chris Herrmann, C
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Orioles
    Manny Machado, SS
    4
    3
    2
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Rays
    Alex Colome (S,11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    1.0
    `Pirates
    Tony Watson (H,10)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    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	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	8.7	37.8	65.5	68.5	-20.4
Machado, Manny 3087	ss 3b	bal al	7.7	15.2	18.7	18.7	0.2
Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	6.7	10.2	10.2	10.2	3.2
Lewis, Colby 1567	pi sp	tex al	4.7	12.4	30.6	42.0	-3.0
Colome, Alex 3189	pi cp	tb al	4.0	9.0	12.7	12.7	-1.0
Roark, Tanner 3261	pi sp	dc nl	4.0	5.0	20.0	20.0	3.0
Lee, Dae-Ho 3627	1b ph	sea al	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5
Sabathia, C.C. 1492	pi sp	nyy al	2.0	7.7	42.5	181.0	-3.7
Allen, Cody 3265	pi mr cp	cle al	2.0	6.0	11.0	11.0	-2.0
Wisler, Matt 3522	pi sp	atl nl	2.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	-1.0
Bethancourt, Christian 3407	ca ph	sd nl	1.5	2.5	3.5	3.5	0.5
Bautista, Jose 2169	rf	tor al	1.0	11.0	35.7	62.9	-9.0
Gee, Dillon 2808	pi sp	kc al	1.0	2.0	28.8	29.8	0.0
Watson, Tony 3215	pi mr	pit nl	1.0	2.0	5.0	5.0	0.0
Herrmann, Chris 3196	ca	ari nl	1.0	1.0	5.5	5.5	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Mets' Matz tops players for Wednesday, May 4; Yankees' Sabathia extends consecutive season streak to 16

Shawn Plank May 5, 2016

Mets pitcher Steven Matz is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 4:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	6.0
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	6.0
3	Altuve, Jose 3007	2b	hou al	5.0
4	Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	5.0
5	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	5.0
6	Quintana, Jose 3040	pi sp	chi al	4.7
7	Nola, Aaron 3569	pi sp	phi nl	4.7
8	Cespedes, Yoenis 3008	cf lf dh ph	nym nl	4.5
9	Suarez, Eugenio 3355	3b	cin nl	4.5
10	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	4.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Wednesday, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia extended his consecutive season streak earning Box-Toppers points to 16 and Jose Altuve of the Astros rose to lead American League players in Box-Toppers points.

Player of the Day—Matz struck out eight over 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, in the 8-0 win over the Braves. Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to fourth in season player rankings, third among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Corey Kluber pitched a complete game shutout, striking out seven and allowing five hits, in the 4-0 win over the Tigers.

National League Batter of the Day—Daniel Murphy of the Nationals homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 13-2 win over the Royals.

American League Batter of the Day—Jose Altuve of the Astros homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 16-4 win over the Twins. Altuve earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to third in season player rankings, first among all AL players.

Box-Toppers season streaks
Here are the players who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. Jason Giambi earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 19 straight seasons from 1995 to 2013, more than any other player. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.) Players are listed by duration of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total. 







  
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    
    Streak
    Player
    Pos
    Duration
    Career
BTP
  

    1
    19
    Jason Giambi
    1b
    1995-2013
    133.4
  

    2
    18
    Jim Thome
    1b dh
    1995-2012
    146.7
  

    2
    18
    Chipper Jones
    3b
    1995-2012
    149.0
  

    2
    18
    Johnny Damon
    lf
    1995-2012
    63.0
  

    2
    18
    Alex Rodriguez
    dh
    1996-2013
    187.0
  

    2
    18
    Carlos Beltran*
    rf
    1999-2016
    99.9
  

    7
    17
    Mariano Rivera
    pi cp
    1995-2011
    126.4
  

    7
    17
    Derek Jeter
    ss
    1996-2012
    76.4
  

    7
    17
    Paul Konerko
    1b
    1998-2014
    100.7
  

    7
    17
    Tim Hudson
    pi sp
    1999-2015
    157.0
  

    7
    17
    Torii Hunter
    cf
    1999-2015
    115.9
  

    12
    16
    Manny Ramirez
    lf
    1995-2010
    167.2
  

    12
    16
    Andy Pettitte
    pi sp
    1995-2010
    138.5
  

    12
    16
    Jamie Moyer
    pi sp
    1995-2010
    104.0
  

    12
    16
    Scott Rolen
    3b
    1996-2011
    97.6
  

    12
    16
    Kevin Millwood
    pi sp
    1997-2012
    108.3
  

    12
    16
    Derek Lowe
    pi sp
    1998-2013
    91.5
  

    12
    16
    David Ortiz*
    dh
    2000-2015
    137.9
  

    12
    16
    Aramis Ramirez
    3b
    2000-2015
    105.8
  

    12
    16
    Mark Buehrle*
    pi sp
    2000-2015
    116.7
  

    12
    16
    Albert Pujols*
    dh 1b
    2001-2016
    175.3
  

    12
    16
    Ichiro Suzuki*
    rf
    2001-2016
    52.7
  

    12
    16
    CC Sabathia*
    pi sp
    2001-2016
    180.0
  


BTP: Box-Toppers points

* Active streak


 

Streaks—Two players extended their lengthy consecutive season streaks earning Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday:

Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (7IP 6H 0R 6K W in the 7-0 win over the Orioles) has now earned Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons, tied for the 12th-longest streak since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. Sabathia earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2001 with the Indians and has 180.0 career points, ranked fifth among all players since 1995, second among all active players (behind teammate Alex Rodriguez, who has 187.0) and first among all active pitchers. His best year was 2008 with the Indians and Brewers, when he had 26.7 points, ranked first among all players. He had 5.7 points in 2015 with the Yankees.
Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays (HR 2-4 R 2BI in the 4-3 win over the Rangers) has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2005 with the Reds and has 60.1 career points, seventh among active AL designated hitters. His best season was 2015 with the Blue Jays when he had 10.4 points, fifth among AL batters.

Rankings—Eugenio Suarez of the Reds rose to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Suarez (HR 3-4 R 3BI in the 7-4 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.5 for the season. He ranks second among NL batters, behind Yoenis Cespedes of the Mets (4.5).

Debut—Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Lee (2HR 2-4 2R 3BI in the 9-8 win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut April 4 and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,627th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Kluber earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Murphy and Altuve 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/4
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.2
    Mets
    Steven Matz (W,4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    2
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    11.0
    Rockies
    Tyler Chatwood (W,4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    AL
    9.0
    Indians
    Corey Kluber (W,2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    7
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Nationals
    Daniel Murphy, 2B
    5
    4
    4
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Yankees
    CC Sabathia (W,2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Astros
    Jose Altuve, 2B
    5
    3
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Red Sox
    Clay Buchholz (W,1-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    2
    2
    2
    6
  

    
    3.0
    Reds
    Eugenio Suarez, 3B
    4
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mariners
    Dae-Ho Lee, 1B
    4
    2
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Marlins
    Giancarlo Stanton, RF
    3
    2
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Angels
    Joe Smith (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    Cardinals
    Kevin Siegrist (W,4-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    2.0
    Cubs
    Anthony Rizzo, 1B
    5
    3
    3
    1
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Rays
    Steve Pearce, 1B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Blue Jays
    Edwin Encarnacion, DH
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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


Player	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Altuve, Jose 3007	2b	hou al	5.0	12.0	21.5	21.5	-2.0
Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	5.0	8.5	8.5	8.5	1.5
Suarez, Eugenio 3355	3b	cin nl	4.5	7.5	10.0	10.0	1.5
Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	3.4	16.8	47.6	47.6	-10.0
Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	3.0	11.5	27.0	27.0	-5.5
Siegrist, Kevin 3260	pi mr cp	stl nl	3.0	7.0	9.0	9.0	-1.0
Chatwood, Tyler 2856	pi sp	col nl	3.0	3.0	12.7	12.7	3.0
Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	2.0	7.5	29.2	34.7	-3.5
Murphy, Daniel 2589	2b	dc nl	1.5	3.0	25.0	26.5	0.0
Encarnacion, Edwin 2098	dh	tor al	1.0	11.4	39.6	60.1	-9.4
Buchholz, Clay 2363	pi sp	bos al	1.0	7.0	35.2	54.9	-5.0
Sabathia, C.C. 1492	pi sp	nyy al	1.0	6.7	41.5	180.0	-4.7
Smith, Joe 2388	pi cp	ana al	1.0	4.0	12.0	13.0	-2.0
Pearce, Steve 2371	1b	tb al	1.0	3.5	13.0	15.0	-1.5
Lee, Dae-Ho 3627	1b	sea al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Mets' Matz tops players for Sunday, April 17; Rays' Moore tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 17, 2016

Mets pitcher Steven Matz is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 17:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
3	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
4	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
5	Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	3.0
6	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
7	Bettis, Chad 3481	pi sp	col nl	2.7
8	Ross, Joe 3499	pi sp	dc nl	2.7
9	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	2.7
10	Moore, Matt 2975	pi sp	tb al	2.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Matz struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 6-0 win over the Indians. Matz had a Box-Toppers game score of 11.0, tied with Rockies Tyler Chatwood, Player of the Game in his team’s 2-0 win over the Cubs (7IP 2H 0R 7K W), but Matz wins Player of the Day on a tiebreaker because he had more strikeouts—9 vs. 7.

American League Player of the Day—Rays pitcher Matt Moore struck out 10 over 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, in the 3-2 win over the White Sox. Moore earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, rising to 10th place in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Yasmany Tomas of the Diamondbacks hit a pair of homers and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-3 win over the Padres.

American League Batter of the Day—Jose Altuve of the Astros homered and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 5-4 win over the Tigers.

Notable—Phillies pitcher Charlie Morton rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Morton (6IP 4H R 6K ND in the 3-2 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.

Debut—Twins closing pitcher Michael Tonkin made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Tonkin (2IP 0H 0R 4K W in the 3-2 win over the Angels) made his Major League debut July 11, 2013, and was playing in his 63rd career game. He is the 3,615th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Moore earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Tomas and Altuve 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/17
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    Mets
    Steven Matz (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    9
  

    
    11.0
    Rockies
    Tyler Chatwood (W,2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    AL
    7.1
    Rays
    Matt Moore (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    5
    2
    2
    0
    10
  

    
    6.0
    Blue Jays
    Aaron Sanchez (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    4
    7
  

    
    6.0
    Twins
    Michael Tonkin (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Dbacks
    Yasmany Tomas, LF
    4
    3
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Dodgers
    Kenta Maeda (W,2-0) 
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    3
    7
  

    
    4.1
    Cardinals
    Kevin Siegrist (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    `Phillies
    Charlie Morton
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Yankees
    Andrew Miller (S,3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Pirates
    Gregory Polanco, RF
    4
    3
    3
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Braves
    Jace Peterson, 2B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Astros
    Jose Altuve, 2B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Athletics
    Jed Lowrie, DH
    1
    0
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games


Player	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	3.0	9.7	22.7	27.7	-3.7
Moore, Matt 2975	pi sp	tb al	2.7	2.7	28.2	28.2	2.7
Altuve, Jose 3007	2b	hou al	2.5	9.5	19.0	19.0	-4.5
Miller, Andrew 2436	pi cp	nyy al	2.0	6.0	10.0	17.0	-2.0
Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	2.0	5.5	5.5	5.5	-1.5
Maeda, Kenta 3609	pi sp	lad nl	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Tomas, Yasmany 3489	lf	ari nl	1.5	5.0	5.0	5.0	-2.0
Siegrist, Kevin 3260	pi mr	stl nl	1.0	5.0	7.0	7.0	-3.0
Peterson, Jace 3469	2b	atl nl	1.0	4.5	4.5	4.5	-2.5
Polanco, Gregory 3361	rf	pit nl	1.0	4.0	8.0	8.0	-2.0
Lowrie, Jed 2437	dh ss	oak al	1.0	3.5	16.5	27.0	-1.5
Sanchez, Aaron 3392	pi sp	tor al	1.0	3.0	5.0	5.0	-1.0
Chatwood, Tyler 2856	pi sp	col nl	1.0	1.0	10.7	10.7	1.0
Tonkin, Michael 3615	pi cp	min al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Mets' Steven Matz tops players in Friday, April 1's spring training games

Shawn Plank April 2, 2016

Mets pitcher Steven Matz is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Friday.

Matz struck out six over five scoreless innings, allowing no hits, in the 8-1 win over the Cubs. Matz had 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Mets.

American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Hector Santiago pitched five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out four, in the 5-1 win over the Dodgers. Santiago had 8.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Angels.

American League Batter of the Day—Anthony Gose of the Tigers hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-3, scoring twice, in the 9-4 win over the Rays. Gose has played in 342 regular season Major League games, but has yet to earn Player of the Game honors and so has no career Box-Toppers points.

National League Batter of the Day—Rickie Weeks of the Diamondbacks doubled and went 2-for-3, driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Royals. Weeks had 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2015 with the Mariners. He has 36.1 career Box-Toppers points since 2005. His best year was 2007 with the Brewers when he had 6.2 points.

Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Matz would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Santiago would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Gose and Weeks would each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s top Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Note—Fourteen spring training games were scheduled for Thursday—12 are listed below. Two games are not included because they ended in ties (Rays vs. Braves and Rockies vs. Mariners).

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/1
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.0
    Mets
    Steven Matz (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    0
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    AL
    6.0
    Angels
    Héctor Santiago (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Tigers
    Anthony Gose CF
    3
    2
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Giants
    Jake Peavy (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    4.2
    Indians
    Cody Anderson (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    3
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    4.0
    Astros
    Josh Fields (SV, 1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Orioles
    Garabez Rosa 2B
    3
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Yankees
    Lane Adams PH-DH
    1
    1
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Nationals
    Jonathan Papelbon (SV, 1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Red Sox
    Luis Ysla (SV, 1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    White Sox
    Nate Jones (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    BAT
    1.0
    Dbacks
    Rickie Weeks DH
    3
    0
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

In 2015, pitchers had more Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors than batters

Shawn Plank January 29, 2016

Analysis of the 2,429 games played and tracked by Box-Toppers in 2015 shows pitchers bested batters with more Player of the Game honors, more Box-Toppers points and far and away the most Player of the Day honors.

Royals' Ryan Madson, with perfect 7th inning, tops players in World Series Game 4, Saturday, Oct. 31

Shawn Plank November 1, 2015

Royals pitcher Ryan Madson pitched a perfect seventh inning, striking out two and picking up the win, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors Saturday in World Series Game 4.

The Kansas City Royals came from behind, scoring three runs in the eighth inning, to beat the New York Mets, 5-3. The Royals take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.

Madson entered the game with the Royals trailing 3-2 and retired the side on 16 pitches, striking out Travis d’Arnaud of Michael Conforto, who had homered in his previous two at bats. After Madson exited, the Royals scored three runs in the eighth, making Madson the pitcher of record and allowing him to pick up the win.

Madson had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0, highest among Royals players. Closer Wade Davis, who pitched two innings to earn the save, was leading Madson in the ninth inning in Box-Toppers game score until he gave up two hits. Davis had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score among Royals of +2.0.

Catcher Salvador Perez had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Royals batters of +1.0 (2B 3-4 R BI).

Madson, during the regular season, had 0.0 Box-Toppers points. In fact, Madson has not earned Box-Toppers points since the last time he was Player of the Game more than four years ago—May 30, 2011, when he was with the Phillies. Madson has 20.7 career Box-Toppers points from 2004 to 2011, all with the Phillies.

Royals starting pitcher Chris Young had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 (4IP 2H 2R BB 3K ND). Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz had a Box-Toppers game score of −1.0. (5IP 7H 2R 5K ND).

Left fielder Michael Conforto had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Mets players of +3.0 (2HR 2-3 2R 2BI). Mets middle reliever Tyler Clippard, who picked up the loss pitching in the eighth inning, had the lowest Box-Toppers game score of the night of −5.9 (0.1IP 0H 2R 2BB 0K L).

Top Royals in World Series Game 4

Here are the Box-Toppers game score of all Royals who played in World Series Game 4 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score (pitchers are listed twice—once for batting and once for pitching). Ryan Madson is Player of the Game (POG).

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    10/31
    Score
    Team
    Players
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    POG
    3.0
    Royals
    Ryan Madson (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Wade Davis (S,4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    1.0
    Royals
    Salvador Perez, C
    4
    1
    3
    1
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Royals
    Luke Hochevar
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
  

    
    0.0
    Royals
    Lorenzo Cain, CF
    3
    1
    1
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Royals
    Ben Zobrist, 2B
    3
    2
    1
    0
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Royals
    Kendrys Morales, PH
    1
    0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Royals
    Chris Young
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.0
    2
    2
    2
    1
    3
  

    
    0.0
    Royals
    Danny Duffy, P
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Royals
    Luke Hochevar, P
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Royals
    Ryan Madson, P
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    Royals
    Paulo Orlando, RF
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    Royals
    Chris Young, P
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    Royals
    Jarrod Dyson, PH
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    Royals
    Wade Davis, P
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    Royals
    Mike Moustakas, 3B
    4
    0
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    Royals
    Alex Gordon, LF
    4
    0
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    Royals
    Danny Duffy
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    2
    1
    1
    0
    1
  

    
    -3.0
    Royals
    Eric Hosmer, 1B
    4
    1
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -3.0
    Royals
    Alex Rios, RF
    3
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -4.0
    Royals
    Alcides Escobar, SS
    5
    0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Coming Sunday in New York:

World Series Game 5, Royals lead Mets, 3-1

The pitching match-up Sunday:

Royals—Edinson Volquez, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, 105th among all players, 39th among AL pitchers. Volquez has been Player of the Game once during the postseason—on Oct. 16, he was top player in the American League Championship Series Game 1.

Mets—Matt Harvey, 15.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers. Harvey has been Player of the Game once during the postseason—on Oct. 17, he was top player in the National League Championship Series Game 1.

This is a rematch of World Series Game 1, which the Royals won 5-4 in 14 innings. Neither starting pitcher was particularly effective. Volquez had a Box-Toppers game score of −4.0 and Harvey had a Box-Toppers game score of −5.0.

World Series preview

Box-Toppers season-end player rankings report

Box-Toppers point totals of all Royals players active at season's end

Box-Toppers point totals of all Mets players active at season's end

Mets' David Wright (HR 2-5 4BI) tops players in World Series Game 3, Friday, Oct. 30

Shawn Plank October 31, 2015

David Wright hit a two-run homer and drove in four total runs as the New York Mets won Game 3 of the World Series Friday, beating the Kansas City Royals, 9-3.

Wright, who also had two hits, is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Game as the Royals now lead the Mets 2-1 in the best-of-seven games series.

Wright had a Box-Toppers game score Friday of +2.0, tied for the highest among Mets players with two other batters, Curtis Granderson (HR 2-3 3R 2BI) and Juan Uribe (1-1 R BI). But Wright beat both his teammates on tiebreakers—Wright beat Granderson because he had more runs batted in (4 vs. 2) and he beat Uribe because he had more at bats (5 vs. 1).

Pitcher Jeurys Familia also had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0. But in cases of Box-Toppers game score ties, batters hold the tiebreaker over pitchers under Box-Toppers rules. Also, Familia did not qualify to earn Player of the Game because he did not have at least three innings pitched and did not earn the win or save.

Wright, during the regular season had 0.0 Box-Toppers points, playing in only 38 games due to injury. It is the first time this postseason he has earned Player of the Game honors. In fact, it is the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors since July 11, 2014. That was the only time during the 2014 season that Wright earned Player of the Game honors, giving him 1.5 Box-Toppers points for 2014. Wright does have 74.1 career Box-Toppers points, second among active National League third basemen, and had regular season Box-Toppers points for 11 straight seasons from 2004 to 2014.

Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard picked up the win but had the second-lowest Box-Toppers game score Friday of all Mets players of −3.0 (6IP 7H 3R 2BB 6K). However, Syndergaard had a higher Box-Toppers game score for batting of 0.0 (1-2 R).

Royals starting pitcher Yordano Ventura picked up the loss and had the lowest Box-Toppers game score among all players Friday of −12.9 (3.1IP 7H 5R BB 2K). Alex Rios had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Royals players eligible to earn Player of the Game honors of 0.0 (1-3 R BI).

Top Mets in World Series Game 3

Here are the Box-Toppers game score of all Mets who played in World Series Game 3 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score (pitchers are listed twice—once for batting and once for pitching). David Wright is Player of the Game (POG).

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    10/30
    Score
    Team
    Players
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    POG
    2.0
    Mets
    David Wright, 3B
    5
    1
    2
    4
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Mets
    Curtis Granderson, RF
    5
    3
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Mets
    Juan Uribe, PH
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Mets
    Jeurys Familia
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Mets
    Addison Reed
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
  

    
    1.0
    Mets
    Tyler Clippard
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
  

    
    0.0
    Mets
    Michael Conforto, LF
    2
    0
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Mets
    Juan Lagares, PH-CF
    2
    1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Mets
    Noah Syndergaard, P
    2
    1
    1
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Mets
    Addison Reed, P
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Mets
    Tyler Clippard, P
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Mets
    Jeurys Familia, P
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    0
  

    
    -1.0
    Mets
    Yoenis Cespedes, CF-LF
    3
    0
    1
    1
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    Mets
    Kirk Nieuwenhuis, PH
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    Mets
    Travis d'Arnaud, C
    4
    0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    Mets
    Lucas Duda, 1B
    4
    1
    1
    0
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    Mets
    Wilmer Flores, SS
    3
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -3.0
    Mets
    Noah Syndergaard (W,2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    7
    3
    3
    2
    6
  

    
    -4.0
    Mets
    Daniel Murphy, 2B
    4
    0
    0
    0
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Coming Saturday in New York:

World Series Game 4, Royals lead Mets, 2-1

The pitching match-up Saturday:

Royals—Chris Young, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, 78th among all players, 29th among AL pitchers. Young was Player of the Game in World Series Game 1.

Mets—Steven Matz, 3.5 Box-Toppers points, 298th among all players, 76th among NL pitchers.

World Series preview (Corrected 10/31: Previously, David Wright’s 2015 Box-Toppers point total was listed as 1.5, which was his total during 2014. Wright actually had 0.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015)

Box-Toppers season-end player rankings report

Box-Toppers point totals of all Royals players active at season's end

Box-Toppers point totals of all Mets players active at season's end

In World Series, Royals rank higher in Box-Toppers ratings, but Mets have a big edge in starting pitching

Shawn Plank October 27, 2015

Royals rank 2nd in Box-Toppers team rankings, Mets rank 7th. But Mets' top four starters have edge in combined Box-Toppers points over Royals' top four—54.9 vs. 39.5.

Mets' deGrom, Royals' Escobar top players in Tuesday, Oct. 20's league championship games

Shawn Plank October 21, 2015

Jacob deGrom struck out seven over seven innings, allowing two runs and four hits to lead the Mets to a win Tuesday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

deGrom is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Tuesday, while Alcides Escobar was Player of the Game in the Royals Game 4 win over the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series.

National League Championship Series Game 3: Mets 5, Cubs 2

deGrom had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.0 to lead all Mets players, as the Mets took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Yoenis Cespedes had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Mets batters of +1.0 (2B 3-5 R 2BI).

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

It is the second time this postseason deGrom has 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 Dodgers.

The series resumes Wednesday with Game 4 in Chicago (more details below).

American League Championship Series Game 4: Royals 14, Blue Jays 2

Alcides Escobar went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in four runs, as the Royals took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series.

Escobar had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0, highest among Royals players. Lorenzo Cain had the second-highest score of +3.0 (2-3 R 3BI).

During the regular season, Escobar had 3.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 283rd among all players, 60th among AL batters and fifth among AL shortstops.

The series resumes Wednesday with Game 5 in Toronto (more details below).

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    10/20
    Score
    Team
    Players
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    POG
    5.0
    Mets
    Jacob deGrom (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    2
    2
    1
    7
  

    POG
    4.0
    Royals
    Alcides Escobar, SS 
    3
    1
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Coming Wednesday:

ALCS Game 5, Royals lead Blue Jays, 3-1

The pitching match-up Wednesday:

Royals—Edinson Volquez, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, 105th among all players, 39th among AL pitchers. Volquez was Player of the Game in the ALCS Game 1 win over the Blue Jays.

Blue Jays—Marco Estrada, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, 85th among all players, 34th among AL pitchers.

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

NLCS Game 4, Mets lead Cubs, 3-0

The pitching match-up Wednesday:

Mets—Steven Matz, 3.5 Box-Toppers points, 298th among all players, 76th among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Jason Hammel, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 52nd among all players, 22nd among NL pitchers.

Oct. 21, 2015 is the day in the “Back to the Future” movies in which the Cubs are predicted to win the World Series in a sweep over Miami, a city without a Major League team in the 1980s when the movies were made. It could actually be the day in which the Cubs are swept in the NLCS.

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

Mets' Travis d'Arnaud tops player in Monday, Oct. 12's divisional playoff games

Shawn Plank October 13, 2015

Travis d’Arnaud of the Mets is Box-Toppers top player in Monday’s four league division series playoff games.

Other Players of the Game Monday:

Jorge Soler of the Cubs
Royals closing pitcher Wade Davis
Kevin Pillar of the Blue Jays

National League Division Series Game 3: Mets 13, Dodgers 7

Travis d’Arnaud of the Mets homered and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs to earn overall Player of the Day honors Monday.

During the regular season, d’Arnaud had 2.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 381st among all players, 189th among NL batters and ninth among NL catchers.

d’Arnaud had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0, the same as teammate Yoenis Cespedes, who had a similar batting line (HR 3-5 3R 3BI), but d’Arnaud won Player of the Game honors on a low-level tie-breaker—he left fewer runners on base than Cespedes—zero vs. one.

D’Arnaud’s Box-Toppers game score of +4.0 is also tied with Players of the Game in two other games—Jorge Soler of the Cubs and Royals pitcher Wade Davis. But d’Arnaud beat Soler because he had more at bats (five vs. two) and he beat Davis because in cases of Box-Toppers game score ties, batters beat pitchers.

The Mets now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-1, which resumes Tuesday in New York.

National League Division Series Game 3: Cubs 8, Cardinals 6

Jorge Soler of the Cubs hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-2, to earn Player of the Game honors.

During the regular season, Soler had 3.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked 306th among all players, 70th among NL batters and 33rd among NL outfielders.

Box-Toppers points leader Jake Arrieta (29.1) started the game for the Cubs. Arrieta (5.2IP 5H 4R 9K W) had a Box-Toppers game score of −0.8. It is the first time since Aug. 15 that Arrieta did not earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in a start. He had 10 straight starts in which he earned Player of the Game honors, including in the postseason on Oct. 7, when he was Player of the Game in the NL Wild Card Game. In his final nine starts of the regular season, Arrieta earned 14.7 Box-Toppers points.

The Cubs now lead the best-of-five game series, 2-1, which resumes Tuesday in Chicago.

American League Division Series Game 4: Royals 9, Astros 6

Royals closing pitcher Wade Davis struck out three over two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and picking up the save, to earn Player of the Game honors.

During the regular season, Davis had 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 235th among all players, 74th among AL pitchers and ninth among AL closing pitchers.

The best-of-five game series is now tied 2-2 and concludes Wednesday in Kansas City.

American League Division Series Game 4: Blue Jays 8, Rangers 4

Kevin Pillar homered and went 3-for-4, driving in three runs to earn Player of the Game honors.

During the regular season, Pillar had 3.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 300th among all players, 68th among AL batters and 22nd among AL outfielders.

Blue Jays pitcher David Price, ranked second among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points (21.1) pitched three innings of middle relief. Price (3IP 6H 3R 2K W) had a Box-Toppers game score of −7.0.

The best-of-five game series is now tied 2-2 and concludes Wednesday in Toronto.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    10/12
    Score
    Team
    Players
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    POG
    4.0
    Mets
    Travis d'Arnaud, C
    5
    3
    3
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    POG
    4.0
    Cubs
    Jorge Soler, RF
    2
    2
    2
    2
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    POG
    4.0
    Royals
    Wade Davis (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    POG
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Kevin Pillar, CF
    4
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Coming Tuesday, the NL Division Series playoff games resume:

NL Division Series Game 4, Cubs lead Cardinals, 2-1

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Cardinals—John Lackey, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 51st among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Jason Hammel, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, 52nd among all players, 22nd among NL pitchers. (Though Lackey and Hammel have the same Box-Toppers point totals for 2015, Lackey places higher because he holds the tiebreaker—he had more Box-Toppers points in 2014, 10.7 vs. 10.4.)

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

NL Division Series Game 4, Mets lead Dodgers, 2-1

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 25.7 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Mets—Steven Matz, 3.5 Box-Toppers points, 298th among all players, 76th 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.

Mets' Steven Matz (6IP 0R 8K) tops players for Sunday, July 5

Shawn Plank July 6, 2015

Mets pitcher Steven Matz is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Sunday, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose to 36th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 5.


	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	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	12.1
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
5	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	11.4
7	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
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?

Player of the Day—Matz pitched six scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing two hits, in the 8-0 win over the Dodgers.

American League Player of the Day—Kole Calhoun of the Angels hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 12-6 win over the Rangers.

National League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies homered and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Sunday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter (Kole Calhoun).

Notable—Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose to 36th place in Box-Toppers points among players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Hamels (7IP 0R 6H 6K ND in the 4-0, 10-inning win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 118.8 for his career. With his point Sunday, he passes Justin Verlander (118.2) on the “all-time” list and now trails 34th-place player Cliff Lee (119.1). Hamels ranks 25th among all pitchers since 1995 and 12th among active pitchers.

Hamels also has the highest Box-Toppers season player ranking of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday. Hamels has 8.0 Box-Toppers points on the season and ranks 18th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.

Debut—Curt Casali of the Rays made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Casali (2B 1-2 R BI in the 8-1 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut July 18, 2014, and was playing in his 40th career game. He is the 3,524th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Calhoun earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Gonzalez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/5
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    Mets
    Steven Matz (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    
    9.0
    Nationals
    Jordan Zimmermann (W, 7-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    8
  

    
    8.0
    Cardinals
    Lance Lynn (W, 6-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    0
    3
    8
  

    
    7.1
    Cubs
    Kyle Hendricks (W, 4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    7.0
    `Phillies
    Cole Hamels
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Brewers
    Taylor Jungmann (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    4
  

    AL
    3.0
    Angels
    Kole Calhoun RF
    5
    2
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Rockies
    Carlos Gonzalez RF
    4
    2
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Devon Travis 2B
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `Red Sox
    Eduardo Rodriguez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    6
    1
    1
    2
    8
  

    
    2.0
    Orioles
    Steve Pearce 1B RF
    4
    2
    3
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Rays
    Curt Casali C
    2
    1
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Pirates
    Mark Melancon (S, 27)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Royals
    Alex Gordon LF
    2
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Mariners
    Seth Smith RF
    2
    0
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Orioles' Jimenez tops players for Sunday, June 28; Dodgers' Greinke rises to 23rd in Box-Toppers 'all-time' rankings

Shawn Plank June 29, 2015

Orioles pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Sunday, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rose to 23rd place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 28.


	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	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
6	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	11.1
7	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
8	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	10.4
9	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	9.7
10	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Jimenez pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven, in the 4-0 win over the Indians.

National League Player of the Day—Braves pitcher Alex Wood pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out eight, in the 2-1 win over the Pirates.

National League Batter of the Day—Mets pitcher Steven Matz doubled and went 3-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 7-2 win over the Reds. Matz is the fourth pitcher this year to earn Player of the Game honors for batting (it was done eight times in 2014).

This was also Matz’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. It was also his Major League debut. He is the 3,516th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

American League Batter of the Day—Salvador Perez of the Royals homered and went 1-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 5-3 win over the Athletics.

Notable—Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rose to 23rd place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers record keeping began) after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Greinke (7.2IP 4H 0R 6K W in the 2-0 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 133.7 for his career. With his point Sunday, he passes three players on Box-Toppers “all-time” player rankings list: Miguel Cabrera (132.9), Jason Giambi (133.4) and David Ortiz (133.4). He trails 22nd-ranked player Bartolo Colon (136.4). Greinke ranks 17th among all pitchers since 1995.

Greinke also has 8.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, ranked 14th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.

Rankings—Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Martinez (6IP 2H R 6K W in the 4-1 win over the Cubs) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers. He is the eighth player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Also, three pitchers with more than 10.0 Box-Toppers points this season started Sunday but did not earn Player of the Game honors:

Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (ranked second with 13.4 Box-Toppers points) did not earn Player of the Game honors in his team’s 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Angels. Hernandez (6IP H 0R 8K ND) had a Box-Toppers game score of 10. Player of the Game was Angels pitcher Hector Santiago (7IP 3H R 6 ND) who had a lower Box-Toppers game score of 6, but had the highest game score of any player on the Angels, the winning team.
Rays pitcher Chris Archer (ranked third with 12.0 Box-Toppers points) did not earn Player of the Game honors in his team’s 5-3 loss to the Red Sox. Archer (6IP 5H 5R 10K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of 0. Player of the Game was Red Sox pitcher Justin Masterson (5IP 5H R 6K W) who had a Box-Toppers game score of 5.
Tigers pitcher David Price (ranked sixth with 11.1 Box-Toppers points) did not earn Player of the Game honors in his team’s 5-4 win over the White Sox. Price (6IP 6H 4R 5K ND) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3. Player of the Game was Tigers closing pitcher Joakim Soria (1IP 0H 0R K W) who had a Box-Toppers game score of 2.

Debut—In addition to Matz, two other players made their Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Jake Lamb of the Diamondbacks (HR 2-4 2R 2BI in the 6-4 win over the Padres) made his Major League debut Aug. 7, 2014, and was playing in his 64th career game. He is the 3,517th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Mets pitcher Logan Verrett (2IP H 0R K ND in the 2-1 win over the Reds) made his Major League debut April 8 and was playing in his eighth career game. He is the 3,518th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    6/28
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    Orioles
    Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 7-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    7
  

    NL
    10.1
    Braves
    Alex Wood (W, 5-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    5
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    10.0
    Astros
    Collin McHugh (W, 9-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    1
    1
    2
    8
  

    
    9.0
    Orioles
    Chris Tillman (W, 6-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    8.2
    Dodgers
    Zack Greinke (W, 6-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    4
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    7.0
    Nationals
    Stephen Strasburg (W, 5-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    2
    2
    1
    9
  

    
    6.0
    `Angels
    Hector Santiago
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    2
    6
  

    
    5.2
    Blue Jays
    Drew Hutchison (W, 8-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    4
    1
    0
    3
    8
  

    
    5.0
    Cardinals
    Carlos Martinez (W, 9-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    1
    1
    3
    6
  

    
    5.0
    Red Sox
    Justin Masterson (W, 3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    5
    1
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    4.2
    Giants
    Madison Bumgarner (W, 8-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    5
    2
    2
    2
    8
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Mets
    Steven Matz   P
    3
    0
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Dbacks
    Jake Lamb   3B
    4
    2
    2
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Royals
    Salvador Perez   C
    4
    2
    1
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Brewers
    Ryan Braun RF
    2
    1
    1
    2
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    `Mets
    Logan Verrett
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Tigers
    Joakim Soria (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Phillies
    Odubel Herrera   CF
    5
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

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

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Box-Toppers season streaks

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 Players of the Games

Top player from each game

Top Royals in World Series Game 4

World Series Game 5, Royals lead Mets, 3-1

Top Mets in World Series Game 3

World Series Game 4, Royals lead Mets, 2-1

National League Championship Series Game 3: Mets 5, Cubs 2

American League Championship Series Game 4: Royals 14, Blue Jays 2

Top player from each game

ALCS Game 5, Royals lead Blue Jays, 3-1

NLCS Game 4, Mets lead Cubs, 3-0

National League Division Series Game 3: Mets 13, Dodgers 7

National League Division Series Game 3: Cubs 8, Cardinals 6

American League Division Series Game 4: Royals 9, Astros 6

American League Division Series Game 4: Blue Jays 8, Rangers 4

Top player from each game

NL Division Series Game 4, Cubs lead Cardinals, 2-1

NL Division Series Game 4, Mets lead Dodgers, 2-1

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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.