Jose Altuve of the Astros is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 5 Sunday.
The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 13-12 in 10 innings to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Read MoreBlog
Jose Altuve of the Astros is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 5 Sunday.
The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 13-12 in 10 innings to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 1 Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers win 3-1 to take a 1-0 lead over the Houston Astros in the best-of-seven game series.
Read MoreAstros pitcher Justin Verlander is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Friday’s American League Championship Series Game 6, as Houston pulls even in the series with the New York Yankees.
Read MoreEnrique Hernandez of the Dodgers is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Thursday’s National League Championship Series Game 5, as Los Angeles eliminates the Chicago Cubs.
Read MoreAstros pitcher Dallas Keuchel is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.
Keuchel struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 2-1 win over the Yankees. The Indians take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Read MoreThe Houston Astros rank higher in Box-Toppers team rankings, though the New York Yankees hold an advantage in starting pitching and top-10 ranked players as they face off in the American League Championship Series starting Friday.
Read MoreTrevor Bauer of the Indians and Jose Altuve of the Astros are Box-Toppers Players of the Game in Thursday’s pair of American League Division Series openers.
Bauer struck out eight over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the Yankees. The Indians now lead the Yankees 1-0 in the best-of-five series.
Read MoreRed Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Box-Toppers 2017 Player of the Year, finishing the season with the most Box-Toppers points among all players.
Sale earned 25.1 points in 2017, finishing just 0.1 point ahead of second-place player, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (25.0).
Read MoreMariners pitcher James Paxton is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to ninth place in season player rankings.
Also Monday, two other players rise in Box-Toppers season player ranking after earning Player of the Game honors—Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to sixth and Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom rises to 10th.
Read MoreRobinson Cano of the Mariners is Box-Toppers 2017 All-Star Player of the Game.
Cano hit a 10th-inning, go-ahead homer in the American League’s 2-1 win over the National League. Cano went 1-for-2, striking out while entering the game in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter.
Cano was also named All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
Cano had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +1.0. One other player, Astros pitcher Chris Devenski, had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K ND), but did not qualify to earn Player of the Game honors because he did not earn the win or save and did not pitch at least three innings.
Seven AL players had Box-Toppers game scores Tuesday of +1.0, but Cano beat them on tiebreakers. He automatically beat the four pitchers with game scores of +1.0 (Chris Sale of the Red Sox, Craig Kimbrel of the Red Sox, Andrew Miller of the Indians and Brandon Kintzler of the Twins), since batters always best pitchers in game score ties. He beat two batters with game scores of +1.0 (Miguel Sano of the Twins and Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles) because he had more at bats—Cano had two at bats, while both Sano and Schoop had one.
While Devenski had the highest Box-Toppers game score among AL pitchers, Kimbrel (1IP 0H 0R 2BB 2K W) was the highest-ranking pitcher qualified to earn Player of the Game honors because he earned the win.
Cano has 4.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 20th among AL batters and second among AL second basemen, behind Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles (4.5). In 2016, Cano had 8.0 Box-Toppers points, second among AL batters, behind Jose Altuve of the Astros (12.5). Cano has 79.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among active AL batters. He made his Box-Toppers debut in 2005 with the Yankees and has earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons.
Overall Box-Toppers points leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (21.1), was selected to the NL All-Star team but did not pitch in the game since he pitched in his regular start only two days earlier.
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who started for the NL team and ranks second in overall 2017 Box-Toppers points (17.0), had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +2.0 (1IP 1H 0R 0BB 2K ND).
Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale, who started for the AL team and leads AL players in 2017 Box-Toppers points (13.1), ranking third overall, had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +1.0 (2IP 3H 0R 0BB 2K ND).
Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who has the most Box-Toppers points among AL batters in the All-Star Game (8.2), went 0-for-3 in the All-Star Game and had a Box-Toppers game score of -3.0, tied for the lowest among AL players. A night earlier, Judge won the All-Star Home Run Derby.
Ryon Healy of the Athletics has the most Box-Toppers points among AL batters (8.7), but was not selected for the All-Star Game.
Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers, who leads NL batters in Box-Toppers points (7.7), went 0-for-3 in the All-Star Game and had a Box-Toppers game score of -3.0.
Top player for the NL team was Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, who hit a sixth-inning, game-tying, solo homer and had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0.
Scoring—Just as All-Star Game statistics don’t count in a player’s regular season statistics, no Box-Toppers points are awarded for the All-Star Game.
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.
7/11 | Score | AL All-Stars | Team | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
2.0 | Chris Devenski | Astros | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
POG | 1.0 | Robinson Cano (PH-2B) | Mariners | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
1.0 | Miguel Sano (3B) | Twins | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1.0 | Jonathan Schoop (2B) | Orioles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
1.0 | Chris Sale | Red Sox | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
1.0 | Craig Kimbrel (W, 0-0) | Red Sox | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
1.0 | Andrew Miller (S, 0) | Indians | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
1.0 | Brandon Kintzler (H, 0) | Twins | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
0.0 | Jose Ramirez (3B) | Indians | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
0.0 | Yonder Alonso (1B) | Athletics | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
0.0 | Justin Smoak (1B) | Blue Jays | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
0.0 | Dellin Betances | Yankees | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
0.0 | Jason Vargas | Royals | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
0.0 | Roberto Osuna | Blue Jays | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
-1.0 | Justin Upton (RF) | Tigers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-1.0 | Michael Brantley (LF) | Indians | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-1.0 | Ervin Santana (B, 0) | Twins | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
-2.0 | Jose Altuve (2B) | Astros | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Mike Moustakas (3B) | Royals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Carlos Correa (SS) | Astros | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Francisco Lindor (SS) | Indians | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Corey Dickerson (DH) | Rays | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Nelson Cruz (PH) | Mariners | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Salvador Perez (C) | Royals | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Gary Sanchez (C) | Yankees | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Mookie Betts (CF) | Red Sox | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-2.0 | Avisail Garcia (CF) | White Sox | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-3.0 | Aaron Judge (RF) | Yankees | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
-3.0 | George Springer (LF) | Astros | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
A look at the All-Star Game rosters through the Box-Toppers lens, including a look at the worthy left in the lurch and players whose selection Box-Toppers deems questionable.
Read MoreA look at top players in Box-Toppers points by position in both leagues over both 2017 and the combined 2016-17 seasons.
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers points leaders by position over several time frames, summarizing the series of nine High by Position posts.
Read MoreJeff Kent holds dominating lead among second basemen in Box-Toppers points since 1995. Jose Altuve led second basemen in 2016.
Read More3 of 4 major postseason award winners are among Box-Toppers top-ranked pitchers or batters on their teams. The exception: AL Cy Young Rick Porcello, who ranks 6th among Red Sox players.
Read More8 of 11 WAR leaders are among their league's top 10 pitchers or batters in Box-Toppers points. However, NL pitchers, who occupy 8 of 10 spots in Box-Toppers' overall top 10, are not among WAR leaders.
Read MoreDJ LeMahieu of the Rockies led players in 2016 with a .348 batting average and ranks 85th in Box-Toppers player rankings. Five of top 10 in batting average rank among Box-Toppers' top 100 players.
Read MoreRookie 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 MoreOnly 6 of 17 Silver Slugger Award winners also led their position in Box-Toppers points in 2016.
Read MoreScherzer tops all players in Box-Toppers points to win Player of the Year honors. Kluber tops AL players. Machado tops AL batters. Arenado tops NL batters with record-low score to lead a category.
Read MoreBox-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.