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The Los Angeles Dodgers are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2021 preseason rankings. They also ended 2020 as Box-Toppers’ top-ranked team and World Series champions.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Chicago Cubs saw the biggest decline.
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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.
Read MoreAstros pitcher Gerrit Cole is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to second place in season player rankings.
Also Friday, Albert Pujols of the Angels reached the 3,000-hit club and Walker Buehler and three other Dodgers pitchers combined to no-hit the Padres.
Read MoreAthletics pitcher Sean Manaea is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, pitching a no-hitter and rising to seventh place in season player rankings.
Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors. Plus, Angels pitcher Garrett Richards rises to ninth place in player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to first place in season player rankings.
Scherzer struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing two runs, one hit and one walk, in the 6-2 win over the Rockies.
Read MoreAthletics pitcher Sonny Gray had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers point total from 2015 to 2016—16.8. Both 2015 Cy Young Award winners, Dallas Keuchel and Jake Arrieta, are among the top four "big dippers" in points from 2015 to 2016.
Read MoreBox-Toppers' high players by team does not include AL MVP Donaldson, who ranked 3rd among Blue Jays batters.
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Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to eighth place among American League pitchers in player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 23.1 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.7 |
| 3 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 20.4 |
| 4 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 20.1 |
| 5 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 19.7 |
| 6 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 19.4 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 19.4 |
| 8 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 17.1 |
| 9 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 17.0 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 17.0 |
Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw failed to retake the top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings after falling to the Pirates. Kershaw (22.7 Box-Toppers points) remains in second place behind Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (23.1), with whom he has traded leads every two or three days since Sept. 2. Arrieta’s lead is now safe at least until Kershaw’s next start later this week.
Player of the Day—Hamels struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing one run and seven hits, in the 10-1 win over the Mariners.
Hamels earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.7 for the season, rising to 17th among all players and eighth among AL pitchers.
Hammels also rises to 34th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when record keeping began. With his points Saturday, Hamels has 124.5 career Box-Toppers points and passes two players on the “all-time” list—Jered Weaver (123.1) and Gary Sheffield (124.1). (Sheffield, who started his career in 1988, seven years prior to the start of Box-Toppers record keeping, would likely have about 150 career Box-Toppers points based on rough projections, if his entire career were tracked.) Hamels now trails 33rd-ranked player Justin Verlander (124.6), who also passed Weaver and Sheffield on Friday.
National League Player of the Day—Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out five, in the 6-0 win over the Giants.
American League Batter of the Day—Victor Martinez of the Tigers homered, doubled and drove in three runs, in the 6-5, 11-inning win over the Royals.
National League Batter of the Day—Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in a run, in the 10-2 win over the Padres.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw failed to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors Saturday in his start, preventing him from retaking the player rankings lead.
Kershaw (7IP 7H 3H 8K L in the 3-2 loss to the Pirates) had a Box-Toppers game score of 0. Player of the Game was Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano.
Had Kershaw won Player of the Game honors, he would have passed Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta for the Box-Toppers season points lead and it would have been the seventh lead change in September between Kershaw (22.7 Box-Toppers points) and Arrieta (23.1 Box-Toppers points). Kershaw has led NL pitchers the past four seasons in Box-Toppers points—with days and starts dwindling to only a few this season, his chances for a fifth straight season leading NL pitchers is diminishing.
Notable—Several other Player of the Game honorees from Saturday achieved notable Box-Toppers milestones:
Debut—Braves pitcher Ryan Weber made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Weber (7IP 2H R 5K ND in the 2-1 win over the Phillies) made his Major League debut Sept. 8 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,598th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Hamels earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Corbin earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Martinez and Blackmon each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/19 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | Rangers | Cole Hamels (W,10-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | |
| NL | 7.0 | Dbacks | Patrick Corbin (W,6-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 6.0 | Orioles | Wei-Yin Chen (W,10-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | `Braves | Ryan Weber | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | Pirates | Francisco Liriano (W,11-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 4.1 | Yankees | Michael Pineda (W,11-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Tigers | Victor Martinez, DH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | `Angels | Andrew Heaney | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.1 | Cubs | Trevor Cahill (MR) (W,1-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Rockies | Charlie Blackmon, CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Astros | Evan Gattis, DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Reds | J.J. Hoover (MR) (H,18) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.2 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W,14-11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 2.2 | White Sox | Carlos Rodon (W,8-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Jackie Bradley Jr., CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Bryce Harper, RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Mariners pitcher Vidal Nuno is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom became the third player this season with 20.0 or more Box-Toppers points and maintains his rank of third place in player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.7 |
| 2 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 21.1 |
| 3 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 20.4 |
| 4 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 19.4 |
| 5 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 19.1 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.0 |
| 7 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 17.4 |
| 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 |
Player of the Day—Nuno pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out 10, in the 6-0 win over the Rangers.
National League Player of the Day—Pirates pitcher J.A. Happ struck out 10 over six innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 5-4 win over the Reds.
Happ earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 12.1 for the season, rising to 20th in player rankings. He ranks 11th among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day—Ryan Hanigan of the Red Sox doubled twice and went 3-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 10-4 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Batter of the Day—Michael Bourn of the Braves tripled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 8-1 win over the Phillies.
Rankings—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom became the third player this season with 20.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Gamed honors Wednesday. deGrom (7IP 5H 2R 9K W in the 5-3 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 20.4 for the season, maintaining his third-place ranking among players this season. He also ranks third among NL pitchers.
Notable—Angels pitcher Garrett Richards became the 34th player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers poitns this season after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Richards (7.2IP 4H 2R 11K ND in the 3-2 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks 31st among all players and 16th among AL pitchers.
Debut—Francisco Lindor of the Indians made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Lindor (HR 3B 3-5 2R BI in the 6-4 win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut June 14 and was playing in his 76th career game. He is the 3,586 player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Nuno earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Happ earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Hanigan and Bourn 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/9 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | Mariners | Vidal Nuno (W,1-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| NL | 9.0 | Pirates | J.A. Happ (W,9-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | |
| 8.0 | Marlins | Tom Koehler (W,9-13) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 7.2 | `Angels | Garrett Richards | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 | ||
| 5.0 | Mets | Jacob deGrom (W,13-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 5.0 | Orioles | Ubaldo Jimenez (W,11-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | Rays | Jake Odorizzi (W,7-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Red Sox | Ryan Hanigan, C | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Dbacks | Zack Godley (W,5-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | Jonathan Broxton (MR) (W,2-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Braves | Michael Bourn, CF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Padres | Wil Myers, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Astros | Hank Conger, C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Twins | Miguel Sano, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Indians | Francisco Lindor, SS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Gonzalez struck out six over seven innings, allowing one run on two hits, in the 2-1 win over the Giants.
American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher John Danks pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out five, in the 1-0 win over the Orioles.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.0 |
| 2 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 13.4 |
| 3 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 |
| 4 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 11.4 |
| 6 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 11.4 |
| 7 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 11.1 |
| 8 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 10.7 |
| 9 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 10.7 |
| 10 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 |
National League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gomez of the Brewers hit a grand slam and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 12-1 win over the Reds.
American League Batter of the Day—Mark Teixeira of the Yankees hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 7-5 win over the Rays.
Notable—Angels pitcher Garrett Richards has the highest Box-Toppers player ranking of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Friday. Richards (7.2IP 6H R 6K W in the 8-2 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season. He ranks 26th among all players and 11th among AL pitchers.
Scoring—Gonzalez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Danks earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Gomez and Teixeira each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/3 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | Nationals | Gio Gonzalez (W, 6-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| 6.0 | `Mets | Noah Syndergaard | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Brewers | Carlos Gomez CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 5.0 | White Sox | John Danks (W, 4-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
| 4.2 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W, 9-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Yankees | Mark Teixeira 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Astros | Jose Altuve 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Indians | Michael Bourn CF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Marlins | Tom Koehler (W, 7-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Padres | Joaquin Benoit (W, 5-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Joakim Soria (S, 18) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Mariners | Brad Miller SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Dbacks | Cliff Pennington SS-3B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Braves | Jonny Gomes LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers’ two top-ranked pitchers won each league’s Cy Young Award Wednesday.
Overall Box-Toppers points leader Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers easily won the National League Cy Young Award for top pitcher in a unanimous vote. The race in the American League was tighter, but Corey Kluber of the Indians, who led all AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points, edged out Felix Hernandez of the Mariners to win the AL Cy Young Award.
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The Los Angeles Angels finish the season atop Box-Toppers team rankings—but they had the fewest Box-Toppers points of any American League team in the past 10 days.
| 928 | Teams | BTP | BTP /wk |
Last wk rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *Angels | 124.2 | 3.0 | 1 |
| 2 | *Dodgers | 123.2 | 8.0 | 2 |
| 3 | *Athletics | 117.6 | 5.7 | 3 |
| 4 | *Nationals | 115.5 | 11.5 | 8 |
| 5 | *Cardinals | 114.8 | 5.7 | 5 |
| 6 | *Orioles | 113.4 | 4.0 | 4 |
| 7 | *Tigers | 112.9 | 6.0 | 6 |
| 8 | *Giants | 110.8 | 4.5 | 7 |
| 9 | Blue Jays | 106.5 | 8.5 | 9 |
| 10 | *Royals | 101.1 | 6.5 | 11 |
| 11 | *Pirates | 99.9 | 6.7 | 16 |
| 12 | Mariners | 99.9 | 5.0 | 10 |
| 13 | Indians | 99.6 | 7.7 | 15 |
| 14 | Yankees | 96.4 | 8.9 | 17 |
| 15 | Marlins | 95.6 | 3.5 | 13 |
| 16 | Brewers | 94.7 | 4.7 | 14 |
| 17 | Braves | 92.1 | 3.0 | 16 |
| 18 | Reds | 90.5 | 6.5 | 19 |
| 19 | Mets | 89.9 | 6.0 | 21 |
| 21 | Rays | 88.2 | 3.7 | 18 |
| 20 | Padres | 88.0 | 7.5 | 22 |
| 22 | White Sox | 86.6 | 4.0 | 20 |
| 24 | Phillies | 82.0 | 3.0 | 24 |
| 23 | Twins | 81.3 | 6.0 | 25 |
| 25 | Astros | 79.9 | 3.7 | 23 |
| 26 | Rockies | 78.6 | 4.5 | 26 |
| 27 | Cubs | 75.2 | 6.0 | 27 |
| 28 | Rangers | 73.7 | 7.7 | 29 |
| 29 | Dbacks | 70.7 | 2.0 | 28 |
| 30 | Red Sox | 68.7 | 6.5 | 30 |
The Los Angeles Dodgers meanwhile remained atop National League teams in Box-Toppers rankings—a spot they’ve held since July 3— and moved to within one point of the Angels.
Angels players have accumulated 124.2 Box-Toppers points (only 3.0 since the last ranking report on Sept. 18) and the Dodgers have 123.2. (The Dodgers picked up 8.0 points since Sept. 18, second-best among NL teams.)
The Angels are led by pitcher Garrett Richards, who has 15.7 Box-Toppers points and is out for the season with a torn knee tendon. Richards ranks 13th among all players and seventh among AL pitchers. Pitcher Matt Shoemaker has the most Box-Toppers points among active Angels players, with 11.7. He ranks 22nd among AL pitchers. Their top batter, Mike Trout, has 8.5 Box-Toppers points and ranks seventh among AL batters.
The Angels also have baseball’s best winning percentage (.605).
The Dodgers are led by overall Box-Toppers points leader, pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has 31.5 points. Pitcher Zack Greinke has the second-most Box-Toppers points among Dodgers players—16.5, ranking sixth among NL pitchers. Their top batter, Adrian Gonzalez, has 7.2 Box-Toppers points and ranks 10th among NL batters.
The Dodgers have the second-best winning percentage in the NL (.580), behind the Washington Nationals (.593). The Nationals had the hottest past 10 days of any team, picking up 11.5 Box-Toppers points, giving them 115.5 for the season and moving from eighth to fourth place overall, second among NL teams.
All 10 teams bound for the playoffs finished in the top 11 spots in Box-Toppers team rankings. The only non-playoff team to finish in the top 10 is the Toronto Blue Jays, who finish ninth with 106.5 points, ahead of two playoff-bound teams—the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Oakland Athletics, who led Box-Toppers team rankings much of the season, were the last team to secure a playoff berth Sunday. They finish in third place overall with 117.6 Box-Toppers points, second among AL teams. They nearly lost their wild card spot to the Seattle Mariners, who with 99.9 Box-Toppers points, finished 12th among all teams.
Last year’s World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox, finish the 2014 season at the bottom of Box-Toppers team rankings, in 30th place with 68.7 points.
How did Box-Toppers preseason picks fare during the 2014 season? Only five of the 10 teams picked to make the playoff actually earned postseason berths (The good: Tigers, Orioles, Nationals, Cardinals and Dodgers. The bad: Red Sox, Rangers, Rays, Reds and Braves. The missed: Royals, Angels, Athletics, Pirates and Giants.) Four of six division winners were predicted correctly (Tigers, Nationals, Cardinals and Dodgers). But our preseason World Series pick of Dodgers over Tigers is still a possibility.
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.
Both Los Angeles teams are in the top two spots in Box-Toppers team rankings this week.
The Angels continue to lead all teams with 121.2 Box-Toppers points and the Dodgers move from third to second with 115.2 points.
| 918 | Teams | BTP | BTP /wk |
Last wk rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angels | 121.2 | 4.5 | 1 |
| 2 | Dodgers | 115.2 | 5.4 | 3 |
| 3 | Athletics | 111.9 | 2.0 | 2 |
| 4 | Orioles | 109.4 | 9.5 | 7 |
| 5 | Cardinals | 109.1 | 5.0 | 4 |
| 6 | Tigers | 106.9 | 4.5 | 6 |
| 7 | Giants | 106.3 | 3.7 | 5 |
| 8 | Nationals | 104.0 | 5.5 | 8 |
| 9 | Blue Jays | 98.0 | 1.0 | 9 |
| 10 | Mariners | 94.9 | 3.0 | 10 |
The Angels are led by pitcher Garrett Richards, who has 15.7 Box-Toppers points and is out for the season with a torn knee tendon. Richards still ranks 10th among all players and sixth among AL pitchers. Pitcher Matt Shoemaker has the most Box-Toppers points among active Angels players, with 11.7. He ranks 19th among AL pitchers.
The Angels also have baseball’s best winning percentage (.621).
The Dodgers remain the top National League team and pass the slumping Oakland Athletics, who move from second to third with 111.9 Box-Toppers points. The Dodgers are led by overall Box-Toppers points leader, pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has 30.5 points. Pitcher Zack Greinke has the second-most Box-Toppers points among Dodgers players—15.5, ranking fifth among NL pitchers.
The Dodgers have the second-best winning percentage in the NL (.569), behind the Washington Nationals (.579). The Nationals have 104.0 Box-Toppers points and rank eighth among all teams, fourth among NL teams.
The Baltimore Orioles are the hottest team of the past week, picking up 9.5 Box-Toppers points, giving them 109.4 for the season and rising from seventh to fourth place in team rankings.
Last week’s lowest-ranked team, the Texas Rangers, rose one spot in team rankings to 29th, moving the Boston Red Sox back down to the 30th and final spot. The Red Sox have 62.2 Box-Toppers points. The Rangers have 66.0.
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.
Note: This is the next-to-last (and also penultimate) Box-Toppers team ranking report of the season. Rather than our regular Friday team ranking report next week, we'll hold off a couple of days for the end of the season and have the final team ranking report coming Monday, Sept. 29. Or thereabouts.
The Los Angeles Angels have extended their lead atop Box-Toppers team rankings and were the hottest team of the past week.
Angels players have accumulated 116.7 Box-Toppers points this season, including 9.0 during the past week, more than any other team.
| 911 | Teams | BTP | BTP /wk |
Last wk rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angels | 116.7 | 9.0 | 1 |
| 2 | Athletics | 109.9 | 2.5 | 2 |
| 3 | Dodgers | 109.8 | 5.7 | 3 |
| 4 | Cardinals | 104.1 | 3.0 | 4 |
| 5 | Giants | 102.6 | 5.5 | 6 |
| 6 | Tigers | 102.4 | 3.0 | 5 |
| 7 | Orioles | 99.9 | 4.5 | 7 |
| 8 | Nationals | 98.5 | 4.5 | 8 |
| 9 | Blue Jays | 97.0 | 5.0 | 9 |
| 10 | Mariners | 91.9 | 3.5 | 10 |
The Oakland Athletics remain the second place overall team with 109.9 Box-Toppers points and the Los Angeles Dodgers, third in team rankings, remain the top National League team, with 109.8 Box-Toppers points.
The Angels leading player, pitcher Garrett Richards, who has 15.7 Box-Toppers points, is out for the season with a torn knee tendon. Richards still ranks ninth among all players and sixth among AL pitchers. The next-highest rated Angels player is pitcher Matt Shoemaker, with 10.7 Box-Toppers points. He ranks 19th among AL pitchers.
The Angels also have baseball’s best winning percentage (.623).
The Dodgers, the top NL team, are led by overall Box-Toppers points leader, pitcher Clayton Kershaw (28.8) and pitcher Zack Greinke (13.8 Box-Toppers points, who ranks fifth among NL pitchers).
The Dodgers have the second-best winning percentage in the NL (.568), behind the Washington Nationals (.572). The Nationals have 98.5 Box-Toppers points and rank eighth among all teams, fourth among NL teams.
Last week’s lowest-ranked team, the Boston Red Sox, rose one spot from 30th to 29th place, with 59.7 Box-Toppers points. The Texas Rangers are now the lowest-ranked team with 59.5 Box-Toppers points.
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.
The Los Angeles Angels have dethroned the Oakland Athletics from the top of Box-Toppers team rankings, a spot they held since July 13.
In this week’s report, the Angels have 107.7 Box-Toppers points, passing the Athletics, with 107.4 points.
| 904 | Teams | BTP | BTP /wk |
Last wk rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angels | 107.7 | 4.0 | 2 |
| 2 | Athletics | 107.4 | 2.2 | 1 |
| 3 | Dodgers | 104.1 | 3.0 | 3 |
| 4 | Cardinals | 101.1 | 7.0 | 4 |
| 5 | Tigers | 99.4 | 6.0 | 5 |
| 6 | Giants | 97.1 | 6.7 | 6 |
| 7 | Orioles | 95.4 | 10.4 | 8 |
| 8 | Nationals | 94.0 | 4.7 | 7 |
| 9 | Blue Jays | 92.0 | 10.0 | 13 |
| 10 | Mariners | 88.4 | 5.0 | 11 |
The Angels have the best winning percentage in baseball (.604). And they’ve had the best winning percentage the past two weeks, but until now, were never able to overtake the Athletics in Box-Toppers points. The Athletics were able to boost their Box-Toppers points total through July trades, especially an early July trade with the Cubs, bringing them pitchers Jason Hammel and Jeff Samardzija.
But the Angels swept the Athletics in a four-game series last weekend, helping them move to the top in Box-Toppers rankings. The Athletics, now in second place in Box-Toppers rankings, have a winning percentage of .568, third-best in the American League and fourth best among all teams.
The Angels leading player, pitcher Garrett Richards, who has 15.7 Box-Toppers points, is out for the season with a torn knee tendon. Richards still ranks ninth among all players and sixth among AL pitchers. The next-highest rated Angels player is pitcher Matt Shoemaker, with 10.7 Box-Toppers points. He ranks 17th among AL pitchers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are still the top National League team in Box-Toppers points. Dodgers players have accumulated 104.1 Box-Toppers points and remain in third place among all teams. They’ve been the top NL team since the July 3 team rankings report.
The Dodgers are led by overall Box-Toppers points leader, pitcher Clayton Kershaw (27.8) and pitcher Zack Greinke (13.8 Box-Toppers points, who ranks fifth among NL pitchers).
The Dodgers have the second-best winning percentage in the NL (.557), behind the Washington Nationals (.572). The Nationals have 94.0 Box-Toppers points and rank eighth among all teams, fourth among NL teams..
The Baltimore Orioles had the best week of any team, scoring 10.4 Box-Toppers points, rising from eighth to seventh place with 95.4.
The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners both rose into the top 10 list this week. The Blue Jays picked up 10.0 Box-Toppers points to rise from 13th to ninth place with 92.0 Box-Toppers points. And the Mariners picked up 5.0 Box-Toppers points to rise from 11th to 10th place, with 88.4.
The Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers both fell out of the top 10. The Royals fell from ninth to 11th place, with 86.6 Box-Toppers points, picking up only 2.0 points during the week. The Brewers fell from 10th to 13th place, with 84.0 Box-Toppers points, after they picked up 0.0 points during the week.
The Boston Red Sox remain the lowest-ranked team with 56.7 Box-Toppers points.
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.
The Oakland Athletics remain the top team in Box-Toppers team rankings even though no team had fewer Box-Toppers points during the past week.
Athletics players have accumulated 99.5 Box-Toppers points this season, but picked up only 1.0 point during the past week—tied with three other teams for the least points scored during the week.
| 821 | Teams | BTP | BTP /wk |
Last wk rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athletics | 99.5 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2 | Angels | 98.5 | 7.5 | 3 |
| 3 | Dodgers | 95.6 | 3.2 | 2 |
| 4 | Cardinals | 92.1 | 5.7 | 4 |
| 5 | Tigers | 89.4 | 4.0 | 5 |
| 6 | Nationals | 87.3 | 8.0 | 7 |
| 7 | Giants | 84.4 | 4.0 | 6 |
| 8 | Brewers | 81.5 | 5.2 | 10 |
| 9 | Orioles | 81.5 | 5.0 | 9 |
| 10 | Royals | 80.6 | 5.0 | 11 |
While the Athletics have led Box-Toppers team rankings since the July 13 report, their lead has never been so narrow. The second-place Los Angeles Angels are only 1.0 Box-Toppers point behind with 98.5. And the National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers are now just 3.9 points behind, with 95.6.
The Athletics are led by pitchers Scott Kazmir (14.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among American League pitchers) and Jon Lester (12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers). Kazmir scored the Athletics’ lone Box-Toppers point this week.
The Athletics have the second-best record in baseball and the second-best in the American League, behind the Angels. The Athletics have a .587 winning percentage, two games behind the Angels, with .603.
The Angels are led by pitcher Garrett Richards (15.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among all players). However, Richards suffered a season-ending injury this week (torn knee tendon). Pitcher Matt Shoemaker now has the most points among active Angels players (8.0, ranked 27th among AL pitchers).
The Dodgers continue to lead all NL teams, as they have since the July 3 team rankings report. The Dodgers, who fell from second to third in overall rankings, are led by pitchers Clayton Kershaw (23.8 Box-Toppers points, overall leader) and Zack Greinke (13.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among NL pitchers).
The Dodgers have the third-best winning percentage in the NL (.558), behind the Washington Nationals (.579) and the Milwaukee Brewers (.559). The Nationals have 87.3 Box-Toppers points, in sixth place overall—they had the best week of all teams, picking up 8.0 Box-Toppers points and rising from seventh to sixth place in team rankings. The Brewers have 81.5 Box-Toppers points and are in eighth place in team rankings.
The Kansas City Royals rose into the top 10 team rankings list, picking up 5.0 Box-Toppers points in the past week, giving him 80.6 for the season, rising from 11th to 10th place. The Toronto Blue Jays fell out of the top 10, falling from eighth to 11th place, picking up only 2.0 Box-Toppers points in the past week, giving them 80.0 for the season.
The Boston Red Sox remain the lowest-ranked team with 50.0 Box-Toppers points.
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.
Indians pitcher Corey Kluber, Friday’s Player of the Day, rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Meanwhile Friday, two other pitchers earning Player of the Game honors rose in Box-Toppers top 10 list and Jose Abreu of the White Sox extended his already large lead in Box-Toppers points among American League batters.
Kluber struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1, 11-inning win over the Orioles. Kluber earned a no-decision because the Orioles tied the game in the eighth inning after he left. Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 17.4 for the season. He rises from sixth to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Tigers (20.1 Box-Toppers points).
Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler is National League Player of the Day. Wheeler struck out 10 over 6 2/3 innings in the 3-2 win over the Cubs.
Jose Abreu of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Abreu went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in three runs, in the 11-5 win over the Blue Jays. Abreu earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 14.5 for the season. He ranks 11th among all players and extends his lead among AL batters—second-place Josh Donaldson of the Athletics has 9.0 Box-Toppers points.
Lyle Overbay of the Brewers is NL Batter of the Day. Overbay hit a pinch-hit, three-run double in the 6-3 win over the Dodgers.
Notables: Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Cueto (8IP 6K W in the 3-2 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.4 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers.
Angels pitcher Garrett Richards rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Richards (7.1IP 7K W in the 5-4 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among AL pitchers.
Kluber receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Wheeler receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Abreu and Overbay each receive 1.5 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.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 815 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 8.2 | `Indians | Corey Kluber | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |
| 8.1 | Rays | Alex Cobb (W, 8-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| NL | 4.2 | Mets | Zack Wheeler (W, 8-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | |
| 3.1 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W, 13-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | White Sox | Jose Abreu 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | Brewers | Lyle Overbay PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Lance Lynn (W, 13-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.2 | `Astros | Jose Veras | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Cody Asche 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Braves | Philip Gosselin SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Reds | Johnny Cueto (W, 15-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1.0 | Royals | Alcides Escobar SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Nationals | Adam LaRoche 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Mariners | Robinson Cano 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Dbacks | Addison Reed (S, 29) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Angels pitcher Garrett Richards is Monday’s Player of the Day and rises to sixth in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Richards pitched a complete game shutout and struck out nine in the 5-0 win over the Dodgers. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 14.7 for the season, rising to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He is ranked second among American League pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Tigers (18.1 Box-Toppers points).
Giants closing pitcher Santiago Casilla is National League Player of the Day. Casilla pitched a shutout ninth inning and struck out one, earning the save, in the 4-3 win over the Mets. Casilla was the only NL player to earn Player of the Game honors Monday. In the day’s seven games, only five NL teams were active—three lost in interleague games to AL teams—and the Giants were the only team to win.
Tyler Flowers of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Flowers homered, tripled and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 5-3 win over the Rangers.
Notable: Indians pitcher Corey Kluber rose from ninth to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kluber (7.1IP R 7K W in the 7-1 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.
Richards receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Casilla receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Flowers receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.
All of Monday’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 Monday, 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 804 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.0 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W, 12-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| 5.2 | Yankees | Brandon McCarthy (W, 4-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | White Sox | Tyler Flowers C | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.1 | Indians | Corey Kluber (W, 12-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Orioles | Caleb Joseph C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Athletics | Ryan Cook (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NL | 2.0 | Giants | Santiago Casilla (S, 9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Mike Trout of the Angels is Box-Toppers’ All-Star Player of the Game.
Trout, who also won the All-Star MVP Award Tuesday, tripled and went 2-for-3, scoring a run and drove in two more, as the American League defeated the National League 5-3 in the annual All-Star Game.
Trout had a Box-Toppers game score of 2.0, tied for the highest with five other pitchers from the winning AL team, but Trout won Player of the Game on a tie-breaker—in cases of Box-Toppers game score ties, batters beat pitchers.
Trout has earned 4.5 Box-Toppers points this season—including earning Player of the Game honors in his most recent game Sunday. He ranks 16th among AL batters in Box-Toppers points, seventh among AL outfielders.
Trout’s 4.5 Box-Toppers points this season is already better than the 3.5 he earned in 2013. His best season was 2012, when he had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranking fifth among AL batters. In his four seasons, he has 20.5 Box-Toppers points.
Trout currently ranks third among all players in Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference.com. While he ranks higher than any Angels player in the WAR stat, in Box-Toppers, he ranks fourth among Angels players, behind these players:
• Pitcher Garrett Richards, 12.7
• Shortstop Erick Aybar, 6.0
• Pitcher C.J. Wilson, 5.7
• Designated hitter/first baseman Albert Pujols, 4.5
Just as All-Star Game statistics don’t count in a player’s regular season statistics, no Box-Toppers points are awarded for the All-Star Game.
Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, who pitched one inning in the fifth, was the second-ranked AL player, also with a Box-Toppers game score of 2.0. He finished ahead of other pitchers tied with 2.0 on a tiebreaker because he picked up the win. Scherzer currently leads AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 16.1. He ranks second among all players.
Craig Kimbrel of the Braves, usually a closing pitcher, had the highest Box-Toppers game score on the losing NL team of 4.0. Kimbrel pitched the seventh inning, allowed no hits or runs and struck out three. So though he had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any player Tuesday, he did not qualify as Player of the Game because he was on the losing side.
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.
Here are all the players who played for the winning American League team in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score. Mike Trout had the highest game score and is Box-Toppers All-Star Player of the Game (POG)
| 715 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 2.0 | AL | Mike Trout LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | AL | Max Scherzer (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | AL | Glen Perkins (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | AL | Felix Hernandez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | AL | Yu Darvish (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | AL | Greg Holland (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.2 | AL | Sean Doolittle (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.1 | AL | Koji Uehara (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | AL | Miguel Cabrera 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | AL | Derek Jeter SS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | AL | Jose Altuve 2B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.2 | AL | Scott Kazmir (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0.1 | AL | Fernando Rodney (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0.0 | AL | Alexei Ramirez SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | AL | Derek Norris C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | AL | Erick Aybar SS | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | AL | Adrian Beltre 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | AL | Kurt Suzuki C | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -1.0 | AL | Brandon Moss RF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -1.0 | AL | Ian Kinsler PH, 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -1.0 | AL | Jose Abreu 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -1.0 | AL | Michael Brantley CF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -1.0 | AL | Salvador Perez C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -1.0 | AL | Chris Sale (BS, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| -2.0 | AL | Robinson Cano 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -2.0 | AL | Jose Bautista RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -2.0 | AL | Yoenis Cespedes LF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -2.0 | AL | Nelson Cruz DH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -2.0 | AL | Kyle Seager PH, DH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -2.0 | AL | Adam Jones CF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -2.0 | AL | Josh Donaldson 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| -6.0 | AL | Jon Lester (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Last year's All-Star Game: White Sox' Chris Sale is 2013 All-Star Game top player in AL win
Angels pitcher Garrett Richards, Friday’s Player of the Day, rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Meanwhile, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to fifth place in rankings.
Richards pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 3-0 win over the Rangers. Richards earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, rising to sixth place among all players. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He is in fourth place among American League pitchers.
Hernandez rises from eighth to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Hernandez struck out nine over eight innings, allowing two runs, in the 3-2 win over the Athletics. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.8 for the season and is in third place among AL pitchers.
Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is National League Player of the Day. Lincecum pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out six in the 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks. Lincecum earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season, moving into 12th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He is the 15th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Richards and Lincecum had identical Box-Toppers game scores of 8.0, but Richards earned overall Player of the Day honors on a tiebreaker—he had more strikeouts, eight vs. six.
David Wright of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Wright homered, went 4-for-4, scored twice and drove in two runs, in the 7-1 win over the Marlins.
Christian Vazquez of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Vazquez went 3-for-4, scored twice and drove in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the Astros. This was Vazquez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,380th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He made his Major League debut July 9 and was playing in his second game.
Richards receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lincecum receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Wright and Vazquez each receive 1.5 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.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Friday, 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 711 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 8.0 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W, 11-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| NL | 8.0 | Giants | Tim Lincecum (W, 9-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| 5.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 11-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 4.1 | Blue Jays | Aaron Loup (W, 3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Mets | David Wright 3B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | Red Sox | Christian Vazquez C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Indians | Cody Allen (S, 11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Reds | Aroldis Chapman (S, 20) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Matt Holliday LF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Phillies | Jimmy Rollins SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Padres | Jesse Hahn (W, 5-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | `Orioles | Miguel Gonzalez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Brandon Barnes PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cubs | Chris Coghlan LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Tigers | Austin Jackson CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 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 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.