Braves pitcher Max Fried and Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias are Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners in Saturday’s pair of National League Division Series games.
Read MoreHow 2020’s top home run hitters fared in Box-Toppers rankings—Luke Voit led batters in both homers & Box-Toppers points
A look at Box-Toppers’ top 100 players for 2020
Indians pitcher Shane Bieber tops Box-Toppers list of the top 100 players of 2020.
Bieber had 11.4 Box-Toppers points during the pandemic-shortened regular season. And because it was such a short season—reduced from 162 games to 60—it is the lowest total to lead all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, beating the previous low set by Royals pitcher Zack Greinke, who led all players with 21.5 points in 2009.
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Yankees top Box-Toppers 2019 preseason team rankings; champion Red Sox fall to 2nd
The New York Yankees are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2019 preseason rankings, rising from second place at the end of the 2018 season.
The 2018 World Series-champion Boston Red Sox fall from first at the end of last season to second place in the 2019 preseason rankings.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Arizona Diamondbacks had the biggest decline.
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New York Yankees top Box-Toppers team rankings report for second straight week
The New York Yankees lead Box-Toppers weekly team rankings report for the second straight week.
Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks maintain their top spot among National League teams for the fourth straight week. And the Minnesota Twins were the hottest team of the past week.
Read MoreYankees' Domingo German tops players for Sunday, May 6; Scherzer rises to 2nd in player rankings
Yankees pitcher Domingo German is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreOrioles' Chris Tillman tops players for Friday, April 27; Yankees' Severino rises to 1st in player rankings
Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Yankees pitcher Luis Severino reclaims first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Athletics pitcher Sean Manaea rises to sixth place in player rankings after he earns Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreRed Sox' Chris Sale tops players for Friday, July 21, maintains Box-Toppers points lead among AL pitchers
Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, maintaining his player rankings lead among American League pitchers and becoming the 79th player since 1995 with 100 or more career Box-Toppers points.
Also Friday, Edwin Encarnacion of the Indians rises to first place in Box-Toppers points among AL batters after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.
Read MoreCardinals' Carlos Martinez tops players on opening day, Sunday, April 2
Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez is Sunday’s opening day Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Martinez pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits, no walks and striking out 10 in the 4-3 win over the Cubs. Martinez did not earn the win because after he exited, the Cubs tied the game in the top of the ninth inning before the Cardinals won the game in the bottom of the ninth.
While it is relatively rare for a pitcher to earn overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day without earning a win or a save, it did happen nine times in 2016, including once by Martinez on Aug. 29.
American League Player of the Day—Logan Morrison of the Rays homered and went 3-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 7-3 win over the Yankees.
National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks hit a two-run homer and went 3-for-5, scoring twice, in the 6-5 win over the Giants.
Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner had a magnificent day, hitting two home runs and pitching a perfect game through five innings (his final line was 7IP 6H 3R 0BB 11K ND), but earns no Box-Toppers points for his effort (despite having a Box-Toppers game score of +6.0 for pitching, highest of any player on either team) simply because the Giants did not win.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Sunday because the overall AL Player of the Day was batter Logan Morrison. Also, only one AL game was played Sunday.
Scoring—Martinez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and becomes the de facto early leader in season Box-Toppers points. Morrison earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Pollock earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day.
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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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/2 | Score | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.1 | `STL 4, CHC 3 | Carlos Martinez | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| AL | 3.0 | TB 7, NYY 3 | Logan Morrison, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 2.0 | ARI 6, SF 5 | A.J. Pollock, CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| ` 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 | +/- |
| Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 | 14.4 | 29.1 | 29.1 | -10.4 |
| Morrison, Logan 2794 | 1b | tb al | 1.7 | 3.7 | 13.7 | 19.2 | -0.3 |
| Pollock, A.J. 3142 | cf | ari nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 16.2 | 16.2 | 1.5 |
Leaders in WAR diverge from top-ranked players in Box-Toppers points
Four of Box-Toppers' top 10 players appear on the top 10 list of players with the most wins above replacement for 2015. Four others in the WAR top 10 are among their league's top 10 batters in Box-Toppers points.
Read MoreBatting average leaders do not make big impact in Box-Toppers player rankings
Only three of the top 10 players in batting average for 2015 are among Box-Toppers' top 100 players.
Read MoreIndians' Carrasco, with 1-hitter, tops players for Friday, Sept. 25, rises to 9th in player rankings
Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to ninth place in player rankings.
Also Friday, two other players in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings earned Player of the Game honors—Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole maintained his spot in eighth place and Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rose to 10th place.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Sept. 25.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 25.1 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.7 |
| 3 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 21.1 |
| 4 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 20.4 |
| 5 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 20.4 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 19.7 |
| 7 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 19.4 |
| 8 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 19.0 |
| 9 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 18.0 |
| 10 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 17.8 |
Player of the Day—Carrasco pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout, striking out 15, in the 6-0 win over the Royals. Carrasco had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning before giving up the only hit.
Carrasco earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 18.0 for the season. He rises to ninth place among all players and fourth place among AL pitchers.
Carrasco also had the third-highest Box-Toppers game score of 2015, +21. Indians pitcher Corey Kluber had the highest score of +25 on May 13 (8IP H 0R 18K). Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer had the second-highest score of +23 on June 14 (CG H 0R 16K). It is the seventh time this season that a player has achieved a Box-Toppers game score of +20 or more.
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard struck out 11 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits, in the 12-5 win over the Reds.
Syndergaard earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season. He becomes the 41st player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points and ranks 37th among all players, 15th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 6-3 win over the Padres.
American League Batter of the Day—C.J. Cron of the Angels homered, doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 8-4 win over the Mariners.
Rankings—In addition to Carrasco, two other players in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings earned Player of the Game honors Friday:
- Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole maintained his spot in eighth place in player rankings. Cole (7IP 4H R 8K W in the 3-2 win over the Cubs) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 19.0 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.
- Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rose to 10th place in player rankings. Gray (6IP 5H 2R 7K W in the 5-4 win over the Giants) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.8 for the season. He ranks fifth among AL pitchers.
Notable—With the rise of Carrasco and Gray into Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings, two players fell from the top 10—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale (17.1 Box-Toppers points, 11th place) and Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (17.0 Box-Toppers points, 12th place).
Scoring—Carrasco earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Syndergaard earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Pollock and Cron 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/25 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 21.0 | Indians | Carlos Carrasco (W,14-11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | |
| 16.0 | Red Sox | Rich Hill (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| NL | 9.2 | Mets | Noah Syndergaard (W,9-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | |
| 7.0 | Phillies | Jerad Eickhoff (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 7.0 | Pirates | Gerrit Cole (W,18-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Dbacks | A.J. Pollock, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Rockies | Corey Dickerson, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.1 | Rangers | Ross Ohlendorf (MR) (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Marlins | Justin Bour, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Tigers | Al Alburquerque (MR) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Angels | C.J. Cron, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Kevin Pillar, CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Athletics | Sonny Gray (W,14-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 2.0 | Brewers | Will Smith (MR) (W,7-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | White Sox | David Robertson (S,32) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Giants' Lincecum tops players for Wednesday, May 20, rises to 9th in Box-Toppers player rankings
Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Wednesday’s Player of the Day and rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.
Also Wednesday, Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings and A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks earned National League Batter of the Day for the second day in a row.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 20.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 8.7 |
| 2 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 7.0 |
| 3 | Miller, Shelby 3134 | pi sp | atl nl | 7.0 |
| 4 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 6.7 |
| 5 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | lf rf | dc nl | 6.5 |
| 6 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 6.0 |
| 8 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 5.7 |
| 9 | Lincecum, Tim 2288 | pi sp | sf nl | 5.7 |
| 10 | Harang, Aaron 1599 | pi sp | phi nl | 5.1 |
Player of the Day—Lincecum pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up three hits, in the 4-0 win over the Dodgers. Lincecum earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 5.7 for the season, moving up to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings, fifth among NL pitchers.
Lincecum also now has 115.0 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 41st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his 2.0 points Wednesday, Lincecum passed four players on that list—Josh Beckett (114.9), Mark Buehrle (114.7), Chris Carpenter (113.3) and Sammy Sosa (113.2). Lincecum’s 115.0 career points ranks ninth among active pitchers currently in the NL.
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Shaun Marcum struck out six over 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits, in the 4-3 win over the White Sox.
National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks went 3-for-4, scoring four runs, including a steal of home—one of his three stolen bases—in the 6-1 win over the Marlins. This was the second straight day Pollock earned NL Batter of the Day honors.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Trout of the Angels homered and went 2-for-3, scoring three runs, in the 4-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Rankings—Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Keuchel (7IP R W in the 6-1 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.7 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
- Braves pitcher Williams Perez (5IP R 7K ND in the 2-1 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut May 8 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,476th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Rangers pitcher Phil Klein (5.1IP R W in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Aug. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 24th career game. He is the 3,477th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Fishy—A.J. Pollock and Mike Trout were the two Box-Toppers Batters of the Day for Wednesday. However, neither Mike Carp nor any player from the Marlins earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Scoring—Lincecum earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Marcum earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Pollock and Trout 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.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/20 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | Giants | Tim Lincecum (W, 4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 5.1 | Cardinals | Carlos Martinez (W, 4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| AL | 4.2 | Indians | Shaun Marcum (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| 4.2 | `Cubs | Tsuyoshi Wada | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 4.0 | `Twins | Mike Pelfrey | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 3.2 | Mariners | Roenis Elias (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.1 | `Tigers | Shane Greene | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Dbacks | A.J. Pollock CF | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | Angels | Mike Trout CF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Nationals | Jordan Zimmermann (W, 4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | `Braves | Williams Perez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Phillies | Jonathan Papelbon (S, 11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Astros | Dallas Keuchel (W, 6-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Jeremy Guthrie (W, 4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1.1 | Rangers | Phil Klein (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Royals' Ventura tops players for Tuesday, May 19; Giants' Hudson earns Box-Toppers points for 17th straight season
Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura is Tuesday’s Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Colby Rasmus of the Astros rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season, taking the lead among American League batters and Giants pitcher Tim Hudson earned a Box-Toppers point for the 17th straight season, tying him for the longest current consecutive streak.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 19.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 8.7 |
| 2 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 7.0 |
| 3 | Miller, Shelby 3134 | pi sp | atl nl | 7.0 |
| 4 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 6.7 |
| 5 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | lf rf | dc nl | 6.5 |
| 6 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 6.0 |
| 8 | Harang, Aaron 1599 | pi sp | phi nl | 5.1 |
| 9 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | phi nl | 5.0 |
| 10 | Rasmus, Colby 2608 | lf rf cf | hou al | 5.0 |
Player of the Day—Ventura pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 3-0 win over the Reds.
National League Player of the Day—Padres pitcher James Shields struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing two runs, in the 4-3 win over the Cubs. Shields did not pick up the win in the game because he exited with the score tied 2-2.
National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks hit a pinch-hit, two-run, go-ahead home run in the 4-2 win over the Marlins.
American League Batter of the Day—Jimmy Paredes of the Orioles homered and went 2-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Mariners.
Rankings—Colby Rasmus of the Astros rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season, taking the lead among AL batters, after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Rasmus (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 6-4 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season. Rasmus has the same 2015 Box-Toppers point total as Eric Hosmer of the Royals, but wins the tie-breaker because he had more points in 2014—3.2 vs. 2.5.
Streak—Giants pitcher Tim Hudson has now earned Box-Toppers points for 17 straight seasons, tied for the longest currently active streak. Hudson was Player of the Game Tuesday in the 2-0 win over the Dodgers (6.1IP 0R W) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
In addition, with his point Tuesday, Hudson now has 154.0 for his career and rises to 13th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Hudson passes Barry Bonds (153.2) on that list, though it should be noted Bonds played nine seasons before Box-Toppers record keeping began and so would likely have many more career Box-Toppers points.
Hudson’s 17-season streak of earning at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point ties him with Torii Hunter of the Twins for the longest active streak. (Hunter has 3.5 Box-Toppers points this season.) The record for most consecutive seasons with at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point is 19, held by Jason Giambi (1995-2013). (Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.) One other active player had Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons as of 2014 and also has a chance to extend that to 17 straight seasons in 2015—Carlos Beltran of the Yankees.
Hudson earned his first Box-Toppers points in 1999 with the Athletics. His best year was 2001 with the Athletics, when he had 18.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among AL pitchers. In 2014, he had 8.7 Box-Toppers points with the Giants.
His 154.0 career Box-Toppers points ranks him 13th among all players since 1995, just behind Mike Mussina (155.6). His career total ranks 10th among all pitchers since 1995 and first among active pitchers currently in the NL, ahead of Bartolo Colon of the Mets (136.4).
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
- Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals (3B 2-2B 3-5 R 3BI in the 10-2 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut April 28, 2014, and was playing in his 57th career game. He is the 3,474th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Clint Robinson of the Nationals (PH 2B 1-1 R BI in the 8-6 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut June 8, 2012, and was playing in his 40th career game. He is the 3,475th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Ventura earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Shields earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Pollock and Paredes each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/19 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Royals | Yordano Ventura (W, 3-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| NL | 7.0 | `Padres | James Shields | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 5.1 | Indians | Trevor Bauer (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | Brewers | Jimmy Nelson (W, 2-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Dbacks | A.J. Pollock PH, CF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.2 | `Twins | Blaine Boyer (H, 7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Cardinals | Randal Grichuk RF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Orioles | Jimmy Paredes DH | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Astros | Colby Rasmus CF, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Clint Robinson PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Wade Miley (W, 3-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Hector Santiago (W, 3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | Rays | Brad Boxberger (S, 11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.1 | Giants | Tim Hudson (W, 2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Rockies | Nick Hundley C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Mets' Colon, Mariners' Fernandez top players for Wednesday, May 28
Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is Wednesday’s Player of the Day. Colon pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 5-0 win over the Pirates.
Colon earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 128.4 for his career, moving him into 24th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” list (record keeping began in 1995). He is just ahead of Vladimir Guerrero (128.3 Box-Toppers points).
Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is American League Player of the Day. Hernandez gave up one run over 8 2/3 innings and struck out nine in the 3-1 win over the Angels.
Hernandez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 7.1 for the season, moving into eighth place on Box-Toppers season player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). He is in third place among AL pitchers.
Hernandez also has 129.6 Box-Toppers points for his career, in 21st place on the “all-time” list (record keeping began in 1995), moving past Trevor Hoffman (129.4) and David Ortiz (128.9).
A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Pollock doubled twice, went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs in the 12-6 win over the Padres.
Chris Carter of the Astros is AL Batter of the Day. Carter hit two homers and drove in four runs in the 9-3 win over the Royals.
Notable: Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). Kazmir (CG 1R 8K W in the 3-1 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 6.7 for the season. He is in fourth place among AL pitchers.
Colon receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hernandez receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Pollock and Carter each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Anibal Sanchez, 1 hit from no-hitter, is top player for Friday, May 24
Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who was two outs short of a no-hitter, is Friday's Player of the Day.
Sanchez gave up only one hit—with one out in the ninth—and struck out 12 in the complete game 6-0 shutout of the Twins.
Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn is National League Player of the Day. Lynn pitched six shutout innings and struck out nine in the 7-0 win over the Dodgers.
Chris Young of the Athletics is American League Batter of the Day. Young hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-5 in the 6-5 win over the Astros.
A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Pollock went 3-for-4 in the 5-2 win over the Padres.
Sanchez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Lynn receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Young and Pollock receive 1.5 each for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Friday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
| 524 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 17.0 | Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Anibal Sanchez (W, 5-4) | 9.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | ||
| NL | 12.0 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Lance Lynn (W, 7-1) | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 9.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | John Lackey (W, 3-4) | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |||
| 9.0 | Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Marco Estrada (W, 4-2) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |||
| 5.0 | Rockies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tyler Chatwood (W, 3-0) | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Athletics | Chris Young RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Rangers | Jeff Baker LF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.2 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Garrett Richards (S, 1) | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Orioles | Nick Markakis RF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Reds | Brandon Phillips 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Nationals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Rafael Soriano (S, 14) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1.2 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Nate Jones (W, 1-4) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1.0 | Yankees | Lyle Overbay 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| BAT | 1.0 | Diamondbacks | A.J. Pollock CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cabrera takes over season Box-Toppers points lead; Fernandez is top player for Saturday, May 4
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers takes over the season lead in Box-Toppers points after winning Saturday's American League Batter of the Day honors. And Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez is Saturday's Player of the Day.
Cabrera picked up 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, bringing his season total to 7.2 and passing previous leader Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz with 7.1.
Cabrera went 4-for-4 with two homers and six RBIs in the 17-2 win over the Astros. It is rare for a batter to lead all players in Box-Toppers points—pitchers usually dominate—however, Albert Pujols (then of the Cardinals) led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2009 as late as August, before then-Royals pitcher Zack Greinke eventually took over the lead.
Saturday was the fifth time this season Cabrera has been a Box-Toppers Player of the Game. This is the third time he was AL Batter of the Day. He was overall AL Player of the Day once.
Fernandez won Player of the Day honors by giving up only one hit and striking out nine over seven innings in the 2-0 win over the Phillies.
Phil Hughes of the Yankees is American League Player of the Day. Hughes pitched eight shutout innings and struck out nine in the 4-2 win over the Athletics.
A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Pollock homered, drove in three and went 2-for-4 in the 8-1 win over the Padres.
Fernandez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Cabrera and Pollock receive 1.5 each for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Saturday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
| 504 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 14.0 | Marlins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jose Fernandez (W, 1-2) | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| AL | 11.0 | Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Phil Hughes (W, 1-2) | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | ||
| BAT | 9.0 | Tigers | Miguel Cabrera 3B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jeremy Guthrie (W, 4-0) | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| BAT | 4.0 | Diamondbacks | A.J. Pollock CF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.0 | Rockies | Troy Tulowitzki SS | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | Jon Jay CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Mariners | Michael Saunders CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Indians | Jason Kipnis 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Giants | Pablo Sandoval 3B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Rangers | Craig Gentry CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Ryan Zimmerman 3B | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Orioles | Nolan Reimold DH | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Reds | Devin Mesoraco PH, C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Top players for Wednesday, April 10
Brandon Moss of the Athletics is Wednesday's Player of the Day. Moss went 3-for-5 with five RBIs, a homer and a triple in the 11-5 win over the Angels.
Rookie outfielder A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Player of the Day. Pollock hit two homers and went 3-for-5 with 4 RBIs in the 10-2 win over the Pirates.
Moss receives two Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Pollock receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. It is the first time in the 2013 season that a batter was named Player of the Day over a pitcher. And in fact, a batter also beat out all pitchers to be named NL Player of the Day, so no pitchers receive Box-Toppers bonus points Wednesday.
All of Wednesday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive one Box-Toppers point:
| 410 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 6.0 | Athletics | Brandon Moss 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NL | 5.0 | Diamondbacks | A.J. Pollock CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wade Davis (W, 1-0) | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |||
| 3.2 | Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mike Minor (W, 2-0) | 5.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 3.1 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Matt Moore (W, 2-0) | 5.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | |||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Matt Carpenter 2B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Giants | Buster Posey C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Blue Jays | Mark DeRosa PH, 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Phillies | Laynce Nix PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Orioles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Darren O`Day (W, 1-0) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Astros | Chris Carter DH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Nationals | Ian Desmond SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Dodgers | Carl Crawford LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |