A look at Box-Toppers top 100 players of ‘all-time’ after the 2019 season

Randy Johnson leads all players in career Box-Toppers points and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Johnson earned 278.8 Box-Toppers points from the time Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995 until he retired in 2009.

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Box-Toppers’ 2010s All-Decade All-Star team, plus top 100 players from 2010-2019

Clayton Kershaw and Albert Pujols lead Box-Toppers All-Decade All-Star team for the 2010s.

Kershaw earned the most Box-Toppers points of any player from 2010-2019 (210.1) and Pujols earned the most of any batter over that span (79.9), which is 25th among all players. The All-Decade All-Star team is made up of players who led their position in Box-Toppers points over the span of 2010-2019.

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Orioles’ Cashner tops players for Saturday, June 29; Diamondbacks’ Grienke rises to 4th in player rankings

Orioles pitcher Andrew Cashner is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. He also becomes the fifth player to reach 200 career Box-Toppers points since player tracking began in 1995.

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Marlins’ Pablo Lopez tops players for Tuesday, June 4; Ryu, Hendricks, Castillo rise in player rankings top 10

Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, three players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 after earning Player of the Game honors—Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu rises to third place, Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks rises to fifth place and Reds pitcher Luis Castillo rises to sixth place.

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A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2018

Analyzing 24 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching & batting in both leagues

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A look at Box-Toppers top 100 players of 'all-time' after the 2018 season

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. 

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Blue Jays’ J.A. Happ tops players for Tuesday, April 24; Yankees’ Sabathia earns Box-Toppers points for 18th straight season

Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia earned Box-Toppers points in his 18th straight season after earning Player of the Game honors, setting the record for longest such streak among pitchers (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) and taking sole possession of the longest active streak.


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Box-Toppers top third basemen by time frame (after 2017)

Alex Rodriguez has the most Box-Toppers points of any third baseman since tracking began in 1995.

Other leaders at third base include Jose Ramirez, Nolan Arenado, Manny Machado and Adrian Beltre.

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How 2018 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers

Four players—Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman—were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Wednesday. Key players overlooked: Curt Schilling, Jeff Kent, Johan Santana and the PED-clouded five of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa.

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Carlos Beltran ties Jason Giambi in 2017 for most consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points (19)

In 2017, Carlos Beltran tied Jason Giambi for the longest streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points at 19. With Beltran's retirement, CC Sabathia and Albert Pujols now have the longest active streaks of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points at 17.

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A look at Box-Toppers season-by-season AL & NL pitching & batting leaders, 1995-2017

An analysis of 23 years of Box-Toppers points leaders in pitching & batting in both leagues.

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A look at Box-Toppers top 100 players of 'all-time' after the 2017 season

Randy Johnson leads Box-Toppers "all-time" career top 100 list, since record-keeping began in 1995. Clayton Kershaw, ranked third overall, leads all active players. And Box-Toppers 2017 Player of the Year Chris Sale makes the biggest jump up the top 100 chart.

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Rays' Jake Odorizzi tops players for Tuesday, Sept. 5; Nationals' Strasburg rises to 5th in rankings

Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors. Plus, Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke maintains his fourth-place spot in player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

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Braves' Mike Foltynewicz tops players for Saturday, Aug. 5; Rangers' Hamels becomes 22nd to reach 150 career Box-Toppers points

Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels became the 22nd player since 1995 to reach 150 career Box-Toppers points after earning American League Player of the Day honors.

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Nationals' Max Scherzer tops players for Saturday, July 15, rises to 20th in ‘all-time’ career Box-Toppers points

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, maintaining his spot in second place in season player rankings and rising to 20th in career points on Box-Toppers “all-time” list.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of July 15:  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 21.1
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 19.0
3 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp bos al 13.1
4 Wood, Alex 3246 pi sp lad nl 13.0
5 Santana, Ervin 2005 pi sp min al 12.4
6 Carrasco, Carlos 2885 pi sp cle al 11.4
7 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp ari nl 11.4
8 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 10.4
9 Ray, Robbie 3502 pi sp ari nl 10.0
10 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to fourth in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Jay Bruce of the Mets retakes the lead among National League batters in Box-Toppers points after he earns Player of the Game honors.

Player of the Day—Scherzer struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and four walks, in the 10-7 win over the Reds.

Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 19.0 for the season. He remains in second place in Box-Toppers points, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (21.1), who also leads all NL pitchers.

Scherzer now has 150.7 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 20th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Saturday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list—Chipper Jones (149.0) and Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (149.2). He now trails 19th-ranked player, Twins pitcher Bartolo Colon (151.2). Scherzer is the 20th player to reach 150 career Box-Toppers points.

All-time leaders

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


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Randy Johnson pi sp retired 278.8
2 Pedro Martinez pi sp retired 244.8
3 Clayton Kershaw pi sp lad nl 204.8
4 Curt Schilling pi sp retired 194.1
5 CC Sabathia pi sp nyy al 190.0
6 Alex Rodriguez dh released 187.0
7 Albert Pujols 1b dh ana al 184.3
8 Felix Hernandez pi sp sea al 171.4
9 Roy Halladay pi sp retired 170.7
10 Zack Greinke pi sp ari nl 167.5
11 Manny Ramirez lf dh retired 167.2
12 Johan Santana pi sp free agent 166.6
13 Roger Clemens pi sp retired 164.8
14 John Smoltz pi sp retired 160.9
15 Tim Hudson pi sp retired 157.0
16 Mike Mussina pi sp retired 155.6
17 Barry Bonds lf retired 153.2
18 Greg Maddux pi sp retired 151.7
19 Bartolo Colon pi sp min al 151.2
20 Max Scherzer pi sp dc nl 150.7
BTP: Box-Toppers points
List of top 100 players since 1995 at the close of the 2016 season.

Passing Lester, Scherzer is now seventh among active players in career Box-Toppers points, sixth among active pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing four hits and one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Royals. Hamels picked up a no-decision and did not earn the win because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.

Hamels earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 148.7 career points, rising to 23rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Saturday, he passes Javier Vazquez (148.3) on the “all-time” list and now trails 22nd-ranked player Chipper Jones (149.0).

Hamels has 4.7 Box-Toppers points on the season, 25th among AL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Matt Chapman of the Athletics hit two home runs and doubled in the 5-3 win over the Indians. Chapman went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs.

This was Chapman’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Chapman made his Major League debut June 15 and was playing in his 13th career game. He is the 3,849th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—Lane Adams of the Braves hit a pinch-hit, sixth-inning, three-run double in the 8-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

This was Adam’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Adams made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 39th career game. He is the 3,850th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

Wood (6IP 3H 0R BB 4K W in the 7-1 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.0 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers, behind Kershaw (21.1) and Scherzer (19.0).

Notable—Jay Bruce of the Mets regains the season Box-Toppers points lead among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Bruce (HR 1-4 2R 3BI in the 9-3 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season. He passes previous leader Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers (7.7). Bruce ranks 19th among all players in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Debut—Jabari Blash of the Padres also made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Blash (HR 2-4 2R 2BI in the 5-3 win over the Giants) made his Major League debut April, 4, 2016, and was playing in his 54th career game. He is the 3,851st 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 Hamels earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Chapman and Adams each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

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 

7/15 Score Game Player of the Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 WSH 10, CIN 7 Max Scherzer (W, 11-5) - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 4 10
AL 7.2 `TEX 1, KC 0 Cole Hamels - - - - 7.2 4 0 0 1 5
6.2 `MIL 3, PHI 2 Jimmy Nelson - - - - 6.2 3 2 2 2 9
6.0 DET 11, TOR 1 Michael Fulmer (W, 10-6) - - - - 8.0 2 1 1 1 3
6.0 LAD 7, MIA 1 Alex Wood (W, 11-0) - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 1 4
BAT 5.0 OAK 5, CLE 3 Matt Chapman (3B) 3 3 3 2 - - - - - -
5.0 `NYY 4, BOS 1 (F/16) Luis Severino - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 2 6
BAT 4.0 ATL 8, ARI 5 Lane Adams (PH) 1 1 1 3 - - - - - -
3.0 CHC 10, BAL 3 Jason Heyward (RF) 4 2 2 3 - - - - - -
2.1 `MIN 4, HOU 2 Taylor Rogers (H, 22) - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 1
2.0 SD 5, SF 3 Jabari Blash (RF) 4 2 2 2 - - - - - -
2.0 NYM 9, COL 3 Jay Bruce (RF) 4 2 1 3 - - - - - -
2.0 `SEA 4, CHW 3 Nick Vincent (H, 13) - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.1 STL 4, PIT 0 Lance Lynn (W, 8-6) - - - - 6.1 8 0 0 0 3
0.2 TB 6, LAA 3 Alex Cobb (W, 8-6) - - - - 7.2 6 1 1 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

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 +/-
Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 19.0 44.7 122.9 150.7 -6.7
Wood, Alex 3246 pi sp lad nl 13.0 14.0 32.4 32.4 12.0
Nelson, Jimmy 3299 pi sp mil nl 9.0 12.0 22.4 22.4 6.0
Bruce, Jay 2453 rf nym nl 8.0 16.5 33.7 66.8 -0.5
Severino, Luis 3567 pi sp nyy al 7.7 9.7 12.7 12.7 5.7
Lynn, Lance 2992 pi sp stl nl 6.7 6.7 62.6 62.6 6.7
Fulmer, Michael 3640 pi sp det al 5.7 18.4 18.4 18.4 -7.0
Cobb, Alex 2916 pi sp tb al 5.4 5.4 35.8 36.8 5.4
Hamels, Cole 2135 pi sp tex al 4.7 22.5 73.7 148.7 -13.1
Adams, Lane 3850 ph atl nl 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
Chapman, Matt 3849 3b oak al 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
Heyward, Jason 2695 rf chi nl 1.0 2.0 12.5 19.5 0.0
Vincent, Nick 3203 pi mr sea al 1.0 2.0 5.0 5.0 0.0
Rogers, Taylor 3648 pi mr min al 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 0.0
Blash, Jabari 3851 rf sd nl 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Rangers' Cole Hamels tops players for Friday, July 7; Dbacks' Greinke rises to 10th in career Box-Toppers points

Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to 10th place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 after earning National 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 July 7:  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 20.1
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 17.0
3 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp bos al 13.1
4 Santana, Ervin 2005 pi sp min al 12.4
5 Wood, Alex 3246 pi sp lad nl 12.0
6 Carrasco, Carlos 2885 pi sp cle al 11.4
7 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp ari nl 11.4
8 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 10.4
9 Ray, Robbie 3502 pi sp ari nl 10.0
10 McCullers, Lance 3488 pi sp hou al 9.4
What are those numbers after players' names?

Plus, three players in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings earned Player of the Game honors:

  • Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer maintained his spot in second place.
  • Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco rose from seventh to sixth place.
  • Greinke rose from ninth to seventh place.

Player of the Day—Hamels pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, one walk and striking out six, in the 10-0 win over the Angels.

Hamels earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 147.0 for his career, rising to 24th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Friday, he passes three players on the “all-time” list—David Ortiz (145.9), Jim Thome (146.7) and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (146.9). Hamels now trails 23rd-ranked player Javier Vazquez (148.3).

Passing Cabrera, Hamels now ranks eighth among active players in career points, trailing the seventh-ranked player, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (148.7).

All-time leaders

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


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Randy Johnson pi sp retired 278.8
2 Pedro Martinez pi sp retired 244.8
3 Clayton Kershaw pi sp lad nl 203.8
4 Curt Schilling pi sp retired 194.1
5 CC Sabathia pi sp nyy al 190.0
6 Alex Rodriguez dh released 187.0
7 Albert Pujols 1b dh ana al 184.3
8 Roy Halladay pi sp retired 170.7
9 Felix Hernandez pi sp sea al 169.7
10 Zack Greinke pi sp ari nl 167.5
11 Manny Ramirez lf dh retired 167.2
12 Johan Santana pi sp free agent 166.6
13 Roger Clemens pi sp retired 164.8
14 John Smoltz pi sp retired 160.9
15 Tim Hudson pi sp retired 157.0
16 Mike Mussina pi sp retired 155.6
17 Barry Bonds lf retired 153.2
18 Greg Maddux pi sp retired 151.7
19 Bartolo Colon pi sp min al 151.2
20 Jon Lester pi sp chi nl 149.2
BTP: Box-Toppers points
List of top 100 players since 1995 at the close of the 2016 season.

Hamels has 3.0 Box-Toppers points this season.

National League Player of the Day—Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 6-3 win over the Reds.

Greinke earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, rising from ninth to seventh place in season player rankings, fourth among NL pitchers.

Greinke also rises to 10th place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when player tracking began. He now has 167.5 career Box-Toppers points and with his points Friday, passes two players on the “all-time” list—Johan Santana (166.6) and Manny Ramirez (167.2). Greinke now trails ninth-place player, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (169.7).

American League Batter of the Day—George Springer of the Astros hit two homers, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring four times and driving in five runs, in the 12-2 win over the Blue Jays.

National League Batter of the Day—Jesus Aguilar of the Brewers hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 9-4 win over the Yankees. Aguilar also went 3-for-4 and drove in seven runs.

Rankings—In addition to Greinke, two other players in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings earned Player of the Game honors Friday:

  • Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (7.2IP 6H 4R BB 10K ND in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.0 for the season, maintaining his second-place spot in season player rankings, behind overall leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (20.1). Scherzer now has 148.7 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 22nd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Javier Vazquez (148.3) on the “all-time” list and now trails 21st-ranked player Chipper Jones (149.0).
  • Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco (7IP 9H 2R BB 11K W in the 11-2 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season, rising from seventh to sixth in season player rankings, third among AL pitchers, behind Chris Sale of the Red Sox (13.1) and Ervin Santana of the Twins (12.4).

Debut—Twins pitcher Trevor Hildenberger made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Hildenberger (2.1IP 2H 0R 0BB 3K W in the 9-6 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut June 23 and was playing in his fourth career game. He is the 3,846th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

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

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 

7/7 Score Game Player of the Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.2 TEX 10, LAA 0 Cole Hamels (W, 4-0) - - - - 7.2 3 0 0 1 6
BAT 9.0 HOU 12, TOR 2 George Springer (CF) 4 4 4 5 - - - - - -
NL 9.0 ARI 6, CIN 3 Zack Greinke (W, 11-4) - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 1 7
BAT 8.0 MIL 9, NYY 4 Jesus Aguilar (1B) 4 2 3 7 - - - - - -
7.0 SEA 7, OAK 2 James Paxton (W, 7-3) - - - - 7.0 2 2 2 3 9
6.0 CHC 6, PIT 1 Kris Bryant (3B) 5 3 4 4 - - - - - -
5.1 MIA 6, SF 1 Dan Straily (W, 7-4) - - - - 8.1 4 1 1 0 3
5.0 COL 12, CHW 4 Nolan Arenado (3B) 5 2 3 5 - - - - - -
4.0 SD 4, PHI 3 Austin Hedges (C) 3 2 2 3 - - - - - -
4.0 CLE 11, DET 2 Carlos Carrasco (W, 10-3) - - - - 7.0 9 2 2 1 11
3.1 MIN 9, BAL 6 Trevor Hildenberger (W, 1-0) - - - - 2.1 2 0 0 0 3
2.2 `WSH 5, ATL 4 (F/10) Max Scherzer - - - - 7.2 6 4 4 1 10
2.0 NYM 6, STL 5 Jose Reyes (SS) 3 2 2 1 - - - - - -
2.0 LAD 4, KC 1 Kenta Maeda (W, 7-4) - - - - 5.0 4 1 1 2 5
1.0 BOS 8, TB 3 Dustin Pedroia (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

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 +/-
Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 17.0 42.7 120.9 148.7 -8.7
Carrasco, Carlos 2885 pi sp cle al 11.4 23.8 52.5 57.9 -1.0
Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp ari nl 11.4 21.1 90.4 167.5 1.7
Straily, Dan 3080 pi sp fla nl 8.7 15.7 26.4 26.4 1.7
Maeda, Kenta 3609 pi sp lad nl 7.0 17.0 17.0 17.0 -3.0
Paxton, James 3280 pi sp sea al 7.0 11.4 18.1 18.1 2.6
Arenado, Nolan 3306 3b col nl 5.5 16.2 26.2 26.2 -5.2
Springer, George 3337 rf dh cf hou al 5.0 11.5 15.5 15.5 -1.5
Hedges, Austin 3790 ca sd nl 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Hamels, Cole 2135 pi sp tex al 3.0 20.8 72.0 147.0 -14.8
Bryant, Kris 3465 3b lf chi nl 2.5 13.0 21.5 21.5 -8.0
Reyes, Jose 1759 ss 3b nym nl 2.5 4.5 13.5 32.5 0.5
Aguilar, Jesus 3787 1b mil nl 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Pedroia, Dustin 2320 2b bos al 1.0 6.0 19.0 38.5 -4.0
Hildenberger, Trevor 3846 pi mr min al 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Indians' Corey Kluber tops players for Thursday, June 29; Kershaw extends Box-Toppers season player rankings lead

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Thursday’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 29:  


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 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 9.4
7 Carrasco, Carlos 2885 pi sp cle al 9.4
8 McCullers, Lance 3488 pi sp hou al 9.4
9 Wood, Alex 3246 pi sp lad nl 9.0
10 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp ari nl 8.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Thursday, Box-Toppers season points leader Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers extended his lead after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester rises to 20th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors.

Player of the Day—Kluber struck out 12 over eight innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 5-1 win over the Rangers.

Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, rising to 13th among all players, fifth among American League pitchers.

National League Player of the Day—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw struck of 12 over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and two walks, in the 6-2 win over the Angels.

Kershaw earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 18.1 for the season, extending his season player rankings lead over second-place player, Max Scherzer of the Nationals (14.0 Box-Toppers points). With his lead of 4.1 points, Scherzer would now need at least three starts to catch or pass Scherzer.

All-time leaders

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


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Randy Johnson pi sp retired 278.8
2 Pedro Martinez pi sp retired 244.8
3 Clayton Kershaw pi sp lad nl 201.8
4 Curt Schilling pi sp retired 194.1
5 CC Sabathia pi sp nyy al 190.0
6 Alex Rodriguez dh released 187.0
7 Albert Pujols 1b dh ana al 184.3
8 Roy Halladay pi sp retired 170.7
9 Felix Hernandez pi sp sea al 169.7
10 Manny Ramirez lf dh retired 167.2
11 Johan Santana pi sp free agent 166.6
12 Zack Greinke pi sp ari nl 164.8
13 Roger Clemens pi sp retired 164.8
14 John Smoltz pi sp retired 160.9
15 Tim Hudson pi sp retired 157.0
16 Mike Mussina pi sp retired 155.6
17 Barry Bonds lf retired 153.2
18 Greg Maddux pi sp retired 151.7
19 Bartolo Colon pi sp dfa by braves 151.2
20 Jon Lester pi sp chi nl 149.2
BTP: Box-Toppers points
List of top 100 players since 1995 at the close of the 2016 season.

With the season at the halfway point, Kershaw is now on pace to earn 36.2 Box-Toppers points this season, which would break the single-season record of 33.7 set by Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson, who did it twice, in 2000 and 2002 (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995). However, at this time last year, Kershaw led all players with 20.0 Box-Toppers points and was on pace to earn 40.0 points, but spent more than two months on the disabled list beginning in late June, and had only 4.4 points in the second half of the season, finishing with 24.4, in second place behind Scherzer’s 25.7.

The most Box-Toppers points Kershaw has earned in a single season is 31.5 in 2014, when he led all players. It is tied for the fourth-highest single-season Box-Toppers points by a player since tracking began in 1995.

Also, Kershaw now has 201.8 career Box-Toppers points, third-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails second-place player Pedro Martinez (244.8). Kershaw ranks first among all active players in career Box-Toppers points.

National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals hit a go-ahead, three-run, seventh-inning homer in the 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Grichuk also doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in five runs.

American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros hit two home runs and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 6-1 win over the Athletics.

Notable—Two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points also earned Player of the Game honors Thursday:

  • Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (6IP 3H R 3BB 7K ND in the 5-4 win over the Nationals) now has 149.2 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 20th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Thursday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list—Javier Vazquez (148.3) and Chipper Jones (149.0). Lester trails 19th-ranked player, Braves pitcher Bartolo Colon (151.2). Lester also now has 6.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 12th among NL pitchers.
  • Red Sox pitcher David Price (7IP 6H 3R 0BB 7K W in the 6-3 win over the Twins) now has 108.9 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 57th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Thursday, he passes three players on the “all-time” list—Lance Berkman (108.1), Kevin Millwood (108.3) and Billy Wagner (108.7). He trails 56th-ranked player Jeff Kent (109.7). Price has 2.7 Box-Toppers points on the season, 63rd among AL pitchers.

Rankings—Jay Bruce of the Mets rises to lead NL batters in season Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.

Bruce (2B 2-3 2R 2BI in the 6-3 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season, passing previous NL batting leader Matt Adams of the Braves (6.5). Bruce ranks 21st among all players.

Debut—Willy Garcia of the White Sox made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor.

Garcia (2B 2-3 0R 2BI in the 4-3 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut April 14 and was playing in his 29th career game. He is the 3,841st 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 Kershaw earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Grichuk and Correa 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.

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 

6/29 Score Game Player of the Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.0 CLE 5, TEX 1 Corey Kluber (W, 7-2) - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 1 12
13.0 BAL 2, TOR 0 Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 3-3) - - - - 8.0 2 0 0 1 8
NL 13.0 LAD 6, LAA 2 Clayton Kershaw (W, 12-2) - - - - 7.0 3 1 0 2 12
10.0 MIL 11, CIN 3 Jimmy Nelson (W, 6-4) - - - - 7.0 3 2 2 1 11
10.0 SD 6, ATL 0 Dinelson Lamet (W, 3-2) - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 1 8
BAT 7.0 STL 10, ARI 4 Randal Grichuk (CF-LF) 4 3 3 5 - - - - - -
BAT 5.0 HOU 6, OAK 1 Carlos Correa (SS) 3 2 2 4 - - - - - -
5.0 `CHC 5, WSH 4 Jon Lester - - - - 6.0 3 1 1 3 7
3.2 DET 7, KC 3 Michael Fulmer (W, 7-6) - - - - 8.2 7 3 2 0 7
3.0 NYM 6, MIA 3 Jay Bruce (RF) 3 2 2 2 - - - - - -
2.0 BOS 6, MIN 3 David Price (W, 3-2) - - - - 7.0 6 3 3 0 7
1.1 PIT 4, TB 0 Jameson Taillon (W, 4-2) - - - - 6.1 7 0 0 2 4
1.0 CHW 4, NYY 3 Willy Garcia (RF) 3 0 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

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 +/-
Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 18.1 42.5 142.2 201.8 -6.3
Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 8.0 29.2 73.4 73.4 -13.2
Bruce, Jay 2453 rf nym nl 7.0 15.5 32.7 65.8 -1.5
Nelson, Jimmy 3299 pi sp mil nl 7.0 10.0 20.4 20.4 4.0
Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp chi nl 6.0 28.1 73.6 149.2 -16.1
Fulmer, Michael 3640 pi sp det al 4.7 17.4 17.4 17.4 -8.0
Correa, Carlos 3506 ss hou al 4.0 11.7 18.9 18.9 -3.7
Grichuk, Randal 3474 rf cf lf stl nl 4.0 5.0 14.5 14.5 3.0
Lamet, Dinelson 3808 pi sp sd nl 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7
Taillon, Jameson 3658 pi sp pit nl 3.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 -2.0
Price, David 2593 pi sp bos al 2.7 15.1 77.1 108.9 -9.7
Jimenez, Ubaldo 2349 pi sp bal al 2.0 6.7 38.6 81.5 -2.7
Garcia Willy 3841 rf chi al 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Reds' Finnegan tops players for Wednesday, April 5; Braves' Colon rises to 19th in ‘all-time' career Box-Toppers points

Reds pitcher Brandon Finnegan is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Wednesday, Braves pitcher Bartolo Colon rose to 19th place among all players in Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors.

All-time leaders

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


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Randy Johnson pi sp retired 278.8
2 Pedro Martinez pi sp retired 244.8
3 Curt Schilling pi sp retired 194.1
4 Alex Rodriguez dh released 187.0
5 CC Sabathia pi sp nyy al 186.0
6 Clayton Kershaw pi sp lad nl 185.7
7 Albert Pujols 1b dh ana al 182.3
8 Roy Halladay pi sp retired 170.7
9 Felix Hernandez pi sp sea al 168.7
10 Manny Ramirez lf dh retired 167.2
11 Johan Santana pi sp free agent 166.6
12 Roger Clemens pi sp retired 164.8
13 John Smoltz pi sp retired 160.9
14 Tim Hudson pi sp retired 157.0
15 Zack Greinke pi sp ari nl 156.1
16 Mike Mussina pi sp retired 155.6
17 Barry Bonds lf retired 153.2
18 Greg Maddux pi sp retired 151.7
19 Bartolo Colon pi sp atl nl 149.5
20 Chipper Jones 3b retired 149.0
BTP: Box-Toppers points
List of top 100 players since 1995 at the close of the 2016 season.

Player of the Day—Finnegan struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 2-0 win over the Phillies.

American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 3-0, 12-inning win over the Pirates. Sale did not pick up the win because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.

American League Batter of the Day—Francisco Lindor of the Indians hit two homers, including a grand slam, in the 9-6 win over the Rangers. Lindor went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs.

National League Batter of the Day—Jeremy Hazelbaker of the Diamondbacks hit a pinch-hit double, going 1-for-1, scoring a run and driving in a run, in the 8-6 win over the Giants.

This was Hazelbaker’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut April 3, 2016, and was playing in his 117th career game. He is the 3,759th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Notable—Braves pitcher Bartolo Colon rises to 19th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 (when player tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Colon (6IP 2H R BB 6K ND in the 3-1, 12-inning win against the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 149.5 for his career. He passes Chipper Jones (149.0) on the “all-time” list and now trails 18th-ranked player Greg Maddux (151.7).

Scoring—Finnegan 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. Lindor and Hazelbaker 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.

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

4/5 Score Game Player AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.0 CIN 2, PHI 0 Brandon Finnegan (W,1-0) - - - - 7.0 1 0 0 1 9
AL 10.0 `BOS 3, PIT 0 (F/12) Chris Sale - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 1 7
10.0 `HOU 5, SEA 3 (F/13) Chris Devenski - - - - 4.0 0 0 0 1 7
9.0 BAL 3, TOR 1 Dylan Bundy (W,1-0) - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 0 8
BAT 7.0 CLE 9, TEX 6 Francisco Lindor, SS 4 3 3 5 - - - - - -
7.0 `ATL 3, NYM 1 (F/12) Bartolo Colon - - - - 6.0 2 1 1 1 6
6.0 MIL 6, COL 1 Wily Peralta (W,1-0) - - - - 5.0 3 0 0 1 5
4.2 `LAA 5, OAK 0 Garrett Richards - - - - 4.2 3 0 0 1 4
4.0 MIN 9, KC 1 Eduardo Escobar, SS 4 2 2 4 - - - - - -
3.0 WSH 6, MIA 4 Tanner Roark (W,1-0) - - - - 6.0 3 2 2 2 6
3.0 LAD 3, SD 1 Rich Hill (W,1-0) - - - - 5.0 2 1 1 3 5
2.2 TB 4, NYY 1 Alex Cobb (W,1-0) - - - - 5.2 4 1 1 1 4
BAT 2.0 ARI 8, SF 6 Jeremy Hazelbaker, PH 1 1 1 1 - - - - - -
`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 Game Pos Team ’17 ’16-17 ’12-17 Career +/-
Finnegan, Brandon 3535 pi sp cin nl 2.0 9.0 12.0 12.0 -5.0
Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp bos al 1.7 15.1 83.1 88.1 -11.7
Lindor, Francisco 3586 ss cle al 1.5 8.5 9.5 9.5 -5.5
Hill, Rich 2215 pi sp lad nl 1.0 15.4 19.4 39.1 -13.4
Roark, Tanner 3261 pi sp dc nl 1.0 13.7 29.7 29.7 -11.7
Colon, Bartolo pi sp atl nl 1.0 9.4 50.3 149.5 -7.4
Bundy, Dylan 3655 pi sp bal al 1.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 -5.0
Devenski, Chris 3702 pi mr hou al 1.0 4.7 4.7 4.7 -2.7
Peralta, Wily 3123 pi sp mil nl 1.0 2.0 20.0 20.0 0.0
Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 1.0 1.0 34.4 34.4 1.0
Escobar, Eduardo 3135 ss min al 1.0 1.0 12.7 12.7 1.0
Cobb, Alex 2916 pi sp tb al 1.0 1.0 31.4 32.4 1.0
Hazelbaker, Jeremy 3759 ph ari nl 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?