Travis Wood tops players in Cubs' NLDS Game 2 win over Giants

Cubs pitcher Travis Wood is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Saturday’s National League Division Series Game 2 win over the Giants.

Wood pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing no hits, no walks and striking out two, in the 5-2 win. 

During the regular season, Wood had just 1.0 Box-Toppers point (earned May 30), which ranks him 563rd among all players, 144th among NL pitchers and 33rd among NL middle relievers. Wood had 8.0 Box-Toppers points in both 2013 and 2014 when he was a starter for the Cubs, his two best seasons.

Wood had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.1. Cubs’ top batter in the game was pitcher Kyle Hendricks, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 for batting. Hendricks (1-1 2BI) hit a second-inning single, driving in two runs. Hendricks had a Box-Toppers game score of −4.8 as starting pitcher (3.2IP 4H 2R 0BB 0K ND).

Wood had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score among Cubs’ batters. His score was also +2.0, tied with Hendricks, but Hendricks ranked ahead because he had more runs batted in (2 vs. 1). Wood (1-1 R BI) hit a solo home run in the fourth inning.

The Cubs now lead the best-of-five game series 2-0. The series resumes Monday in San Francisco.

NLDS Game 2 between the Dodgers and Nationals was rained out Saturday and rescheduled for Sunday. More details below.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
3.1 CHC 5, SF 2 Travis Wood (W,1-0) - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 2
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Sunday: Three division series playoff games:

NL Division Series Game 2, Dodgers lead Nationals, 1-0

NLDS Game 2 between the Dodgers and Nationals was rained out Saturday and rescheduled for Sunday.

The pitching matchup Sunday:

Dodgers—Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.

Nationals—Tanner Roark, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, 22nd among all players, 14th among NL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Dodgers and Nationals players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

AL Division Series Game 3, Indians lead Red Sox, 2-0

The pitching matchup Sunday:

Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among AL pitchers.

Red Sox—Clay Buchholz, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 200th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Red Sox and Indians players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

AL Division Series Game 3, Blue Jays lead Rangers, 2-0

The pitching matchup Sunday:

Rangers—Colby Lewis, 7.7 Box-Toppers points, 96th among all players, 34th among AL pitchers.

Blue Jays—Aaron Sanchez, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Blue Jays and Rangers players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

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.

Orioles' Wilson tops players for Thursday, June 16; Mets' Colon tops NL players

Orioles pitcher Tyler Wilson 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 2016 season as of June 16:  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 18.0
2 Fernandez, Jose 3147 pi sp fla nl 11.7
3 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 10.0
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 10.0
5 Syndergaard, Noah 3472 pi sp nym nl 10.0
6 Lackey, John 1640 pi sp chi nl 9.4
7 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 9.0
8 Salazar, Danny 3223 pi sp cle al 8.8
9 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 8.7
10 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Wilson pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits, one walk and striking out six, in the 5-1 win over the Red Sox.

National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon struck out eight over 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Pirates.

Colon earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 143.8 for his career. Colon ranks 22nd in career points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 21st-ranked player Jim Thome (146.7). Colon has 3.7 Box-Toppers points for the season.

American League Batter of the Day—Victor Martinez of the Tigers hit three solo home runs, going 3-for-5, in the 10-4 win over the Royals.

National League Batter of the Day—Freddie Freeman of the Braves hit a two-run homer and went 3-for-4, scoring twice, in the 7-2 win over the Reds.

Notable—Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis has the most 2016 Box-Toppers points of any of Thursday’s 10 Players of the Games.

Lewis (CG 2H R BB 4K W in the 5-1 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 7.7 for the season. He ranks 18th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.

Scoring—Wilson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Colon earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Martinez and Freeman 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/16 Score Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 10.0 BAL 5/BOS 1 Tyler Wilson (W,3-5) - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 1 6
8.0 TEX 5/OAK 1 Colby Lewis (W,6-0) - - - - 9.0 2 1 1 1 4
6.0 TOR 13/PHI 2 J.A. Happ (W,8-3) - - - - 7.0 3 1 0 2 5
NL 4.2 NYM 6/PIT 4 Bartolo Colon (W,6-3) - - - - 7.2 7 2 2 0 8
BAT 4.0 DET 10/KC 4 Victor Martinez, DH 5 3 3 3 - - - - - -
4.0 NYY 4/MIN 1 Didi Gregorius, SS 3 2 2 3 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 ATL 7/CIN 2 Freddie Freeman, 1B 4 2 3 2 - - - - - -
3.0 SEA 6/TB 4 Dae-Ho Lee, 1B 3 1 2 3 - - - - - -
2.0 DC 8/SD 5 Bryce Harper, RF 4 1 2 3 - - - - - -
2.0 MIL 8/LAD 6 Tyler Thornburg (W,3-1) - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1

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 +/-
Lewis, Colby 1567 pi sp tex al 7.7 15.4 33.6 45.0 0.0
Lee, Dae-Ho 3627 1b ph sea al 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7
Martinez, Victor 1695 dh 1b det al 5.0 8.5 28.4 68.6 1.5
Happ, J.A. 2536 pi sp tor al 4.0 17.1 32.5 40.5 -9.1
Colon, Bartolo pi sp nym nl 3.7 10.4 52.3 143.8 -3.0
Wilson, Tyler 3608 pi mr sp bal al 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Harper, Bryce 3011 rf dc nl 2.0 11.0 26.4 26.4 -7.0
Gregorius, Didi 3184 ss nyy al 2.0 4.5 6.5 6.5 -0.5
Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 1.5 4.5 32.7 32.7 -1.5
Thornburg, Tyler 3195 pi mr mil nl 1.0 1.0 7.0 7.0 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Angels' Shoemaker tops players for Saturday, June 11; Nationals' Roark tops NL players

Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker 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 June 11:  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 17.0
2 Fernandez, Jose 3147 pi sp fla nl 11.7
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 9.0
4 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 8.7
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.7
6 Machado, Manny 3087 ss 3b bal al 8.7
7 Matz, Steven 3516 pi sp nym nl 8.7
8 Lackey, John 1640 pi sp chi nl 8.4
9 Hill, Rich 2215 pi sp oak al 8.4
10 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 8.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Shoemaker pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing three hits and one walk, in the 4-3 win over the Indians. Shoemaker did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Angels lost the lead after he exited when the Indians tied the game 3-3 in the ninth inning.

National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven, in the 8-0 win over the Phillies.

American League Batter of the Day—Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays hit two homers, a double and went 3-for-3, driving in five runs, in the 11-6 win over the Orioles.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Holliday of the Cardinals hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 5-1 win over the Pirates.

Notable—Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis has the most season Box-Toppers points of any of Saturday’s 15 Players of the Games.

Lewis (8IP 3H R 3K ND in the 2-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.7 for the season. He ranks 19th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.

Scoring—Shoemaker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Roark earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Encarnacion and Holliday 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/11 Score Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 15.0 `LAA 4/CLE 3 Matt Shoemaker - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 1 11
10.0 KC 4/CHW 1 Danny Duffy (W,2-1) - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 3 10
BAT 7.0 TOR 11/BAL 6 Edwin Encarnacion, DH 3 2 3 5 - - - - - -
NL 7.0 DC 8/PHI 0 Tanner Roark (W,5-4) - - - - 7.0 6 0 0 1 7
6.0 BOS 15/MIN 4 Xander Bogaerts, SS 5 4 4 3 - - - - - -
6.0 `TEX 2/SEA 1 Colby Lewis - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 0 3
4.0 DET 6/NYY 1 Ian Kinsler, 2B 4 1 2 5 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 STL 5/PIT 1 Matt Holliday, LF 4 1 3 3 - - - - - -
3.0 COL 5/SD 3 Carlos Gonzalez, RF 4 1 2 4 - - - - - -
2.0 MIL 7/NYM 4 Ryan Braun, LF 4 2 2 2 - - - - - -
2.0 CIN 2/OAK 1 Jay Bruce, RF 2 1 1 2 - - - - - -
1.0 CHC 8/ATL 2 Jason Heyward, RF 5 2 3 1 - - - - - -
0.0 SF 5/LAD 4 Joe Panik, 2B 5 2 2 1 - - - - - -
0.0 HOU 4/TB 3 Marwin Gonzalez, SS 4 1 3 0 - - - - - -
0.0 ARI 5/MIA 3 Michael Bourn, CF 3 1 1 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 +/-
Lewis, Colby 1567 pi sp tex al 6.7 14.4 32.6 44.0 -1.0
Roark, Tanner 3261 pi sp dc nl 5.7 6.7 21.7 21.7 4.7
Braun, Ryan J. 2300 lf mil nl 4.5 9.5 40.5 82.2 -0.5
Holliday, Matt 1836 1b dh lf stl nl 4.5 6.0 36.2 96.3 3.0
Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 dh tor al 4.0 14.4 42.6 63.1 -6.4
Shoemaker, Matt 3290 pi sp ana al 4.0 9.7 22.4 22.4 -1.7
Kinsler, Ian 2144 2b det al 3.5 10.0 29.2 59.6 -3.0
Bruce, Jay 2453 rf cin nl 3.5 6.7 26.7 53.8 0.3
Duffy, Danny 2915 pi sp kc al 3.0 7.0 22.0 22.0 -1.0
Panik, Joe 3401 2b sf nl 3.0 7.0 8.0 8.0 -1.0
Bourn, Michael 2505 rf cf ari nl 2.0 4.5 6.5 13.0 -0.5
Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 rf col nl 1.0 12.5 41.2 54.2 -10.5
Bogaerts, Xander 3383 ss bos al 1.0 2.5 6.5 6.5 -0.5
Heyward, Jason 2695 rf chi nl 1.0 1.0 12.5 18.5 1.0
Gonzalez, Marwin 3078 ss hou al 1.0 1.0 5.5 5.5 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Rangers' Lewis tops players for Friday, May 20; Cubs' Arrieta rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers rankings

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is Friday’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 May 20:  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 10.0
2 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 8.7
3 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.7
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 8.0
5 Machado, Manny 3087 ss 3b bal al 7.7
6 Matz, Steven 3516 pi sp nym nl 6.7
7 Hill, Rich 2215 pi sp oak al 6.4
8 Salazar, Danny 3223 pi sp cle al 6.1
9 Velasquez, Vince 3611 pi sp phi nl 6.0
10 Price, David 2593 pi sp bos al 5.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Friday, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings, Manny Machado of the Orioles extended his Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia extended his career Box-Toppers points lead among all active pitchers.

Player of the Day—Lewis pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 2-1 win over the Astros.

National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Steven Matz struck out eight over seven innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 3-2 win over the Brewers.

Matz earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, rising to sixth in season player rankings, fourth among NL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners homered and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the Reds.

National League Batter of the Day—Christian Bethancourt of the Padres hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the 7-6 win over the Dodgers.

Rankings—Besides Matz, two other players in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings earned Player of the Game honors Friday:

  • Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (7IP 4H R 8K W in the 8-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season and rising to second place in player rankings, trailing only Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (10.0).
  • Manny Machado of the Orioles (HR 2-4 2R BI in the 9-4 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, maintaining his rank of fifth place among all players and his rank of first among AL batters. He is the only batter among the top 10 players. Also, his 7.7 Box-Toppers points this season is already better than the 7.5 he earned in all of 2015 (his previous best year), when he finished the season ranked 18th among AL batters.

Streak—Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Bautista (HR 2-5 2R 3BI in the 9-3 win over the Twins) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Pirates and has 62.9 career points, 12th among active AL batters and second among active AL outfielders. His best year was 2010 with the Blue Jays when he led AL batters with 15.2 points. In 2015, he had 10.0 points with the Blue Jays, sixth among AL batters.

Notable—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, the active leader among pitchers in career Box-Toppers points, earned Player of the Game honors Friday.

Sabathia (6IP 3H R 8K W in the 8-3 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 181.0 career Box-Toppers points. He ranks fifth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, behind teammate Alex Rodriguez (187.0), and first among active pitchers. Sabathia has 2.0 points for the season.

Scoring—Lewis earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Matz earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Lee and Bethancourt 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

5/20 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 Rangers Colby Lewis (W,3-0) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 0 6
NL 8.0 Mets Steven Matz (W,6-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 2 2 0 8
8.0 Yankees CC Sabathia (W,3-2) - - - - - - 6.0 3 1 1 1 8
7.0 Cubs Jake Arrieta (W,8-0) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 2 8
4.2 Braves Matt Wisler (W,2-3) - - - - - - 6.2 5 1 1 2 7
BAT 4.0 Mariners Dae-Ho Lee, PH-1B 2 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.2 Nationals Tanner Roark (W,3-3) - - - - - - 6.2 6 1 1 2 7
BAT 3.0 Padres Christian Bethancourt, PH 1 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Dillon Gee (W,1-1) - - - - - - 5.0 4 1 1 1 5
3.0 Indians Cody Allen (S,10) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 1 3
2.0 Blue Jays Jose Bautista, RF 5 2 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Dbacks Chris Herrmann, C 4 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Orioles Manny Machado, SS 4 3 2 1 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Rays Alex Colome (S,11) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2
1.0 `Pirates Tony Watson (H,10) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 1 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 Pos Team 16 15-16 11-16 Career +/-
Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 8.7 37.8 65.5 68.5 -20.4
Machado, Manny 3087 ss 3b bal al 7.7 15.2 18.7 18.7 0.2
Matz, Steven 3516 pi sp nym nl 6.7 10.2 10.2 10.2 3.2
Lewis, Colby 1567 pi sp tex al 4.7 12.4 30.6 42.0 -3.0
Colome, Alex 3189 pi cp tb al 4.0 9.0 12.7 12.7 -1.0
Roark, Tanner 3261 pi sp dc nl 4.0 5.0 20.0 20.0 3.0
Lee, Dae-Ho 3627 1b ph sea al 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Sabathia, C.C. 1492 pi sp nyy al 2.0 7.7 42.5 181.0 -3.7
Allen, Cody 3265 pi mr cp cle al 2.0 6.0 11.0 11.0 -2.0
Wisler, Matt 3522 pi sp atl nl 2.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 -1.0
Bethancourt, Christian 3407 ca ph sd nl 1.5 2.5 3.5 3.5 0.5
Bautista, Jose 2169 rf tor al 1.0 11.0 35.7 62.9 -9.0
Gee, Dillon 2808 pi sp kc al 1.0 2.0 28.8 29.8 0.0
Watson, Tony 3215 pi mr pit nl 1.0 2.0 5.0 5.0 0.0
Herrmann, Chris 3196 ca ari nl 1.0 1.0 5.5 5.5 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Cardinals' Wacha tops players for Monday, April 11; Rangers' Lewis tops AL players

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Wacha struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, in the 10-1 win over the Brewers. Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and ranks sixth in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 11:  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 3.0
2 Volquez, Edinson 2220 pi sp kc al 2.7
3 Davis, Chris 2478 1b bal al 2.5
4 Liriano, Francisco 2104 pi sp pit nl 2.0
5 Syndergaard, Noah 3472 pi sp nym nl 2.0
6 Wacha, Michael 3276 pi sp stl nl 2.0
7 Rizzo, Anthony 3063 1b chi nl 2.0
8 Estrada, Marco 2847 pi sp tor al 2.0
9 Anderson, Chase 3328 pi sp mil nl 2.0
10 Suarez, Eugenio 3355 3b ss cin nl 2.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis struck out six over six innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 7-3 win over the Mariners.

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 9-7 win over the Red Sox. Davis earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day and now has 2.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, rising to third in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 6-4 win over the Braves.

Zimmerman has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Nationals and has 56.3 career points, ninth among active NL batters. His best season was 2013 with the Nationals when he had 9.2 points, sixth among NL batters. He had 3.0 points in 2015 with the Nationals.

Scoring—Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lewis earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Davis and Zimmerman each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

4/11 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 8.0 Cardinals Michael Wacha (W,1-0) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 1 7
AL 5.0 Rangers Colby Lewis (W,1-0) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 1 6
BAT 4.0 Orioles Chris Davis, 1B 5 2 2 5 0 3 - - - - - -
4.0 Cubs Hector Rondon (S,2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.0 Astros Jose Altuve, 2B 4 3 3 1 1 1 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Nationals Ryan Zimmerman, 1B 3 3 2 1 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Angels Nick Tropeano (W,1-0) - - - - - - 5.0 6 0 0 2 6
3.0 `Padres Carlos Villanueva - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.1 Marlins Chris Narveson (W,1-0) - - - - - - 1.1 1 0 0 0 2
2.0 White Sox Jose Quintana (W,1-0) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 3 5
1.0 Pirates Francisco Cervelli, C 4 1 3 1 0 1 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Wins leaders Arrieta, Keuchel also lead leagues in Box-Toppers player rankings

Jake Arrieta of the Cubs led all players with 22 wins and 29.1 Box-Toppers points. Dallas Keuchel of the Astros led AL players with 20 wins and 21.4 Box-Toppers points.

Read More

Rangers' Lewis tops players for Friday, Sept. 11; Cubs' Arrieta regains Box-Toppers points lead

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta regained the top spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings, three days after losing the lead to Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Sept. 11.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 22.1
2 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 21.7
3 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 20.4
4 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 19.4
5 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 19.4
6 Price, David 2593 pi sp tor al 19.1
7 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 18.0
8 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 17.1
9 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 17.0
10 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 16.8
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Lewis pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out four, in the 4-0 win over the Athletics. He allowed no hits until the eighth inning.

National League Player of the Day—Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out six, in the 4-2 win over the Mariners.

National League Batter of the Day—Nick Ahmed of the Diamondbacks hit a two-run homer, a double and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 12-4 win over the Dodgers.

American League Batter of the Day—Steve Clevenger of the Orioles hit a grand slam and scored two runs in the 14-8 win over the Royals.

Rankings—Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta regained the top spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Arrieta (8IP 6H R 7K W in the 5-1 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.1. He passes previous leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (21.7). Arrieta and Kershaw have traded three-day turns with the Box-Toppers season points lead since since Sept. 2, with Arrieta leading twice and Kershaw leading twice.

Notable—Three other Players of the Game from Friday hit notable milestones:

Lead changes

Here are the season’s lead changes among players in Box-Toppers points. Chart shows the date and the player’s Box-Toppers point (BTP) total when they took the lead.  

Date Player Team BTP
4/5 Adam Wainwright stl nl 2.0
4/6 Felix Hernandez sea al 2.0
4/13 Scott Kazmir oak al 3.7
4/18 Felix Hernandez sea al 4.0
6/26 Max Scherzer dc nl 14.0
7/9 Felix Hernandez sea al 14.4
7/12 Max Scherzer dc nl 15.0
7/24 Felix Hernandez sea al 15.4
7/26 Jacob deGrom nym nl 16.4
9/2 Clayton Kershaw lad nl 20.7
9/5 Jake Arrieta chi nl 21.1
9/8 Clayton Kershaw lad nl 21.7
9/11 Jake Arrieta chi nl 22.1
  • Giants pitcher Jake Peavy now has 134.8 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of 25th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Peavy (7IP 2H R 2K W in the 9-1 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He trails 24th-ranked player David Ortiz (136.9) and has 3.0 Box-Toppers points this season.
  • Angels pitcher Jered Weaver rises to 36th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 (when record keeping began). Weaver (6IP 5H 2R 7K W in the 3-2 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 123.1 for his career. With his point Friday, he passes Justin Verlander (122.9) on the “all-time” list and trails 33rd-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1). Weaver has 7.7 Box-Toppers points this season.
  • Yoenis Cespedes of the Mets became the 35th player (and fifth batter) with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season. Cespedes (HR 2B 3-5 R 3BI in the 5-1 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.9 for the season. He rises to second place among NL batters —behind Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies (11.5)—and 26th among all players.

Scoring—Lewis earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bettis earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Ahemd and Clevenger 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

9/11 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 11.0 Rangers Colby Lewis (W,15-8) - - - - - - 9.0 2 0 0 0 4
AL 7.0 Rockies Chad Bettis (W,7-5) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 3 6
BAT 5.0 Dbacks Nick Ahmed, SS 4 2 4 3 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 5.0 Orioles Steve Clevenger, PH-C 2 2 1 4 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Cubs Jake Arrieta (W,19-6) - - - - - - 8.0 6 1 1 2 7
5.0 Giants Jake Peavy (W,6-6) - - - - - - 7.0 2 1 1 0 2
4.0 Blue Jays Russell Martin, C 5 2 3 4 0 2 - - - - - -
4.0 Cubs Kyle Schwarber, LF 4 3 2 3 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Twins Trevor Plouffe, 3B 5 2 3 3 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Pirates Mark Melancon (S,45) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 `Marlins Jarred Cosart - - - - - - 5.0 4 0 0 3 5
2.0 Mets Yoenis Cespedes, CF 5 1 3 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Rays J.P. Arencibia, PH-C 2 1 1 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Angels Jered Weaver (W,7-10) - - - - - - 6.0 5 2 2 2 7
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Braves' Miller tops players for Monday, May 11; Yankees' Teixeira earns Box-Toppers points for 13th straight season

Braves pitcher Shelby Miller is Monday’s Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Meanwhile, Mark Teixeira of the Yankees has now earned Box-Toppers points for 13 straight seasons and Cubs phenom Kris Bryant is one of two players to earn their career-first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of May 11.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 8.7
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 6.0
3 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 5.0
4 Miller, Shelby 3134 pi sp atl nl 5.0
5 Harper, Bryce 3011 lf rf dc nl 5.0
6 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 4.7
7 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 4.7
8 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 4.7
9 Harvey, Matt 3075 pi sp nym nl 4.7
10 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 4.5
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Miller struck out eight over seven innings and allowed one run in the 2-1 win over the Reds. Miller earned no decision because he left the game with the score tied 1-1—the Braves scored the go-ahead run in the ninth.

Miller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, moving up to fourth in Box-Toppers player rankings, second among NL pitchers, behind Gerrit Cole of the Pirates (6.0).

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis allowed one run over seven innings and struck out five in the 8-2 win over the Royals.

American League Batter of the Day—Mark Teixeira of the Yankees hit a two-run homer, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 11-5 win over the Rays.

Teixeira has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 13 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of the season. He earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2003 with the Rangers. His best season was 2009 with the Yankees when he had 11.5 Box-Toppers points, sixth among AL batters. In 2014, he had 2.0 Box-Toppers points with the Yankees.

Teixeira has 91.3 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 86th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. His career point total ranks 37th among all batters since 1995, seventh among active batters currently in the AL and third among active batters currently on the Yankees—behind Alex Rodriguez (183.8) and Carlos Beltran (95.4).

National League Batter of the Day—Scott Van Slyke of the Dodgers hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 5-3 win over the Marlins. Van Slyke also doubled and went 3-for-4 with two runs.

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

  • Kris Bryant of the Cubs (HR 1-2 R 2BI in the 4-3 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut April 17 and was playing in his 23rd career game. He is the 3,465th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
  • Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes (2IP 0R K W in the 5-4 win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut Sept. 9, 2014, and was playing in his eighth career game. He is the 3,466th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Miller earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lewis earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Teixeira and Van Slyke each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

5/11 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 8.0 `Braves Shelby Miller - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 2 8
5.0 Nationals Max Scherzer (W, 3-3) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 1 6
AL 5.0 Rangers Colby Lewis (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 2 5
BAT 4.0 Yankees Mark Teixeira 1B 5 3 4 2 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 4.0 Dodgers Scott Van Slyke LF 4 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Orioles Ubaldo Jimenez (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 7.0 6 2 2 2 9
2.0 Brewers Carlos Gomez CF 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Cubs Kris Bryant 3B 2 1 1 2 2 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Red Sox Matt Barnes (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 1 1
1.0 Pirates Starling Marte LF 4 1 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Rangers' Lewis tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 5; three pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 list score

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is Tuesday’s Player of the Day, while three other pitchers improve their standing in Box-Toppers player rankings after each earns Player of the Game honors.

Lewis pitched a complete game shutout and struck out seven in the 16-0 win over the White Sox.

Three pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings also earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday: Johnny Cueto of the Reds, David Price of the Tigers and Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (see the updated top 10 player list on the home page):

• Cueto maintained his fourth place spot in player rankings. Cueto (CG 2R 6K W in the 9-2 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.4 for the season. He ranks third among National League pitchers.

• Price, pitching in his first game since being traded from the Rays, rose from eighth to fifth place in player rankings. Price (8.2IP 3R 10K ND in the 4-3, 12-inning win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.1 for the season. He ranks second among American League pitchers. Price also matches his previous season-high total for Box-Toppers points—he also earned 15.1 in 2011.

• Hernandez rises from 10th to seventh in player rankings. Hernandez (8IP R 8K W in the 4-2 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.8 for the season. He is in third place among AL pitchers. Hernandez had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.0, the same as Colby Lewis. However, Lewis won overall Player of the Day honors because he had more innings pitched than Hernandez—nine vs. eight.

Phillies pitcher Antonio Bastardo is NL Player of the Day. Bastardo pitched two innings of middle relief, allowing no runs and striking out six (earning no decision), in the 2-1 win over the Astros.

Daniel Murphy of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Murphy tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring a run and driving in two more, in the 6-1 win over the Nationals.

Delmon Young of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Young went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 9-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Lewis receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Bastardo receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Murphy and Young each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Tuesday, click here.

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

805 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 Rangers Colby Lewis (W, 8-8) - - - - - - 9.0 6 0 0 1 7
9.0 Mariners Felix Hernandez (W, 12-3) - - - - - - 8.0 4 1 1 1 8
NL 7.0 `Phillies Antonio Bastardo - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 1 6
6.0 Royals Danny Duffy (W, 6-10) - - - - - - 5.0 3 1 1 1 7
5.0 Twins Phil Hughes (W, 11-8) - - - - - - 6.0 7 1 1 1 9
4.2 `Tigers David Price - - - - - - 8.2 8 3 3 0 10
4.0 Reds Johnny Cueto (W, 13-6) - - - - - - 9.0 5 2 2 2 6
4.0 Cardinals Pat Neshek (W, 5-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Dodgers Kenley Jansen (W, 2-3) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 2.0 Mets Daniel Murphy 2B 4 1 3 2 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Brewers Carlos Gomez CF 4 1 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 2.0 Orioles Delmon Young DH 3 2 2 1 2 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Cubs Carlos Villanueva (S, 2) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2
2.0 Athletics Sean Doolittle (S, 17) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Marlins Garrett Jones 1B 2 1 2 0 1 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Giants' Tim Lincecum (7.2IP 11K) tops players for Monday, May 12

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Monday’s Player of the Day. Lincecum gave up one run and two hits over 7 2/3 innings, striking out 11, in the 4-2 win over the Braves.

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is American League Player of the Day. Lewis struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the 4-0 win over the Astros.

Junior Lake of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. Lake  homered, drove in six runs and went 3-for-6 in the 17-5 win over the Cardinals.

Stefen Romero of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Romero doubled, homered and drove in three runs in the 12-5 win over the Rays. This was Romero’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,330th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Notables: Athletics pitcher Jesse Chavez rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Chavez (8IP 7K W in 5-4 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.7 for the season. (See the updated Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings on the home page.)

Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers earned Player of the Game honors for the first time this season Monday and only the second time in his career (he was NL Batter of the Day on June 4, 2013). Puig went 1-for-3, hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs in the 6-5 win over the Marlins. He has 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season and 2.5 for his career.

Lincecum receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lewis receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Lake and Romero each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Monday’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

512ScoreTeamPlayerABRHBIBBKIPHRERBBK
MLB10.2GiantsTim Lincecum (W, 3-2)------7.2211411
BAT5.0CubsJunior Lake LF623601------
AL4.2RangersColby Lewis (W, 3-2)------5.270028
BAT4.0MarinersStefen Romero RF533301------
4.0AthleticsJesse Chavez (W, 3-1)------8.052227
3.0Blue JaysJose Bautista RF, CF413300------
3.0TigersIan Kinsler 2B322210------
3.0DodgersYasiel Puig RF311420------
3.0NationalsTyler Clippard (W, 3-2)------1.000002
2.0MetsEric Young LF523200------