Cardinals' Mike Leake tops players for Wednesday, April 12; Orioles' Mancini tops AL players

Cardinals pitcher Mike Leake is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Leake pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven, in the 6-1 win over the Nationals.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of April 12:  

	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	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	2.0
7	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	2.0
8	Finnegan, Brandon 3535	pi sp	cin nl	2.0
9	Mazara, Nomar 3614	rf	tex al	2.0
10	Boyd, Matthew 3550	pi sp	det al	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Trey Mancini of the Orioles hit two home runs and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 12-5 win over the Red Sox.

This was Mancini’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Mancini made his Major League debut Sept. 20, 2016, and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,766th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—Eugenio Suarez of the Reds doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 9-2 win over the Pirates.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because the overall AL Player of the Day was batter Trey Mancini.

Debuts—In addition to Mancini, two other players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their careers they earned Player of the Game honors:

• Aaron Judge of the Yankees (HR 2-3 2R 3BI in the 8-4 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut Aug. 13, 2016, and was playing in his 35th career game. He is the 3,767th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
• Rangers pitcher Jose Leclerc (1.2IP H 0R 0BB 2K Sv in the 8-3 win over the Angels) made his Major League debut July 6, 2016, and was playing in his 16th career game. He is the 3,768th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Leake earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Mancini earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Suarez earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score 

4/12	Score	Game	Player	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	10.0	STL 6, WSH 1	Mike Leake (W,1-1)	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	0	7
	9.0	MIL 2, TOR 0	Chase Anderson (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	2	7
AL	5.0	BAL 12, BOS 5	Trey Mancini, LF	3	2	2	4		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	CHW 2, CLE 1	Derek Holland (W,1-1)	-	-	-	-		6.0	1	0	0	4	4
	4.0	DET 5, MIN 3	Andrew Romine, CF	3	1	2	4		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	NYY 8, TB 4	Aaron Judge, RF	3	2	2	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	HOU 10, SEA 5	Josh Reddick, RF-LF	3	3	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	OAK 8, KC 3	Andrew Triggs (W,2-0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	1	3
BAT	3.0	CIN 9, PIT 2	Eugenio Suarez, 3B	4	1	3	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	ATL 5, MIA 4	Ender Inciarte, CF	4	2	2	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	SD 6, COL 0	Ryan Schimpf, 3B	2	1	1	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	LAD 2, CHC 0	Brandon McCarthy (W,2-0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	3	4
	2.2	TEX 8, LAA 3	Jose Leclerc (S,1)	-	-	-	-		1.2	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	NYM 5, PHI 4	Michael Conforto, CF	4	3	2	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	SF 6, ARI 2	Jarrett Parker, LF	3	0	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-

MLB—Overall Box-Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.
All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

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

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (’17). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’16-17), the period 2012-2017 (’12-17) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2017 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2016 total (+/-).  

Player of Game	Pos	Team	’17	’16-17	’12-17	Career	+/-
Leake, Mike 2709	pi sp	stl nl	2.0	7.0	37.4	46.6	-3.0
Mancini, Trey 3766	lf	bal al	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7	1.7
Suarez, Eugenio 3355	3b	cin nl	1.5	10.0	15.5	15.5	-7.0
Anderson, Chase 3328	pi sp	mil nl	1.0	8.0	17.0	17.0	-6.0
Schimpf, Ryan 3686	3b 2b	sd nl	1.0	6.2	6.2	6.2	-4.2
Conforto, Michael 3622	cf	nym nl	1.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	-4.0
Holland, Derek 2634	pi sp	chi al	1.0	5.0	27.1	46.8	-3.0
Reddick, Josh 2936	rf lf	hou al	1.0	4.5	24.4	25.4	-2.5
McCarthy, Brandon 2082	pi sp	lad nl	1.0	3.7	23.4	37.5	-1.7
Inciarte, Ender 3360	cf	atl nl	1.0	3.0	7.0	7.0	-1.0
Romine, Andrew 3666	cf dh	det al	1.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	0.0
Triggs, Andrew 3723	pi sp	oak al	1.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	0.0
Parker, Jarrett 3600	lf	sf nl	1.0	1.0	2.5	2.5	1.0
Judge, Aaron 3767	rf	nyy al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Leclerc, Jose 3768	pi cp	tex al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Cubs' Jon Lester (8IP R 9K) tops players for Wednesday, Sept. 30

Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Lester struck out nine over eight innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 10-3 win over the Reds.

Lester earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.0 for the season. He ranks 26th among all players and 13th among NL pitchers.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Sept. 30.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	27.1
2	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	24.7
3	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	21.4
4	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	21.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tor al	21.1
6	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	19.7
7	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	19.4
8	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	19.0
9	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	19.0
10	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	18.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Lester also now has 121.1 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of 37th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 36th-ranked player Jered Weaver (123.1).

American League Player of the Day—Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman struck out 10 over eight innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 8-1 win over the Blue Jays.

American League Batter of the Day—Jose Ramirez of the Indians hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 10-2 win over the Twins.

National League Batter of the Day—Francisco Cervelli of the Pirates hit a grand slam and doubled, going 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 8-2 win over the Cardinals.

Rankings—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers maintained his rank of third among AL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Beltre (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 6-2 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.5 for the season. He ranks 31st among all players and third among AL batters behind Mike Trout of the Angels (12.0) and Prince Fielder of the Rangers (11.5).

This was the second straight day Beltre earned Player of the Game honors. It was the fifth time in September Beltre earned the honor—he earned 6.0 total Box-Toppers points in September. In fact, Beltre has earned all his points since earning his first Player of the Game honor of the season on July 31. He had 4.5 Box-Toppers points in August. And despite a season when he had very similar numbers to this year, Beltre earned no Box-Toppers points in 2014—in fact this year, he has a lower batting average (.281 to .324) and lower home run totals (16 to 19) than in 2014. (One notable difference—the Rangers had 67 wins in 2014 and already have 86 in 2015, so Beltre has had more opportunity for Box-Toppers points this year, since players can only earn Player of the Game honors when their team wins.)

Beltre also Wednesday became the 68th player since 1995 to earn 100 or more career Box-Toppers points. Beltre now has 100.8 career points and rises to 65th place among all players since 1995. He passes three players on the “all-time” list—Larry Walker (100.1), Jeff Bagwell (100.4) and Paul Konerko (100.7). He trails 67th-ranked player Jason Schmidt (101.2).

It should be noted that Walker and Bagwell both started their careers before the advent of Box-Toppers in 1995 and that if their entire career were tracked they would likely have more points. Walker’s first year was 1989 and rough estimates would put his Box-Toppers career point total at 135. Bagwell began in 1991 and his estimated career total would be 125. Konerko began in 1997, so his entire career was tracked by Box-Toppers.

Notable—Giants pitcher Mike Leake became the 44th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Leake (CG 2H 0R K W in the 5-0 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He ranks 41st among all players and 17th among NL pitchers.

Top 10—Two pitchers in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings started Wednesday, but did not earn Player of the Game honors:

• Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole (7IP 7H 2R 2K W in the 8-2 win over the Cardinals) had a Box-Toppers game score of -2. Player of the Game was Francisco Cervelli (GS 2B 2-4 2R 4BI), with a Box-Toppers game score of +4. Cole ranks ninth in Box-Toppers points with 19.0.
• Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco (3IP 5H 5R 5K L in the 7-1 loss to the Twins) had a Box-Toppers game score of -9. Player of the Game was Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson (6IP 4H 0R 9K W), with a Box-Toppers game score of +9. Carrasco ranks 10th in Box-Toppers points with 18.0.

Scoring—Lester earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gausman earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Ramirez and Cervelli 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

9/30	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	12.0	Cubs	Jon Lester (W,11-12)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	1	1	0	9
AL	11.0	Orioles	Kevin Gausman (W,4-7)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	1	1	0	10
	9.0	Twins	Kyle Gibson (W,11-11)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	2	9
	8.0	Cardinals	Tyler Lyons (W,3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	0	5
	7.0	Blue Jays	Marcus Stroman (W,4-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	1	1	2	8
	6.0	Brewers	Zach Davies (W,3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	0	0	2	6
	6.0	Rays	Drew Smyly (W,5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	3	8
	5.0	Giants	Mike Leake (W,11-10)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	2	0	0	3	1
BAT	4.0	Indians	Jose Ramirez, 2B	4	2	2	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	4.0	Pirates	Francisco Cervelli, C	4	2	2	4	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Phillies	Freddy Galvis, SS	3	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Red Sox	Travis Shaw, 1B	5	2	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rangers	Adrian Beltre, 3B	4	2	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Astros	Luis Valbuena, 3B	3	2	2	1	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Royals	Wade Davis (S,15)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	Braves	Arodys Vizcaino (S,9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Athletics	Eric Sogard, 2B	4	1	1	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Dbacks	David Peralta, LF	2	0	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

Reds' Mike Leake (8IP R 6K) tops players for Wednesday, July 22

Reds pitcher Mike Leake is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Leake allowed one run over eight innings, striking out six and allowing four hits, in the 9-1 win over the Cubs.

American League Player of the Day—Michael Brantley of the Indians homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 7-5 win over the Brewers.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 22.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	15.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
3	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	14.4
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	13.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
6	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	12.7
7	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	12.0
8	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
9	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
10	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

National League Batter of the Day—Odubel Herrera of the Phillies hit a walk-off, pinch-hit, 10th-inning single in the 5-4 win over the Rays.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter (Michael Brantley).

Notable—Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn became the 17th player with 10 or more Box-Toppers points this season after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Lynn (6IP 5H 2R 8K ND in the 3-2 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. He ranks 15th among all players this season and ninth among NL pitchers.

Debut—Athletics pitcher Fernando Rodriguez made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Rodriguez (1IP 0H 0R K W in the 4-3, 10-inning win over the Blue Jays) made his Major League debut May 2, 2009, and was playing in his 154th career game. He is the 3,537th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Leake earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Brantley earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Herrera earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

7/22	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	8.0	Reds	Mike Leake (W,8-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	1	1	0	6
	6.0	Dodgers	Mike Bolsinger (W,5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	1	0	1	4
AL	5.0	Indians	Michael Brantley, CF	5	2	4	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Rangers	Rougned Odor, 2B	4	4	3	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Marlins	Jose Fernandez (W,3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	3	3	2	11
	4.2	Royals	Edinson Volquez (W,9-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	8	1	1	1	8
	4.0	Tigers	Nick Castellanos, 3B	3	1	2	4	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	`Cardinals	Lance Lynn	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	2	2	1	8
	4.0	Giants	Matt Cain (W,2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	1	1	6
	4.0	Nationals	Drew Storen (S,29)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.2	`Cubs	Pedro Strop	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	0	0	0	2	4
	3.0	Astros	Preston Tucker, LF	4	2	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Angels	Johnny Giavotella, 2B	4	3	3	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Athletics	Fernando Rodriguez (W,1-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Yankees	Mark Teixeira, 1B	4	1	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	1.0	Phillies	Odubel Herrera, PH	1	0	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Reds' Leake tops players for Friday, July 10; Angels' Trout regains Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters

Reds pitcher Mike Leake is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Mike Trout of the Angels earned American League Batter of the Day honors and regained the top spot among AL batters in season Box-Toppers points.

Top 10 players

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

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
3	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
5	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	12.4
6	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7
9	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	11.0
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Leake pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10, in the 1-0 win over the Marlins.

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Danny Salazar allowed one unearned run over 8 2/3 innings, striking out eight, in the 5-1 win over the Athletics.

National League Batter of the Day—Justin Maxwell of the Giants hit two doubles and a triple, going 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 15-2 win over the Phillies.

American League Batter of the Day—Mike Trout of the Angels hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 7-3 win over the Mariners.

Trout earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season and regains the Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters, passing previous leader Lorenzo Cain of the Royals (8.2 Box-Toppers points). Trout’s 9.0 Box-Toppers points ranks 15th among all players this season.

Friday was the third straight day there was a change in Box-Toppers points leaders among AL batters. On Wednesday, Trout took the lead among AL batters with 7.5 Box-Toppers points, passing Prince Fielder of the Rangers (7.5 points). But on Thursday, Trout lost the lead when he was passed by Cain. Friday, Trout regained the lead as AL Batter of the Day.

Debut—Twins pitcher J.R. Graham made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Graham (3IP 2H 0R 4K ND in the 8-6 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut April 6 and was playing in his 24th career game. He is the 3,530th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Leake earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Salazar earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Maxwell and Trout each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

7/10	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	14.0	Reds	Mike Leake (W,6-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	0	0	1	10
	13.0	Mets	Noah Syndergaard (W,4-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	1	1	2	13
AL	9.2	Indians	Danny Salazar (W,8-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.2	5	1	0	1	8
BAT	5.0	Giants	Justin Maxwell, LF	4	3	4	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	`Twins	J.R. Graham	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	2	0	0	0	4
BAT	4.0	Angels	Mike Trout, CF	5	2	3	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Rays	Erasmo Ramirez (W,8-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	1	5
	4.0	`White Sox	Carlos Rodon	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	2	0	0	6	6
	4.0	Royals	Greg Holland (S,18)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.2	Yankees	Michael Pineda (W,9-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	7	1	1	0	6
	3.1	Rangers	Wandy Rodriguez (W,6-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.1	3	1	1	2	5
	3.0	Pirates	Neil Walker, 2B	4	2	3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Dodgers	Andre Ethier, PH	1	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	`Rockies	Gonzalez Germen	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	1	0	0	1	1
	1.0	Orioles	Chris Parmelee, PH-1B	1	1	1	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
		`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Reds' Mike Leake (8IP 0R 2H) tops players for Thursday, April 30

Reds pitcher Mike Leake is Thursday’s Player of the Day.

Leake pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits, in the 5-1 win over the Braves. Leake also homered in the game.

American League Player of the Day—Brian Dozier of the Twins hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four, in the 12-2 win over the White Sox.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of April 30.  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	6.0
2	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	6.0
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	5.0
4	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	4.7
5	Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	4.5
6	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	4.4
7	Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	oak al	3.7
8	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	3.7
9	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	3.7
10	DeSclafani, Anthony 3441	pi sp	cin nl	3.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

National League Batter of the Day—Bryce Harper of the Nationals hit two doubles and drove in three runs in the 8-2 win over the Mets. This was Harper’s first Player of the Game honor since Sept. 19, 2013. After earning 9.4 Box-Toppers points in 2013, fifth among NL batters, Harper earned 0.0 points in 2014, as he battled injury much of the season.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Thursday since a batter, Brian Dozier of the Twins, won AL Player of the Day honors.

Scoring—Leake earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Dozier earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Harper earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

4/30	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	7.0	Reds	Mike Leake (W, 1-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	2	0	0	2	3
	5.2	Cardinals	Carlos Villanueva (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.2	0	0	0	0	2
AL	3.0	Twins	Brian Dozier 2B	5	2	2	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Royals	Danny Duffy (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	1	1	2	7
BAT	2.0	Nationals	Bryce Harper RF	4	1	2	3	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Angels	Garrett Richards (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	3	5
	1.0	Blue Jays	Russell Martin C	2	1	1	1	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	0.0	Astros	Jose Altuve 2B	5	1	3	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

Reds' Mike Leake (6.2IP 0R 2H 6K) tops players for Saturday, Aug. 23

Reds pitcher Mike Leake is Saturday’s Player of the Day. Leake pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six, in the 1-0 win over the Braves.

Athletics pitcher Jon Lester is American League Player of the Day and rises to 14th place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Lester struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1 win over the Angels. Lester left the mound with the game tied, 1-1, so did not pick up the win, but earned a no-decision. Lester earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 13.7 for the season. He ranks eighth among AL pitchers.

Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers is National League Batter of the Day. Gonzalez homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 7-4 win over the Mets.

Joe Mauer of the Twins is AL Batter of the Day. Mauer doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 12-4 win over the Tigers.

Notable: Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann rose to 25th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Zimmermann (8IP 8K W in the 6-2 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks 10th among NL pitchers.

Leake receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lester receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Gonzalez and Mauer each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Saturday’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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

823	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	7.2	Reds	Mike Leake (W, 10-11)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	2	0	0	3	6
BAT	6.0	Dodgers	Adrian Gonzalez 1B	3	2	2	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
AL	6.0	`Athletics	Jon Lester	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	7
	6.0	`Mariners	Yoervis Medina	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	0	5
	5.1	Cubs	Justin Grimm (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.1	0	0	0	1	3
	5.0	Pirates	Pedro Alvarez 1B	3	2	2	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Nationals	Jordan Zimmermann (W, 9-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	7	2	2	0	8
	5.0	`Indians	Danny Salazar	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	2	1	2	7
BAT	4.0	Twins	Joe Mauer DH	3	2	2	3	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.1	`Dbacks	Vidal Nuno	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	2	2	2	2	4
	3.0	`Rockies	Nick Masset	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Yankees	Martin Prado 2B	4	1	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Royals	Jeremy Guthrie (W, 10-10)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	1	1	1	2
	2.0	Cardinals	Seth Maness (W, 5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Tigers	Eugenio Suarez SS	4	1	2	2	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	0.0	Blue Jays	Jose Reyes SS	5	1	2	2	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-

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

Reds' Mike Leake (8IP 1R 12K) tops players for Thursday, June 26

Reds pitcher Mike Leake is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Leake struck out 12 over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Giants.

Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ is American League Player of the Day. Happ pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out eight, in the 7-0 win over the White Sox.

Gregory Polanco of the Pirates is National League Batter of the Day. Polanco homered, went 2-for-3 and drove in four runs in the 5-0 win over the Mets. This was Polanco’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors—he is the 3,361st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Polanco made his Major League debut June 10 and was playing in his 15th game.

Albert Pujols of the Angels is AL Batter of the Day. Pujols went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs in the 6-4 win over the Twins. 

Pujols earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points, giving him 3.0 for the season. He is in 10th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” leaderboard (Box-Toppers began record keeping in 1995) with 162.8 points, just ahead of John Smoltz (160.9) and just behind Roger Clemens (164.8). So far in 2014, only 4.0 Box-Toppers points have been earned by players in the all-time top 10 list—3.0 by Pujols and 1.0 by Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia (in fifth place with 173.3 Box-Toppers points). They are the only two players on the top 10 list who have seen playing time this season.

Leake receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Happ receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Polanco and Pujols each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Thursday’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 Thursday, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

626	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	13.0	Reds	Mike Leake (W, 6-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	1	1	1	12
AL	9.2	Blue Jays	J.A. Happ (W, 7-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	4	0	0	2	8
	9.0	Tigers	Rick Porcello (W, 10-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	0	0	3	6
	5.0	`Dodgers	Josh Beckett	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	2	4
BAT	4.0	Pirates	Gregory Polanco RF	3	1	2	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Angels	Albert Pujols DH	4	2	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Astros	Matt Dominguez 3B	3	2	1	3	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Brewers	Scooter Gennett PH, 2B	1	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	`Phillies	Cole Hamels	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	3	3	0	7
	2.0	Cubs	Hector Rondon (S, 9)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1

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

White Sox' Erik Johnson (6.2IP 9K ND) tops players for Tuesday, April 15

White Sox pitcher Erik Johnson is Tuesday’s Player of the Day. Johnson struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox.

Johnson picked up a no-decision and did not earn the win because he left the mound with the game tied 1-1.

Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins is National League Player of the Day. Stanton hit a three-run homer, drove in five runs, scored three times and went 2-for-4 in the 11-2 win over the Nationals.

Brett Lawrie of the Blue Jays is American League Batter of the Day. Lawrie hit a grand slam and drove in five runs in the 9-3 win over the Twins.

Notable: Reds pitcher Mike Leake was Player of the Game for batting in the 7-5 win over the Pirates. Leake hit a two-run homer and doubled, scored two runs and went 2-for-3 at the plate, giving him a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0. He narrowly beat out Mike Leake (himself) the pitcher for top player in the game. Leake struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings and had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.2 as a pitcher. Leake is the second pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors as a batter (Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner did it on April 11.) In 2013, six pitchers won Player of the Game honors for batting.

Johnson receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Stanton receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Lawrie receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

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

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

415	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	8.2	`White Sox	Erik Johnson	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	3	1	1	2	9
NL	6.0	Marlins	Giancarlo Stanton RF	4	3	2	5	1	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Cardinals	Shelby Miller (W, 1-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	3	7
	4.2	Rangers	Robbie Ross Jr. (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	5	0	0	0	2
	4.0	Royals	Yordano Ventura (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	2	1	3	7
	4.0	Mets	Jenrry Mejia (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	2	0	0	2	3
BAT	3.0	Blue Jays	Brett Lawrie 3B	4	1	1	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Reds	Mike Leake P	3	2	2	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	`Giants	Tim Lincecum	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	5	1	1	0	5
	3.0	Pirates	Jason Grilli (S, 4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	1.0	Athletics	Jed Lowrie SS	5	2	3	1	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Rockies	Troy Tulowitzki SS	3	2	2	0	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

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

Astros' Jordan Lyles (7IP 10K) is top player for Wednesday, June 12

Astros pitcher Jordan Lyles is Wednesday's Player of the Day. Lyles struck out 10 and allowed no runs over seven innings in the 6-1 win over the Mariners. Lyles left with the game tied 0-0 so was not eligible for the win.

Reds pitcher Mike Leake is National League Player of the Day. Leake allowed only one run over eight innings in the 2-1 win over the Cubs. 

Sterling Marte of the Pirates is NL Batter of the Day. Marte was 4-for-5 with four runs in the 12-8 win over the Giants. 

Clete Thomas of the Twins is American League Batter of the Day. Thomas was 4-for-4 and drove in two runs in the 4-3 win over the Phillies. 

Lyles receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Leake receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Marte and Thomas each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Wednesday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:

612	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	12.0	`Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jordan Lyles	7.0	3	0	0	2	10
NL	8.0	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Mike Leake (W, 6-3)	8.0	3	1	1	1	6
	8.0	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Alfredo Figaro (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	0	0	0	4
	5.0	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Edinson Volquez (W, 5-5)	7.0	6	1	1	3	9
	3.2	Mets	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Dillon Gee (W, 5-6)	6.2	6	1	1	2	7
	3.2	`Royals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Luke Hochevar	1.2	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	3.0	Pirates	Starling Marte LF	5	4	4	0	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	3.0	Twins	Clete Thomas CF	4	1	4	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Athletics	Brandon Moss 1B	4	2	2	3	0	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Diamondbacks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Josh Collmenter (W, 3-0)	2.0	1	0	0	0	2
	3.0	`Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Junichi Tazawa (H, 10)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Angels	Erick Aybar SS	4	1	2	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Nationals	Ian Desmond SS	3	0	2	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Indians	Jason Kipnis 2B	5	1	3	1	0	0			0	0.0	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.