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There are nine players who lead their league’s positions in Box-Toppers points who are also among the finalists in the newfangled All-Star “general” election being held this week.
But there are eight players who lead their league’s position in Box-Toppers points who are not even listed among the top three finalists (top nine for outfielders) for their positions.
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Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Friday’s Player of the Day, while perennial Box-Toppers scorers David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Alex Rodriguez and Mike Trout also earned Player of the Game honors.
Scherzer struck out nine over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 7-2 win over the Phillies. Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season and rises to second in Box-Toppers player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 |
| 3 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 3.0 |
| 4 | Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 3.0 |
| 5 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 |
| 6 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.7 |
| 7 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 2.5 |
| 8 | Chirinos, Robinson 2924 | ca | tex al | 2.5 |
| 9 | Markakis, Nick 2116 | rf | atl nl | 2.5 |
| 10 | Rodriguez, Alex | dh 3b | nyy al | 2.5 |
American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher David Price struck out nine over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1 win over the White Sox. Price did not pick up the win because he exited the game with the score tied 1-1. Price earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, rising to fifth in Box-Toppers player rankings.
American League Batter of the Day—Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees hit two home runs (career 657 and 658) and went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, including driving in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, in the 5-4 win over the Rays. Rodriguez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 2.5 for the season, rising to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Rodriguez, the leading batter in Box-Toppers points since 1995 with 181.8, last earned Batter of the Day honors on May 23, 2012.
National League Batter of the Day—Nick Markakis of the Braves went 4-for-4 and scored three times in the 8-7 win over the Blue Jays. Markakis earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 2.5 for the season, rising to ninth in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Notables—Three other notable players also earned Player of the Game honors in their wins Friday:
Debut—Twins pitcher Aaron Thompson made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Thompson (2IP 0R K ND in the 3-2, 11-inning win over the Indians) made his Major League debut Aug. 24, 2011, and was playing in his 17th career game. He is the 3,448th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Price earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Rodriguez and Markakis each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/17 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | Nationals | Max Scherzer (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| AL | 9.0 | `Tigers | David Price | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| 7.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 6.0 | Dbacks | Josh Collmenter (W, 1-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Yankees | Alex Rodriguez DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Angels | Mike Trout CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Mets | Bartolo Colon (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Braves | Nick Markakis RF | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Padres | Wil Myers CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Michael Wacha (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | `Twins | Aaron Thompson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 3.0 | Red Sox | Koji Uehara (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Starling Marte LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Royals | Salvador Perez C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Rangers | Robinson Chirinos C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is Tuesday’s Player of the Day.
Gonzalez struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 4-3 win over the Yankees.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 2 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.7 |
| 3 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 2.5 |
| 4 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 2.0 |
| 5 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 7 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 2.0 |
| 8 | Gonzalez, Miguel 3062 | pi sp | bal al | 2.0 |
| 9 | Greene, Shane 3381 | pi sp | det al | 2.0 |
| 10 | Wilson, C.J. 2074 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 |
National League Player of the Day—Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani pitched seven shutout innings and struck out five in the 3-2 win over the Cubs. DeSclafani was one of four players to make his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time they earned Player of the Game honors. DeSclafani made his Major League debut May 14, 2014, and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,441st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins drove in four runs, scored twice and went 3-for-3 with a double in the 8-2 win over the Braves. Stanton earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 2.5 for the season and rising to third place in player rankings.
American League Batter of the Day—Robinson Chirinos of the Rangers homered, doubled and drove in five runs in the 8-2 win over the Angels.
Notable—Mets pitcher Matt Harvey rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors (6IP 3R 8K W in the 6-5 win over the Phillies). Harvey earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 2.7 for the season.
Debuts—Four players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time they earned Player of the Game honors. Besides DeSclafani, who earned NL Player of the Day honors, the other three are:
Scoring—Gonzalez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and DeSclafani earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Stanton and Chirinos each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/14 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | Orioles | Miguel Gonzalez (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 8.0 | Tigers | Shane Greene (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| NL | 8.0 | Reds | Anthony DeSclafani (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Marlins | Giancarlo Stanton RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | White Sox | Jose Quintana (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Rangers | Robinson Chirinos C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Padres | Odrisamer Despaigne (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Rockies | Adam Ottavino (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | Red Sox | Edward Mujica (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Alex Guerrero PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Mets | Matt Harvey (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1.1 | Rays | Steve Geltz (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0.1 | Athletics | Kendall Graveman (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
Mariners pitcher Chris Young is Monday’s Player of the Day. Young pitched six scoreless innings and struck out six in the 5-1 win over the Padres.
Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is National League Player of the Day. Ryu allowed one run over six innings and struck out six in the 6-1 win over the Rockies. Ryu earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season. He is in 25th place among all players in Box-Toppers points and 12th among NL pitchers.
Ryu and Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels (Player of the Game in the win against the Braves) had identical Box-Toppers game scores of 6.0, but Ryu earned NL Player of the Day because he earned the win and Hamels picked up a no-decision.
Robinson Chirinos of the Rangers is American League Batter of the Day. Chirinos homered and went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs in the 14-8 win over the Athletics.
Aramis Ramirez of the Brewers is NL Batter of the Day. Ramirez doubled and went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs in the 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Young receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Ryu receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Chirinos and Ramirez each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Monday, click here.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 616 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 7.0 | Mariners | Chris Young (W, 6-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 6.0 | Red Sox | Rubby De La Rosa (W, 2-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| NL | 6.0 | Dodgers | Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 8-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 6.0 | `Phillies | Cole Hamels | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 4.1 | Indians | Carlos Carrasco (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Rangers | Robinson Chirinos C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Royals | Omar Infante 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Brewers | Aramis Ramirez 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Rays | Jerry Sands PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Cardinals | Allen Craig RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cubs | Starlin Castro SS | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 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.