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Albert Pujols has the chance in 2020 to break the record for most consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points.
If Pujols of the Angels earns Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors once in 2020, he will have earned Box-Toppers points for 20 straight seasons (2001-2020). Pujols is currently tied for the longest streak at 19 seasons with three other players—CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi and Carlos Beltran.
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Box-Toppers picks the New York Yankees to beat the Chicago Cubs in the 2019 World Series.
In addition, Box-Toppers projects the Yankees will win 111 games in 2019, one of four teams projected to win 100 or more games this season. All 2018 American League playoff teams are projected to return to the postseason, while three different teams are forecast for the National League postseason—the Nationals, Phillies and Mets.
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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 MoreMariners pitcher James Paxton is the most deserving player not selected to the 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star teams.
Paxton has 14.0 Box-Toppers points in 2018, fifth among all players and fourth among American League pitchers.
Read MoreFrancisco Lindor, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras are among the players rising onto Box-Toppers’ All-Star teams in the past week.
With Major League All-Star voting coming to a close today (Thursday, July 5), here is a look at who is leading at Box-Toppers points at each position in both leagues.
Read MoreMatt Kemp of the Dodgers is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Monday, Francisco Lindor of the Indians rises to first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings among American League batters after earning AL Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreMariners pitcher James Paxton is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in season player rankings.
Also Sunday, Yankees pitcher Luis Severino rises to lead Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors, passing Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer. Plus, Rays pitcher Blake Snell rises to ninth place in player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Read MoreMariners pitcher Wade LeBlanc is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Yankees pitcher Luis Severino extended his season Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw leads players in Box-Toppers points since the start of 2012.
Kershaw has 147.2 Box-Toppers points over the period 2012-2017, 18.3 points ahead of second-place player in that span, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (128.9). However, Kershaw’s lead in the six-year rolling Box-Toppers point total is down from last year and is his narrowest lead since 2013.
Read MorePhillies pitcher Aaron Nola is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Twins pitcher Ervin Santana rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors. Plus, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer failed in his chance to take the 2017 Box-Toppers points lead after he did not earn Player of the Game honors in his team’s loss Wednesday.
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Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to 10th in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 2 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 7.7 |
| 3 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 5 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 6 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 6.0 |
| 6 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 5.4 |
| 8 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 5.4 |
| 9 | Triggs, Andrew 3723 | pi sp | oak al | 5.4 |
| 10 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | tex al | 5.0 |
Also Tuesday, Bryce Harper of the Nationals rises to fifth place in season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Darvish struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 5-1 win over the Phillies.
Darvish earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to 10th place in season player rankings, seventh among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies homered and went 3-for-5, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 7-3 win over the Twins.
American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles homered twice and doubled, going 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 13-11, 13-inning win over the Tigers.
Davis had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.0, which was tied with Jake Marisnick of the Astros, who was Player of the Game in the 12-2 win over the Marlins. Marisnick had a very similar line score to Davis, homering twice, doubling and going 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs. But Davis beat Marisnick to earn AL Batter of the Day on a tiebreaker—he had more walks Tuesday (two vs. zero).
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Tuesday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter Charlie Blackmon.
Rankings—Bryce Harper of the Nationals rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Harper (HR 2-4 2R 2BI in the 8-4 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 6.0 for the season. He maintains his rank as top-ranked batter and is the only batter among the top 10 in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Notable—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia now has 188.0 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday (6.2IP 5H 0R 2BB 4K W in the 7-1 win over the Royals). Sabathia ranks fifth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, trailing fourth-place player and active career points leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (190.7).
Also notable—Matt Kemp of the Braves earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Tuesday. Kemp (2-5 R 4BI in the 9-5 win over the Blue Jays) also was Player of the Game Monday in the 10-6 win over the Blue Jays. He has 3.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, fifth among NL batters.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Darvish earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Blackmon earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Davis earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
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.
| 5/16 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | TEX 5, PHI 1 | Yu Darvish (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | BAL 13, DET 11 (F/13) | Chris Davis, 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | HOU 12, MIA 2 | Jake Marisnick, CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.2 | NYY 7, KC 1 | CC Sabathia (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | LAA 7, CHW 6 (F/11) | Cameron Maybin, LF | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 9, SEA 6 | Mark Canha, CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `TB 6, CLE 4 | Jose Alvarado (H,2) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| NL | 2.0 | COL 7, MIN 3 | Charlie Blackmon, CF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | ATL 9, TOR 5 | Matt Kemp, LF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | MIL 6, SD 2 | Eric Sogard, 3B | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | WSH 8, PIT 4 | Bryce Harper, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 6, STL 3 | Jackie Bradley Jr., CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | CHC 9, CIN 5 | Ian Happ, CF-LF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | SF 2, LAD 1 | Ty Blach (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | ARI 5, NYM 4 | Fernando Rodney (S,10) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 6.0 | 9.0 | 33.4 | 33.4 | 3.0 |
| Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | tex al | 5.0 | 15.4 | 60.6 | 60.6 | -5.4 |
| Kemp, Matt 2151 | lf | atl nl | 3.5 | 11.0 | 34.0 | 62.6 | -4.0 |
| Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.0 | 9.0 | 35.5 | 188.0 | -3.0 |
| Maybin, Cameron 2672 | lf | ana al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 10.5 | 17.5 | -1.0 |
| Sogard, Eric 3174 | ss 3b 2b | mil nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 |
| Blackmon, Charlie 2891 | cf | col nl | 1.7 | 5.7 | 12.2 | 13.7 | -2.3 |
| Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b | bal al | 1.5 | 9.0 | 50.9 | 59.4 | -6.0 |
| Bradley, Jackie Jr. 3293 | cf | bos al | 1.0 | 6.5 | 17.0 | 17.0 | -4.5 |
| Rodney, Fernando 1803 | pi cp | ari nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 24.0 | 36.0 | -4.0 |
| Blach, Ty 3754 | pi sp | sf nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Marisnick, Jake 3428 | cf | hou al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 |
| Canha, Mark 3454 | cf | oak al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 1.0 |
| Alvarado, Jose 3797 | pi mr | tb al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Happ, Ian 3798 | cf lf | chi nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Pirates pitcher Ivan Nova is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in season player rankings.
Nova pitched a three-hit, complete-game shutout, striking out seven and walking none, in the 4-0 win over the Marlins.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 2 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 5.7 |
| 3 | Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 5.0 |
| 4 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 |
| 5 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 5.0 |
| 6 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 |
| 7 | Triggs, Andrew 3723 | pi sp | oak al | 4.4 |
| 8 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 4.0 |
| 9 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 4.0 |
| 10 | Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 |
Nova earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to third in season player rankings, second among National League pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (6.0 Box-Toppers points).
American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Andrew Triggs pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing five hits, in the 2-1 win over the Astros.
Triggs earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 4.4 for the season and rising to seventh in Box-Toppers season player rankings, fourth among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Matt Kemp of the Braves hit three homers, going 3-for-5, driving in five runs, in the 11-3 win over the Brewers.
With Saturday’s Player of the Game honor, Kemp has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons. He earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Dodgers and has 60.6 career points, fourth among active NL batters. His best season was 2012 with the Dodgers, when he had 10.0 Box-Toppers points, third among NL batters. In 2016, he had 7.5 points with the Padres and the Braves, sixth among NL outfielders.
American League Batter of the Day—Aaron Judge of the Yankees homered and went 2-for-2, scoring four times and driving in two runs, in the 12-4 win over the Orioles.
Judge earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.0 points for the season, rising to lead AL batters, passing previous leader, Logan Morrison of the Rays (3.2).
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Nova earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Triggs earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Kemp and Judge each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 4/29 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | PIT 4, MIA 0 | Ivan Nova (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| AL | 11.0 | OAK 2, HOU 1 | Andrew Triggs (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | ATL 11, MIL 3 | Matt Kemp, LF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 6.0 | NYY 12, BAL 4 | Aaron Judge, RF | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | TEX 6, LAA 3 | Yu Darvish (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 10 | ||
| 4.2 | NYM 5, WSH 3 | Hansel Robles (W,4-0; H,4) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.2 | `CLE 4, SEA 3 | Andrew Miller (H,5) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | TOR 4, TB 1 | Justin Smoak, 1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | SD 12, SF 4 | Allen Cordoba, PR-LF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CHW 6, DET 4 (F/10) | Jose Abreu, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CHC 7, BOS 4 | Wade Davis (S,6) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | LAD 6, PHI 5 | Cody Bellinger, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | COL 7, ARI 6 | Alexi Amarista, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 5.0 | 13.0 | 28.7 | 36.1 | -3.0 |
| Triggs, Andrew 3723 | pi sp | oak al | 4.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 3.4 |
| Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | tex al | 3.0 | 13.4 | 58.6 | 58.6 | -7.4 |
| Miller, Andrew 2436 | pi mr cp | cle al | 2.0 | 10.0 | 17.0 | 25.0 | -6.0 |
| Kemp, Matt 2151 | lf | atl nl | 1.5 | 9.0 | 32.0 | 60.6 | -6.0 |
| Davis, Wade 2681 | pi cp | chi nl | 1.0 | 5.0 | 20.0 | 27.0 | -3.0 |
| Smoak, Justin 2731 | 1b | tor al | 1.0 | 4.5 | 17.7 | 23.9 | -2.5 |
| Abreu, Jose 3308 | 1b | chi al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 21.0 | 21.0 | -0.5 |
| Robles, Hansel 3580 | pi mr cp | nym nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 0.0 |
| Amarista, Alexi 3032 | ss ph | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 |
| Bellinger, Cody 3781 | lf | lad nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Cordova, Allen 3780 | lf pr | sd nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Manny Ramirez leads outfielders in career Box-Toppers points. Carlos Beltran leads active outfielders in career points. Mike Trout leads outfielders in recent seasons.
Read More3 of 4 major postseason award winners are among Box-Toppers top-ranked pitchers or batters on their teams. The exception: AL Cy Young Rick Porcello, who ranks 6th among Red Sox players.
Read MoreNolan Arenado of the Rockies leads all players with 133 runs batted in and also ranks first among NL batters in Box-Toppers points with 10.7.
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Nationals pitcher Scherzer leads Box-Toppers points for 5th week. Indians' Kluber secures 2016 Box-Toppers AL pitching crown. Rockies' Arenado takes narrow lead in wide-open race among NL batters.
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Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 22.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 18.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 18.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 17.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 14.0 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.7 |
Player of the Day—Carrasco pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing six hits and one walk, in the 6-2 win over the Marlins.
Carrasco earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.4 for the season. He ranks 14th among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester pitched a complete game, allowing one run, three hits, two walks and striking out four, in the 2-1 win over the Giants.
Lester earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 17.1 for the season, rising from sixth to fifth in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.
Lester also now has 138.2 career Box-Toppers points, 28th-most since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 27th-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5).
American League Batter of the Day—Travis Shaw of the Red Sox hit a three-run homer and two doubles in the 16-2 win over the Athletics. Shaw went 3-for-6, scoring twice and driving in five runs.
National League Batter of the Day—Matt Kemp of the Braves hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 8-4 win over the Phillies.
Notable—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers now has 11.0 Box-Toppers points on the season after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Cabrera (HR 3-5 2R 4BI in the 7-6 win over the Royals) now ranks 25th in Box-Toppers season player rankings, third among AL batters, behind Jose Altuve of the Astros (12.5) and Manny Machado of the Orioles (11.7).
Cabrera also rises to 23rd place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He now has 143.9 career points, passing Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (143.0) on the “all-time” list and now trails 22nd-ranked player Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon (145.8). Cabrera rises to seventh place among active players in career Box-Toppers points.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Carrasco earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lester earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Shaw and Kemp 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/2 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.1 | CLE 6, MIA 2 | Carlos Carrasco (W,10-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| NL | 6.0 | CHC 2, SF 1 | Jon Lester (W,15-4) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 4.2 | BAL 8, NYY 0 | Dylan Bundy (W,8-5) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 4.2 | SD 4, LAD 2 | Brad Hand (W,4-3) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | BOS 16, OAK 2 | Travis Shaw, 3B-1B | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | CHW 11, MIN 4 | Adam Eaton, CF | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | ATL 8, PHI 4 | Matt Kemp, LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | DET 7, KC 6 | Miguel Cabrera, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | COL 14, ARI 7 | Nick Hundley, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | WSH 4, NYM 1 | A.J. Cole (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | TB 8, TOR 3 | Logan Morrison, DH | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | SEA 11, LAA 8 | Dae-Ho Lee, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TEX 10, HOU 8 | Elvis Andrus, SS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `MIL 1, PIT 0 | Jhan Marinez (H,2) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | CIN 3, STL 2 | Zack Cozart, SS | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 17.1 | 29.1 | 75.3 | 138.2 | 5.1 |
| Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 12.4 | 30.4 | 46.5 | 46.5 | -5.6 |
| Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 11.0 | 15.7 | 64.3 | 143.9 | 6.3 |
| Lee, Dae-Ho 3627 | 1b | sea al | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| Shaw, Travis 3544 | 1b 3b | bos al | 7.0 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 2.8 |
| Andrus, Elvis 2582 | ss | tex al | 6.7 | 6.7 | 14.2 | 17.2 | 6.7 |
| Kemp, Matt 2151 | rf lf | atl nl | 5.5 | 11.0 | 35.5 | 57.1 | 0.0 |
| Bundy, Dylan 3655 | pi sp | bal al | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Eaton, Adam 3253 | rf cf | chi al | 4.0 | 9.5 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -1.5 |
| Hand, Brad 2907 | pi mr | sd nl | 4.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 3.0 |
| Morrison, Logan 2794 | 1b dh | tb al | 2.0 | 6.0 | 16.0 | 17.5 | -2.0 |
| Cozart, Zack 3012 | ss | cin nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -1.0 |
| Hundley, Nick 2497 | ca | col nl | 1.0 | 4.5 | 17.0 | 22.5 | -2.5 |
| Cole, A.J. 3727 | pi sp | dc nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Marinez, Jhan 3728 | pi mr | mil nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Lester pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing four hits, in the 6-4 win over the Phillies.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 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 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.0 |
| 10 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 7.8 |
Lester earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 128.1 for his career, rising to 31st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Monday, he passes four players on Box-Toppers “all-time” list—Mariano Rivera (126.4), Roy Oswalt (127.2), Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (127.6) and A.J. Burnett (127.8). Lester now trails 30th-ranked player Vladimir Guerrero (128.3).
Lester ranks 12th among all active players in career Box-Toppers points.
Lester has 7.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, ranked 14th among all players and 10th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 3-1 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Matt Kemp of the Padres doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-2 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—Nomar Mazara of the Rangers went 4-for-4, scoring twice, in the 6-5 win over the Astros.
Scoring—Lester earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bauer earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Kemp and Mazara 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/6 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | CHC 6/PHI 4 | Jon Lester (W,7-3) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| AL | 9.2 | CLE 3/SEA 1 | Trevor Bauer (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 6.0 | COL 6/LAD 1 | Tyler Chatwood (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6.0 | DET 11/TOR 0 | Michael Fulmer (W,6-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | TB 6/ARI 4 | Chris Archer (W,4-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 4.0 | NYY 5/LAA 2 | Andrew Miller (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | SD 7/ATL 2 | Matt Kemp, RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | BAL 4/KC 1 | Mike Wright (W,3-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | TEX 6/HOU 5 | Nomar Mazara, RF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 7.0 | 19.0 | 65.2 | 128.1 | -5.0 |
| Fulmer, Michael 3640 | pi sp | det al | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| Chatwood, Tyler 2856 | pi sp | col nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | 5.0 |
| Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 4.0 | 20.0 | 44.1 | 44.1 | -12.0 |
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 3.7 | 13.1 | 21.8 | 21.8 | -5.7 |
| Kemp, Matt 2151 | rf | sd nl | 3.0 | 8.5 | 33.0 | 54.6 | -2.5 |
| Miller, Andrew 2436 | pi cp mr | nyy al | 3.0 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 18.0 | -1.0 |
| Mazara, Nomar 3614 | rf | tex al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Wright, Mike 3471 | pi sp | bal al | 1.0 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | -0.7 |
Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, making his Box-Toppers debut.
Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extended his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings, becoming the first player in 2016 to earn Player of the Game honors for the second time.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.0 |
| 2 | Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 3 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 |
| 4 | Rizzo, Anthony 3063 | 1b | chi nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 2.0 |
| 6 | Nicasio, Juan 2888 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 7 | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | pi sp | tex al | 2.0 |
| 8 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 1.7 |
| 9 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 1.7 |
| 10 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 1.7 |
In addition, Carlos Beltran of the Yankees extended his streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points to 18, which is the most of any active player and one short of the record of 19 held by Jason Giambi.
Player of the Day—Velasquez struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 1-0 win over the Mets. Velasquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and ranks seventh in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
This was also Velasquez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Velasquez made his Major League debut June 10, 2015, and was playing in his 20th career game. He is the 3,611th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Rich Hill struck out 10 over six innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 6-1 win over the Mariners.
National League Player of the Day—Matt Kemp of the Padres hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, driving in six runs, in the 16-3 win over the Rockies.
Kemp has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Dodgers and has 53.1 career points, which ranks fifth among active NL outfielders. His best season was 2012 with the Dodgers when he had 10.0 points, ranked third among NL batters. He had 5.5 points in 2015 with the Padres.
American League Batter of the Day—Colby Rasmus of the Astros hit two homers and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 6-4 win over the Brewers.
Leader—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw maintained his lead in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Kershaw (8IP 4H 2R 5K ND in the 3-2 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season. He is the first player this season to earn Player of the Game honors for the second time. (Kershaw did not earn the win because the Dodgers were not leading when he exited the game.)
With his point Saturday, Kershaw now has 162.3 career Box-Toppers points, 12th-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 11th-place player, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, who has 162.7.
| Streak | Player | Pos | Duration | Career BTP |
|
| 1 | 19 | Jason Giambi | 1b | 1995-2013 | 133.4 |
| 2 | 18 | Jim Thome | 1b dh | 1995-2012 | 146.7 |
| 2 | 18 | Chipper Jones | 3b | 1995-2012 | 149.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Johnny Damon | lf | 1995-2012 | 63.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | 1996-2013 | 187.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Carlos Beltran* | rf | 1999-2016 | 99.9 |
| 7 | 17 | Mariano Rivera | pi cp | 1995-2011 | 126.4 |
| 7 | 17 | Derek Jeter | ss | 1996-2012 | 76.4 |
| 7 | 17 | Paul Konerko | 1b | 1998-2014 | 100.7 |
| 7 | 17 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | 1999-2015 | 157.0 |
| 7 | 17 | Torii Hunter | cf | 1999-2015 | 115.9 |
Streak—Carlos Beltran of the Yankees has now earned Box-Toppers points in 18 straight seasons, extending his lead in that category among active players. It is tied for the second-longest streak since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, trailing only Jason Giambi’s record 19-season streak.
Beltran (HR 2-4 2R 2BI) was Player of the Game in the 8-4 win over the Tigers and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Beltran earned his first points in 1999 with the Royals and has 99.9 career points, 69th among all players since 1995, 26th among all batters in the span and sixth among all active batters. His best season was 2003 with the Royals, when he had 13.9 points, second among AL batters. He had 3.5 points in 2015 with the Yankees.
Notable—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers rises to 60th place in “all-time” Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Beltre (HR 2-4 2R 2BI in the 4-1 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point and now has 102.8 career points, moving to 60th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Beltre passes two players on the “all-time” list, Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and Miguel Tejada (102.3). Beltre trails 59th-place player Jamie Moyer (104.0). Beltre’s 102.8 points ranks fifth among active batters.
Scoring—Velasquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hill earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Kemp and Rasmus 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/9 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Phillies | Vince Velasquez (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
| AL | 8.0 | Athletics | Rich Hill (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 7.2 | Royals | Ian Kennedy (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Padres | Matt Kemp, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Astros | Colby Rasmus, LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Reds | Eugenio Suarez, 3B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | `Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | White Sox | Avisail Garcia, DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cubs | Hector Rondon (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Yankees | Carlos Beltran, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Red Sox | Dustin Pedroia, 2B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Rangers | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Matt Carpenter, 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Andrew McCutchen replaces Ryan Braun as leader among NL batters in six-year rolling Box-Toppers totals (2011-2016 vs. 2010-2015).
Read MoreBox-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.