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Randy Johnson leads all players in career Box-Toppers points and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
The most likely rival to Johnson’s throne at the moment is Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw who has 214.8 career Box-Toppers points, third among all players since 1995 and most among active players.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Maeda struck out eight over eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 7-0 win over the Marlins.
Read MoreBlue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to eighth place in season player rankings.
Also Wednesday, Phillies pitcher Nick Pivetta rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors. Plus, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander rises to 10th place in season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreAn overview of Box-Toppers' new season-by-season Detail Leaders page.
This page includes a sprawling, scrolling chart that shows a listing of the top five or 10 players in different categories and subcategories for each season going back to 1995, the first year of Box-Toppers player tracking. It’s a useful tool for research or to relive who were the top players of past seasons.
An analysis of 23 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching & batting in both leagues.
Read MoreTwins pitcher Dillon Gee is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Gee gave up one run over six innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out four, in the 10-2 win over the White Sox.
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During the 2017 season, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has taken the lead among active players in career Box-Toppers points, rising to third place on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” top 100 players list.
Kershaw has 205.8 career Box-Toppers points, third-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Kershaw leads all players with 22.1 points in 2017.
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Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.7 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.0 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 9.4 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 5 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.7 |
| 6 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.0 |
| 7 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 8 | Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 6.5 |
| 9 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.4 |
| 10 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 6.4 |
Player of the Day—Kluber struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 8-0 win over the Athletics.
National League Player of the Day—Brewers pitcher Chase Anderson pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing three hits and one walk, in the 2-1 win over the Mets.
American League Batter of the Day—Aaron Hicks of the Yankees hit three doubles and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in six runs, in the 12-2 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Batter of the Day—Gerardo Parra of the Rockies doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring once and driving in one run, in the 6-3 win over the Mariners.
Rankings—Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Greinke (7IP 4H 2R 1ER 2BB 8K W in the 3-2 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising from seventh to fifth place among players for 2017. He ranks third among NL pitchers.
Greinke also now has 163.8 career Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Greinke trails 12th-ranked player Roger Clemens (164.8).
Notable—Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright now has 115.5 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Wainwright (6IP 4H 0R 2BB 6K W in the 2-0 win over the Dodgers) rises to 46th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when player tracking began. With his 1.0 Box-Toppers point earned Thursday, Wainwright passes two players on the “all-time” list—Josh Beckett (114.9) and Tim Lincecum (115.0). He trails 45th-ranked player Torii Hunter (115.9).
Wainwright has 3.5 Box-Toppers points for the season.
Debut—Twins pitcher Adalberto Mejia made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Mejia (6IP 5H R 2BB 5K ND in the 4-2 win over the Angels) made his Major League debut Aug. 20, 2016, and was playing in his seventh career game. He is the 3,812th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Anderson earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Hicks and Parra each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
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| 6/1 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | CLE 8, OAK 0 | Corey Kluber (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| NL | 10.0 | MIL 2, NYM 1 | Chase Anderson (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | NYY 12, TOR 2 | Aaron Hicks, CF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | ARI 3, MIA 2 | Zack Greinke (W,7-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | STL 2, LAD 0 | Adam Wainwright (W,6-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | COL 6, SEA 3 | Gerardo Parra, LF | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | BAL 7, BOS 5 | Mark Trumbo, RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `MIN 4, LAA 2 | Adalberto Mejia | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.7 | 17.4 | 86.7 | 163.8 | -2.0 |
| Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 4.0 | 25.2 | 69.4 | 69.4 | -17.2 |
| Parra, Gerardo 2746 | rf lf | col nl | 4.0 | 6.5 | 18.5 | 25.0 | 1.5 |
| Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 3.7 | 10.7 | 19.7 | 19.7 | -3.3 |
| Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 3.5 | 13.7 | 64.8 | 115.5 | -6.7 |
| Hicks, Aaron 3170 | cf | nyy al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 |
| Trumbo, Mark 2851 | dh rf | bal al | 2.0 | 10.2 | 29.9 | 35.9 | -6.2 |
| Mejia, Adalberto 3812 | pi sp | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
An analysis of 22 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching & batting in both leagues.
Read MoreRandy Johnson holds commanding lead in career Box-Toppers points since 1995. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw jumped from 13th to 6th on career list and at current pace could catch Johnson in 2020.
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Dodgers pitcher Kershaw has earned more Box-Toppers points in past year (36.7) than the 33.7 Randy Johnson earned in his record breaking single seasons (2000 and 2002).
Read MoreIf Kershaw comes back, he could break single-season Box-Toppers points record of 33.7. If he doesn't come back, his 20 points could still lead NL pitchers.
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Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 11.7 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 5 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 8.8 |
| 6 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 8 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 8.7 |
| 9 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.7 |
| 10 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.4 |
Scherzer struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one run, two hits and no walks, in the 4-1 win over the Cubs.
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season. He becomes the third player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points. It is the sixth season—and fifth straight season—Scherzer has had 10 or more points in a season.
Scherzer also rises to 44th place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Monday, Scherzer now has 116.0 career Box-Toppers points and passes three players on the “all-time” list—Josh Beckett (114.9), Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum (115.0) and Torii Hunter (115.9). Scherzer trails 43rd-ranked player, Cubs pitcher John Lackey (116.2).
American League Player of the Day—Khris Davis of the Athletics hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 14-5 win over the Rangers.
National League Batter of the Day—Martin Prado of the Marlins hit a two-run homer and went 3-for-3, driving in three total runs, in the 13-4 win over the Padres.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Monday because the overall AL Player of the Day was batter Khris Davis.
Debut—Giants pitcher Derek Law made his Box-Toppers debut Monday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Law (1.1IP H 0R 2K Sv in the 3-2 win over the the Dodgers) made his Major League debut April 15 and was playing in his 22nd career game. He is the 3,657th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Davis earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Prado earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/13 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | DC 4/CHC 1 | Max Scherzer (W,8-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| AL | 6.0 | OAK 14/TEX 5 | Khris Davis, LF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | MIA 13/SD 4 | Martin Prado, 3B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | KC 2/CIN 1 | Edinson Volquez (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | PHI 7/TOR 0 | Jerad Eickhoff (W,4-8) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | CHW 10/DET 9 | Adam Eaton, CF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.2 | ARI 3/LAD 2 | Brad Ziegler (S,13) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.1 | SF 11/MIL 5 | Derek Law (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | MIN 9/LAA 4 | Robbie Grossman, LF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | CIN 9/ATL 8 | Adam Duvall, LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.0 | 31.0 | 95.6 | 116.0 | -11.0 |
| Eickhoff, Jerad 3566 | pi sp | phi nl | 6.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 1.0 |
| Volquez, Edinson 2220 | pi sp | kc al | 5.4 | 12.4 | 37.1 | 63.2 | -1.6 |
| Duvall, Adam 3573 | lf | cin nl | 4.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 |
| Davis, Khris 3242 | lf | oak al | 3.2 | 7.2 | 13.2 | 13.2 | -0.8 |
| Eaton, Adam 3253 | rf cf | chi al | 2.0 | 7.5 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -3.5 |
| Prado, Martin 2511 | 3b | fla nl | 1.5 | 7.5 | 21.0 | 27.5 | -4.5 |
| Ziegler, Brad 2504 | pi cp | ari nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 | 13.0 | -2.0 |
| Grossman, Robbie 3267 | lf | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 1.0 |
| Law, Derek 3657 | pi sp | sf nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 11.7 |
| 3 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 4 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 6 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 8.7 |
| 7 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.7 |
| 8 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.4 |
| 9 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.0 |
Also Wednesday, Cubs pitcher John Lackey and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer both rose into Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner became the 71st player since 1995 with 100 or more career Box-Toppers points.
Player of the Day—Walker pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing three hits, in the 5-0 win over the Indians.
National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher John Lackey pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing three hits, in the 8-1 win over the Phillies.
Lackey earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season and rising to eighth in season player rankings. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.
Lackey also rises to 43rd place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Lackey now has 116.2 career Box-Toppers points and passes three players on the “all-time” list—Josh Beckett (114.9), Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum (115.0) and Torii Hunter (115.9). Lackey now trails 42nd-ranked player Todd Helton (116.4).
American League Batter of the Day—Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays homered, tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-2 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Moss of the Cardinals hit two homers and went 2-for-5, driving in three runs, in the 12-7 win over the Reds.
Rankings—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Scherzer (7IP 5H 0R 6K W in the 11-4 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.
Scherzer also rises to 47th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Wednesday, Scherzer has 114.0 for his career and passes three players on the “all-time” list—Sammy Sosa (113.2), Dan Haren (113.2) and Chris Carpenter (113.3). Scherzer now trails 46th-ranked player Josh Beckett (114.9).
Notable—Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner becomes the 71st player with 100 or more career Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Bumgarner (6IP 4H R 5K ND in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 100.7 for his career. He rises to 68th place among all players since 1995, passing three players on the “all-time” list—Larry Walker (100.1), Jeff Bagwell (100.4) and Paul Konerko (100.7). Bumgarner now trails 67th-ranked player Carlos Beltran of the Yankees (100.9).
Bumgarner also has 8.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 12th among all players and ninth among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Walker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lackey earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Donaldson and Moss 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/8 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 16.0 | SEA 5/CLE 0 | Taijuan Walker (W,3-6) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| NL | 12.0 | CHC 8/PHI 1 | John Lackey (W,7-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 8.2 | MIL 4/OAK 0 | Chase Anderson (W,4-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 8.1 | BAL 4/KC 0 | Chris Tillman (W,8-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 7.0 | DC 11/CHW 4 | Max Scherzer (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | ATL 4/SD 2 | Julio Teheran (W,2-6) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | TOR 7/DET 2 | Josh Donaldson, 3B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | COL 1/LAD 0 | Chris Rusin (W,2-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | NYY 12/LAA 6 | Chris Parmelee, 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | `SF 2/BOS 1 | Madison Bumgarner | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | TB 6/ARI 3 | Corey Dickerson, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | MIN 7/MIA 5 | Trevor Plouffe, 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | STL 12/CIN 7 | Brandon Moss, LF-1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | NYM 6/PIT 5 | Michael Conforto, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | HOU 3/TEX 1 | Jose Altuve, 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.4 | 18.1 | 37.8 | 116.2 | -1.3 |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.0 | 29.0 | 93.6 | 114.0 | -13.0 |
| Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 8.0 | 25.0 | 95.0 | 100.7 | -9.0 |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 6.0 | 13.0 | 22.5 | 22.5 | -1.0 |
| Donaldson, Josh 3144 | 3b | tor al | 5.5 | 15.4 | 35.4 | 35.4 | -4.4 |
| Tillman, Chris 2754 | pi sp | bal al | 5.0 | 9.7 | 38.8 | 40.8 | 0.3 |
| Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 5.0 | 9.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 1.0 |
| Conforto, Michael 3622 | lf | nym nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Walker, Taijuan 3453 | pi sp | sea al | 4.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 | -9.0 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 3.0 | 10.7 | 38.8 | 38.8 | -4.7 |
| Rusin, Chris 3236 | pi sp | col nl | 2.7 | 3.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 1.7 |
| Plouffe, Trevor 2869 | 3b | min al | 2.5 | 5.5 | 21.5 | 21.5 | -0.5 |
| Moss, Brandon 2520 | rf lf | stl nl | 1.5 | 6.5 | 22.5 | 24.5 | -3.5 |
| Dickerson, Corey 3222 | lf | tb al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | -2.0 |
| Parmelee, Chris 2996 | 1b | nyy al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -1.0 |
Andrew McCutchen replaces Ryan Braun as leader among NL batters in six-year rolling Box-Toppers totals (2011-2016 vs. 2010-2015).
Read MoreWho are each franchise's top 4 players in career Box-Toppers points since 1995?
Read MoreAnalyzing 21 years of Box-Toppers season point leaders in pitching and batting in both leagues.
Read MoreRandy Johnson's perch atop 'all-time' 100 is safe. A-Rod is top active player. Pujols rises in top 10. Hernandez, Kershaw both make top 20 rises. Price, Scherzer, Bumgarner all make big jumps up the list.
Read More
Diamondbacks pitcher Chase Anderson is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom extended his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings and Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rose to third place—first place among American League pitchers—in Box-Toppers points.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 17.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 3 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
| 4 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 15.4 |
| 5 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 15.1 |
| 6 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 14.4 |
| 8 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 14.4 |
| 9 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 13.7 |
Player of the Day—Anderson pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits, in the 2-0 win over the Reds.
American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray pitched a complete game, allowing one run and five hits, striking out five, in the 3-1 win over the Astros.
Gray earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 15.8 for the season. He rises to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and first among AL pitchers, passing previous leader Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (15.4).
American League Batter of the Day—Torii Hunter of the Twins hit a go-ahead ninth-inning homer in the 10-9 win over the Indians. Hunter also doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs.
Hunter earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 115.9 for his career, rising to 43rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his point Friday, Hunter passes Tim Lincecum (115.0) on the “all-time” list. He trails 42nd-place player Todd Helton (116.4). Hunter’s 115.9 career Box-Toppers points ranks fifth among active AL batters.
Hunter also has 8.0 Box-Toppers points this season and ranks third among AL batters behind Mike Trout of the Angels (10.0) and Lorenzo Cain of the Royals (8.2).
National League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies hit a go-ahead, eighth-inning grand slam in the 5-4 win over the Nationals. Gonzalez went 2-for-4 in the game.
Gonzalez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season and ranks fourth among NL batters.
Rankings—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom extended his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
deGrom (6.1IP 6H 2R 7K ND in the 4-3 win over the Rays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.4 for the season. He has led players in Box-Toppers points since July 26.
Notable—Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates rose to second place among NL batters in Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. McCutchen (2B 2-3 2R BI in the 10-inning 5-4 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.5 for the season. He ranks 32nd among all players. McCutchen trails overall NL batting leader Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals (9.5 Box-Toppers points).
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debuts Friday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Anderson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gray earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Hunter and Gonzalez each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/7 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | Dbacks | Chase Anderson (W,5-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| AL | 7.0 | Athletics | Sonny Gray (W,12-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 6.0 | Cardinals | Carlos Villanueva (S,2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Twins | Torii Hunter, RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.1 | `Mets | Jacob deGrom | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Rockies | Carlos Gonzalez, RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Angels | C.J. Cron, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.2 | Cubs | Hector Rondon (S,18) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Rusney Castillo, RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Braves | Nick Markakis, RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Andrew McCutchen, CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Edinson Volquez (W,11-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Hector Neris (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Mariners | Hisashi Iwakuma (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1.0 | Blue Jays | Roberto Osuna (S,9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 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. | ||||||||||||||||
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to 10th in season player rankings.
Also Saturday, Robinson Cano of the Mariners earned a Box-Toppers point in his 11th straight season and three players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points—Kershaw, Aramis Ramirez and Jon Lester—earned Player of the Game honors.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.0 |
| 2 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 14.4 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 13.4 |
| 4 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 13.4 |
| 5 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 13.1 |
| 6 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 |
| 8 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 11.7 |
| 9 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | hou al | 11.1 |
| 10 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 11.0 |
Player of the Day—Kershaw pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 14 and allowing three hits, in the 4-2 win over the Nationals.
Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season and rises to 10th place in season Box-Toppers player rankings. Kershaw led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2014 with 31.5. He also led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2011 and 2013.
Kershaw is the 15th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. It is the seventh straight season Kershaw has had 10.0 or more points.
Kershaw has 144.6 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 20th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 19th-place player Jim Thome (146.7).
American League Player of the Day—Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing one hit, in the 3-0 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals hit two home runs, going 3-for-3 and driving in six runs, in the 12-2 win over the Mets.
American League Batter of the Day—Robinson Cano of the Mariners hit a pair of two-run homers and went 3-for-4 in the 4-3 win over the Yankees.
Cano has now earned Box-Toppers points for 11 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor for 2015. He earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2005 with the Yankees. His best season was 2013 with the Yankees, when he had 12.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among AL batters. In 2014, he had 6.5 Box-Toppers points with the Mariners.
Cano has 62.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks sixth among all second baseman since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. He ranks second in career points among active second basemen, behind Chase Utley of the Phillies (72.1).
Notables—In addition to Kershaw, two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Saturday:
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Tillman earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Grichuk and Cano each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/18 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 19.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,7-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| AL | 14.0 | Orioles | Chris Tillman (W,7-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 12.0 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 11.1 | Cubs | Jon Lester (W,5-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 8.0 | Cardinals | Randal Grichuk, CF-LF-RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.1 | Rangers | Colby Lewis (W,9-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 5.1 | `Athletics | Scott Kazmir | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Mariners | Robinson Cano, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Giants | Buster Posey, 1B-C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Brewers | Aramis Ramirez, 3B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Padres | Craig Kimbrel (S,25) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Matt den Dekker PH LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Royals | Brandon Finnegan (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | `Rays | Erasmo Ramirez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Indians | Carlos Santana, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Chad Billingsley (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
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.