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Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer tops Box-Toppers list of the top 100 players of 2021.
Scherzer had 25.1 Box-Toppers points during the regular season. It is his fourth season with 25.0 or more Box-Toppers points. Only two other players have as many or more seasons with 25.0 or more points.
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The Milwaukee Brewers are the top-ranked team going into 2022, leading Box-Toppers offseason team rankings as of mid-December.
Players currently signed to the Brewers 40-man roster accumulated 111.1 Box-Toppers points during the 2021 season, most of any team. The Chicago White Sox rank second overall with 109.2 Box-Toppers points, leading all American League teams.
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Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow leads Box-Toppers weekly player rankings for the second straight week and for the sixth time in the past eight weeks.
Meanwhile, Brandon Woodruff of the Brewers rises to lead National League pitchers, J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox maintains his lead among American League batters and Adam Duvall of the Marlins maintains his lead among NL batters.
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Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow retakes the lead in Box-Toppers weekly player rankings after Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole led for the previous two weeks.
Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers rises to lead National League pitchers, Adam Duvall of the Marlins rises to lead NL batters and J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox maintains his lead among American League batters.
Read MoreTwins pitcher Michael Pineda is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to eighth place in season player rankings.
Also Thursday, Indians pitcher Aaron Civale rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MorePadres pitcher Dinelson Lamet is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Lamet struck out 11 over 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing six hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Rockies. Lamet did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
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The Cleveland Indians are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2018 preseason rankings, the same position where they finished the 2017 season.
The Nationals top NL teams and the World Series-champion Astros fall to 8th.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals had the biggest declines.
Read MoreNationals lead all teams in Box-Toppers points for 3rd week. Yankees remain atop AL teams. Reds and Astros are the hottest teams of the week.
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Nationals top teams in weekly team rankings report. Nationals and Diamondbacks were the hottest teams of the past week. Yankees rise to lead AL teams in rankings.
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Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Pineda struck out 11 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 8-1 win over the Rays. Pineda retired the first 20 Rays batters.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.0 |
| 2 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 2.7 |
| 4 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 2.0 |
| 6 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 7 | Finnegan, Brandon 3535 | pi sp | cin nl | 2.0 |
| 8 | Mazara, Nomar 3614 | rf | tex al | 2.0 |
| 9 | Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 |
| 10 | Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 2.0 |
Pineda receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first of the season and rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Matt Moore allowed one run and three hits over eight innings, striking out five, in the 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
National League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Nationals doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 14-6 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Monday because no AL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Rankings—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Verlander (7IP 3H R 2BB 4K ND in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season.
Verlander now has 142.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 27th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Jake Peavy (141.8) on the “all-time” list and now trails 26th-ranked player, Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (144.0).
Streaks—Two players extended their streaks of 10 or more consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Monday:
Debut—Reds pitcher Cody Reed made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Reed (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 4K ND in the 7-1 win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut June 18, 2016, and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,765th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Pineda earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Moore earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Drew earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
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| 4/10 | Score | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.2 | NYY 8, TB 1 | Michael Pineda (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| 9.0 | SEA 6, HOU 0 | James Paxton (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| NL | 8.0 | SF 4, ARI 1 | Matt Moore (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 8.0 | OAK 2, KC 0 | Jharel Cotton (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | `CIN 7, PIT 1 | Cody Reed | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | WSH 14, STL 6 | Stephen Drew, SS | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | `CHC 3, LAD 2 | Jon Lester | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | NYM 4, PHI 3 | Jay Bruce, RF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | `DET 2, BOS 1 | Justin Verlander | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | SD 5, COL 3 | Wil Myers, 1B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 | 17.4 | 62.6 | 142.0 | -12.0 |
| Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 | 8.0 | 24.4 | 36.1 | -4.0 |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 1.7 | 14.1 | 37.6 | 39.6 | -10.7 |
| Drew, Stephen 2210 | ss 2b | dc nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 17.5 | 37.5 | 1.5 |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 1.0 | 23.1 | 68.6 | 144.2 | -21.1 |
| Myers, Wil 3228 | 1b | sd nl | 1.0 | 10.7 | 19.2 | 19.2 | -8.7 |
| Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | nym nl | 1.0 | 9.5 | 26.7 | 59.8 | -7.5 |
| Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 1.0 | 5.4 | 12.1 | 12.1 | -3.4 |
| Cotton, Jharel 3733 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Reed, Cody 3765 | pi mr | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
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. | ||||||||||||||||
Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Tigers pitcher David Price rose to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings and Joe Mauer of the Twins earned a Box-Toppers point for his 12th straight season.
| 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 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 12.1 |
| 4 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 |
| 5 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 |
| 6 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 11.4 |
| 7 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 11.4 |
| 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 |
Player of the Day—Locke pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six, in the 1-0 win over the Indians.
American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 10, in the 3-2 win over the Rays. Pineda did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because after he exited, the Rays tied the game 2-2.
American League Batter of the Day—C.J. Cron of the Angels homered and went 3-for-4, driving in six runs, in the 13-0 win over the Rangers.
National League Batter of the Day—Kris Bryant of the Cubs hit two home runs, including a grand slam and drove in six total runs, in the 7-2 win over the Marlins.
Rankings—Tigers pitcher David Price rose to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Price (7IP 8H R 7K W in the 8-3 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.1 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (13.4).
Streak—Joe Mauer of the Twins has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 12 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Mauer (HR 4-5 2R 2BI in the 5-3 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Mauer earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2004 with the Twins. His best season was 2008 with the Twins, when he had 9.5 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL batters. In 2014, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points.
Mauer has 67.6 career Box-Toppers points, fourth-most among active AL first basemen. Mauer spent most of his career as a regular catcher and if he were considered a catcher in ranking his career points, he would finish ahead of the current active AL catcher in career points, Brian McCann of the Yankees (50.7 Box-Toppers points).
Notable—Dodgers pitcher Zack Grienke now has 134.7 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Grienke (7IP 4H 0R 4K W in the 4-3 win over the Mets) maintains his spot in 23rd place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He now has 9.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, sixth among NL pitchers.
Also notable—Cliff Pennington of the Diamondbacks earned Player of the Game honors Saturday for the second straight day. Pennington (PH 1-1 R BI in the 7-3 win over the Rockies) was also Player of the Game in the Diamondback’s win Friday.
Scoring—Locke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Pineda earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Cron and Bryant 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
| 7/4 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | Pirates | Jeff Locke (W, 5-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| AL | 11.0 | `Yankees | Michael Pineda | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 9.2 | `White Sox | Jeff Samardzija | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 9.0 | Red Sox | Clay Buchholz (W, 7-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 7.0 | Dodgers | Zack Greinke (W, 7-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Angels | C.J. Cron DH | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Cubs | Kris Bryant 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.2 | `Nationals | Stephen Strasburg | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Twins | Joe Mauer 1B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Braves | Cameron Maybin CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Tigers | David Price (W, 8-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2.0 | Brewers | Adam Lind 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Cliff Pennington PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Athletics | Kendall Graveman (W, 6-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Seth Maness (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 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. | ||||||||||||||||
Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is Sunday’s Player of the Day.
Meanwhile, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez extended his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings and moved into 15th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” player rankings, passing Greg Maddux.
| 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 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | lf rf | dc nl | 5.0 |
| 5 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 1b | det al | 4.7 |
| 6 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 4.7 |
| 7 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 4.7 |
| 8 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 4.7 |
| 9 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 4.5 |
| 10 | Rodriguez, Alex | dh | nyy al | 4.5 |
Player of the Day—Pineda struck out 16 batters over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 6-2 win over the Orioles.
Pineda had a Box-Toppers game score of 15, the highest recorded so far this season. However, another player also had a Box-Toppers game score of 15 Sunday—Indians pitcher Danny Salazar, Player of the Game in the 8-2 win over the Twins (7IP H R 11K). However, Pineda won the tiebreaker to earn overall Player of the Day because he had more strikeouts than Salazar—16 vs. 11. And though Salazar had one of the two highest Box-Toppers game scores of the season, he earns only 1.0 Box-Toppers point as Player of the Game, while Pineda earns 2.0 for being Player of the Day.
National League Player of the Day—Brewers pitcher Matt Garza struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 3-2, 11-inning win over the Cubs. After Garza exited the game, the Cubs tied the score 2-2 in the top of the eighth inning, so Garza did not earn the win, but picked up a no-decision.
National League Batter of the Day—Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers hit two doubles and drove in four runs in the 9-5 win over the Rockies.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Napoli of the Red Sox hit a three-run home run in the 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Napoli has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Angels. His best year was 2011 with the Rangers when he had 9.0, ninth among AL batters. In 2014, he had 5.5 Box-Toppers points with the Red Sox.
Napoli has 48.2 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 23rd among active batters currently in the AL.
Rankings—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez extended his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Hernandez (7IP 2R 6K W in the 4-3 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season. He is 2.7 Box-Toppers points ahead of the second place player, Gerrit Cole of the Pirates (6.0).
With the Box-Toppers point earned Sunday, Hernandez now has 152.0 for his career, which moves him up to 15th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He passes Greg Maddux (151.7) on the list. It should be noted that Maddux pitched nine seasons, many of them stellar, before Box-Toppers record keeping began, so his actual Box-Toppers career total would likely be much higher. Hernandez now trails Tim Hudson of the Giants (153.0) and Barry Bonds (153.2).
Streak—Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons.
Zimmerman was Player of the Game in Sunday’s 5-4 win over the Braves (2B 2-4 2R 2BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Zimmerman earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2006 with the Nationals. His best year was 2013 with the Nationals when he had 9.2, sixth among NL batters. In 2014, he had 3.5 Box-Toppers points with the Nationals.
Zimmerman has 52.8 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 13th among active batters currently in the NL.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Pineda earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Garza earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Gonzalez and Napoli each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
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
| 5/10 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | Yankees | Michael Pineda (W, 5-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | |
| 15.0 | Indians | Danny Salazar (W, 4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 9.2 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | ||
| NL | 8.0 | `Brewers | Matt Garza | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
| 7.0 | `Rangers | Wandy Rodriguez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | `Giants | Ryan Vogelsong | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | `Royals | Chris Young | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.1 | `Dbacks | Daniel Hudson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Dodgers | Adrian Gonzalez 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 3.0 | Red Sox | Mike Napoli 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 6-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Ryan Zimmerman 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Johnny Monell PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Pirates | Jung-Ho Kang 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | White Sox | Tyler Flowers C | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, pitching a no-hitter in the final game of the season, is Sunday’s Player of the Day.
Meanwhile, three other pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings earned Player of the Game honors in their final start—Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to fourth place, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez maintained his sixth place spot and Tigers pitcher David Price rose to seventh place.
Also Sunday, Buster Posey of the Giants rose to second place among National League batters in Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Lucas Duda of the Mets rose to third place among NL batters.
Zimmermann struck out 10 and allowed only one baserunner on a walk, as he no-hit the Marlins, 1-0. Zimmermann earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.0 for the season. He rises to 16th in Box-Toppers player rankings and ranks seventh among NL pitchers.
Cueto rose from fifth to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Cueto (8IP R 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.4 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers.
Hernandez became the sixth player this season with 20 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Hernandez (5.1IP 0R 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 20.8 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.
Price rose from eighth to seventh in Box-Toppers player rankings afte earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Price (7.1IP 0R 8K in the 3-0 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 19.1 for the season. He ranks fourth among American League pitchers.
Posey rises to second place among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Posey (HR 1-2 R 2BI in the 9-3 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.5 for the season. He trails NL batting leader Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (11.6 Box-Toppers points). He ranks 76th among all players.
Duda rises to third place among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Duda (HR 2-4, R 4BI in the 8-3 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.5 for the season. (Though both Duda and Posey have 8.5 points on the season, Posey has the edge in the tie-breaker, having more points over the past two seasons—15.5 vs. 8.5.) Duda ranks 79th among all players.
Also Sunday:
Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is AL Player of the Day. Pineda struck out 10 over 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 9-5 win over the Red Sox.
Roger Bernadina of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. Bernadina homered and went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 10-5 win over the Rockies.
Christian Colon of the Royals is AL Batter of the Day. Colon doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the White Sox.
Notables: Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray becomes the 58th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Gray (CG 0R 5K W in the 4-0 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks 57th among all players and 26th among AL pitchers. In 2013, there were 54 players who had 10 or more Box-Toppers points.
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut on the final day of the season. Players make their debut the first time they earn Player of the Game honors:
• Braves pitcher James Russell (4IP 0R ND in the 2-1 win over the Phillies) is the 3,435th player to debut since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.
• Jose Ramirez of the Indians (2B 3-4 R BI in the 7-2 win over the Rays) is the 3,436th player to debut since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995.
There were 135 players who debuted in Box-Toppers during the 2014 season. In 2013, 168 players debuted in Box-Toppers.
Zimmermann receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Pineda receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Rizzo and Colon each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Sunday’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
| 928 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 18.0 | Nationals | Jordan Zimmermann (W, 14-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| AL | 11.1 | Yankees | Michael Pineda (W, 5-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |
| 11.1 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 15-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 9.1 | Tigers | David Price (W, 15-12) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 8.0 | Athletics | Sonny Gray (W, 14-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 7.0 | Reds | Johnny Cueto (W, 20-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Dodgers | Roger Bernadina RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5.0 | `Braves | James Russell | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | `Cardinals | Marco Gonzales (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Cubs | Anthony Rizzo 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Mets | Lucas Duda 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Royals | Christian Colon 3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Giants | Buster Posey C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Orioles | Miguel Gonzalez (W, 10-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Indians | Jose Ramirez SS | 4 | 1 | 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.
Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is Monday’s Player of the Day, while Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Pineda pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out eight, in the 5-0 win over the Orioles.
Wainwright rose from ninth to seventh place in Box-Toppers player ranking after earning National League Player of the Day honors Monday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Wainwright pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 8-0 win over the Cubs.
Wainwright earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 18.7 for the season. He maintains his fourth place spot among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points.
Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays is American League Batter of the Day. Bautista homered and went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 14-4 win over the Mariners.
There is no NL Batter of the Day for Monday because no NL batters earned Player of the Game honors.
Notables: Diamondbacks pitcher Josh Collmenter ranks 10th among NL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Collmenter (6.1IP 5K W in the 6-2 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.0 for the season. He ranks 23rd among all players.
Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano ranks 15th among NL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Liriano (6IP 0R 7K W in the 1-0 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.1 for the season. He ranks 40th among all players.
Royals pitcher Danny Duffy becomes the 54th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Duffy (6IP 0R 5K W in the 2-0 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks 25th among AL pitchers and 54th among all players.
Pineda receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Wainwright receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Bautista 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, 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
| 922 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.1 | Yankees | Michael Pineda (W, 4-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| NL | 11.0 | Cardinals | Adam Wainwright (W, 20-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 6.0 | Pirates | Francisco Liriano (W, 7-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Blue Jays | Jose Bautista RF | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | `Indians | T.J. House | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | Athletics | Jeff Samardzija (W, 5-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.2 | White Sox | Chris Bassitt (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | Padres | Eric Stults (W, 8-17) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | Royals | Danny Duffy (W, 9-11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | Giants | Santiago Casilla (W, 3-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.1 | Dbacks | Josh Collmenter (W, 11-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 1.0 | Rangers | Guilder Rodriguez 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Box-Toppers 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.