Four players appear on Box-Toppers All-Star teams over all three major time periods (2016, 2015-16, 2011-16)—Kershaw, Scherzer, Hamels and Trout.
Read MoreBox-Toppers rookie, pitching leaders among finalists for top postseason awards, but batting leaders excluded from MVP finalists
Rookie of the Year finlists Fulmer, Maeda lead newcomers in Box-Toppers points. Cy Young finalists Scherzer, Kluber lead pitchers in points. But Box-Toppers batting leaders Arenado, Machado not among MVP finalists.
Read MoreHow 2016 Silver Slugger winners fared in Box-Toppers points and rankings
Only 6 of 17 Silver Slugger Award winners also led their position in Box-Toppers points in 2016.
Read MoreCubs' Aroldis Chapman, Dodgers' Joe Blanton top players in Tuesday's NLDS games
Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman and Dodgers reliever Joe Blanton are Box-Toppers’ top players in Tuesday’s two National League Division Series games.
National League Division Series Game 4: Cubs 6, Giants 5
Chapman is Box-Toppers Player of the Game as the Cubs eliminate the Giants in the best-of-five game series, 3-1, with a four-run, ninth-inning comeback.
Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out the side and allowing no hits and no walks. He earned the save.
Chapman had 7.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 104th among all players, 33rd among NL pitchers and second among NL closers, behind Jeurys Familia of the Mets (8.0).
Chapman led all Cubs players with a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0. Willson Contreras led all Cubs batters with a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (1-1 2BI). Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey had a Box-Toppers game score of −7.0 (4IP 7H 3R 2BB 4K ND).
Meanwhile, Giants starting pitcher Matt Moore held a commanding lead as Box-Toppers Player of the Game going into the ninth inning. Moore had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any player on either team, +11.0 (8IP 2H 2R 2BB 10K ND). But Moore lost his Player of the Game lead when the Cubs went ahead in the ninth and won the game.
The Cubs eliminate the Giants in four games, 3-1. The Cubs were the runaway leader in Box-Toppers team rankings, leading nearly all the season with 139.5 Box-Toppers points. The Giants were the lowest-ranking team to qualify for the postseason, ranked 10th with 112.7.
This also ends the Giants’ streak of winning the World Series in even-numbered years after winning in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
The Cubs now advance to the best-of-seven game National League Championship Series beginning Saturday in Chicago against either the Dodgers or the Nationals.
National League Division Series Game 4: Dodgers 6, Nationals 5
Dodgers middle reliever Joe Blanton is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Tuesday as the Dodgers even the best-of-five game NL Division Series against the Nationals at two games apiece.
Blanton pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win.
Blanton had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season. He had 3.0 points in 2015 with the Royals and the Pirates. His best year was 2012 with the Phillies and Dodgers when he had 9.4.
Blanton had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Dodgers players (+3.0). He qualified to be Player of the Game because, though he pitched fewer than the required three innings, he did earn the win. Top Dodgers batter was Adrian Gonzalez, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.0 (HR 1-3 R 2BI). Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw seemed on track to earn Player of the Game honors until the seventh inning when the Nationals scored three runs and tied the game. Kershaw ended with a Box-Toppers game score of −1.8 (6.2IP 7H 5R 2BB 11K ND). Nationals top player was Daniel Murphy, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (2-3 4BI).
The Dodgers and Nationals face off in the deciding Game 5 of the NLDS Thursday in Washington.
There are no games Wednesday.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.0 | CHC 6, SF 5 | Aroldis Chapman (S,3) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3.1 | LAD 6, WSH 5 | Joe Blanton (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Two relievers are Box-Toppers top players in Sunday's two Division Series games
Two relief pitchers were Box-Toppers’ top players in two League Division Series playoff games Sunday:
- Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was Player of the Game in the 7-6, 10-inning win over the Rangers, as his team swept Texas in the series.
- And Nationals middle reliever Blake Treinen was Player of the Game in the 5-2 win over the Dodgers to even that series at one game apiece.
ALDS Game 3, Blue Jays 7, Rangers 6 (10 innings)
Osuna pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win. The Blue Jays win the best-of-five game series, 3-0 and advance to the American League Championship Series beginning Friday against the winner of the Red Sox-Indians series.
Osuna was also Player of the Game in the Blue Jays’ Game 2 win agains the Rangers on Friday. He is the first player this postseason to earn Player of the Game honors more than once.
During the regular season, Osuna had 3.0 Box-Toppers points (all in April) and ranked 319th among all players, 87th among AL pitchers and 15th among AL closers.
Osuna had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +4.0. Blue Jays’ top batter in the game was Edwin Encarnacion, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 2-3 R 3BI).
NLDS Game 2: Nationals 5, Dodgers 2
Nationals middle reliever Blake Treinen pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks, striking out two and earning the win.
Treinen had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season. He has 1.0 for his career, earned June 10, 2015.
Treinen had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +3.1. Nationals’ top batter in the game, Daniel Murphy, had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (3-3 R 2BI).
The best-of-five game series is now tied 1-1 and resumes Monday in Los Angeles.
ALDS Game 3 between the Red Sox and Indians was rained out Sunday and rescheduled for Monday. More details below.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| BTG | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| 4.0 | TOR 7, TEX 6 (10) | Roberto Osuna (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3.1 | WSH 5, LAD 2 | Blake Treinen (W,1-0; H,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| BTG: Box-Toppers game score | |||||||||||||
Coming Monday: League Division playoff games resume:
NL Division Series Game 3, Nationals at Dodgers, series tied, 1-1
The pitching matchup Monday:
Nationals—Gio Gonzalez, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, 158th among all players, 45th among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.
AL Division Series Game 3, Indians lead Red Sox, 2-0
The pitching matchup Monday:
Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among AL pitchers.
Red Sox—Clay Buchholz, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 200th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.
NL Division Series Game 3, Cubs lead Giants, 2-0
The pitching matchup Monday:
Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.
Giants—Madison Bumgarner, 13.0 Box-Toppers points, 19th among all players, 12th among NL pitchers.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Mets' Jacob deGrom tops players for Saturday, Aug. 13; Tigers' Boyd tops AL players
Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom 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 Aug. 13:| 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 |
deGrom struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 3-2, 11-inning win over the Padres. deGrom did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because when he exited the game, the Mets trailed.
American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Matt Boyd pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits, two walks and striking out three, in the 2-0 win over the Rangers.
National League Batter of the Day—Daniel Murphy of the Nationals homered and went 1-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 7-6 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—Russell Martin of the Blue Jays hit a three-run home run and went 1-for-2, in the 4-2 win over the Astros.
Notable—Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner has the most season Box-Toppers points of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Bumgarner (7IP 3H 0R 3BB 8K in the 6-2 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.0 for the season. He ranks 12th among all players in Box-Toppers points and eighth among NL pitchers.
Bumgarner also now has 104.7 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 62nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Saturday, he passes Jamie Moyer (104.0) on the “all-time” list and now trails 61st-ranked player, Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir (105.1).
Debut—Three players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday with their first career Player of the Game honors:
- Cardinals pitcher Alex Reyes (3IP H 0R BB 3K W in the 8-4 win over the Cubs) made his Major League debut Aug. 9 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,706th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger (5.2IP H R 4BB 3K W in the 5-1 win over the Angels) made his Major League debut May 18 and was playing in his sixth career game. He is the 3,707th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- White Sox pitcher Chris Beck (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 0K W in the 8-7 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut May 28, 2015, and was playing in his eighth career game. He is the 3,708th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Boyd earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Murphy and Martin each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
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
| 8/13 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | `NYM 3, SD 2 (11) | Jacob deGrom | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| 9.0 | SF 6, BAL 2 | Madison Bumgarner (W,11-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | DET 2, TEX 0 | Matt Boyd (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 4.0 | STL 8, CHC 4 | Alex Reyes (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | WSH 7, ATL 6 | Daniel Murphy, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | PHI 6, COL 3 | Maikel Franco, 3B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | TOR 4, HOU 2 | Russell Martin, C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | CIN 11, MIL 5 | Joey Votto, 1B | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | LAD 8, PIT 4 | Joc Pederson, CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | NYY 8, TB 4 | Aaron Hicks, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 6, ARI 3 | Brock Holt, LF | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | MIN 5, KC 3 | Tyler Duffey (W,8-8) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | SEA 4, OAK 3 | Edwin Diaz (S,6) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.2 | CLE 5, LAA 1 | Mike Clevinger (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 1.1 | CHW 8, MIA 7 | Chris Beck (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 12.0 | 29.0 | 99.0 | 104.7 | -5.0 |
| deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 | 32.1 | 45.1 | 45.1 | -12.7 |
| Martin, Russell 2202 | ca | tor al | 8.5 | 13.5 | 30.0 | 51.0 | 3.5 |
| Votto, Joey 2366 | 1b | cin nl | 7.5 | 12.5 | 29.2 | 61.2 | 2.5 |
| Murphy, Daniel 2589 | 2b | dc nl | 6.5 | 8.0 | 30.0 | 31.5 | 5.0 |
| Duffey, Tyler 3558 | pi sp | min al | 6.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 2.0 |
| Boyd, Matt 3550 | pi sp | det al | 4.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 3.4 |
| Diaz, Edwin 3690 | pi cp | sea al | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Franco, Maikel 3510 | 3b | phi nl | 3.5 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 0.3 |
| Pederson, Joc 3621 | cf | lad nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Holt, Brock 3340 | 3b lf | bos al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 1.5 |
| Hicks, Aaron 3170 | lf | nyy al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Beck, Chris 3708 | pi mr | chi al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Clevinger, Mike 3707 | pi sp | cle al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Reyes, Alex 3706 | pi mr | stl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
A late June look at Box-Toppers All-Star teams, led by Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw
Eight AL players and five NL players occupy All-Star spots at their position in both the 2016 season and the combined 2015-16 seasons.
Read MoreAngels' Chacin tops players for Monday, May 30; Cardinals' Martinez tops NL players
Angels pitcher Jhoulys Chacin is Monday’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 30:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 |
| 2 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 3 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 5 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 8.7 |
| 6 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 8.7 |
| 7 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.7 |
| 8 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 7.0 |
| 10 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 6.4 |
Chacin pitched a complete game, allowing one run, four hits and striking out 10, in the 5-1 win over the Twins.
National League Player of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out eight, in the 6-0 win over the Brewers.
National League Batter of the Day—Daniel Murphy of the Nationals homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 4-3 win over the Phillies.
American League Batter of the Day—Kyle Seager of the Mariners homered and went 1-for-2, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 9-3 win over the Padres.
Notable—Royals pitcher Ian Kennedy holds the highest spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings among Monday’s Players of the Games.
Kennedy (6IP 3H R 6K ND in the 6-2 win over the Rays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season, ranking 16th among all players in 2016, fifth among AL pitchers.
Scoring—Chacin earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Martinez earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Murphy and Seager each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’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
| 5/29 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | LAA 5/DET 1 | Jhoulys Chacin (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| NL | 10.0 | STL 6/MIL 0 | Carlos Martinez (W,5-5) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 10.0 | NYM 1/CHW 0 | Matt Harvey (W,4-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 8.0 | TOR 4/NYY 2 | Marco Estrada (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 8.0 | CHC 2/LAD 0 | Travis Wood (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 7.0 | PIT 10/MIA 0 | Jeff Locke (W,4-3) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 5.0 | HOU 8/ARI 3 | Collin McHugh (W,5-4) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | DC 4/PHI 3 | Daniel Murphy, 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | SEA 9/SD 3 | Kyle Seager, 3B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | BOS 7/BAL 2 | Steven Wright (W,5-4) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | `KC 6/TB 2 | Ian Kennedy | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | ATL 5/SF 3 | Mike Foltynewicz (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 3/MIN 2 | Ryan Madson (S,12) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | CIN 11/COL 8 | Adam Duvall, LF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | TEX 9/CLE 2 | Ian Desmond, CF | 5 | 2 | 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 | +/- |
| Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi sp | kc al | 6.0 | 12.7 | 56.5 | 62.5 | -0.7 |
| Estrada, Marco 2847 | pi sp | tor al | 4.0 | 12.0 | 36.1 | 36.1 | -4.0 |
| Wright, Steven 3224 | pi sp | bos al | 4.0 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 0.3 |
| Murphy, Daniel 2589 | 2b | dc nl | 4.0 | 5.5 | 27.5 | 29.0 | 2.5 |
| Desmond, Ian 2673 | cf lf | tex al | 4.0 | 5.0 | 20.7 | 27.2 | 3.0 |
| Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 3.7 | 17.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 | -10.0 |
| Locke, Jeff 3133 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.7 | 8.7 | 20.1 | 20.1 | -3.3 |
| Seager, Kyle 3031 | 3b | sea al | 2.5 | 7.5 | 21.5 | 21.5 | -2.5 |
| Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 | 17.4 | 35.4 | 35.4 | -13.4 |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | hou al | 2.0 | 11.7 | 23.5 | 23.5 | -7.7 |
| Foltynewicz, Mike 3455 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | -0.7 |
| Duvall, Adam 3573 | lf | cin nl | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
| Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 16.4 | 24.1 | 2.0 |
| Madson, Ryan 1841 | pi cp | oak al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 22.7 | 2.0 |
| Wood, Travis 2777 | pi mr sp | chi nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 28.7 | 31.7 | -2.0 |
Mets' Matz tops players for Wednesday, May 4; Yankees' Sabathia extends consecutive season streak to 16
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 |
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 |
* 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.
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
| 5/4 | 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
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 | +/- |
| 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 |
Blue Jays' Estrada, Mets' Duda top players in Wednesday, Oct. 21's league championship series games
Marco Estrada kept the Blue Jays alive in the American League Championship Series Wednesday, while Lucas Duda led the Mets to a sweep over the Cubs in the National League Championship Series.
Estrada is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day while Duda is Player of the Game in the deciding NLCS Game 4.
American League Championship Series Game 5: Blue Jays 7, Royals 1
Estrada gave up one run over 7 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and striking out five, to earn overall Player of the Day honors.
The Blue Jays now trail the Royals in the best-of-seven game series, 3-2.
Estrada had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +6.2, highest among Blue Jays players. Troy Tulowitzki had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Blue Jays batters of +3.0 (2B 2-4 R 3BI).
Estrada, during the regular season had 8.0 Box-Toppers points, 85th among all players and 34th among AL pitchers.
The series resumes Friday with Game 6 in Kansas City.
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player match ups.
National League Championship Series, Game 4: Mets 8, Cubs 3
Lucas Duda hit a first-inning, three-run homer, plus two doubles and drove in five total runs, as the Mets swept the Cubs 4-0 in the best-of-seven game series.
Duda had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.0, highest among all Mets players. Second-highest among Mets players: +3.0 Box-Toppers game score by Daniel Murphy (HR 2B 4-5 2R 2BI).
During the regular season, Duda had 2.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 377th among all players, 89th among NL batters and 17th among NL first basemen. In 2014, he had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 79th among all players, third among NL batters and first among NL first basemen.
The Mets were the lowest-ranked of all five NL playoff teams in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Mets ranked seventh among all teams with 122.0 Box-Toppers points, while the Cubs ranked third with 127.4.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player match ups.
The Mets now face the winner of the ALCS in the World Series beginning Tuesday in either Kansas City or Toronto.
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
| 10/21 | Score | Team | Players | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| POG | 6.2 | Blue Jays | Marco Estrada (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| POG | 5.0 | Mets | Lucas Duda, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Mets' Noah Syndergaard tops players in NLCS Game 2 win Sunday, Oct. 18
Noah Syndergaard struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits, to lead the Mets to a Game 2 win Sunday over the Cubs in the National League League Championship Series.
Syndergaard was Box-Toppers Player of the Day as the Mets beat the Cubs 4-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven game series.
Syndergaard had a Box-Toppers game score of +8.2 to lead all Mets players. Second baseman Daniel Murphy had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Mets batters of +2.0 (HR 2B 2-3 R 2BI).
Syndergaard, during the regular season, had 10.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st among all players, 16th among NL pitchers.
Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, Box-Toppers points leader in 2015 (29.1), had a Box-Toppers game score of −1.0, as he picked up the loss (5IP 4H 4R 8K).
The series resumes Tuesday with Game 3 in Chicago.
See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player match ups.
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
| 10/18 | Score | Team | Players | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| POG | 8.2 | Mets | Noah Syndergaard (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Coming Monday:
ALCS Game 3, Royals lead Blue Jays, 2-0
The pitching match-up Monday:
Royals—Johnny Cueto, 12.8 Box-Toppers points, 25th among all players, 13th among AL pitchers.
Blue Jays—Marcus Stroman, 2.7 Box-Toppers points, 368th among all players, 105th among AL pitchers. (Stroman was out recovering from injurymuch of 2015. In 2014, he had 13.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers.)
See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player match ups.
A look at determining Box-Toppers midseason 2015 All-Star teams
Looking at Box-Toppers points leaders over three time spans (2015, 2014-15 and 2010-15) and selecting AL & NL All-Star teams.
Read MoreBlue Jays' Hutchison, Marlins' Phelps top players for Thursday, April 23
Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison is Thursday’s Player of the Day.
Hutchison struck out seven over eight innings and allowed two runs in the 7-6 win over the Orioles.
National League Player of the Day—Marlins pitcher David Phelps pitched seven shutout innings and struck out five in the 9-1 win over the Phillies. Phelps tied Hutchison for the day’s top Box-Toppers game score of +7, but Hutchison won overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker—he had more innings pitched than Phelps (eight vs. seven).
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of April 23.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 |
| 2 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 3 | DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.7 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.4 |
| 5 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 |
| 6 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 3.0 |
| 7 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 3.0 |
| 8 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 3.0 |
| 9 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 3.0 |
| 10 | Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 3.0 |
National League Batter of the Day—Daniel Murphy of the Mets drove in four runs and went 2-for-3 with a double, in the 6-3 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no AL Batter of the Day Thursday because no AL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Streak—Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 15 straight seasons. Lohse was Player of the Game in Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Reds (7IP 3H 2R 4K W) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season. Lohse earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2001 with the Twins. His best season was 2011 with the Cardinals when he had 12.0 Box-Toppers points. In 2014, his second-best season, he had 11.1 points with the Brewers, ranking 17th among NL pitchers. He has 86.0 career Box-Toppers points, ranking him 17th among active pitchers currently in the NL.
The record for most consecutive seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point is 19, held by Jason Giambi (1995-2013). (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) Three active players had Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons as of 2014, the longest current streaks—Tim Hudson of the Giants, Carlos Beltran of the Yankees and Torii Hunter of the Tigers. None of them has yet earned Box-Toppers points in 2015.
Debut—Angels pitcher Nick Tropeano made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Tropeano (6IP 5H 0R 5K W in the 2-0 win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut Sept. 10, 2014, and was playing in his fifth career game. He is the 3,451st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Notables—Three other notable facts from Thursday:
- Corey Dickerson of the Rockies earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Thursday (HR 2-3 in the 2-1 win over the Padres).
- Pirates pitcher Radhames Liz earned his first Box-Toppers point in more than five years. Liz (2IP H 0R 2K W in the 5-4 win over the Cubs) last earned Player of the Game honors Sept. 14, 2008 as a starting pitcher with the Orioles. It is the only other time he has earned Player of the Game honors.
- Thursday marks the first day of the season there are no changes in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings list. Hutchison is the highest-ranked player from Thursday’s list of Players of the Games. He has 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked 23rd among all players.
Scoring—Hutchison earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Phelps earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Murphy earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL 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
| 4/23 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | Blue Jays | Drew Hutchison (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | |
| NL | 7.0 | Marlins | David Phelps (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
| 5.1 | `Yankees | Masahiro Tanaka | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 5.0 | `Royals | Yordano Ventura | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | Angels | Nick Tropeano (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | Michael Wacha (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Mets | Daniel Murphy 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Brewers | Kyle Lohse (W, 1-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | `Giants | Ryan Vogelsong | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | Pirates | Radhames Liz (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Corey Dickerson LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Rays | Brad Boxberger (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Rangers' Lewis tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 5; three pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 list score
Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is Tuesday’s Player of the Day, while three other pitchers improve their standing in Box-Toppers player rankings after each earns Player of the Game honors.
Lewis pitched a complete game shutout and struck out seven in the 16-0 win over the White Sox.
Three pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings also earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday: Johnny Cueto of the Reds, David Price of the Tigers and Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page):
• Cueto maintained his fourth place spot in player rankings. Cueto (CG 2R 6K W in the 9-2 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.4 for the season. He ranks third among National League pitchers.
• Price, pitching in his first game since being traded from the Rays, rose from eighth to fifth place in player rankings. Price (8.2IP 3R 10K ND in the 4-3, 12-inning win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.1 for the season. He ranks second among American League pitchers. Price also matches his previous season-high total for Box-Toppers points—he also earned 15.1 in 2011.
• Hernandez rises from 10th to seventh in player rankings. Hernandez (8IP R 8K W in the 4-2 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.8 for the season. He is in third place among AL pitchers. Hernandez had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.0, the same as Colby Lewis. However, Lewis won overall Player of the Day honors because he had more innings pitched than Hernandez—nine vs. eight.
Phillies pitcher Antonio Bastardo is NL Player of the Day. Bastardo pitched two innings of middle relief, allowing no runs and striking out six (earning no decision), in the 2-1 win over the Astros.
Daniel Murphy of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Murphy tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring a run and driving in two more, in the 6-1 win over the Nationals.
Delmon Young of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Young went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 9-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Lewis receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Bastardo receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Murphy and Young each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Tuesday’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 Tuesday, 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
| 805 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 9.0 | Rangers | Colby Lewis (W, 8-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 9.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 12-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| NL | 7.0 | `Phillies | Antonio Bastardo | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 6.0 | Royals | Danny Duffy (W, 6-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | Twins | Phil Hughes (W, 11-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 4.2 | `Tigers | David Price | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 4.0 | Reds | Johnny Cueto (W, 13-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | Pat Neshek (W, 5-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Dodgers | Kenley Jansen (W, 2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Mets | Daniel Murphy 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Brewers | Carlos Gomez CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Orioles | Delmon Young DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Cubs | Carlos Villanueva (S, 2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Athletics | Sean Doolittle (S, 17) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Marlins | Garrett Jones 1B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 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 Box-Toppers might pick the 2014 All-Stars
If Box-Toppers points rather than fan voting were used to determine Major League All-Star teams, you’d have very different teams, very pissed-off fans and one very stunned baseball blogger.
For example, if Box-Toppers points were used to determine All-Stars, there would be no Yasiel Puig, no Mike Trout, no Jose Bautista and no Derek Jeter in the game. And you would have players in the line-up, such as Daniel Murphy, Freddie Freeman and Erick Aybar, among others.
The All-Star Game is July 15. Online fan voting ends July 3, less than a week away.
Box-Toppers may have a different perspective on All-Stars because it tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Players only earn points if they are deemed to be Player of the Game, based on a simple box score formula.
So players such as Puig, Trout and Bautista, while they often put up impressive numbers, have not regularly been top player in games their teams have won recently. So while their fan All-Star vote may be high, their Box-Toppers point totals lately have been lower.
Another example of Box-Toppers not matching baseball’s conventional thinking is Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates. Last year, baseball writers voted him National League Most Valuable Player. But in Box-Toppers, he ranked 22nd among NL batters. However, this year, McCutchen has earned Player of the Game four times and picked up 5.0 Box-Toppers points and ranks fifth among NL batters and second among NL outfielders.
Box-Toppers looks at the All-Star team in two different ways. First, it considers players on their performance during the 2014 season. But since this season is still a small data sample, it looks at last season, too, and considers players on their performance since the start of 2013.
For example, if you look at Box-Toppers points for just this season, Chris Colabello of the Twins is the second-ranked outfielder based on his early season performance. But Colabello slumped and has been in the minors for more than a month—which does not speak well for his All-Star credentials.
But looking at player’s performance since 2013 can be misleading, too. For example, Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees leads AL outfielders since the start of 2013 with 13.9 Box-Toppers points. But 12.9 of those were earned in 2013. Despite his strong 2013, he probably would not be considered an All-Star in 2014.
But then there’s a player like Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks. He actually is leading currently in NL voting for first basemen. And in fact, in 2013, he led all NL batters in Box-Toppers points, with 13.7. But this year, while his numbers are generally good, he is playing for a bad team and has earned only 1.5 Box-Toppers points. Despite his great 2013 in Box-Toppers, he is overshadowed in the NL at first base by Freddie Freeman of the Braves. Freeman leads all NL first basemen in Box-Toppers points for both 2014 and 2013-14.
But enough prelude. Here is a look a the All-Star teams. First, it’s the Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league for 2014. Then, it’s Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league for 2013-14. And finally, a look at current All-Star vote leaders, showing their current Box-Toppers point total and their rank in Box-Toppers by position and league.
2014
Jose Abreu of the White Sox leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points. He is on the AL All-Star ballot as first baseman and not as a designated hitter, but since he has played DH this season, we will break the “rules” and put him at DH and put Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, last year’s Box-Toppers AL batting leader, at first.
In the American League, only four of the nine starters are even among the top vote-getters at their positions.
The National League is a little better—six of the eight Box-Toppers leaders for starting positions are among the All-Star voting leaders.
And though fan voters don’t get to pick pitchers, included here for both leagues are Box-Toppers leaders for starting pitchers (the top four starters) along with the top middle reliever and top closing pitcher.
Box-Toppers pick for All-Star starters based on 2014 stats? Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees for the AL and Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals for the NL.
All-Stars based on 2014 Box-Toppers points
Here are Box-Toppers points leaders by position for each league. Also shown is players' current ranking in All-Star fan voting by their position. A hyphen (-) indicates they are not among the league leaders in fan voting by their position. Also shown are pitching leaders. Fans don't get to vote on pitchers so their vote rank is marked with an asterisk (*).| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 7.5 | 1 |
| 2B | Rodriguez, Sean 2729 | tb al | 5.0 | - |
| SS | Aybar, Erick 2416 | ana al | 6.0 | - |
| 3B | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | oak al | 6.5 | 1 |
| CA | Perez, Salvador 2972 | kc al | 3.7 | - |
| OF | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | oak al | 5.5 | 4 |
| OF | Colabello, Chris 3235 | min al | 5.2 | - |
| OF | Hunter, Torii 1190 | det al | 4.5 | 10 |
| DH | Abreu, Jose 3308 | chi al | 8.5 | - |
| SP | Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 | nyy al | 12.7 | * |
| SP | Scherzer, Max 2588 | det al | 11.4 | * |
| SP | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | oak al | 9.7 | * |
| SP | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 8.8 | * |
| MR | Duffy, Danny 2915 | kc al | 6.0 | * |
| CP | Uehara, Koji 2802 | bos al | 6.0 | * |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
| 1B | Freeman, Freddie 2887 | atl nl | 6.2 | 3 |
| 2B | Murphy, Daniel 2589 | nym nl | 4.5 | - |
| SS | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | col nl | 10.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Ramirez, Aramis 1364 | mil nl | 3.5 | 1 |
| CA | Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 | mil nl | 3.7 | 2 |
| OF | Morse, Michael 2020 | sf nl | 5.5 | - |
| OF | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | pit nl | 5.0 | 2 |
| OF | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | fla nl | 4.7 | 4 |
| SP | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | stl nl | 13.0 | * |
| SP | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 12.7 | * |
| SP | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | sf nl | 12.5 | * |
| SP | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | cin nl | 11.7 | * |
| MR | Collmenter, Josh 2863 | ari nl | 4.0 | * |
| CP | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | atl nl | 5.0 | * |
Vote rank: Where the player ranks by position in All-Star fan voting. A hyphen (-) indicates they are not among the leaders. An asterisk (*) indicates they are a pitcher and not eligible for fan voting.
What are those numbers after players' names?
2013-14
These are Box-Toppers points leaders by position since the start of 2013.
In the American League, the Box-Toppers leaders agree a little better with voters—seven of the nine Box-Toppers leaders are among the leaders in fan voting and three (Cabrera, Robinson Cano of the Mariners and Josh Donaldson of the Athletics) are vote leaders for their positions.
In the National League, five of the Box-Toppers position leaders are also among the vote leaders. However, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies is the only player who leads his position in both Box-Toppers points and fan voting.
And though fan voters don’t get to pick pitchers, included here for both leagues are Box-Toppers leaders for starting pitchers (the top four starters) along with the top middle reliever and top closing pitcher.
Box-Toppers pick for starters based on 2013-14 stats? Max Scherzer of the Tigers for the AL and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers for the NL.
All-Stars based on 2013-14 Box-Toppers points
Here are Box-Toppers points leaders by position for each league. Also shown is players' current ranking in All-Star fan voting by their position. A hyphen (-) indicates they are not among the league leaders in fan voting by their position. Also shown are pitching leaders. Fans don't get to vote on pitchers so their vote rank is marked with an asterisk (*).| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 24.4 | 1 |
| 2B | Cano, Robinson 2092 | sea al | 15.5 | 1 |
| SS | Aybar, Erick 2416 | ana al | 11.0 | - |
| 3B | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | oak al | 16.0 | 1 |
| CA | McCann, Brian 2179 | nyy al | 9.5 | 3 |
| OF | Soriano, Alfonso 1445 | nyy al | 13.9 | - |
| OF | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | oak al | 12.5 | 4 |
| OF | Choo, Shin-Soo 2267 | tex al | 11.0 | 14 |
| DH | Ortiz, David | bos al | 16.4 | 2 |
| SP | Scherzer, Max 2588 | det al | 29.5 | * |
| SP | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 24.4 | * |
| SP | Sale, Chris 2806 | chi al | 24.1 | * |
| SP | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 23.6 | * |
| MR | Smyly, Drew 3009 | det al | 10.7 | * |
| CP | Holland, Greg 2906 | kc al | 14.0 | * |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
| 1B | Freeman, Freddie 2887 | atl nl | 17.7 | 3 |
| 2B | Murphy, Daniel 2589 | nym nl | 13.0 | - |
| SS | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | col nl | 14.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Alvarez, Pedro 2817 | pit nl | 10.2 | - |
| CA | Posey, Buster 2745 | sf nl | 10.0 | 3 |
| OF | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 12.5 | - |
| OF | Cuddyer, Michael 1826 | col nl | 11.5 | 14 |
| OF | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | pit nl | 11.0 | 2 |
| SP | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 34.4 | * |
| SP | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | stl nl | 33.2 | * |
| SP | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | sf nl | 28.2 | * |
| SP | Greinke, Zack 1871 | lad nl | 26.8 | * |
| MR | Collmenter, Josh 2863 | ari nl | 12.0 | * |
| CP | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | atl nl | 17.7 | * |
Vote rank: Where the player ranks by position in All-Star fan voting. A hyphen (-) indicates they are not among the leaders. An asterisk (*) indicates they are a pitcher and not eligible for fan voting.
What are those numbers after players' names?
Voting leaders
A case can be made for any of these players to be on the All-Star team.
Numbers? Performance? Yes, players like Yadier Molina, Yasiel Puig and Mike Trout have that. Though they may not register very highly on Box-Toppers, it’s hard to argue that they’re not All-Star worthy.
And a case can even be made for a player like Derek Jeter of the Yankees—is he an All-Star? Well, technically, there ARE probably better and more deserving AL shortstops based on any metric you put forth for this season and last season. But then, this is Derek Jeter. The Captain. His final season. Even Yankee haters may be forced to put the numbers aside for a moment and vote with their heart on this one.
Here are the leaders as of June 22 and 23 in All-Star voting by position. Also included in the chart are each of the leaders’ Box-Toppers points total for 2014 and their current rank among their position in their league.
Only three players who lead for their position in All-Star voting also lead their position in Box-Toppers points:
• AL 3B Josh Donaldson of the Athletics.
• NL SS Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies.
• NL 3B Aramis Ramirez of the Pirates.
All-Stars voting leaders & their Box-Toppers rankings
Here are All-Star fan voting leaders as of June 22 and 23. For comparison, their Box-Toppers points totals for 2014 are included along with their rank at their position by league. (For example, Miguel Cabrera has 7.5 Box-Toppers points in 2014, second-most among AL first basemen.| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | BTP rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Miguel Cabrera | det al | 7.5 | 2 |
| 2B | Robinson Cano | sea al | 3.0 | 4 |
| SS | Derek Jeter | nyy al | 0.0 | 22 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson | oak al | 6.5 | 1 |
| CA | Matt Wieters | bal al | 1.5 | 7 |
| OF | Jose Bautista | tor al | 2.5 | 15 |
| OF | Mike Trout | ana al | 2.0 | 23 |
| OF | Melky Cabrera | tor al | 3.0 | 10 |
| DH | Nelson Cruz | bal al | 3.0 | 10 |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | BTP rank |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | ari nl | 1.5 | 13 |
| 2B | Chase Utley | phi nl | 2.0 | 10 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki | col nl | 10.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Aramis Ramirez | mil nl | 3.5 | 1 |
| CA | Yadier Molina | stl nl | 0.0 | 20 |
| OF | Yasiel Puig | lad nl | 1.0 | 44 |
| OF | Andrew McCutchen | pit nl | 5.0 | 2 |
| OF | Carlos Gomez | mil nl | 2.5 | 14 |
BTP rank: Where the player ranks by position in their league in Box-Toppers points.
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.
Giants' Madison Bumgarner tops players for Sunday, June 22, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers points
Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, Sunday’s Player of the Day, rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
Bumgarner struck out seven over eight innings in the 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.5 for the season. He rises from sixth to third in season player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page) and is second place among National League pitchers to overall leader Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (13.0 Box-Toppers points).
Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer is American League Player of the Day. Scherzer struck out eight over six innings in the 10-4 win over the Indians. Scherzer earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, rising to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page).
J.J. Hardy of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Hardy doubled and went 2-for-4, scored twice and drove in three runs in the 8-0 win over the Yankees.
Daniel Murphy of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Murphy hit a three-run homer and doubled in the 11-5 win over the Marlins.
Notable: Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). Cueto (8IP 8K W in the 4-3 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season.
Bumgarner receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Scherzer receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Hardy and Murphy 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 Sunday, 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
| 622 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W, 9-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 7.0 | Pirates | Brandon Cumpton (W, 3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | Reds | Johnny Cueto (W, 7-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| AL | 4.0 | Tigers | Max Scherzer (W, 9-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| 4.0 | Dodgers | Kenley Jansen (S, 22) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Nationals | Rafael Soriano (S, 17) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Orioles | J.J. Hardy SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Rays | Joel Peralta (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Twins | Jared Burton (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | Mariners | Roenis Elias (W, 7-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Mets | Daniel Murphy 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Angels | Kole Calhoun RF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Brewers | Lyle Overbay PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Red Sox | Jonny Gomes LF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Jhonny Peralta SS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Padres' Robbie Erlin (6.1IP 0R 7K) tops players for Sunday, May 11
Padres pitcher Robbie Erlin is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Erlin pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 5-4 win over the Marlins.
Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir is American League Player of the Day. Kazmir pitched seven scoreless innings in the 9-1 win over the Nationals. Kazmir rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. (See the top 10 players for the season on the home page.) He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 points for the season.
Hank Conger of the Angels is AL Batter of the Day. Conger homered, doubled and drove in five runs in the 9-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Daniel Murphy of the Mets is National League Batter of the Day. Murphy homered, double and drove in two runs in the 5-4, 11-inning win over the Phillies.
Erlin receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kazmir receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Conger and Murphy 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 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
Nats' Stephen Strasburg (6.2IP 12K) tops players for Thursday, April 10
Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Strasburg struck out 12 over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 7-1 win over the Marlins.
Yankees closing pitcher David Phelps is American League Player of the Day. Phelps struck out three over 2 1/3 innings, picking up the save, in the 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
Daniel Murphy of the Mets is National League Batter of the Day. Murphy went 3-4 and drove in three runs in the 6-4 win over the Braves.
Jose Abreu of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Abreu homered twice and drove in three runs in the 7-3 win over the Indians. This was Abreu’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,308th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Notable: Ryan Braun of the Brewers, top player in the 6-2 win over the Phillies, earns Player of the Game honors for the second time in three days and now has 3.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, rising to fifth place among all players.
Strasburg receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Phelps receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Murphy and Abreu each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
Box-Toppers' batting leader Miguel Cabrera wins AL MVP; NL leader Goldschmidt finishes behind McCutchen for NL MVP
Box-Toppers' top-ranked batter Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers was named American League Most Valuable Player Thursday.
But the National League leading batter in Box-Toppers points, Paul Goldschmidt, finished in second place in NL MVP voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, who finished 71st among NL players and 22nd among NL batters in Box-Toppers points, was voted NL MVP.
Cabrera had 16.9 Box-Toppers points for the season, first among all batters, third among all AL players and eighth among all players. He was consistently the only batter in the overall player top 10 list during the season. He led all players in Box-Toppers points four different times during the season, most recently from June 28 to June 30.
Cabrera was voted first on 28 of the 30 writers’ ballots, winning his second straight MVP award. However, in 2012, Cabrera ranked third among AL batters in Box-Toppers points with 11.7, behind Adrian Beltre (13.5) and Chris Davis (12.0). Cabrera ranked third in 2012 despite his Triple Crown season.
McCutchen, voted NL MVP, had 6.0 Box-Toppers points for the season. He was voted first on 28 of the 30 writers’ ballots and was voted on all 30 ballots no lower than third place. However, as the 22nd-ranked NL batter in Box-Toppers points, he wouldn’t have even appeared on Box-Toppers’ 10-spot ballot.
Box-Toppers’ top NL batter Goldschmidt had 13.7 Box-Toppers points and received 15 of the writers’ second place votes, enough to secure the NL MVP runner-up spot.
So what went wrong here? Why do the writers so unanimously see McCutchen as the MVP and Box-Toppers so ... does not? (In fact, McCutchen is not even the highest-ranked batter in Box-Toppers points on his team—that honor goes to Pedro Alvarez, with 7.7 points.)
McCutchen’s batting average is .317. He hit 21 homers and 84 RBIs, scored 97 runs and stole 27 bases. Goldschmidt’s numbers were just as good, often better—.302 average, 36 homers, 125 RBIs. But McCutchen’s team made the postseason. Goldschmidt’s didn’t. Plus, words being used to describe McCutchen are “all-around player,” a “heart-and-soul” guy—intangibles. By their very nature, it’s hard to measure intangibles.
But Box-Toppers measures tangibles. The player who most helps his team win the most games earns the most Box-Toppers points. And to be fair, Box-Toppers doesn’t measure defensive play—for batters, it relies on what they produce at the plate. So it is possible that a lot of McCutchen’s valuableness gets missed that way.
Though in the previous two seasons, McCutchen has fared better in Box-Toppers points than he did in 2013. In 2011, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, in eighth place among NL batters. And in 2012, he had 8.5, finishing just out of the top 10 among NL batters.
So, by Box-Toppers standards, Goldschmidt very simply more often helped his team win more games than did McCutchen.
A couple of other players were voted by writers to higher spots than would be recommended by their Box-Toppers point total:
- Mike Trout of the Angels was voted in second place in AL MVP voting with five first place votes. He had 3.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, in 144th place among all AL players and 62nd among all AL batters. (In 2012, he also finished second in AL MVP voting, but in 2012, he finished fifth among AL batters with 11.0 Box-Toppers points.)
- Yadier Molina of the Cardinals was voted in third place in NL MVP voting with two first place votes. He had 4.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, in 126th place among all NL players and 52nd among all NL batters. However, Molina is rightly given credit for his defensive skills as a catcher and his role in shaping a pitching staff with four or five Cy Young-worthy starters. Box-Toppers doesn’t measure that.
There were several players who had high Box-Toppers point totals who did not receive MVP votes. Three of the Box-Toppers top 10 AL batters received no votes and seven of the Box-Toppers top 10 NL batters were shut out:
- Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees had 12.9 Box-Toppers points, 12th among all AL players and second among all AL batters. However, Soriano played in the National League for the Cubs at the start of the season and switched to the American League in July.
- Billy Butler of the Royals had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 33rd among all AL players and eighth among AL batters.
- Prince Fielder of the Tigers had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, 39th among all AL players and 10th among AL batters.
- Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, 22nd among all NL players and fourth among NL batters.
- Bryce Harper of the Nationals had 9.4 Box-Toppers points, 34th among all NL players and fifth among NL batters.
- Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals had 9.2 Box-Toppers points, 35th among all NL players and sixth among NL batters.
- Will Venable of the Padres had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 36th among all NL players and seventh among NL batters.
- Daniel Murphy of the Mets had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, 40th among all NL players and eighth among NL batters.
- Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates had 7.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all NL players and ninth among NL batters.
- Brandon Phillips of the Reds had 7.5 Box-Toppers points, 48th among all NL players and 10th among NL batters.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. The player on the winning team with the highest Box-Toppers game score is Player of the Game and receives 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The Player of the Game with the highest overall Box-Toppers game score for all the games played that day is Player of the Day and earns a total of 2.0 Box-Toppers points. The top player in the opposite league receives a total of 1.7 Box-Toppers points. If both the day’s top overall player and top player in the opposite league are pitchers, then the top American League and top National League batter of the day receive a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points each.
Box-Toppers rankings of MVP Award candidates
Here are the results of Most Valuable Player Award voting in both leagues. Players are listed in order of their vote total. The far right columns show how many Box-Toppers points (BTP) they earned during the 2013 season and how each player ranked in Box-Toppers points among all players in their league.
| MVP vote | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | |||||||||||||||
| Player | Pos | Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Points | BTP | Rank* |
| Miguel Cabrera | 3b | Tigers | 23 | 7 | 385 | 16.9 | 3 | ||||||||
| Mike Trout | cf lf | Angels | 5 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 282 | 3.5 | 144 | ||||
| Chris Davis | 1b | Orioles | 1 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 232 | 12.7 | 14 | ||||
| Josh Donaldson | 3b | Athletics | 1 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 222 | 9.5 | 31 | |||||
| Robinson Cano | 2b | Yankees | 1 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 150 | 12.5 | 17 | |||
| Evan Longoria | 3b | Rays | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 103 | 5.5 | 82 | ||||
| Dustin Pedroia | 2b | Red Sox | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 99 | 3.5 | 145 | |||
| Adrian Beltre | 3b | Rangers | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 99 | 8.4 | 41 | ||||
| Manny Machado | 3b | Orioles | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 57 | 1.0 | 316 | ||||
| David Ortiz | dh | Red Sox | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 47 | 12.4 | 18 | |||
| Jason Kipnis | 2b | Indians | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 8.0 | 44 | |||||
| Max Scherzer | pi sp | Tigers | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 18.1 | 1 | |||||
| Adam Jones | cf | Orioles | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8.0 | 43 | ||||||||
| Edwin Encarnacion | 1b dh | Blue Jays | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8.7 | 38 | ||||||||
| Greg Holland | pi cp | Royals | 1 | 3 | 11.0 | 22 | |||||||||
| Carlos Santana | ca | Indians | 1 | 3 | 1.0 | 287 | |||||||||
| Coco Crisp | cf | Athletics | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4.0 | 129 | ||||||||
| Jacoby Ellsbury | cf | Red Sox | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5.5 | 83 | ||||||||
| Torii Hunter | rf | Tigers | 1 | 2 | 4.0 | 125 | |||||||||
| Hisashi Iwakuma | pi sp | Mariners | 1 | 2 | 16.1 | 7 | |||||||||
| Koji Uehara | pi cp | Red Sox | 2 | 2 | 6.0 | 76 | |||||||||
| Yu Darvish | pi sp | Rangers | 1 | 1 | 16.0 | 8 | |||||||||
| Felix Hernandez | pi sp | Mariners | 1 | 1 | 14.8 | 9 | |||||||||
| Salvador Perez | ca 1b | Royals | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | 195 | |||||||||
| Shane Victorino | rf | Red Sox | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | 112 | |||||||||
| Notable AL snubs | |||||||||||||||
| Alfonso Soriano | lf | Yankees | 0 | 12.9 | 12 | ||||||||||
| Billy Butler | dh | Royals | 0 | 9.0 | 33 | ||||||||||
| Prince Fielder | 1b | Tigers | 0 | 8.5 | 39 | ||||||||||
| NL | |||||||||||||||
| Player, Club | Pos | Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | Points | BTP | Rank* |
| Andrew McCutchen | cf | Pirates | 28 | 1 | 1 | 409 | 6.0 | 71 | |||||||
| Paul Goldschmidt | 1b | D-Backs | 15 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 242 | 13.7 | 12 | |||||
| Yadier Molina | ca | Cardinals | 2 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 219 | 4.0 | 126 | ||
| Matt Carpenter | 2b | Cardinals | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 194 | 7.5 | 49 | ||
| Freddie Freeman | 1b | Braves | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 154 | 11.5 | 19 | ||||
| Joey Votto | 1b | Reds | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 149 | 4.5 | 109 | |||
| Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 8 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 146 | 21.7 | 1 | ||||
| Hanley Ramirez | ss | Dodgers | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 58 | 5.0 | 87 | ||
| Carlos Gomez | cf | Brewers | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 43 | 3.0 | 162 | |||||
| Jay Bruce | rf | Reds | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 30 | 4.5 | 112 | |||||
| Craig Kimbrel | pi cp | Braves | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 12.7 | 18 | ||||||
| Shin Soo Choo | cf | Reds | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 7.0 | 55 | |||||
| Jayson Werth | rf | Nationals | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 20 | 6.5 | 66 | ||||||
| Andrelton Simmons | ss | Braves | 2 | 4 | 14 | 1.5 | 261 | ||||||||
| Yasiel Puig | rf | Dodgers | 1 | 2 | 10 | 1.5 | 259 | ||||||||
| Hunter Pence | rf | Giants | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6.5 | 63 | |||||||
| Troy Tulowitzki | ss | Rockies | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4.0 | 124 | ||||||||
| Allen Craig | lf 1b | Cardinals | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5.0 | 84 | ||||||||
| Adrian Gonzalez | 1b | Dodgers | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5.0 | 86 | ||||||||
| Buster Posey | ca | Giants | 1 | 3 | 7.0 | 54 | |||||||||
| Adam Wainwright | pi sp | Cardinals | 1 | 3 | 20.2 | 2 | |||||||||
| Michael Cuddyer | rf | Rockies | 3 | 3 | 11.5 | 20 | |||||||||
| Matt Holliday | lf | Cardinals | 1 | 2 | 6.5 | 62 | |||||||||
| Russell Martin | ca | Pirates | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 212 | |||||||||
| Notable NL snubs | |||||||||||||||
| Carlos Gonzalez | lf | Rockies | 0 | 11.0 | 22 | ||||||||||
| Bryce Harper | lf | Nationals | 0 | 9.4 | 34 | ||||||||||
| Ryan Zimmerman | 3b | Nationals | 0 | 9.2 | 35 | ||||||||||
| Will Venable | rf cf | Padres | 0 | 9.0 | 36 | ||||||||||
| Daniel Murphy | 2b | Mets | 0 | 8.5 | 40 | ||||||||||
| Pedro Alvarez | 3b | Pirates | 0 | 7.7 | 45 | ||||||||||
| Brandon Phillips | 2b | Reds | 0 | 7.5 | 48 |
* Rank among players (batters and pitchers) in the league (AL or NL) in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season.
Rays' Price, Pirates' Liriano top players for Monday, July 29
Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Monday, July 29:
Rays pitcher David Price is Monday's Player of the Day. Price struck out eight and gave up only one run and two hits over 7 1/3 innings in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox.
Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano is National League Player of the Day. Liriano struck out eight and gave up one run over seven innings in the 9-2 win over the Cardinals.
Liriano earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He is the 23rd player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and he rises to 19th place among all players for the season.
Yoenis Cespedes of the Athletics is American League Batter of the Day. Cespedes homered, went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs in the 9-4 win over the Blue Jays.
Daniel Murphy of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Murphy went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs in the 6-5 win over the Marlins.
Price receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Liriano receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Cespedes and Murphy each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Monday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 729 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.1 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | David Price (W, 6-5) | 7.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| NL | 7.0 | Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Francisco Liriano (W, 11-4) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 4.1 | `Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | David Carpenter | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 4.0 | `Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kyle Lohse | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Athletics | Yoenis Cespedes LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Mets | Daniel Murphy 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Padres | Chris Denorfia PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jason Frasor (W, 1-2) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Indians | Jason Giambi PH, DH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.