Mariners' Iwakuma tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 3; Nationals' Scherzer edges closer to Kershaw's lead

Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma 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 Aug. 3:  


 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 14.5
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 12.4
9 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 11.0
10 Syndergaard, Noah 3472 pi sp nym nl 11.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Wednesday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, ranked second among players in Box-Toppers points this season, got within striking distance of overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, after earning National League Player of the Day honors.

Player of the Day—Iwakuma pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing five hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing three runs, four hits and one walk, in the 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Scherzer earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 18.7 for the season, maintaining second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. With his points Wednesday, he now has the chance to pass overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.0 Box-Toppers points) on his next start. 

Scherzer’s 1.3-point gap behind Kershaw is the closest any player has been to the leader since May 22, when Kershaw had 10.0 Box-Toppers points and Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta trailed him in second place with 8.7 (Arrieta now has 10.7 points, 11th among all players). Kershaw has led all players since May 7, but last earned Box-Toppers points on June 20 before going on the disabled list June 27. On Wednesday, he was retroactively placed on the 60-day disabled list, eligible to return Aug. 27.

Scherzer also now has 124.7 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 37th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Wednesday, he passes Gary Sheffield (124.1) on the “all-time” list and now trails 36th-ranked player, Angels pitcher Jered Weaver (125.1).

American League Batter of the Day—Joe Mauer of the Twins hit two doubles and tripled, going 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 13-5 win over the Indians.

This was Mauer’s first Player of the Game honor in 2016 and he has now earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons, all with the Twins. He earned his first points in 2004 and has 70.6 career points, 11th among active AL batters. His best season was 2008 when he had 9.5 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL batters. In 2015, he had 2.5 points.

National League Batter of the Day—Yangervis Solarte of the Padres homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 12-3 win over the Brewers.

Notable—Besides Scherzer, two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday:

  • Albert Pujols of the Angels (HR 2B 3-5 2R 3BI in the 8-6 win over the Athletics) now has 181.3 career Box-Toppers points, ranked sixth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began (see updated list of the overall top 20 players in career points). He now trails fifth-place player, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (182.0), by only 0.7 points. Pujols has 7.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 10th among AL batters.
  • Cubs pitcher John Lackey (7IP 7H 3R 0BB 8K ND in the 5-4 win over the Marlins) rises to 40th place in career Box-Toppers points (118.2) among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes two players on the “all-time” list, Barry Zito (117.4) and Carlos Delgado (117.7) and now trails 39th-ranked player Cliff Lee (119.1). Lackey also becomes the 19th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points—he has 10.4 and ranks 14th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.

Streak—Ryan Howard has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons—all with the Phillies—after earning his first Player of the Game honor of the season Wednesday.

Howard (HR 3-4 R BI in the 5-4, 12-inning win over the Giants) earned his first points in 2005 and has 97.7 career points, second among active NL batters, trailing Matt Holliday of the Cardinals (97.8) by 0.1 point. Howard’s best season was 2009 when he had 15.4 points, third among NL batters. In 2015, he had 5.5 points.

Scoring—Iwakuma earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Scherzer earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Mauer and Solarte each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

8/3 Score Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.1 SEA 3, BOS 1 Hisashi Iwakuma (W,12-7) - - - - 7.1 5 0 0 0 7
NL 8.0 WSH 8, ARI 3 Max Scherzer (W,12-6) - - - - 8.0 4 3 3 1 11
8.0 TOR 3, HOU 1 Marco Estrada (W,7-4) - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 0 7
8.0 TB 12, KC 0 Jake Odorizzi (W,6-5) - - - - 6.0 2 0 0 2 6
6.1 NYY 9, NYM 5 Luis Severino (W,1-6) - - - - 4.1 1 1 0 1 5
BAT 5.0 MIN 13, CLE 5 Joe Mauer, 1B 5 2 4 4 - - - - - -
BAT 5.0 SD 12, MIL 3 Yangervis Solarte, 3B 5 4 3 3 - - - - - -
5.0 COL 12, LAD 2 Nolan Arenado, 3B 3 3 2 3 - - - - - -
3.1 DET 2, CHW 1 Shane Greene (W,2-2) - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 LAA 8, OAK 6 Albert Pujols, DH 5 2 3 3 - - - - - -
2.0 ATL 8, PIT 4 Ender Inciarte, CF 4 2 3 1 - - - - - -
2.0 BAL 3, TEX 2 Kevin Gausman (W,3-8) - - - - 7.0 7 2 2 1 7
2.0 `CHC 5, MIA 4 John Lackey - - - - 7.0 7 3 3 0 8
1.0 PHI 5, SF 4 (12) Ryan Howard, 1B 4 1 3 1 - - - - - -
1.0 STL 5, CIN 4 Brandon Moss, 1B 4 1 2 2 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

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

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).  

Player of Game Pos Team 16 15-16 11-16 Career +/-
Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 18.7 39.7 104.3 124.7 -2.3
Lackey, John 1640 pi sp chi nl 10.4 20.1 39.8 118.2 0.7
Estrada, Marco 2847 pi sp tor al 7.0 15.0 39.1 39.1 -1.0
Pujols, Albert 1438 dh 1b ana al 7.0 14.0 44.0 181.3 0.0
Arenado, Nolan 3306 3b col nl 6.5 15.0 16.5 16.5 -2.0
Gausman, Kevin 3191 pi sp bal al 5.4 11.1 18.8 18.8 -0.3
Odorizzi, Jake 3291 pi sp tb al 4.7 13.4 24.4 24.4 -4.0
Iwakuma, Hisashi 3048 pi sp sea al 4.0 17.1 52.2 52.2 -9.1
Solarte, Yangervis 3304 3b sd nl 3.0 8.0 9.0 9.0 -2.0
Greene, Shane 3381 pi sp det al 3.0 6.0 13.0 13.0 0.0
Moss, Brandon 2520 rf lf 1b stl nl 2.5 7.5 23.5 25.5 -2.5
Mauer, Joe 1869 1b min al 1.5 4.0 26.0 70.6 -1.0
Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 1.0 6.5 31.4 97.7 -4.5
Inciarte, Ender 3360 cf atl nl 1.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 -2.0
Severino, Luis 3567 pi mr sp nyy al 1.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 -2.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Nationals' Max Scherzer ‘most worthy but unchosen' player for 2016 All-Star Game

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Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league in both the 2016 season the combined 2015-16 seasons.

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Twins' Gibson tops players for Tuesday, June 28; Kluber, Hamels rise in Box-Toppers top 10 rankings

Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

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


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 20.0
2 Fernandez, Jose 3147 pi sp fla nl 13.4
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 11.7
4 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 10.8
5 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 10.7
6 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.7
7 Hamels, Cole 2135 pi sp tex al 10.4
8 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 10.0
9 Syndergaard, Noah 3472 pi sp nym nl 10.0
10 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp ari nl 9.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Tuesday, Indians pitcher Corey Kluber rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings (first among American League pitchers) and Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels rises to seventh place. Plus, Matt Carpenter took the lead Tuesday in season Box-Toppers points among National League batters.

Player of the Day—Gibson pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing five hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the White Sox.

National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester allowed one run over 7 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and one walk, striking out four, in the 7-2, 15-inning win over the Reds. Lester did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because even though the Cubs led when he exited, the Indians later tied the game before the Cubs went ahead with the winning runs in the 15th inning.

Lester earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 130.8 for his career, rising to 29th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Tuesday, he passes Trevor Hoffman (129.4) on the “all-time” list. He now trails 28th-ranked player Jason Giambi (133.4). Lester has 9.7 Box-Toppers points for the season, 11th among all players and eighth among NL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros hit a three-run homer and a double and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five total runs, in the 7-1 win over the Angels.

National League Batter of the Day—Adrian Gonzalez doubled and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 6-5 win over the Brewers.

Gonzalez has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of the 2016 season Tuesday. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Padres and has 67.6 career points, third among active NL first basemen (behind Matt Holliday of the Cardinals, 97.8 and Ryan Howard of the Phillies, 96.7). Gonzalez’s best season was 2010 with the Padres when he had 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ninth among NL batters. He had 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Dodgers.

Rankings—Two players rise in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday, becoming the eighth and ninth players this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points:

  • Indians pitcher Corey Kluber (8IP 3H 2R BB 7K W in the 5-3 win over the Braves) rises to fourth place in player rankings. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.8 for the season. He also takes the Box-Toppers points lead among AL pitchers, passing previous leader, Chris Sale of the White Sox (10.7).
  • Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (7IP 6H 0R BB 7K W in the 7-1 win over the Yankees) rises to seventh place in player rankings. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. Hamels also now has 136.6 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 27th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 26th-ranked player Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (136.9). It is the 11th straight season Hamels has earned 10 or more Box-Toppers points. In fact, Hamels has had 10 or more points each season since he made his Box-Toppers debut in 2006.

Notable—Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals took the season lead in Box-Toppers points among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Carpenter (HR 2-3 2R 2BI n the 8-4 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.5 for the season. He passes Eugenio Suarez of the Reds (7.0) for the lead among NL batters. Carpenter ranks 23rd among all players.

Debut—Hyun Soo Kim of the Orioles made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Kim (HR 2B 2-3 2R 3BI in the 11-7 win over the Padres) made his Major League debut April 10 and was playing in his 37th career game. He is the 3,671st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/28 Score Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 8.0 MIN 4/CHW 0 Kyle Gibson (W,1-5) - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 1 7
7.0 CLE 5/ATL 3 Corey Kluber (W,8-7) - - - - 8.0 3 2 2 1 7
7.0 TEX 7/NYY 1 Cole Hamels (W,9-1) - - - - 7.0 6 0 0 1 7
NL 5.2 `CHC 7/CIN 2 Jon Lester - - - - 7.2 3 1 1 1 4
BAT 5.0 HOU 7/LAA 1 Carlos Correa, SS 4 2 3 4 - - - - - -
4.0 BOS 8/TB 2 Travis Shaw, 3B 5 1 3 5 - - - - - -
4.0 BAL 11/SD 7 Hyun Soo Kim, LF 3 2 2 3 - - - - - -
4.0 OAK 13/SF 11 Stephen Vogt, C-1B 3 3 2 2 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 LAD 6/MIL 5 Adrian Gonzalez, 1B 3 2 3 1 - - - - - -
3.0 STL 8/KC 4 Matt Carpenter, 2B 3 2 2 2 - - - - - -
2.0 TOR 14/COL 9 Russell Martin, C 5 3 3 1 - - - - - -
2.0 DET 7/MIA 5 Nick Castellanos, 3B 4 1 3 2 - - - - - -
2.0 SEA 5/PIT 2 Robinson Cano, 2B 4 2 3 1 - - - - - -
2.0 DC 5/NYM 0 Bryce Harper, RF 4 2 2 2 - - - - - -
1.0 PHI 4/ARI 3 Andres Blanco, 2B 2 1 1 1 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

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

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 +/-
Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 10.8 24.2 55.0 55.0 -2.6
Hamels, Cole 2135 pi sp tex al 10.4 25.8 77.4 136.6 -5.0
Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp chi nl 9.7 21.7 67.9 130.8 -2.3
Carpenter, Matt 2987 3b 1b 2b stl nl 7.5 13.0 27.5 27.5 2.0
Martin, Russell 2202 ca tor al 7.0 12.0 28.5 49.5 2.0
Correa, Carlos 3506 ss hou al 6.7 13.9 13.9 13.9 -0.5
Cano, Robinson 2092 2b sea al 5.5 12.0 41.0 72.9 -1.0
Castellanos, Nick 3349 3b det al 4.0 10.2 12.2 12.2 -2.2
Shaw, Travis 3544 1b 3b bos al 3.5 7.7 7.7 7.7 -0.7
Harper, Bryce 3011 rf dc nl 3.0 12.0 27.4 27.4 -6.0
Blanco, Andres 2980 ss 3b 2b phi nl 3.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 2.0
Gibson, Kyle 3312 pi sp min al 2.0 10.0 16.0 16.0 -6.0
Gonzalez, Adrian 2193 1b lad nl 1.5 5.5 32.2 68.1 -2.5
Vogt, Stephen 3503 ca 1b oak al 1.0 3.5 3.5 3.5 -1.5
Kim, Hyun Soo 3671 lf bal al 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

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Eight AL players and five NL players occupy All-Star spots at their position in both the 2016 season and the combined 2015-16 seasons.

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A look at leaders in Box-Toppers points by position and league over both 2016 and 2015-16.

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Rays' Moore tops players for Sunday, June 12; Indians' Salazar rises to lead AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points

Rays pitcher Matt Moore is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Sunday, Indians pitcher Danny Salazar rises to lead American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of June 12:  


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 17.0
2 Fernandez, Jose 3147 pi sp fla nl 11.7
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 9.0
4 Salazar, Danny 3223 pi sp cle al 8.8
5 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 8.7
6 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.7
7 Machado, Manny 3087 ss 3b bal al 8.7
8 Matz, Steven 3516 pi sp nym nl 8.7
9 Lackey, John 1640 pi sp chi nl 8.4
10 Hill, Rich 2215 pi sp oak al 8.4
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Moore pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing two hits, in the 5-0 win over the Astros.

National League Player of the Day—Diamondbacks pitcher Robbie Ray pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing three hits, in the 6-0 win over the Marlins.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Holliday of the Cardinals homered and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 8-3 win over the Pirates.

Sunday was the second straight day Holliday earned NL Batter of the Day honors. He has 6.0 Box-Toppers points on the season (3.0 earned in two days) and ranks third among NL batters.

American League Batter of the Day—Russell Martin of the Blue Jays hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice, in the 10-9 win over the Orioles.

Rankings—Indians pitcher Danny Salazar rises to lead AL pitchers in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Salazar (5.2IP 3H R 8K W in the 8-3 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.8 for the season. He passes White Sox pitcher Chris Sale (8.7) for the lead among AL pitchers. Salazar now ranks fourth among all players.

Notable—Three players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Sunday:

  • Giants pitcher Jake Peavy (6IP 4H 0R 3K W in the 2-1 win over the Dodgers) now has 139.8 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of 24th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 23rd-ranked player David Ortiz of the Red Sox (141.4). Peavy has 3.0 Box-Toppers points this season.
  • Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (7IP 4H R 5K W in the 6-4 win over the Mariners) now has 133.6 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 27th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Jason Giambi (133.4) on the “all-time” list and now trails 26th-ranked player Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (136.9). Hamels has 7.4 Box-Toppers points this season, fifth among AL pitchers.
  • Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (7IP 5H R 7K W in the 13-2 win over the Braves) now has 129.1 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 30th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Vladimir Guerrero (128.3) on the “all-time” list and now trails 29th-ranked player Trevor Hoffman (129.4). Lester has 8.0 Box-Toppers points this season, 10th among NL pitchers.

Debut—Rockies pitcher Tyler Anderson made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Anderson (6.1IP 6H R 6K ND in the 2-1 win over the Padres) was also making his Major League debut. He is the 3,656th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Moore earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Ray earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Holliday and Martin 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

6/12 Score Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.0 TB 5/HOU 0 Matt Moore (W,3-4) - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 1 10
NL 9.2 ARI 6/MIA 0 Robbie Ray (W,3-5) - - - - 7.2 3 0 0 1 6
9.0 KC 3/CHW 1 Yordano Ventura (W,5-4) - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 1 10
8.0 CHC 13/ATL 2 Jon Lester (W,8-3) - - - - 7.0 5 1 0 0 7
7.0 MIL 5/NYM 3 Zach Davies (W,5-3) - - - - 6.0 3 1 1 1 7
4.2 CLE 8/LAA 3 Danny Salazar (W,7-3) - - - - 5.2 3 1 1 4 8
4.1 `COL 2/SD 1 Tyler Anderson - - - - 6.1 6 1 1 0 6
4.0 `DC 5/PHI 4 Joe Ross - - - - 7.0 5 3 3 0 8
4.0 TEX 6/SEA 4 Cole Hamels (W,6-1) - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 2 5
4.0 DET 4/NYY 1 Michael Fulmer (W,7-1) - - - - 6.0 2 0 0 3 3
4.0 SF 2/LAD 1 Jake Peavy (W,3-6) - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 1 3
BAT 3.0 STL 8/PIT 3 Matt Holliday, LF 4 2 3 2 - - - - - -
BAT 2.0 TOR 10/BAL 9 Russell Martin, C 5 2 2 3 - - - - - -
2.0 OAK 6/CIN 1 Fernando Rodriguez (W,2-0) - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 0
2.0 MIN 7/BOS 4 Michael Tonkin (W,2-2) - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

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

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).  

Player of Game Pos Team 16 15-16 11-16 Career +/-
Salazar, Danny 3223 pi sp cle al 8.8 22.2 31.6 31.6 -4.6
Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp chi nl 8.0 20.0 66.2 129.1 -4.0
Hamels, Cole 2135 pi sp tex al 7.4 22.8 74.4 133.6 -8.0
Fulmer, Michael 3640 pi sp det al 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7
Holliday, Matt 1836 1b lf dh stl nl 6.0 7.5 37.7 97.8 4.5
Ross, Joe 3499 pi sp dc nl 5.7 10.7 10.7 10.7 0.7
Martin, Russell 2202 ca tor al 5.0 10.0 26.5 47.5 0.0
Moore, Matt 2975 pi sp tb al 4.7 4.7 30.2 30.2 4.7
Davies, Zach 3581 pi sp mil nl 4.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 1.0
Ventura, Yordano 3294 pi sp kc al 3.0 14.7 24.4 24.4 -8.7
Peavy, Jake 1635 pi sp sf nl 3.0 8.0 36.1 139.8 -2.0
Ray, Robbie 3502 pi sp ari nl 2.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 -1.3
Rodriguez, Fernando 3537 pi mr oak al 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 1.0
Tonkin, Michael 3615 pi cp min al 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Anderson, Tyler 3656 pi sp col nl 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Angels' Shoemaker tops players for Saturday, June 11; Nationals' Roark tops NL players

Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of June 11:  


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 17.0
2 Fernandez, Jose 3147 pi sp fla nl 11.7
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 9.0
4 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 8.7
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.7
6 Machado, Manny 3087 ss 3b bal al 8.7
7 Matz, Steven 3516 pi sp nym nl 8.7
8 Lackey, John 1640 pi sp chi nl 8.4
9 Hill, Rich 2215 pi sp oak al 8.4
10 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 8.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Shoemaker pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing three hits and one walk, in the 4-3 win over the Indians. Shoemaker did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Angels lost the lead after he exited when the Indians tied the game 3-3 in the ninth inning.

National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven, in the 8-0 win over the Phillies.

American League Batter of the Day—Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays hit two homers, a double and went 3-for-3, driving in five runs, in the 11-6 win over the Orioles.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Holliday of the Cardinals hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 5-1 win over the Pirates.

Notable—Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis has the most season Box-Toppers points of any of Saturday’s 15 Players of the Games.

Lewis (8IP 3H R 3K ND in the 2-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.7 for the season. He ranks 19th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.

Scoring—Shoemaker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Roark earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Encarnacion and Holliday each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/11 Score Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 15.0 `LAA 4/CLE 3 Matt Shoemaker - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 1 11
10.0 KC 4/CHW 1 Danny Duffy (W,2-1) - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 3 10
BAT 7.0 TOR 11/BAL 6 Edwin Encarnacion, DH 3 2 3 5 - - - - - -
NL 7.0 DC 8/PHI 0 Tanner Roark (W,5-4) - - - - 7.0 6 0 0 1 7
6.0 BOS 15/MIN 4 Xander Bogaerts, SS 5 4 4 3 - - - - - -
6.0 `TEX 2/SEA 1 Colby Lewis - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 0 3
4.0 DET 6/NYY 1 Ian Kinsler, 2B 4 1 2 5 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 STL 5/PIT 1 Matt Holliday, LF 4 1 3 3 - - - - - -
3.0 COL 5/SD 3 Carlos Gonzalez, RF 4 1 2 4 - - - - - -
2.0 MIL 7/NYM 4 Ryan Braun, LF 4 2 2 2 - - - - - -
2.0 CIN 2/OAK 1 Jay Bruce, RF 2 1 1 2 - - - - - -
1.0 CHC 8/ATL 2 Jason Heyward, RF 5 2 3 1 - - - - - -
0.0 SF 5/LAD 4 Joe Panik, 2B 5 2 2 1 - - - - - -
0.0 HOU 4/TB 3 Marwin Gonzalez, SS 4 1 3 0 - - - - - -
0.0 ARI 5/MIA 3 Michael Bourn, CF 3 1 1 1 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

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

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 +/-
Lewis, Colby 1567 pi sp tex al 6.7 14.4 32.6 44.0 -1.0
Roark, Tanner 3261 pi sp dc nl 5.7 6.7 21.7 21.7 4.7
Braun, Ryan J. 2300 lf mil nl 4.5 9.5 40.5 82.2 -0.5
Holliday, Matt 1836 1b dh lf stl nl 4.5 6.0 36.2 96.3 3.0
Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 dh tor al 4.0 14.4 42.6 63.1 -6.4
Shoemaker, Matt 3290 pi sp ana al 4.0 9.7 22.4 22.4 -1.7
Kinsler, Ian 2144 2b det al 3.5 10.0 29.2 59.6 -3.0
Bruce, Jay 2453 rf cin nl 3.5 6.7 26.7 53.8 0.3
Duffy, Danny 2915 pi sp kc al 3.0 7.0 22.0 22.0 -1.0
Panik, Joe 3401 2b sf nl 3.0 7.0 8.0 8.0 -1.0
Bourn, Michael 2505 rf cf ari nl 2.0 4.5 6.5 13.0 -0.5
Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 rf col nl 1.0 12.5 41.2 54.2 -10.5
Bogaerts, Xander 3383 ss bos al 1.0 2.5 6.5 6.5 -0.5
Heyward, Jason 2695 rf chi nl 1.0 1.0 12.5 18.5 1.0
Gonzalez, Marwin 3078 ss hou al 1.0 1.0 5.5 5.5 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw tops players for Thursday, May 12, solidifies lead in season Box-Toppers points, rises to 8th in ‘all-time' points

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, pitching a three-hit shutout, is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and solidifies his lead in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 12:  


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 9.0
2 Machado, Manny 3087 3b ss bal al 6.7
3 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 6.0
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 6.0
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 5.7
6 Quintana, Jose 3040 pi sp chi al 5.7
7 De La Rosa, Rubby 3342 pi sp ari nl 5.7
8 Davis, Chris 2478 1b bal al 5.5
9 Hill, Rich 2215 pi sp oak al 5.4
10 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 5.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Kershaw also rises two spots to eighth place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when tracking began.

Kershaw pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout, allowing one walk and striking out 13, in the 5-0 win over the Mets. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, 2.3 more than second-place player, Manny Machado of the Orioles.

Kershaw also now has 168.3 career Box-Toppers points and rises from 10th to eighth on Box-Toppers “all-time” player rankings, passing two players—Johan Santana (166.6) and Manny Ramirez (167.2). Kershaw trails seventh-place player Roy Halladay (170.7).

American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher David Price struck out 12 over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run and six hits, in the 11-1 win over the Astros.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Holliday of the Cardinals hit two homers and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 12-10 win over the Angels.

All-time leaders

Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Randy Johnson pi sp retired 278.8
2 Pedro Martinez pi sp retired 244.8
3 Curt Schilling pi sp retired 194.1
4 Alex Rodriguez dh nyy al 187.0
5 CC Sabathia pi sp nyy al 180.0
6 Albert Pujols 1b dh ana al 175.3
7 Roy Halladay pi sp retired 170.7
8 Clayton Kershaw pi sp lad nl 168.3
9 Manny Ramirez lf dh retired 167.2
10 Johan Santana pi sp free agent 166.6
11 Roger Clemens pi sp retired 164.8
12 Felix Hernandez pi sp sea al 163.7
13 John Smoltz pi sp retired 160.9
14 Tim Hudson pi sp retired 157.0
15 Mike Mussina pi sp retired 155.6
16 Barry Bonds lf retired 153.2
17 Greg Maddux pi sp retired 151.7
18 Zack Greinke pi sp ari nl 149.4
19 Chipper Jones 3b retired 149.0
20 Javier Vazquez pi sp retired 148.3
List of top 100 players since 1995 (through the 2015 season)

American League Batter of the Day—Chase Headley of the Yankees homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-3 win over the Royals.

Rankings—Besides Kershaw, two other players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday:

  • Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto (7IP 8H 2R 9K W in the 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season, rising to fourth place. He ranks third among NL pitchers.
  • Chris Davis of the Orioles (2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 7-5 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.5 for the season, rising to eighth place. He ranks second among AL batters, behind teammate Manny Machado (6.7). In addition, Davis Thursday earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day—he was Player of the Game Wednesday in the 9-2 win over the Twins.

Streak—Padres pitcher James Shields has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.

Shields (7IP 7H 0R 9K W in the 3-0 win over the Brewers) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Rays and has 97.4 career points, 11th among active NL pitchers. His best season was 2011 with the Rays when he had 20.1 points, third among AL pitchers. He had 5.7 points in 2015 with the Padres.

Scoring—Kershaw 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. Holliday and Headley each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

5/12 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 18.0 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw (W,5-1) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 1 13
AL 9.2 Red Sox David Price (W,5-1) - - - - - - 6.2 6 1 1 1 12
8.0 Padres James Shields (W,2-5) - - - - - - 7.0 7 0 0 1 9
BAT 5.0 Cardinals Matt Holliday, DH 5 3 4 3 1 0 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Yankees Chase Headley, 3B 3 2 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Phillies Odubel Herrera, CF 4 2 4 0 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Orioles Chris Davis, 1B 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Giants Johnny Cueto (W,5-1) - - - - - - 7.0 8 2 2 2 9

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

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).  

Player Pos Team 16 15-16 11-16 Career +/-
Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 9.0 34.7 134.8 168.3 -16.7
Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 6.0 18.8 70.0 89.4 -6.8
Davis, Chris 2478 1b bal al 5.5 16.5 47.4 55.9 -5.5
Price, David 2593 pi sp bos al 4.7 25.8 81.8 98.5 -16.4
Holliday, Matt 1836 1b dh lf stl nl 3.0 4.5 34.7 94.8 1.5
Herrera, Odubel 3449 cf phi nl 2.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 -2.0
Headley, Chase 2552 3b nyy al 1.5 3.5 15.0 25.5 -0.5
Shields, James 2157 pi sp sd nl 1.0 8.4 66.6 97.4 -6.4
What are those numbers after players' names?

White Sox' Sale tops players for Friday, April 15; Dbacks' Greinke rises to 20th on 'all-time' list

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale 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 April 15:  


 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 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 3.0
4 Volquez, Edinson 2220 pi sp kc al 2.7
5 Bettis, Chad 3481 pi sp col nl 2.7
6 Ross, Joe 3499 pi sp dc nl 2.7
7 Latos, Mat 2644 pi sp chi al 2.7
8 Davis, Chris 2478 1b bal al 2.5
9 Brown, Trevor 3610 ca sf nl 2.5
10 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 2.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Sale pitched a two-hit shutout, allowing no walks and striking out nine, in the 1-0 win over the Rays. Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first of the season, and now ranks 10th in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Joe Ross pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out five, in the 9-1 win over the Phillies. Ross earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season and rises to sixth in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Holliday of the Cardinals hit two home runs, going 2-for-2 and driving in four runs, in the 4-3 win over the Reds.

Holliday has now earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2004 with the Rockies and has 93.3 career points, ranked 88th among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began) and second among active NL batters (behind Ryan Howard of the Phillies who has 96.7). Holliday’s best season was 2007 with the Rockies when he had 16.2 Box-Toppers points to lead NL batters. In 2015, he had 1.5 points with the Cardinals.

American League Batter of the Day—Mark Trumbo of the Orioles hit two seventh-inning home runs, going 2-for-4 and driving in five runs, in the 11-5 win over the Rangers.

All-time leaders

Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Randy Johnson pi sp retired 278.8
2 Pedro Martinez pi sp retired 244.8
3 Curt Schilling pi sp retired 194.1
4 Alex Rodriguez dh nyy al 187.0
5 CC Sabathia pi sp nyy al 179.0
6 Albert Pujols 1b dh ana al 174.3
7 Roy Halladay pi sp retired 170.7
8 Manny Ramirez lf dh retired 167.2
9 Johan Santana pi sp free agent 166.6
10 Roger Clemens pi sp retired 164.8
11 Felix Hernandez pi sp sea al 162.7
12 Clayton Kershaw pi sp lad nl 162.3
13 John Smoltz pi sp retired 160.9
14 Tim Hudson pi sp retired 157.0
15 Mike Mussina pi sp retired 155.6
16 Barry Bonds lf retired 153.2
17 Greg Maddux pi sp retired 151.7
18 Chipper Jones 3b retired 149.0
19 Javier Vazquez pi sp retired 148.3
20 Zack Greinke pi sp ari nl 147.4
List of top 100 players since 1995 (through the 2015 season)

Notable—Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to 20th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. He also extended his streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points to 10.

Greinke (7.1IP 6H 2R 5K ND in the 3-2 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 147.4 for his career, rising to 20th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began. Greinke passes Jim Thome (146.7) and now trails 19th-place player Javier Vazquez (148.3).

Greinke has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2004 with the Royals but his current 10-year streak did not begin until 2007, when he was also with the Royals (he earned no points in 2006). His best year was 2009 with the Royals when he had 21.5 points to lead NL pitchers. In 2015, he had 20.7 points with the Dodgers, fifth among NL pitchers.

Streak—Ryan Braun of the Brewers has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Braun (2HR 3-5 2R 4BI in the 8-4 win over the Pirates) earned his first points in 2007 with the Brewers and has 78.7 career points, third among active NL batters. His best year was 2012 with the Brewers when he had 12.5 Box-Toppers points to lead NL batters. He had 5.0 points in 2015.

Debut—Adonis Garcia of the Braves made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Garcia (2B 2-4 3BI in the 6-3 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut May 19, 2015, and was playing in his 68th career game. He is the 3,613th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Rankings—Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Bettis (6IP 3H 0R 4 W in the 6-1 win over the Cubs) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season.

Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Ross earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Holliday and Trumbo 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.

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

4/15 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 16.0 White Sox Chris Sale (W,3-0) - - - - - - 9.0 2 0 0 0 9
NL 7.2 Nationals Joe Ross (W,2-0) - - - - - - 7.2 3 0 0 2 5
BAT 6.0 Cardinals Matt Holliday, 1B 2 2 2 4 1 0 - - - - - -
6.0 Astros Dallas Keuchel (W,2-1) - - - - - - 8.0 5 0 0 1 4
5.1 Red Sox Rick Porcello (W,2-0) - - - - - - 6.1 2 3 3 1 8
BAT 5.0 Orioles Mark Trumbo, DH 4 2 2 5 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Brewers Ryan Braun, LF 5 2 3 4 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Dodgers Enrique Hernandez, LF 5 2 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Mariners Chris Iannetta, C 3 1 3 3 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Rockies Chad Bettis (W,2-0) - - - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 3 4
3.0 Twins Eduardo Nunez, 2B 3 2 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Royals Wade Davis (S,5) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.1 `Dbacks Zack Greinke - - - - - - 7.1 6 2 2 1 5
1.0 Mets Yoenis Cespedes, DH 5 1 3 2 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Braves Adonis Garcia, 3B 4 0 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

A look at how star players are trending over the long-term: Kershaw maintains his dominance, other stars rise and fall

Andrew McCutchen replaces Ryan Braun as leader among NL batters in six-year rolling Box-Toppers totals (2011-2016 vs. 2010-2015).

Read More

Box-Toppers' Franchise Four

Who are each franchise's top 4 players in career Box-Toppers points since 1995?

Read More

A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2015

Analyzing 21 years of Box-Toppers season point leaders in pitching and batting in both leagues.

Read More

Cubs' Jake Arrieta, pitching no-hitter, tops players for Sunday, Aug. 30, rises to 2nd in player rankings

(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, pitching a no-hitter, is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Sunday, Aug. 30 and rises to second in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 30.  


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 19.4
2 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 19.1
3 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 18.7
4 Price, David 2593 pi sp tor al 18.1
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 17.1
6 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 17.0
7 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 16.7
8 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 16.4
9 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 16.0
10 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 15.8
What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Sunday, Michael Cuddyer of the Mets extended to 12 the number of consecutive seasons in which he’s earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Player of the Day—Arrieta struck out 12 and walked one, pitching the complete-game no-hitter, shutting out the Dodgers, 2-0.

Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 19.1 for the season and rising to second in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He trails overall leader, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom (19.4 Box-Toppers points).

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Derek Holland pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing three hits, in the 6-0 win over the Orioles.

American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Yankees homered and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 20-6 win over the Braves.

National League Batter of the Day—Jayson Werth of the Nationals hit a two-run homer and doubled, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Marlins.

Streak—Michael Cuddyer of the Mets has now earned Box-Toppers points for 12 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Cuddyer (3-3 2R BI in the 5-4 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Cuddyer earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2004 with the Twins. His best year was 2013 with the Rockies when he had 11.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among NL batters. In 2014, he had 3.0 Box-Toppers points with the Rockies.

Cuddyer has 60.7 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 209th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He ranks third among active NL outfielders in career Box-Toppers points, behind Matt Holliday of the Cardinals (91.8) and Ryan Braun (77.7).

Trivial—This is the first time this season in which all players in the Box-Toppers top 10 have different Box-Toppers point totals. After the games of Aug. 29, Arrieta and White Sox pitcher Chris Sale both had 17.1 Box-Toppers points, but with Arrieta earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points, each player has a different point total.

Scoring—Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Holland earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Drew and Werth each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

8/30 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 20.0 Cubs Jake Arrieta (W,17-6) - - - - - - 9.0 0 0 0 1 12
AL 17.0 Rangers Derek Holland (W,2-1) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 0 11
11.0 Twins Ervin Santana (W,3-4) - - - - - - 7.0 6 0 0 0 10
8.0 Rockies Jorge De La Rosa (W,8-6) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 1 7
BAT 7.0 Yankees Stephen Drew, 2B 4 3 4 4 2 0 - - - - - -
6.0 Padres James Shields (W,10-6) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 1 1 8
5.0 Indians Josh Tomlin (W,3-1) - - - - - - 7.0 6 2 2 0 8
5.0 White Sox David Robertson (W,6-3) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Blue Jays Russell Martin, C 3 3 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Brewers Wily Peralta (W,5-8) - - - - - - 7.0 7 1 1 0 6
BAT 3.0 Nationals Jayson Werth, LF 4 2 2 3 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Mets Michael Cuddyer, LF-1B 3 2 3 1 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Cardinals Kevin Siegrist (S,6) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Rays Brandon Guyer, RF 4 2 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Athletics Pat Venditte (W,1-2) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 1

Angels' Shoemaker tops players for Tuesday, July 21; Mets' deGrom rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom rose to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings, Giants pitcher Chris Heston became the 16th player this season with 10 Box-Toppers points and Matt Holliday of the Cardinals earned Box-Toppers points for the 12th straight season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 21.  


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 15.0
2 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 14.4
3 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 14.4
4 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 13.4
5 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 13.1
6 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 12.7
7 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 12.0
8 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 12.0
9 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 12.0
10 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 11.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Shoemaker pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing two hits, in the 7-0 win over the Twins.

National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Chris Heston pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out six, in the 9-3 win over the Padres.

Heston earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season, rising to 15th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings, ninth among NL pitchers. He is the 16th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.

American League Batter of the Day—Shin-Soo Choo of the Rangers hit for the cycle and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three, in the 9-0 win over the Rockies.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Holliday of the Cardinals hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, scoring two runs, in the 8-5 win over the White Sox.

Holliday earned 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, his first points of the season, and has now earned Box-Toppers points for 12 straight seasons. He earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2004 with the Rockies. His best season was 2007 with the Rockies when he had 16.2 points, first among NL batters and seventh among all players. In 2014, he had 7.5 points with the Cardinals, eighth among NL batters.

Holliday has 91.8 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 88th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Holliday ranks first among active NL outfielders in career Box-Toppers points and third among active NL batters, behind Aramis Ramirez of the Brewers (103.3) and Ryan Howard of the Phillies (93.2).

Rankings—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom rose to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

deGrom (6IP 3H 2R 8K W in the 7-2 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season. He ranks second among NL pitchers behind overall leader Max Scherzer of the Nationals (15.0).

Debut—Kyle Schwarber of the Cubs made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Schwarber hit two home runs—a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth and a go-ahead homer in the 13th—in the 5-4 win over the Reds. Schwarber (4-7 2R 4BI) made his Major League debut June 16 and was playing in his 11th career game. He is the 3,536th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

7/21 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 11.0 Angels Matt Shoemaker (W,5-7) - - - - - - 6.0 2 0 0 3 10
NL 10.1 Giants Chris Heston (W,10-5) - - - - - - 7.1 1 0 0 2 6
9.0 Marlins Mat Latos (W,4-6) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 1 7
7.0 Mets Jacob deGrom (W,10-6) - - - - - - 6.0 3 2 2 0 8
6.2 `Royals Joe Blanton - - - - - - 3.2 2 0 0 0 5
BAT 5.0 Rangers Shin-Soo Choo, RF 5 3 4 3 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Mariners Franklin Gutierrez, PH-LF 1 1 1 4 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 4.0 Cardinals Matt Holliday, DH 4 2 2 4 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Rays Nathan Karns (W,5-5) - - - - - - 5.0 3 0 0 2 4
3.0 Cubs Kyle Schwarber, C 7 2 4 4 0 2 - - - - - -
3.0 Brewers Jean Segura, SS 4 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Astros Chris Carter, DH 3 2 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -
2.1 `Yankees Dellin Betances (H,15) - - - - - - 1.1 1 0 0 0 2
2.0 Blue Jays Russell Martin, C 4 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Braves Chris Johnson, 1B 4 0 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

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Center fielder Mike Trout of the Angels was the unanimous choice for American League Most Valuable Player, though Trout ranked seventh among AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2014.

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If Box-Toppers points measured Silver Sluggers, most winners would be different

Only four of this year’s 18 Silver Slugger-award winners announced this week would receive the honor if it were measured by Box-Toppers points.

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NLCS Preview: Cardinals have slight Box-Toppers points edge, but Giants have 2 of NL's top stars

The St. Louis Cardinals are fifth in Box-Toppers team rankings, the highest-ranked team remaining in the playoffs. That would seem to give them the advantage as they take on the eighth-ranked San Francisco Giants in the National League Championship Series.

But the Giants can lay claim to two of the league’s top players—pitcher Madison Bumgarner (22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players and second among NL pitchers) and catcher Buster Posey (8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among NL batters). The best-of-seven game NLCS begins Saturday in St. Louis.

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams, along with the highest-rated starting pitchers in Box-Toppers points, the top closing pitcher and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player’s Box-Toppers points earned in 2014, along with their overall rank among all players.

Cardinals players accumulated more Box-Toppers points than the Giants during the regular season—114.8 vs. 110.8. (Team rankings report.)

Both the Cardinals and Giants will have two players each on Box-Toppers end-of-season NL All-Star team. Bumgarner and Posey are the Giants’ All-Stars—Posey led NL catchers in Box-Toppers points and Bumgarner was second among NL pitchers. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (18.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among NL pitchers) and Matt Holliday (7.5 points, ranked third among NL outfielders) will also be on Box-Toppers NL All-Star team.

Matching up the eight prospective starting batters on each team position-by-position, the teams are evenly split—both have the advantage in four positions. However, the Giants may have the advantage from the bench. Their top batter who has not started recently is Mike Morse, who has 6.5 Box-Toppers points.

Matching up pitchers from highest to lowest Box-Toppers points, the Giants have the advantage matching up Bumgarner’s 22.6 Box-Toppers points against anyone, including Wainwright and his 18.7. But after that, the Cardinals have the advantage matching up the remaining three starting pitchers, the closing pitchers and the next highest-rated pitcher. We’ve listed Sergio Romo as the closer for the Giants (even though Santiago Casilla has been closing games recently) because Romo has more Box-Toppers points.

Adding up Box-Toppers points for the eight batters and six pitchers listed below, the Cardinals have the slight point total advantage—85.8 Box-Toppers points vs. 85.6.

The Giants had the largest opening day payroll of the four playoff teams remaining, $154 million, ranked seventh among all teams. The Cardinals had an opening day payroll of $111 million, ranked 13th, above both American League Championship Series teams (Orioles, 15th and the Royals, 19th).

NLCS Game 1, Giants at Cardinals

Both teams will start their aces Saturday:

Giants: Madison Bumgarner, 22.6 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright, 18.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among all players, fourth among NL pitchers.

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.

NL Championship Series player comparisons

Likely starting players for the Giants and Cardinals listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2014 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

Pos Giants BTP Rank Cardinals BTP Rank
1B Brandon Belt 2.0 412 Matt Adams 1.0 530
2B Joe Panik 1.0 701 Kolten Wong 5.5 182
SS Brandon Crawford 3.0 322 Jhonny Peralta 6.0 112
3B Pablo Sandoval 4.5 220 Matt Carpenter 2.0 407
CA Buster Posey 8.5 76 Yadier Molina 0 754
CF Gregor Blanco 3.0 346 Jon Jay 3.0 314
LF Travis Ishikawa 1.0 644 Matt Holliday 7.5 97
RF Hunter Pence 2.5 367 Randal Grichuk -* -*
SP Madison Bumgarner 22.6 3 Adam Wainwright 18.7 8
SP Tim Lincecum 10.4 54 Lance Lynn 10.7 48
SP Tim Hudson 8.7 71 John Lackey 10.7 50
SP Ryan Vogelsong 8.7 74 Shelby Miller 9.0 64
CP Sergio Romo 4.0 242 Trevor Rosenthal 5.0 187
PI Jake Peavy 5.7 165 Justin Masterson 6.7 124

* Randal Grichuk has yet to earn Player of the Game honors and has not made his Box-Toppers debut. He made his Major League debut April 28 and played in 47 regular season games.

Braves' Wood, Red Sox' Buchholz top players for Sunday, Aug. 31

Braves pitcher Alex Wood is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Wood pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 12 in the 1-0 win over the Marlins.

Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz is American League Player of the Day. Buchholz pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout, striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Rays.

Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is National League Batter of the Day. Holliday homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-6 win over the Cubs. This is the second day in a row Holliday has earned NL Batter of the Day, so he has picked up 3.0 Box-Toppers points in the past two days. He now has 7.5 Box-Toppers points for the season and ranks third among NL batters, behind overall leader Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (11.6 Box-Toppers points) and Freddie Freeman of the Braves (7.7 Box-Toppers points).

Dustin Ackley of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Ackley homered and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 5-3 win over the Nationals.

Notables: Two pitchers who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday became the 38th and 39th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker, top player in the 8-1 win over the Athletics (7IP 0R 7K W) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 35th among all players and 17th among AL pitchers.

Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, top player in the 7-1 win over the Padres (7IP R 7K W) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. He ranks 37th among all players and 17th among NL pitchers.

Wood receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Buchholz receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Holliday and Ackley each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

831 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 15.0 Braves Alex Wood (W, 10-10) - - - - - - 8.0 5 0 0 0 12
AL 12.0 Red Sox Clay Buchholz (W, 6-8) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 0 6
9.0 Angels Matt Shoemaker (W, 14-4) - - - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 0 7
8.0 Dodgers Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 14-6) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 0 7
7.0 Dbacks Chase Anderson (W, 8-6) - - - - - - 6.0 5 1 1 0 8
BAT 5.0 Cardinals Matt Holliday LF 4 2 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Giants Pablo Sandoval 3B 4 3 3 3 1 0 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Mariners Dustin Ackley LF 4 1 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Reds Chris Heisey RF, LF 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Orioles J.J. Hardy SS 4 2 1 4 1 2 - - - - - -
2.0 Astros Chad Qualls (S, 16) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 White Sox Avisail Garcia RF 4 1 2 2 1 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Mets Anthony Recker C 4 1 1 3 0 2 - - - - - -
1.0 Blue Jays Steve Tolleson PR, 2B 0 1 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -