Cardinals' Jaime Garcia tops players for Friday, Aug. 5; Cubs' Lester bolsters 8th place spot in Box-Toppers rankings

Shawn Plank August 6, 2016

Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester bolstered his eighth-place rank in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 5:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	18.7
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	16.4
4	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	14.5
5	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	14.4
6	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	14.1
7	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	14.1
8	Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	chi nl	13.4
9	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	11.0
10	Happ, J.A. 2536	pi sp	tor al	11.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Garcia pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing three hits and one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Braves.

American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher Steven Wright pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout, striking out nine and allowing one walk, in the 9-0 win over the Dodgers.

American League Batter of the Day—Starlin Castro of the Yankees hit a grand slam and went 2-for-3, scoring three times, in the 13-7 win over the Indians.

National League Batter of the Day—Cameron Rupp of the Phillies hit a three-run homer and doubled, going 2-for-4 and driving in four total runs, in the 5-4 win over the Padres.

Rankings—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester bolstered his eighth-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Lester (7IP 6H 2R 0BB 8K W in the 7-2 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.

Lester now also has 134.5 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 28th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 27th-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5).

Notable—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander now has 131.6 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Verlander (6IP 4H 2R BB 9K W in the 4-3 win over the Mets) ranks 30th in career points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 29th-ranked player Jason Giambi (133.4). Verlander has 7.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 20th among AL pitchers, and exceeding his 6.4 point total he earned in 2015.

Scoring—Garcia earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Wright earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Castro and Rupp 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

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

    MLB
    15.0
    STL 1, ATL 0
    Jaime Garcia (W,8-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    11
  

    AL
    14.0
    BOS 9, LAD 0
    Steven Wright (W,13-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    9
  

    
    11.0
    HOU 5, TEX 0
    Dallas Keuchel (W,7-11)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    7
  

    
    9.0
    WSH 5, SF 1
    Gio Gonzalez (W,7-9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    6.0
    NYY 13, CLE 7
    Starlin Castro, SS-2B
    3
    3
    2
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    DET 4, NYM 3
    Justin Verlander (W,12-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    2
    2
    1
    9
  

    
    5.0
    CHC 7, OAK 2
    Jon Lester (W,12-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    8
  

    
    4.1
    MIN 6, TB 2
    Ervin Santana (W,5-9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    6
    2
    2
    0
    8
  

    
    4.0
    BAL 7, CHW 5
    Zach Britton (S,34)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    SEA 6, LAA 4
    Edwin Diaz (S,3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.1
    `MIA 5, COL 3
    David Phelps
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.1
    4
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    BAT
    3.0
    PHI 5, SD 4
    Cameron Rupp, C
    4
    1
    2
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `PIT 3, CIN 2
    Jameson Taillon
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    
    3.0
    ARI 3, MIL 2 (11)
    Adam Loewen (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    TOR 4, KC 3
    Brett Cecil (W,1-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    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.
  

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 (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).


Player of Game	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	chi nl	13.4	25.4	71.6	134.5	1.4
Wright, Steven 3224	pi sp	bos al	8.4	12.1	13.1	13.1	4.7
Garcia, Jaime 2508	pi sp	stl nl	8.0	17.4	35.1	43.8	-1.4
Verlander, Justin 2112	pi sp	det al	7.0	13.4	76.6	131.6	0.6
Rupp, Cameron 3556	ca	phi nl	6.5	7.5	7.5	7.5	5.5
Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	6.0	27.4	41.8	41.8	-15.4
Castro, Starlin 2767	ss 2b	nyy al	5.5	10.0	23.0	24.0	1.0
Gonzalez, Gio 2626	pi sp	dc nl	4.0	13.7	70.8	84.5	-5.7
Phelps, David 2994	pi mr	fla nl	4.0	7.4	20.8	20.8	0.6
Taillon, Jameson 3658	pi sp	pit nl	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0
Britton, Zach 2835	pi cp	bal al	3.0	11.7	31.1	31.1	-5.7
Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	min al	3.0	8.4	46.8	96.3	-2.4
Diaz, Edwin 3690	pi cp mr	sea al	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
Cecil, Brett 2566	pi mr	tor al	1.0	3.0	9.7	21.8	-1.0
Loewen, Adam 2212	pi cp	ari nl	1.0	2.0	3.0	5.7	0.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Mariners' Wade Miley tops players for Saturday, July 30; Marlins' Rea tops NL players

Shawn Plank July 31, 2016

Mariners pitcher Wade Miley is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of July 30:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	17.0
2	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	16.4
4	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	14.4
5	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	14.1
6	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	12.5
7	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	12.4
8	Lester, Jon 2173	pi sp	chi nl	12.4
9	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	11.0
10	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	11.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Miley struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, one hit and one walk, in the 4-1 win over the Cubs.

National League Player of the Day—Marlins pitcher Colin Rea pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out four, in the 11-0 win over the Cardinals. Rea did not pitch the requisite five innings to earn the win, picking up a no decision. He exited in the fourth with elbow soreness.

American League Batter of the Day—Mike Napoli of the Indians homered, doubled and went 3-for-3, driving in two runs, in the 6-3 win over the Athletics.

National League Batter of the Day—Cameron Rupp of the Phillies went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in one run, in the 9-5 win over the Braves.

Notable—Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ became the 18th player with 10 or more Box-Toppers points on the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Happ (7IP 3H R 3BB 11K W in the 9-1 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season, most of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday. Happ now ranks 17th among all players and seventh among AL pitchers.

Also notable—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander now has 130.6 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Verlander (CG 5H 2R BB 11K W in the 3-2 win over the Astros) now ranks 30th among all players in career points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 29th-ranked player Jason Giambi (133.4). Verlander has 6.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 26th among AL pitchers.

Debut—Diamondbacks pitcher Braden Shipley made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Shipley (6IP 5H 0R BB 4K in the 4-2 win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut July 25 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,695th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Miley earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Rea earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Napoli and Rupp each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/30
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    12.0
    SEA 4, CHC 1
    Wade Miley (W,7-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    1
    1
    1
    1
    9
  

    
    10.0
    DET 3, HOU 2
    Justin Verlander (W,11-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    5
    2
    2
    1
    11
  

    
    10.0
    TOR 9, BAL 1
    J.A. Happ (W,14-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    3
    11
  

    NL
    6.1
    `MIA 11, STL 0
    Colin Rea
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    5.0
    MIL 5, PIT 3
    Chase Anderson (W,6-10)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    1
    0
    2
    7
  

    
    4.0
    ARI 4, LAD 2
    Braden Shipley (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    
    4.0
    TB 6, NYY 3
    Alex Colome (S,24)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    BAT
    3.0
    CLE 6, OAK 3
    Mike Napoli, 1B
    3
    1
    3
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `TEX 2, KC 1
    Martin Perez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    3.0
    `LAA 5, BOS 2
    Cam Bedrosian (H,7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    2.0
    `CHW 6, MIN 5 (10)
    Miguel Gonzalez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    2
    1
    1
    5
  

    
    2.0
    SD 2, CIN 1 (10)
    Brad Hand (W,3-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    BAT
    1.0
    PHI 9, ATL 5
    Cameron Rupp, C
    5
    2
    3
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    SF 5, WSH 3
    Brandon Belt, 1B
    1
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    COL 7, NYM 2
    Daniel Descalso, PH
    0
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

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


Player of Game	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Happ, J.A. 2536	pi sp	tor al	10.0	23.1	38.5	46.5	-3.1
Verlander, Justin 2112	pi sp	det al	6.0	12.4	75.6	130.6	-0.4
Anderson, Chase 3328	pi sp	mil nl	6.0	10.0	15.0	15.0	2.0
Belt, Brandon 2943	1b	sf nl	6.0	7.5	19.5	19.5	4.5
Gonzalez, Miguel 3062	pi sp	chi al	5.7	12.4	34.5	34.5	-1.0
Colome, Alex 3189	pi cp	tb al	5.0	10.0	13.7	13.7	0.0
Rupp, Cameron 3556	ca	phi nl	5.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	4.0
Miley, Wade 3006	pi sp	sea al	4.0	11.0	34.4	34.4	-3.0
Napoli, Mike 2161	1b	cle al	3.5	8.0	35.7	54.7	-1.0
Hand, Brad 2907	pi mr cp sp	sd nl	3.0	4.0	8.0	8.0	2.0
Rea, Colin 3582	pi sp	fla nl	2.7	3.7	3.7	3.7	1.7
Perez, Martin 3213	pi sp	tex al	2.0	3.0	13.0	13.0	1.0
Bedrosian, Cam 3694	pi cp mr	ana al	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Descalso, Daniel 2855	ss ph	col nl	1.0	2.0	10.2	10.2	0.0
Shipley, Braden 3695	pi sp	ari nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Giants' Madison Bumgarner tops players for Sunday, July 10, rising to 6th in Box-Toppers rankings

Shawn Plank July 11, 2016

Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, earning the season’s second-highest Box-Toppers game score and rising to sixth place in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of July 10:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
2	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	14.4
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
4	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	13.4
5	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	12.5
6	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	11.0
7	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	10.7
8	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	10.7
9	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	10.5
10	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	10.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Bumgarner pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout, striking out 14 and walking one in the 4-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Bumgarner earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season, rising to sixth in player rankings and fifth among National League pitchers.

He had a Box-Toppers game score Sunday of +21.0, the second-highest of the season, behind only the +22.0 score earned April 14 by Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez. (See chart below for the 12 highest Box-Toppers game score earned by Players of the Games in 2016.)

Also Sunday, Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda had the 11th-highest Box-Toppers game score of the season, +16.0, but since he was beaten out by NL pitcher Bumgarner for Player of the Day, he only earns Player of the Game honors and 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Maeda was Player of the Game in the 3-1 win over the Padres (7IP 2H R 0BB 13K W).

Bumgarner also now has 103.7 career Box-Toppers points and rises to 62nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Sunday, he passes four players on the “all-time” list—Carlos Beltran (101.9), Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2), Miguel Tejada (102.3) and Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir (103.4). He now trails 61st-ranked player Jamie Moyer (104.0).

American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher David Price pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing four hits and two walks, in the 4-0 win over the Rays.

Price earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and now has 102.2 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 65th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes five players on the “all-time” list—Paul Konerko (100.7), Jason Schmidt (101.2), Tim Wakefield (101.4), Carlos Beltran of the Yankees (101.9) and Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2). Price trails 64th-ranked player Miguel Tejada (102.3).

American League Batter of the Day—Kennys Vargas of the Twins homered and went 1-for-2, scoring three times, in the 15-5 win over the Rangers.

National League Batter of the Day—Cameron Rupp of the Phillies homered and went 4-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 10-3 win over the Rockies.

Scoring—Bumgarner earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Price earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Vargas and Rupp each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/10
    Score
    Game
    Player of Game
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    21.0
    SF 4/ARI 0
    Madison Bumgarner (W,10-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    14
  

    
    16.0
    LAD 3/SD 1
    Kenta Maeda (W,8-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    0
    13
  

    AL
    13.0
    BOS 4/TB 0
    David Price (W,9-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    10
  

    
    12.0
    ATL 2/CHW 0
    Mike Foltynewicz (W,3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    10
  

    
    9.0
    STL 5/MIL 1
    Mike Leake (W,6-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    1
    0
    10
  

    
    4.1
    `DC 3/NYM 2
    Tanner Roark
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    4.0
    PHI 10/COL 3
    Cameron Rupp, C
    5
    1
    4
    4
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    `HOU 2/OAK 1
    Dallas Keuchel
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    5
  

    
    3.1
    NYY 11/CLE 7
    Nathan Eovaldi (W,7-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.1
    1
    0
    0
    3
    3
  

    BAT
    3.0
    MIN 15/TEX 5
    Kennys Vargas, 1B
    2
    3
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    TOR 6/DET 1
    R.A. Dickey (W,7-9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    2
    5
  

    
    2.1
    SEA 8/KC 5
    Mike Montgomery (W,3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    5
    1
    1
    0
    3
  

    
    2.0
    BAL 4/LAA 2
    J.J. Hardy, SS
    3
    1
    2
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    MIA 7/CIN 3
    Mike Dunn (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    CHC 6/PIT 5
    Hector Rondon (S,14)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    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.
  

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


Player of Game	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	11.0	28.0	98.0	103.7	-6.0
Price, David 2593	pi sp	bos al	8.4	29.5	85.5	102.2	-12.7
Roark, Tanner 3261	pi sp	dc nl	7.7	8.7	23.7	23.7	6.7
Eovaldi, Nathan 2928	pi sp	nyy al	6.7	8.7	25.8	25.8	4.7
Maeda, Kenta 3609	pi sp	lad nl	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0
Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	5.0	26.4	40.8	40.8	-16.4
Dickey, R.A. 1734	pi sp	tor al	5.0	10.0	54.2	75.9	0.0
Rondon, Hector 3201	pi cp	chi nl	4.0	6.0	9.0	9.0	2.0
Rupp, Cameron 3556	ca	phi nl	3.5	4.5	4.5	4.5	2.5
Leake, Mike 2709	pi sp	stl nl	3.0	13.0	38.1	42.6	-7.0
Montgomery, Mike 3513	pi cp mr sp	sea al	3.0	7.0	7.0	7.0	-1.0
Foltynewicz, Mike 3455	pi sp	atl nl	3.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	0.3
Hardy, J.J. 2071	ss	bal al	2.7	2.7	24.1	51.3	2.7
Vargas, Kennys 3511	1b	min al	2.5	4.0	4.0	4.0	1.0
Dunn, Michael 2867	pi mr cp	fla nl	1.0	1.0	9.0	9.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Highest Box-Toppers game scores of 2016
Here are the highest Box-Toppers game scores earned by Players of the Games in 2016. Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez had the highest score of +22.0 on April 14 when he was Player of the Day (earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points). All but two players among the top 12 here earned Player of the Day honors. Cardinals pitcher Jamie Garcia and Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda earned Player of the Game honors (worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point) because they finished behind that day’s overall top player—Garcia finished behind Velasquez on April 14 and Garcia finished behind Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner on July 10.
 





  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    

    Date
    Bonus
    Score
    Team
    Players
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    1
    4/14
    MLB
    22.0
    Phillies
    Vince Velasquez (W,2-0)
    9.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    16
  

    2
    7/10
    MLB
    21.0
    Giants
    Madison Bumgarner (W,10-4)
    9.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    14
  

    3
    5/1
    MLB
    20.0
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W,3-1)
    9.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    14
  

    4
    4/14
    
    20.0
    Cardinals
    Jaime Garcia (W,1-0)
    9.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    13
  

    5
    5/11
    MLB
    19.0
    Nationals
    Max Scherzer (W,4-2)
    9.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    20
  

    6
    5/12
    MLB
    18.0
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W,5-1)
    9.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    13
  

    7
    4/23
    MLB
    17.0
    Nationals
    Tanner Roark (W,2-2)
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    3
    15
  

    8
    6/5
    MLB
    17.0
    Marlins
    Jose Fernandez (W,9-2)
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    14
  

    9
    4/15
    MLB
    16.0
    White Sox
    Chris Sale (W,3-0)
    9.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    9
  

    10
    6/8
    MLB
    16.0
    Mariners
    Taijuan Walker (W,3-6)
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    11
  

    11
    7/10
    
    16.0
    Dodgers
    Kenta Maeda (W,8-6)
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    0
    13
  

    12
    4/19
    MLB
    16.0
    `Rays
    Drew Smyly
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    2
    11
  

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

Mariners' Hisashi Iwakuma pitches no-hitter, tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 12

Shawn Plank August 13, 2015

Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, pitching a no-hitter, is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Wednesday, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings and Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rises to second place.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 12.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	18.4
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	16.7
3	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	16.1
4	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	16.0
5	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	oak al	15.8
6	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	15.4
7	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	15.4
8	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	15.0
9	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	14.4
10	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	14.4

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Iwakuma no-hit the Orioles, striking out seven and walking three, in the 3-0 win.

Iwakuma earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season and ranks 19th among American League pitchers.

National League Player of the Day—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out eight, in the 3-0 win over the Nationals. Kershaw had a perfect game into the sixth inning.

His Box-Toppers game score Wednesday was 13, the same as Iwakuma’s, but Iwakuma won overall Player of the Day because he had more innings pitched, nine vs. eight.

Kershaw earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 16.7 for the season. He rises to second place among all players in Box-Toppers player rankings, trailing overall leader, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom (18.4 Box-Toppers points).

Kershaw also rises to 17th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began. With his points Wednesday, Kershaw has 150.3 career Box-Toppers points and passes one player on the “all-time” list—Chipper Jones (149.0 Box-Toppers points). Kershaw ranks sixth among all active players.

American League Batter of the Day—Miguel Sano of the Twins hit two homers and went 3-for-3, driving in six runs, in the 11-1 win over the Rangers.

National League Batter of the Day—J.T. Realmuto of the Marlins hit a grand slam and a triple, going 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 14-6 win over the Red Sox.

Rankings—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom extended his season Box-Toppers points lead after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

deGrom (7IP 2H 0R 10K W in the 3-0 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 18.4 for the season.

Debut—Cameron Rupp of the Phillies made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Rupp (3-R HR 1-3 4BI in the 7-6 win over the Diamondbacks) made his Major League debut Sept. 10, 2013, and was playing in his 71st career game. He is the 3,556th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    8/12
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.0
    Mariners
    Hisashi Iwakuma (W,4-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    0
    0
    0
    3
    7
  

    NL
    13.0
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W,10-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    11.0
    Mets
    Jacob deGrom (W,11-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    4
    10
  

    BAT
    8.0
    Twins
    Miguel Sano, DH
    3
    2
    3
    6
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    7.0
    Marlins
    J.T. Realmuto, C
    5
    3
    3
    6
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Reds
    Joey Votto, 1B
    4
    3
    3
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Astros
    Scott Feldman (W,5-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    
    4.2
    Indians
    Cody Allen (S,23)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    Blue Jays
    Chris Colabello, DH
    4
    2
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.2
    `Cubs
    Jason Hammel
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    4
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    
    3.0
    Phillies
    Cameron Rupp, C
    3
    1
    1
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `Cardinals
    Kevin Siegrist (H,22)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    White Sox
    Matt Albers (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    2.0
    Rays
    Alex Colome (W,5-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Tigers
    Ian Kinsler, 2B
    5
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

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Top player from each game

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

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Top player from each game

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

Giants' Madison Bumgarner tops players for Sunday, July 10, rising to 6th in Box-Toppers rankings

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Highest Box-Toppers game scores of 2016

Mariners' Hisashi Iwakuma pitches no-hitter, tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 12

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Past posts

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Box-Toppers tag cloud

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

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

Highest Box-Toppers game scores of 2016

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers

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