Mets' deGrom tops players for Friday, June 30; Dodgers' Wood, Royals' Vargas rise in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings

Shawn Plank July 1, 2017

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom 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 2017 season as of June 30:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	18.1
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
3	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	min al	12.4
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	bos al	12.1
5	Ray, Robbie 3502	pi sp	ari nl	10.0
6	Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	10.0
7	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	9.4
8	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	9.4
9	McCullers, Lance 3488	pi sp	hou al	9.4
10	Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	kc al	9.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Friday, two players rise in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors—Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to sixth place and Royals pitcher Jason Vargas rises to 10th.

Player of the Day—deGrom struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 2-1 win over the Phillies.

deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season. He ranks 16th among all players and seventh among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Brett Gardner of the Yankees hit a grand slam, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 13-4 win over the Astros.

National League Batter of the Day—Hunter Pence of the Giants went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 13-5 win over the Pirates.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Brett Gardner.

Rankings—Two players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday:

Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood (6IP 2H R 3BB 8K W in the 10-4 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He becomes the sixth player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. It is the first season he has earned 10.0 points, his previous high was 8.7 in 2014 with the Braves. Wood rises from ninth to sixth place in season player rankings, fourth among NL pitchers.
Royals pitcher Jason Vargas (7IP 2H R 4BB 4K W in the 8-1 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.0 for the season, rising to 10th place in season player rankings, fifth among AL pitchers.

Debut—Deven Marrero of the Red Sox made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.

Marrero (2-4 R 3BI in the 7-4, 11-inning win over the Blue Jays) made his Major League debut June 28, 2015, and was playing in his 80th career game. He is the 3,842nd 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 Gardner earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Pence earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.

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 





  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    6/30
    Score
    Game
    Player of the Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.0
    NYM 2, PHI 1
    Jacob deGrom, W (8-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    12
  

    
    10.0
    CIN 5, CHC 0
    Scott Feldman, W (7-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    2
    7
  

    
    9.0
    ATL 3, OAK 1
    Mike Foltynewicz (W, 6-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    1
    1
    4
    8
  

    AL
    7.0
    NYY 13, HOU 4
    Brett Gardner (LF)
    5
    3
    3
    6
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    7.0
    SEA 10, LAA 0
    Ariel Miranda (W, 7-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    7.0
    LAD 10, SD 4
    Alex Wood (W, 9-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    1
    1
    3
    8
  

    BAT
    5.0
    SF 13, PIT 5
    Hunter Pence (RF)
    4
    1
    3
    5
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    MIL 3, MIA 2
    Stephen Vogt (C)
    3
    2
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    COL 6, ARI 3
    Jon Gray (W, 1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    7
    2
    2
    1
    10
  

    
    4.0
    CHW 8, TEX 7
    Anthony Swarzak (W, 4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.2
    `TB 6, BAL 4 (F/10)
    Jacob Faria
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    4
    3
    2
    0
    6
  

    
    3.0
    STL 8, WSH 1
    Yadier Molina (C)
    4
    1
    2
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    KC 8, MIN 1
    Jason Vargas (W, 12-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    4
    4
  

    
    2.0
    BOS 7, TOR 4 (F/11)
    Deven Marrero (3B)
    4
    1
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  


MLB—Overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.

  AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.

All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

` 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 (’17). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’16-17), the period 2012-2017 (’12-17) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2017 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2016 total (+/-).


Player of the Game	Pos	Team	’17	’16-17	’12-17	Career	+/-
Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	10.0	11.0	29.4	29.4	9.0
Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	kc al	9.0	10.0	35.4	56.2	8.0
deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	7.7	17.4	52.8	52.8	-2.0
Miranda, Ariel 3738	pi sp	sea al	6.0	8.0	8.0	8.0	4.0
Feldman, Scott 2632	pi sp	cin nl	6.0	6.0	22.7	30.7	6.0
Faria, Jacob 3816	pi sp	tb al	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7
Molina, Yadier 1967	ca	stl nl	3.0	7.0	16.5	37.7	-1.0
Swarzak, Anthony 2603	pi mr cp	chi al	3.0	3.0	7.0	10.7	3.0
Pence, Hunter 2287	rf	sf nl	2.5	6.0	22.0	54.7	-1.0
Foltynewicz, Mike 3455	pi sp	atl nl	2.0	6.0	8.7	8.7	-2.0
Gardner, Brett 2486	lf	nyy al	1.7	1.7	9.7	20.2	1.7
Gray, Jon 3634	pi sp	col nl	1.0	8.0	8.0	8.0	-6.0
Vogt, Stephen 3503	ca	mil nl	1.0	5.0	7.5	7.5	-3.0
Marrero, Deven 3842	3b	bos al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka tops players for Friday, June 23; Dodgers' Wood rises to 7th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank June 24, 2017

Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka 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 2017 season as of June 23:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	14.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	13.0
3	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	min al	11.4
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	bos al	10.1
5	Ray, Robbie 3502	pi sp	ari nl	10.0
6	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	9.4
7	Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	9.0
8	Judge, Aaron 3767	rf	nyy al	8.2
9	Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	kc al	8.0
10	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	ari nl	7.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Friday, Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Player of the Day—Tanaka struck out nine over eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 2-1, 10-inning win over the Rangers. Tanaka did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.

National League Player of the Day—Phillies pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. pitched six scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing three hits and one walk, in the 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

This was Leiter’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Leiter made his Major League debut April 28 and was playing in his 13th career game. He is the 3,834th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Leiter is the son of pitcher Mark Leiter Sr. who had 23.4 career Box-Toppers points from 1995 to 1998. Leiter would likely have more Box-Toppers point if his entire career beginning in 1990 were tracked (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995).

American League Batter of the Day—Derek Norris of the Rays homered, doubled and went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 15-5 win over the Orioles.

National League Batter of the Day—Yoenis Cespedes of the Mets homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 11-4 win over the Giants.

Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises from eighth to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Wood (6IP 3H R 2BB 7K W in the 6-1 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.0 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.

With Wood earning a point Friday, it marks the first time this season that all of the Box-Toppers top 10 point leaders have different Box-Toppers point totals—there are for the first time in 2017 no ties among the top 10 players. However, 10th-ranked player, Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke, has 7.7 Box-Toppers points and beats out three other players with the same Box-Toppers point total on tiebreakers—Red Sox pitcher Craig Kimbrel, Marlins pitcher Dan Straily and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers.

Debut—Brian Goodwin of the Nationals made his Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Goodwin (2HR 3-4 2R 2BI in the 6-5, 10-inning win over the Reds) made his Major League debut Aug. 6, 2016, and was playing in his 54th career game. He is the 3,835th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Tanaka earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Leiter earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Norris and Cespedes each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score 





  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    6/23
    Score
    Game
    Player of the Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    12.0
    `NYY 2, TEX 1 (F/10)
    Masahiro Tanaka
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    9
  

    NL
    7.0
    PHI 6, ARI 1
    Mark Leiter Jr. (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    5
  

    
    6.0
    LAD 6, COL 1
    Alex Wood (W,8-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    BAT
    5.0
    TB 15, BAL 5
    Derek Norris, C
    3
    3
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    SD 1, DET 0
    Luis Perdomo (W,2-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    0
    0
    5
    6
  

    
    5.0
    ATL 5, MIL 4
    Mike Foltynewicz (W,5-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    1
    1
    3
    9
  

    
    4.0
    BOS 9, LAA 4
    Sandy Leon, C
    4
    1
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    OAK 3, CHW 0
    Jharel Cotton (W,5-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    3.0
    SEA 13, HOU 3
    Danny Valencia, 1B
    5
    2
    4
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    NYM 11, SF 4
    Yoenis Cespedes, LF
    5
    2
    3
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    WSH 6, CIN 5 (F/10)
    Brian Goodwin, LF-CF
    4
    2
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `PIT 4, STL 3
    Jameson Taillon
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    2
    2
    2
    7
  

    
    2.0
    MIN 5, CLE 0
    Adalberto Mejia (W,2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    2
    0
    0
    5
    4
  

    
    1.0
    MIA 2, CHC 0
    Giancarlo Stanton, RF
    3
    1
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    KC 5, TOR 4
    Salvador Perez, C
    4
    1
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  


MLB—Overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.

  AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.

All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

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


Player of the Game	Pos	Team	’17	’16-17	’12-17	Career	+/-
Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	9.0	10.0	28.4	28.4	8.0
Tanaka, Masahiro 3305	pi sp	nyy al	4.7	18.8	39.5	39.5	-9.4
Perez, Salvador 2972	ca	kc al	4.5	8.5	23.7	26.2	0.5
Cotton, Jharel 3733	pi sp	oak al	3.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	1.0
Norris, Derek 3198	ca	tb al	3.0	4.0	16.0	16.0	2.0
Valencia, Danny 2772	1b 3b	sea al	2.7	7.2	11.7	15.7	-1.8
Cespedes, Yoenis 3008	lf	nym nl	2.5	10.5	42.4	42.4	-5.5
Leon, Sandy 3676	ca	bos al	2.5	5.5	5.5	5.5	-0.5
Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	2.0	8.5	32.7	41.2	-4.5
Taillon, Jameson 3658	pi sp	pit nl	2.0	7.0	7.0	7.0	-3.0
Perdomo, Luis D. 3715	pi sp	sd nl	2.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	0.0
Mejia, Adalberto 3812	pi sp	min al	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Leiter, Mark Jr. 3834	pi sp	phi nl	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7
Foltynewicz, Mike 3455	pi sp	atl nl	1.0	5.0	7.7	7.7	-3.0
Goodwin, Brian 3835	lf cf	dc nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Marlins' Dan Straily tops players for Friday, June 16; Scherzer, 2nd in player rankings, earns Player of the Game

Shawn Plank June 17, 2017

Marlins pitcher Dan Straily 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 2017 season as of June 16:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	14.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	13.0
3	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	min al	11.4
4	Ray, Robbie 3502	pi sp	ari nl	10.0
5	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	bos al	8.4
6	Judge, Aaron 3767	rf	nyy al	8.2
7	Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	8.0
8	Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	kc al	8.0
9	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	ari nl	7.7
10	Kimbrel, Craig 2825	pi cp	bos al	7.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Friday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings, earned Player of the Game honors. Plus, two other players rose into Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings for the season—Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rose to seventh and Red Sox closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel rose to 10th.

Player of the Day—Straily struck out eight over 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 5-0 win over the Braves.

American League Player of the Day—Melky Cabrera of the White Sox homered, doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 11-4 win over the Blue Jays.

National League Batter of the Day—Paul DeJong of the Cardinals homered and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 11-2 win over the Orioles.

This was DeJong’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. DeJong made his Major League debut May 28 and was playing in his 14th career game. He is the 3,827th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Melky Cabrera.

Scherzer—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer maintains his second-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Scherzer (8IP 4H R 2BB 10K W in the 7-2 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.0 for the season. He trails overall leader and NL pitching leader Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (14.4 Box-Toppers points).

Scherzer also rises to 26th place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Friday he has 144.7 career points, passing Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (144.0) on the “all-time” list. He now trails 25th-ranked player David Ortiz (145.9).

Passing Hamels, Scherzer now ranks ninth among active players in career Box-Toppers points, seventh among active pitchers. He trails the eighth-ranked active player Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (146.9) and the sixth-ranked active pitcher Jon Lester of the Cubs (147.2).

Scherzer narrowly missed out on earning overall Player of the Day honors Friday. His Box-Toppers game score of 10.0 was topped by Straily’s game score of 10.1.

Rankings—Two players rose into Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after earning Player of the Game honors Friday:

Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood (8IP 4H R 0BB 5K W in the 3-1 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season, rising to seventh place in player rankings, fourth among NL pitchers.
Red Sox closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K Sv in the 2-1 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising to 10th in player rankings, fourth among AL pitchers and most among all closing pitchers.

Notable—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers now has 112.3 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Beltre (1-2 2R 2BI in the 10-4 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season, and ranks 53rd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 52nd-ranked player Kevin Brown (112.8). Beltre ranks 16th among all batters since 1995 and third among all active batters in career points, behind Albert Pujols of the Angels (184.3) and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (146.9).

Also notable—DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Friday.

LeMahieu (2B 4-4 2R 2BI in the 10-8 win over the Giants) was also Box-Toppers NL Batter of the Day Thursday in the 10-9 win over the Giants. LeMahieu has 2.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, all earned in the past two days.

Scoring—Straily earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cabrera earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. DeJong earns 1.5 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.

Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score 





  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    6/16
    Score
    Game
    Player of the Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.1
    MIA 5, ATL 0
    Dan Straily (W,5-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    4
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    10.0
    WSH 7, NYM 2
    Max Scherzer (W,8-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    10
  

    
    7.0
    LAD 3, CIN 1
    Alex Wood (W,7-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    0
    5
  

    AL
    6.0
    CHW 11, TOR 4
    Melky Cabrera, LF
    4
    3
    2
    5
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    5.0
    STL 11, BAL 2
    Paul DeJong, 2B
    4
    3
    3
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    KC 3, LAA 1
    Ian Kennedy (W,1-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    4.1
    CLE 8, MIN 1
    Carlos Carrasco (W,7-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    4
    1
    1
    3
    7
  

    
    4.0
    COL 10, SF 8
    DJ LeMahieu, 2B
    4
    2
    4
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    DET 13, TB 4
    Justin Upton, LF
    4
    3
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.1
    `ARI 5, PHI 4
    Archie Bradley (H,11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    CHC 9, PIT 5
    Willson Contreras, C
    3
    1
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    TEX 10, SEA 4
    Adrian Beltre, 3B
    2
    2
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    OAK 7, NYY 6
    Santiago Casilla (S,11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    2.0
    BOS 2, HOU 1
    Craig Kimbrel (S,19)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    MIL 6, SD 5 (F/10)
    Manny Pina, C
    4
    2
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  


MLB—Overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.

  AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.

All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

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


Player of the Game	Pos	Team	’17	’16-17	’12-17	Career	+/-
Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	13.0	38.7	116.9	144.7	-12.7
Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	8.0	9.0	27.4	27.4	7.0
Kimbrel, Craig 2825	pi cp	bos al	7.7	15.7	60.4	66.4	-0.3
Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	7.4	19.8	48.5	53.9	-5.0
Straily, Dan 3080	pi sp	fla nl	6.0	13.0	23.7	23.7	-1.0
Cabrera, Melky 2143	lf	chi al	4.7	8.7	18.7	35.2	0.7
Upton, Justin 2411	lf	det al	4.0	10.7	36.9	55.1	-2.7
Contreras, Willson 3776	ca ph	chi nl	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5
Pina, Manny 3769	ca	mil nl	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5
Kennedy, Ian 2723	pi sp	kc al	3.0	13.0	44.1	69.5	-7.0
LeMahieu, DJ 3091	2b	col nl	2.5	10.5	23.5	23.5	-5.5
Dejong, Paul 3827	2b	stl nl	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5
Beltre, Adrian 1141	3b	tex al	1.0	10.5	44.4	112.3	-8.5
Casilla, Santiago 2301	pi cp	oak al	1.0	4.0	19.7	24.7	-2.0
Bradley, Archie 3438	pi mr sp	ari nl	1.0	4.0	5.0	5.0	-2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Nationals' Max Scherzer tops players for Friday, May 26, rises to 4th in season player rankings

Shawn Plank May 27, 2017

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in season player rankings.

Scherzer struck out 13 over 8 2/3 innings, allowing one run, three hits and two walks, in the 5-1 win over the Padres.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of May 26:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	10.7
2	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	min al	9.4
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	bos al	8.4
4	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	8.0
5	Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	7.0
6	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	ari nl	6.7
7	McCullers, Lance 3488	pi sp	hou al	6.0
8	Harper, Bryce 3011	rf	dc nl	6.0
9	Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	kc al	6.0
10	Holland, Greg 2906	pi cp	col nl	6.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season and rises from fifth to fourth place in season player rankings. He is second among National League pitchers, behind overall leader Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (10.7).

Scherzer also now has 139.7 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 29th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Friday, he passes Andy Pettitte (138.5) on the “all-time” list. He now trails 28th-ranked player Jake Peavy (141.8).

American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Sean Manaea struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 4-1 win over the Yankees.

American League Batter of the Day—Devon Travis of the Blue Jays hit a grand slam and doubled in the 7-6 win over the Rangers. Travis went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs.

National League Batter of the Day—Justin Bour of the Marlins hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4 in the 8-5 win over the Angels.

Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Wood (5IP 2H 0R 2BB 8K W in the 4-0 win over the Cubs) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season. He rises from eighth to fifth place in rankings. He ranks third among NL pitchers, behind Kershaw (10.7) and Scherzer (8.0).

Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Manaea earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Travis and Bour each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score 





  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/26
    Score
    Game
    Player of the Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    14.2
    WSH 5, SD 1
    Max Scherzer (W,5-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.2
    3
    1
    1
    2
    13
  

    AL
    10.0
    OAK 4, NYY 1
    Sean Manaea (W,3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    
    9.1
    NYM 8, PIT 1
    Jacob deGrom (W,4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.1
    6
    1
    1
    1
    10
  

    
    9.0
    CIN 5, PHI 2
    Tim Adleman (W,3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    9.0
    HOU 2, BAL 0
    Joe Musgrove (W,4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    9.0
    LAD 4, CHC 0
    Alex Wood (W,6-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    2
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    
    8.2
    TB 5, MIN 2
    Chris Archer (W,4-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    5
    2
    2
    1
    11
  

    
    6.0
    COL 10, STL 0
    Antonio Senzatela (W,7-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    6.0
    `ARI 4, MIL 2 (F/10)
    Zack Godley
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    5.2
    ATL 2, SF 0
    Jaime Garcia (W,2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    4
    0
    0
    2
    5
  

    BAT
    5.0
    TOR 7, TEX 6
    Devon Travis, 2B
    4
    2
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    CHW 8, DET 2
    Melky Cabrera, LF
    5
    2
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    KC 6, CLE 4
    Mike Minor (W,2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    2.0
    MIA 8, LAA 5
    Justin Bour, 1B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    BOS 3, SEA 0
    Eduardo Rodriguez (W,4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    3
    4
  

MLB—Overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.

  AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.

All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

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


Player of the Game	Pos	Team	’17	’16-17	’12-17	Career	+/-
Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	8.0	33.7	111.9	139.7	-17.7
Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	7.0	8.0	26.4	26.4	6.0
Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480	pi sp	bos al	5.7	10.4	16.4	16.4	1.0
Godley, Zack 3538	pi sp	ari nl	4.0	5.0	8.7	8.7	3.0
deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	3.7	13.4	48.8	48.8	-6.0
Bour, Justin 3433	1b	fla nl	3.5	6.0	16.0	16.0	1.0
Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	3.0	12.0	52.1	52.1	-6.0
Senzatela, Antonio 3760	pi sp	col nl	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
Manaea, Sean 3637	pi sp	oak al	2.7	9.4	9.4	9.4	-4.0
Cabrera, Melky 2143	lf ph	chi al	2.0	6.0	16.0	32.5	-2.0
Travis, Devon 3436	2b	tor al	1.5	2.5	5.5	5.5	0.5
Garcia, Jaime 2508	pi sp	atl nl	1.0	9.0	27.1	44.8	-7.0
Musgrove, Joe 3705	pi sp	hou al	1.0	4.7	4.7	4.7	-2.7
Adleman, Tim 3625	pi sp	cin nl	1.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	-1.0
Minor, Mike 2894	pi mr sp	kc al	1.0	1.0	25.4	28.1	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

White Sox' Jose Quintana tops players for Friday, May 19; Dodgers' Wood rises to 6th in Box-Toppers rankings

Shawn Plank May 20, 2017

White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana 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 2017 season as of May 19:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	8.7
2	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	bos al	8.4
3	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	min al	7.7
4	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
5	Harper, Bryce 3011	rf	dc nl	6.0
6	Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	6.0
7	Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	kc al	6.0
8	Holland, Greg 2906	pi cp	col nl	6.0
9	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	5.4
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Friday, Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Player of the Day—Quintana allowed one run and one hit over eight innings, striking out seven and walking one, in the 2-1, 10-inning win over the Mariners. Quintana picked up the no-decision and did not earn the win because he exited with the score tied, 1-1.

National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits, in the 3-0 win over the Angels.

American League Batter of the Day—Wellington Castillo of the Orioles hit two homers, including the game-winning, walk-off, two-run homer in the 10th inning, in the 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Castillo went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs.

National League Batter of the Day—Jake Lamb of the Diamondbacks hit two homers, going 2-for-5 and driving in five runs, in the 10-1 win over the Padres.

Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Wood (7.1IP 6H 0R 2BB 4K W in the 7-2 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers.

Streak—Evan Longoria of the Rays has now earned Box-Toppers points for 10 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor for 2017 on Friday.

Longoria (2B 4-5 2R BI in the 5-4 win over the Yankees) earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2008 with the Rays and has 48.0 career points, second among active AL third basemen (behind Adrian Beltre of the Rangers who has 111.3). Longoria’s best season was 2009 with the Rays when he had 8.5 points, second among AL third basemen. In 2016, he had 6.5 points with the Rays, sixth among AL third basemen.

Scoring—Quintana earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and deGrom earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Castillo and Lamb each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score 





  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/19
    Score
    Game
    Player of the Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    `CHW 2, SEA 1 (F/10)
    Jose Quintana
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    NL
    9.0
    NYM 3, LAA 0
    Jacob deGrom (W,3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    3
    9
  

    
    6.0
    MIL 6, CHC 3
    Wily Peralta (W,5-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    5
  

    BAT
    4.0
    BAL 5, TOR 3 (F/10)
    Welington Castillo, C
    5
    2
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    ARI 10, SD 1
    Jake Lamb, 3B
    5
    2
    2
    5
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.1
    LAD 7, MIA 2
    Alex Wood (W,5-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    6
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    3.0
    COL 12, CIN 6
    Alexi Amarista, SS
    5
    1
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    ATL 7, WSH 4
    Dansby Swanson, SS
    2
    1
    2
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    MIN 4, KC 3 (F/10)
    Kennys Vargas, PH
    1
    1
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    TEX 5, DET 3
    Nick Martinez (W,1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    1
    0
    1
    4
  

    
    3.0
    SF 6, STL 5
    Bryan Morris (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.-
    -
    -
    -
    -
    2
  

    
    2.2
    CLE 5, HOU 3
    Trevor Bauer (W,4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    5
    3
    3
    1
    9
  

    
    2.0
    TB 5, NYY 4
    Evan Longoria, 3B
    5
    2
    4
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    OAK 3, BOS 2 (F/10)
    Mark Canha, RF
    4
    1
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    PHI 7, PIT 2
    Jeremy Hellickson (W,5-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    2
    1
    1
    2
  

MLB—Overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.

  AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.

All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

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


Player of the Game	Pos	Team	’17	’16-17	’12-17	Career	+/-
Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp	lad nl	6.0	7.0	25.4	25.4	5.0
Quintana, Jose 3040	pi sp	chi al	4.0	14.4	39.2	39.2	-6.4
Hellickson, Jeremy 2778	pi sp	phi nl	3.0	16.1	37.1	47.8	-10.1
deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	2.7	12.4	47.8	47.8	-7.0
Lamb, Jake 3517	3b	ari nl	2.5	6.5	7.5	7.5	-1.5
Vargas, Kennys 3511	dh 1b ph	min al	2.5	5.0	6.5	6.5	0.0
Bauer, Trevor 3065	pi sp	cle al	2.0	13.4	31.5	31.5	-9.4
Peralta, Wily 3123	pi sp	mil nl	2.0	3.0	21.0	21.0	1.0
Canha, Mark 3454	cf rf	oak al	2.0	2.0	4.5	4.5	2.0
Martinez, Nick 3430	pi sp	tex al	2.0	2.0	5.7	5.7	2.0
Amarista, Alexi 3032	ss ph	col nl	2.0	2.0	11.0	11.0	2.0
Castillo, Wellington 3251	ca	bal al	1.5	6.5	13.0	13.0	-3.5
Longoria, Evan 2423	3b	tb al	1.0	7.5	20.0	48.0	-5.5
Swanson, Dansby 3751	ss	atl nl	1.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	0.0
Morris, Bryan 3369	pi mr	sf nl	1.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Dodgers' Alex Wood tops players for Saturday, May 13; Red Sox' Sale rises to lead Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank May 14, 2017

Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale rises to retake the lead in season Box-Toppers player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of May 13:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	bos al	8.4
2	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	min al	7.7
3	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	7.0
4	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
5	Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	kc al	6.0
6	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	5.4
7	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.4
8	Triggs, Andrew 3723	pi sp	oak al	5.4
9	Kimbrel, Craig 2825	pi cp	bos al	5.0
10	Nova, Ivan 2796	pi sp	pit nl	5.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Wood struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the Rockies.

American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing three runs on two hits, in the 6-3 win over the Rays.

Sale earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season, rising from third to first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He passes previous leader Twins pitcher Ervin Santana (7.7 Box-Toppers points), who only took the lead after Friday’s games. It is the second time this season Sale has led player rankings—he also led from May 2 to 5.

National League Batter of the Day—Travis Shaw of the Brewers homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 11-4 win over the Mets.

American League Batter of the Day—J.D. Martinez of the Tigers hit two homers and went 3-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 4-3 win over the Angels.

2017 lead changes
Here are the season’s lead changes among players in Box-Toppers points. Chart shows the date and the player’s Box-Toppers point (BTP) total when they took the lead.
 
    Date
    Player
    Team
    BTP
  
    4/2
    Carlos Martinez
    stl nl
    2.0
  
    4/3
    Clayton Kershaw
    lad nl
    2.0
  
    4/9
    Noah Syndergaard
    nym nl
    3.0
  
    4/14
    Clayton Kershaw
    lad nl
    4.0
  
    4/15
    Ervin Santana
    min al
    4.7
  
    4/19
    Clayton Kershaw
    lad nl
    5.0
  
    5/2
    Chris Sale
    bos al
    6.7
  
    5/6
    Clayton Kershaw
    lad nl
        7.0

     5/12
    Ervin Santana
    min al
    7.7
  
    5/13
    Chris Sale
    bos al
    8.4

Notable—Bryce Harper of the Nationals leads batters in season Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Harper (HR 1-4 2R 2BI in the 6-4 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to 11th place among all players. He passes previous batting leader, Aaron Judge of the Yankees (5.0 Box-Toppers points). Though both Harper and Judge have 5.0 Box-Toppers points, Harper ranks higher because he had more 2016 Box-Toppers points (3.0 vs. 0.0).

Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Marlins pitcher Jose Berrios (7.2IP 2H R BB 4K W in the 4-1 win over the Indians) made his Major League debut April 27, 2016, and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,791st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams (5IP 4H R BB 4K W in the 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks) made his Major League debut Sept. 7, 2016, and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,792nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Wood earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Sale earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Shaw and Martinez each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score 





  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/13
    Score
    Game
    Player of the Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    LAD 4, COL 0
    Alex Wood (W,4-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    10
  

    AL
    9.0
    BOS 6, TB 3
    Chris Sale (W,4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    3
    3
    2
    12
  

    
    7.0
    `KC 4, BAL 3
    Nate Karns
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    5
    2
    2
    1
    12
  

    
    6.2
    MIN 4, CLE 1
    Jose Berrios (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    2
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    5.0
    ATL 3, MIA 1
    Julio Teheran (W,3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    4.2
    `CHW 5, SD 4
    Anthony Swarzak
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    4.0
    MIL 11, NYM 4
    Travis Shaw, 3B
    5
    2
    3
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    DET 4, LAA 3
    J.D. Martinez, RF
    4
    2
    3
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    STL 5, CHC 3
    Tommy Pham, LF
    3
    2
    2
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    TEX 6, OAK 5
    Matt Bush (S,3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    TOR 7, SEA 2
    Kevin Pillar, CF
    4
    2
    3
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    PIT 4, ARI 3
    Trevor Williams (W,2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    1.1
    SF 3, CIN 1
    Matt Moore (W,2-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    8
    1
    1
    3
    7
  

    
    1.0
    WSH 6, PHI 4
    Bryce Harper, RF
    4
    2
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

MLB—Overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.

  AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.

All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

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


Player of the Game	Pos	Team	’17	’16-17	’12-17	Career	+/-
Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	bos al	8.4	21.8	89.8	94.8	-5.0
Harper, Bryce 3011	rf	dc nl	5.0	8.0	32.4	32.4	2.0
Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp mr	lad nl	5.0	6.0	24.4	24.4	4.0
Shaw, Travis 3544	3b	mil nl	4.5	11.5	15.7	15.7	-2.5
Karns, Nathan 3414	pi sp	kc al	3.7	6.7	12.7	12.7	0.7
Moore, Matt 2975	pi sp	sf nl	2.7	15.1	38.6	40.6	-9.7
Pham, Thomas 3596	lf	stl nl	2.5	4.0	5.5	5.5	1.0
Swarzak, Anthony 2603	pi mr	chi al	2.0	2.0	6.0	9.7	2.0
Martinez, J.D. 2922	rf	det al	1.5	7.0	16.7	18.7	-4.0
Teheran, Julio 3176	pi sp	atl nl	1.0	11.7	47.5	47.5	-9.7
Pillar, Kevin 3486	cf	tor al	1.0	3.0	6.5	6.5	-1.0
Bush, Matt 3673	pi cp	tex al	1.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	-1.0
Berrios, Jose 3791	pi sp	min al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Williams, Trevor 3792	pi sp	pit nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Dodgers' Alex Wood tops players for Monday, May 8; Cardinals' Martinez rises to 10th in player rankings

Shawn Plank May 9, 2017

Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Monday, Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez rises to 10th place in season Box-Toppers player rankings after becoming the second pitcher of the season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of May 8:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	7.0
2	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	bos al	6.7
3	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	min al	6.7
4	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	6.0
5	Kimbrel, Craig 2825	pi cp	bos al	5.0
6	Nova, Ivan 2796	pi sp	pit nl	5.0
7	Vargas, Jason 2055	pi sp	kc al	5.0
8	Holland, Greg 2906	pi cp	col nl	5.0
9	Judge, Aaron 3767	rf	nyy al	5.0
10	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	4.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Wood struck out 11 over five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 12-1 win over the Pirates.

American League Player of the Day—Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman struck out eight over seven innings, allowing two runs and five hits, in the 6-4 win over the Nationals.

National League Batter of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Marlins.

Martinez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.5 for the season, rising to 10th in Box-Toppers season player rankings and fifth among NL pitchers.

He also becomes the second pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright did it on April 21. Not only has the feat been accomplished both times by Cardinals, but both pitchers also earned NL Batter of the Day honors when they did it.

This is the second time in his career Martinez has earned Player of the Game honors for batting. He also did it Sept. 19, 2016. During the 2016 season, pitchers won Player of the Game honors for batting eight times.

Martinez had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0 for batting, highest among all Cardinals players Monday. He had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 for pitching (6IP 5H 3R 3ER 2BB 7K W).

American League Batter of the Day—Matt Holliday of the Yankees homered and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 10-4 win over the Reds.

Holliday earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 100.8 for his career. He becomes the 77th player to earn 100 Box-Toppers points since 1995, when player tracking began. With his points Monday, he rises to 73rd on the “all-time” player list, passing six players—White Sox pitcher James Shields (99.4), Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto (99.8), Larry Walker (100.1), Jeff Bagwell (100.4), Paul Konerko (100.7) and Giants pitcher Matt Cain (100.7). Holliday now trails 72nd-ranked player Jason Schmidt (101.2).

Scoring—Wood earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cahill earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Martinez and Holliday 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.

Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score 





  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    5/8
    Score
    Game
    Player of the Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.0
    LAD 12, PIT 1
    Alex Wood (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    11
  

    
    6.1
    SD 5, TEX 1
    Trevor Cahill (W,3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.1
    1
    0
    0
    5
    7
  

    AL
    5.0
    BAL 6, WSH 4
    Kevin Gausman (W,2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    2
    2
    1
    8
  

    
    4.1
    KC 7, TB 3
    Nate Karns (W,2-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    6
    2
    2
    2
    10
  

    BAT
    4.0
    STL 9, MIA 4
    Carlos Martinez, P
    3
    1
    2
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    `NYM 4, SF 3
    Jacob deGrom
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    3
    3
    3
    11
  

    BAT
    2.0
    NYY 10, CIN 4
    Matt Holliday, 1B
    4
    3
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    TOR 4, CLE 2
    Ryan Goins, SS
    2
    1
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    OAK 3, LAA 2 (F/11)
    Jed Lowrie, 2B
    5
    2
    2
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

MLB—Overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.

  AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.

  BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.

All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

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


Player of the Game	Pos	Team	’17	’16-17	’12-17	Career	+/-
Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	4.5	16.9	31.6	31.6	-7.9
Cahill, Trevor 2658	pi sp	sd nl	4.4	7.4	22.1	44.6	1.4
Holliday, Matt 1836	dh 1b lf	nyy al	3.0	9.0	36.2	100.8	-3.0
Wood, Alex 3246	pi sp mr	lad nl	3.0	4.0	22.4	22.4	2.0
Karns, Nathan 3414	pi sp	kc al	2.7	5.7	11.7	11.7	-0.3
Goins, Ryan 3478	ss 2b	tor al	2.0	3.5	8.0	8.0	0.5
Gausman, Kevin 3191	pi sp	bal al	1.7	12.5	25.9	25.9	-9.1
deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	1.0	10.7	46.1	46.1	-8.7
Lowrie, Jed 2437	2b ss	oak al	1.0	2.0	16.5	28.0	0.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Dodgers' Wood tops players for Wednesday, Sept. 16; Cubs' Arrieta retakes Box-Toppers points lead, Price leads AL pitchers

Shawn Plank September 17, 2015

Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Wednesday, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta regained the lead in Box-Toppers player rankings, marking the sixth September lead change between him and Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw in the topsy-turvy, see-saw race for Box-Toppers Player of the Year honors coming down to the season’s final days.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Sept. 16.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	23.1
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	22.7
3	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	20.4
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	20.1
5	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	19.7
6	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	19.4
7	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	19.4
8	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	17.1
9	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	17.0
10	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	17.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Plus, Blue Jays pitcher David Price Wednesday rose to lead American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points, rising to fourth place among all players.

In addition, Prince Fielder of the Rangers rose to lead AL batters in Box-Toppers points Wednesday.

Player of the Day—Wood pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out five, in the 2-0 win over the Rockies.

American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma struck out nine over six innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 3-1 win over the Angels.

Iwakuma earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season. He becomes the 39th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and rises to 27th place among all players, 14th place among AL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Prince Fielder of the Rangers homered twice and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 14-3 win over the Astros.

Fielder earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 11.5 for the season. He rises to lead AL batters in Box-Toppers points, passing previous leader Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays (10.4). He ranks 26th among all players.

Fielder also earned AL Batter of the Day honors Monday, meaning he has 3.0 Box-Toppers points in the past three days. Fielder has earned his Box-Toppers points in bursts this season. He earned 6.5 Box-Toppers points between May 13 and May 26 and has earned 4.0 points since Sept. 1.

National League Batter of the Day—Thomas Pham of the Cardinals hit two home runs and a triple, going 3-for-4 and driving in four runs, in the 5-4 win over the Brewers.

This was Pham’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Pham made his Major League debut Sept. 9, 2014, and was playing in his 43rd career game. He is the 3,596th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Lead changes
Here are the season’s lead changes among players in Box-Toppers points. Chart shows the date and the player’s Box-Toppers point (BTP) total when they took the lead.  





  
    
    
    
    
  

    Date
    Player
    Team
    BTP
  

    4/5
    Adam Wainwright
    stl nl
    2.0
  

    4/6
    Felix Hernandez
    sea al
    2.0
  

    4/13
    Scott Kazmir
    oak al
    3.7
  

    4/18
    Felix Hernandez
    sea al
    4.0
  

    6/26
    Max Scherzer
    dc nl
    14.0
  

    7/9
    Felix Hernandez
    sea al
    14.4
  

    7/12
    Max Scherzer
    dc nl
    15.0
  

    7/24
    Felix Hernandez
    sea al
    15.4
  

    7/26
    Jacob deGrom
    nym nl
    16.4
  

    9/2
    Clayton Kershaw
    lad nl
    20.7
  

    9/5
    Jake Arrieta
    chi nl
    21.1
  

    9/8
    Clayton Kershaw
    lad nl
    21.7
  

    9/11
    Jake Arrieta
    chi nl
    22.1
  

    9/14
    Clayton Kershaw
    lad nl
    22.7
  

    9/16
    Jake Arrieta
    chi nl
    23.1
  
 

Overall leader—Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta reclaimed the Box-Toppers points lead from Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Arrieta (8IP 6H 2R 5K ND in the 3-2, 12-inning win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 23.1 for the season. He passes Kershaw (22.7) for the third time in September.

AL pitching leader—Blue Jays pitcher David Price rose to lead AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Price (7IP 6H R 9K W in the 9-1 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 20.1 for the season. Price passes Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (19.4) for the lead among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points. He rises to fourth place among all players. He also becomes the fourth player this season with 20.0 or more Box-Toppers points. It is the first time in his career Price has reached 20.0 Box-Toppers points in a season. His previous best season was 2014 when he had 19.1 Box-Toppers points with the Rays and Tigers.

Notable—Two others who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday reached notable milestones:

Indians pitcher Danny Salazar (7IP 4H R 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Royals) rose to 21st place in Box-Toppers player rankings, 11th among AL pitchers, earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.4 for the season.
Giants pitcher Jake Peavy now has 135.8 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank at 25th among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers record keeping began). Peavy (6IP 7H 2R 8K W in the 5-3 win over the Reds) trails 24th-ranked player David Ortiz (137.9). Peavy has 4.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.

Debuts—in addition to Pham, two other players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Marlins pitcher Adam Conley (7IP 3H 0R 6K W in the 6-0 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut June 10 and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,594th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Red Sox pitcher Henry C. Owens (7.2IP 6H 0R 4K W in the 10-1 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut Aug. 4 and was playing in his eighth career game. He is the 3,595th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    9/16
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    12.0
    Dodgers
    Alex Wood (W,11-10)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    5
  

    
    10.0
    Marlins
    Adam Conley (W,4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    AL
    9.0
    Mariners
    Hisashi Iwakuma (W,8-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    0
    9
  

    
    8.0
    Nationals
    Gio Gonzalez (W,11-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    2
    2
    2
    12
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Rangers
    Prince Fielder, DH
    5
    3
    3
    5
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.2
    Red Sox
    Henry Owens (W,3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    6
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Cardinals
    Thomas Pham, LF-CF
    4
    2
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Blue Jays
    David Price (W,16-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    1
    3
    9
  

    
    5.0
    Indians
    Danny Salazar (W,13-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    6
  

    
    4.2
    `Tigers
    Daniel Norris
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.2
    1
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    4.1
    Padres
    Craig Kimbrel (S,37)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    Yankees
    Andrew Miller (S,34)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    `Cubs
    Jake Arrieta
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    6
    2
    1
    1
    5
  

    
    2.0
    Giants
    Jake Peavy (W,7-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    7
    2
    2
    1
    8
  

    
    1.0
    White Sox
    Carlos Sanchez, 2B
    4
    2
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Houston Astros maintain Box-Toppers team rankings lead in trade-deadline shake-up

Shawn Plank July 31, 2015

Astros remain active buyers and stay atop team rankings. Dodgers pass Cardinals in NL. Blue Jays, picking up Price & Tulo, gain most points in past week.

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

Shawn Plank June 29, 2015

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

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

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
4	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
5	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
6	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	11.1
7	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
8	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	10.4
9	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	9.7
10	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shawn Plank September 1, 2014

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
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Braves' Wood tops players for Sunday, Aug. 10; Dodgers' Kershaw extends lead in Box-Toppers rankings

Shawn Plank August 11, 2014

Braves pitcher Alex Wood is Sunday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his overall lead in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Wood struck out 12 over 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Nationals.

Kershaw bolstered his spot atop Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw (8IP R 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.1 for the season. He beats his point total from 2013 of 21.7, when he led all players. This is the second-most points Kershaw has earned in a season—the most was 26.1 in 2011, when he also led all players.

Twins pitcher Phil Hughes is American League Player of the Day. Hughes struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 6-1 win over the Athletics. Hughes became the 25th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.1 for the season and ranks 19th among all players, 11th among AL pitchers.

Devin Mesoraco of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Mesoraco hit two homers, including a grand slam, in the 7-2 win over the Marlins.

Austin Jackson of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Jackson went 3-for-4 and drove in all four of his team’s runs in the 4-2 win over the White Sox.

Wood receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Mesoraco and Jackson 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    810
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.1
    Braves
    Alex Wood (W, 8-9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    5
    1
    1
    3
    12
  

    AL
    7.0
    Twins
    Phil Hughes (W, 12-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    7.0
    Indians
    Carlos Carrasco (W, 4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Reds
    Devin Mesoraco   C
    4
    2
    2
    6
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Red Sox
    Rubby De La Rosa (W, 4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    3
    8
  

    
    5.0
    `Blue Jays
    Aaron Sanchez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    Phillies
    Chase Utley   2B
    4
    2
    3
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Cardinals
    Peter Bourjos   PR, CF
    1
    1
    1
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W, 14-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    6
    1
    1
    2
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Rockies
    LaTroy Hawkins (S, 18)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Mariners
    Austin Jackson   CF
    4
    0
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Padres
    Seth Smith   RF
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Royals
    Norichika Aoki   RF
    2
    2
    2
    1
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `Cubs
    Travis Wood
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    0
    3
    5
  

    
    1.0
    Rangers
    Alex Rios   RF
    2
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Red Sox' Jon Lester, Braves' Alex Wood top players for Sunday, July 20

Shawn Plank July 21, 2014

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Lester pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 6-0 win over the Royals.

Lester earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season, moving up to 18th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season, 10th among American League pitchers. He is the 18th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Braves pitcher Alex Wood is National League Player of the Day. Wood struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run, in the 8-2 win over the Phillies.

Matt Dominguez of the Astros is AL Batter of the Day. Dominguez homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 11-7 win over the White Sox.

Neil Walker of the Pirates is NL Batter of the Day. Walker homered and went 3-for-4, scoring twice, in the 5-3 win over the Rockies.

Lester receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Wood receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Dominguez and Walker 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    720
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    Red Sox
    Jon Lester (W, 10-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    NL
    9.0
    Braves
    Alex Wood (W, 7-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    1
    0
    8
  

    
    7.2
    Athletics
    Sonny Gray (W, 11-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    2
    2
    1
    2
    8
  

    
    6.2
    `Yankees
    Hiroki Kuroda
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    3
    1
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    5.2
    `Padres
    Odrisamer Despaigne
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    2
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    5.0
    Tigers
    Drew Smyly (W, 6-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    6
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Astros
    Matt Dominguez   3B
    5
    2
    3
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Dbacks
    Josh Collmenter (W, 8-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Melky Cabrera   LF
    5
    2
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Pirates
    Neil Walker   2B
    4
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Angels
    Mike Trout   CF
    4
    3
    2
    1
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Marlins
    Steve Cishek (S, 21)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Dodgers
    Kenley Jansen (S, 28)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Nationals
    Ryan Zimmerman   3B
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Rays
    Jake McGee (H, 12)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    1
  

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

2017 lead changes

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Lead changes

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers

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