Diamondbacks pitcher Luke Weaver is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Meanwhile, J.D. Martinez of the Red Sox takes the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors Sunday.
Read MoreBox-Toppers’ big dippers—players whose 2019 point total declined most from 2018: Corey Kluber leads list
Indians pitcher Corey Kluber had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2018 to 2019.
Kluber, who earned 21.7 Box-Toppers points in 2018 (fourth among all players), earned no points in 2019. His decline of 21.7 points was ahead of Rays pitcher Blake Snell, whose 10.0 points in 2019 represented a 17.2-point drop from the 27.2 points he earned to lead all players in 2018.
Read MoreMarlins’ Wei-Yin Chen tops players for Friday, Sept. 21; Astros’ Gurriel tops AL players
Marlins pitcher Wei-Yin Chen is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Chen struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 1-0, 10-inning win over the Reds. Chen did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
Read MoreAthletics’ Daniel Mengden tops players for Saturday, May 26; Giants’ Crawford rises to lead NL batter rankings
Athletics pitcher Daniel Mengden is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Brandon Crawford of the Giants rises to lead National League batters in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreMariners’ James Paxton tops players for Friday, May 25, rises to 6th in player rankings
Mariners pitcher James Paxton is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to sixth place in season player rankings.
Also Friday, Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreAthletics’ Sean Manaea tops players for Saturday, April 21, pitching a no-hitter
Athletics pitcher Sean Manaea is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, pitching a no-hitter and rising to seventh place in season player rankings.
Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors. Plus, Angels pitcher Garrett Richards rises to ninth place in player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Indians' Corey Kluber tops players for Sunday, Sept. 17, rises to 4th in Box-Toppers rankings
Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in season player rankings.
Also Sunday, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, the Cleveland Indians regain the topsy-turvy race for Box-Toppers team rankings lead, passing the Los Angeles Dodgers, after Kluber’s Player of the Day honor.
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Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw tops Box-Toppers player rankings for fourth straight week
Kershaw leads players in Box-Toppers points for fourth week in a row. Aaron Judge of the Yankees regains player rankings lead among AL batters.
Read MoreDodgers' Clayton Kershaw tops Box-Toppers player rankings for 3rd straight week
Kershaw leads player rankings for 3rd straight week. New players rise to lead AL categories—Ervin Santana leads pitchers, Miguel Sano leads batters, both are Twins.
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Dodgers' Kershaw leads Box-Toppers player rankings report for 2nd straight week
Kershaw tops player rankings for second straight week. Other category leaders unchanged from last week: AL pitchers—Chris Sale, NL batters—Bryce Harper, AL batters—Aaron Judge.
Read MoreDodgers' Alex Wood tops players for Saturday, May 13; Red Sox' Sale rises to lead Box-Toppers player rankings
Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale rises to retake the lead in season Box-Toppers player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of May 13:| 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 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 6.0 |
| 6 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 5.4 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 5.4 |
| 8 | Triggs, Andrew 3723 | pi sp | oak al | 5.4 |
| 9 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 5.0 |
| 10 | Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 5.0 |
Player of the Day—Wood struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the Rockies.
American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing three runs on two hits, in the 6-3 win over the Rays.
Sale earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season, rising from third to first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He passes previous leader Twins pitcher Ervin Santana (7.7 Box-Toppers points), who only took the lead after Friday’s games. It is the second time this season Sale has led player rankings—he also led from May 2 to 5.
National League Batter of the Day—Travis Shaw of the Brewers homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 11-4 win over the Mets.
American League Batter of the Day—J.D. Martinez of the Tigers hit two homers and went 3-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 4-3 win over the Angels.
2017 lead changes
Here are the season’s lead changes among players in Box-Toppers points. Chart shows the date and the player’s Box-Toppers point (BTP) total when they took the lead.| Date | Player | Team | BTP |
| 4/2 | Carlos Martinez | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 4/3 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 4/9 | Noah Syndergaard | nym nl | 3.0 |
| 4/14 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 4.0 |
| 4/15 | Ervin Santana | min al | 4.7 |
| 4/19 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 5.0 |
| 5/2 | Chris Sale | bos al | 6.7 |
| 5/6 | Clayton Kershaw | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 5/12 | Ervin Santana | min al | 7.7 |
| 5/13 | Chris Sale | bos al | 8.4 |
Notable—Bryce Harper of the Nationals leads batters in season Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Harper (HR 1-4 2R 2BI in the 6-4 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to 11th place among all players. He passes previous batting leader, Aaron Judge of the Yankees (5.0 Box-Toppers points). Though both Harper and Judge have 5.0 Box-Toppers points, Harper ranks higher because he had more 2016 Box-Toppers points (3.0 vs. 0.0).
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
- Marlins pitcher Jose Berrios (7.2IP 2H R BB 4K W in the 4-1 win over the Indians) made his Major League debut April 27, 2016, and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,791st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams (5IP 4H R BB 4K W in the 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks) made his Major League debut Sept. 7, 2016, and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,792nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Wood earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Sale earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Shaw and Martinez 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score| 5/13 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.0 | LAD 4, COL 0 | Alex Wood (W,4-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| AL | 9.0 | BOS 6, TB 3 | Chris Sale (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | |
| 7.0 | `KC 4, BAL 3 | Nate Karns | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 6.2 | MIN 4, CLE 1 | Jose Berrios (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | ATL 3, MIA 1 | Julio Teheran (W,3-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.2 | `CHW 5, SD 4 | Anthony Swarzak | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | MIL 11, NYM 4 | Travis Shaw, 3B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | DET 4, LAA 3 | J.D. Martinez, RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | STL 5, CHC 3 | Tommy Pham, LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | TEX 6, OAK 5 | Matt Bush (S,3) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 7, SEA 2 | Kevin Pillar, CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | PIT 4, ARI 3 | Trevor Williams (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1.1 | SF 3, CIN 1 | Matt Moore (W,2-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 1.0 | WSH 6, PHI 4 | Bryce Harper, RF | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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 the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 | 21.8 | 89.8 | 94.8 | -5.0 |
| Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 5.0 | 8.0 | 32.4 | 32.4 | 2.0 |
| Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp mr | lad nl | 5.0 | 6.0 | 24.4 | 24.4 | 4.0 |
| Shaw, Travis 3544 | 3b | mil nl | 4.5 | 11.5 | 15.7 | 15.7 | -2.5 |
| Karns, Nathan 3414 | pi sp | kc al | 3.7 | 6.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 0.7 |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 2.7 | 15.1 | 38.6 | 40.6 | -9.7 |
| Pham, Thomas 3596 | lf | stl nl | 2.5 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
| Swarzak, Anthony 2603 | pi mr | chi al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 9.7 | 2.0 |
| Martinez, J.D. 2922 | rf | det al | 1.5 | 7.0 | 16.7 | 18.7 | -4.0 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 1.0 | 11.7 | 47.5 | 47.5 | -9.7 |
| Pillar, Kevin 3486 | cf | tor al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -1.0 |
| Bush, Matt 3673 | pi cp | tex al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Berrios, Jose 3791 | pi sp | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Williams, Trevor 3792 | pi sp | pit nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Red Sox' Chris Sale tops players for Thursday, April 20, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings
Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of April 20:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 5.0 |
| 2 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 |
| 4 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 4.7 |
| 5 | Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 3.7 |
| 6 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 3.4 |
| 7 | Morrison, Logan 2794 | 1b | tb al | 3.2 |
| 8 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.0 |
| 10 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | bos al | 3.0 |
Sale struck out 13 over eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and walking one, in the 4-1, 10-inning win over the Blue Jays. Sale picked up the no decision and did not earn the win because when he exited, the game was in a scoreless tie.
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season, rising to third in season player rankings.
National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits, in the 3-2 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—Ryon Healy of the Athletics doubled and went 3-for-3, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 9-6 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Travis Shaw of the Brewers hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, in the 7-5 win over the Cardinals.
Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Strasburg earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Healy and Shaw each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s 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.
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| 4/20 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 16.0 | `BOS 4, TOR 1 (F/10) | Chris Sale | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | |
| 14.0 | `BAL 2, CIN 1 (F/10) | Wade Miley | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 8.2 | HOU 2, LAA 1 | Lance McCullers Jr. (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | TB 8, DET 1 | Erasmo Ramirez (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| NL | 5.0 | WSH 3, ATL 2 | Stephen Strasburg (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| 4.0 | TEX 1, KC 0 (F/13) | Dario Alvarez (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.2 | SD 4, ARI 1 | Clayton Richard (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 3.1 | CLE 6, MIN 2 | Trevor Bauer (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | OAK 9, SEA 6 | Ryon Healy, 1B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 2.0 | MIL 7, STL 5 | Travis Shaw, 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | PHI 6, NYM 4 | Tommy Joseph, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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 the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 | 18.1 | 86.1 | 91.1 | -8.7 |
| Richard, Clayton 2584 | pi sp | sd nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 13.2 | 32.6 | 1.0 |
| Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 2.7 | 17.8 | 76.9 | 85.6 | -12.4 |
| Healy, Ryon 3685 | 1b 3b | oak al | 2.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -0.5 |
| McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 2.0 | 8.1 | 14.8 | 14.8 | -4.1 |
| Miley, Wade 3006 | pi sp | bal al | 2.0 | 8.0 | 38.4 | 38.4 | -4.0 |
| Ramirez, Erasmo 1786 | pi cp sp | tb al | 2.0 | 5.7 | 14.7 | 16.7 | -1.7 |
| Shaw, Travis 3544 | 3b 1b | mil nl | 1.5 | 8.5 | 12.7 | 12.7 | -5.5 |
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 1.0 | 12.4 | 30.5 | 30.5 | -10.4 |
| Joseph, Tommy 3681 | 1b | phi nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
| Alvarez, Dario 3663 | pi cp | tex al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
Most WAR leaders rank high in Box-Toppers points, but dominant NL pitchers are absent from WAR leaders list
8 of 11 WAR leaders are among their league's top 10 pitchers or batters in Box-Toppers points. However, NL pitchers, who occupy 8 of 10 spots in Box-Toppers' overall top 10, are not among WAR leaders.
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Chicago Cubs maintain lead in penultimate (and next-to-last) Box-Toppers '16 team rankings report
Cubs continue lead among teams in Box-Toppers rankings. Red Sox, hottest team of the week, rise to 2nd and continue lead among AL. Dodgers fall to 3rd.
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Why does wins leader Rick Porcello have so few Box-Toppers points?
Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello has been beaten by teammates for Player of the Game in 13 of his 20 wins. Though he leads in wins, he ranks 102nd among players with 7.0 Box-Toppers points.
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Chicago Cubs, week's hottest team, maintain lead in Box-Toppers team rankings
Cubs extend lead in team rankings after picking up most Box-Toppers points in past week. Red Sox maintain lead among AL teams.
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Cubs maintain Box-Toppers team rankings lead, Orioles are week's hottest team
Chicago Cubs remain top-ranked team in Box-Toppers points. Red Sox continue lead among AL teams. Orioles pick up most Box-Toppers points in past week.
Read MoreIndians' Carlos Carrasco tops players for Friday, Sept. 2; Cubs' Lester rises to 5th in Box-Toppers player rankings
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.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Sept. 2:| 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:
- Nationals pitcher A.J. Cole (6IP 3H R 2BB 5K in the 4-1 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut April 28, 2015, and was playing in his sixth career game. He is the 3,727th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Brewers pitcher Jhan Marinez (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K ND in the 1-0 win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut July 16, 2010, and was playing in his 40th career game. He is the 3,728th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
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.
Top player from each game
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. | ||||||||||||||
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 (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| 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 |
Indians' Bauer tops players for Tuesday, May 10; Orioles' Machado rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers points
Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 10:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 2 | Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b ss | bal al | 6.7 |
| 3 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.0 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 5.7 |
| 5 | Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 5.7 |
| 6 | De La Rosa, Rubby 3342 | pi sp | ari nl | 5.7 |
| 7 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 5.4 |
| 8 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 5.0 |
| 9 | Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 5.0 |
| 10 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.0 |
Also Tuesday, Manny Machado of the Orioles rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings, taking the lead among all American League players.
Player of the Day—Bauer struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 4-0 win over the Astros.
National League Player of the Day—Diamondbacks pitcher Rubby De La Rosa allowed one run over 7 1/3 innings, striking out six, in the 5-1 win over the Rockies.
De La Rosa earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season and rises to sixth in season player rankings, third among NL pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (7.0) and Jake Arrieta of the Cubs (6.0).
American League Batter of the Day—Travis Shaw of the Red Sox hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 13-5 win over the Athletics.
National League Batter of the Day—Ben Zobrist of the Cubs went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 8-7 win over the Padres.
Rankings—Manny Machado of the Orioles rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Machado (HR 3-3 2R BI in the 5-3 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.7 for the season. He passes White Sox pitcher Chris Sale (5.7) for the AL lead in Box-Toppers points and trails only Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (7.0).
Debut—Ryan Rua of the Rangers made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Rua (HR 3-5 2R 4BI in the 13-11 win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut Aug. 29, 2014, and was playing in his 71st career game. He is the 3,631st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Bauer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and De La Rosa earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Shaw and Zobrist each earn 1.5 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.
Top player from each game
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 | 8.0 | Indians | Trevor Bauer (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| NL | 6.1 | Dbacks | Rubby De La Rosa (W,4-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 6.1 | `Dodgers | Alex Wood | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | Red Sox | Travis Shaw, 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Cubs | Ben Zobrist, 2B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.2 | Blue Jays | J.A. Happ (W,5-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | Rangers | Ryan Rua, 1B-LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | Mike Leake (W,1-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | Phillies | Adam Morgan (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Orioles | Manny Machado, SS | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | Mariners | Steve Cishek (S,11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Brewers | Aaron Hill, 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Yankees | Didi Gregorius, SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Tigers | Victor Martinez, 1B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 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 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 (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 6.7 | 14.2 | 17.7 | 17.7 | -0.8 |
| De La Rosa, Rubby 3342 | pi sp | ari nl | 5.7 | 11.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 | -0.3 |
| Martinez, Victor 1695 | dh 1b ph | det al | 3.5 | 7.0 | 26.9 | 67.1 | 0.0 |
| Hill, Aaron 2056 | 3b 2b | mil nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 20.0 | 39.0 | 0.0 |
| Cishek, Steve 2997 | pi cp | sea al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 2.0 |
| Zobrist, Ben 2216 | rf 2b | chi nl | 2.5 | 3.5 | 21.5 | 30.5 | 1.5 |
| Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 2.0 | 15.1 | 30.5 | 38.5 | -11.1 |
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 2.0 | 11.4 | 20.1 | 20.1 | -7.4 |
| Shaw, Travis 3544 | 1b | bos al | 1.5 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | -2.7 |
| Leake, Mike 2709 | pi sp | stl nl | 1.0 | 11.0 | 36.1 | 40.6 | -9.0 |
| Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 1.0 | 8.7 | 19.4 | 19.4 | -6.7 |
| Gregorius, Didi 3184 | ss | nyy al | 1.0 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -1.5 |
| Morgan, Adam 3572 | pi sp | phi nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Rua, Ryan 3631 | 1b lf | tex al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Box-Toppers’ top single game performances by batters for 2015
Yoenis Cespedes of the Mets had the highest single-game Box-Toppers game score for a batter in 2015 of +11. Here's a look at the 16 best batting performances in 2015 as measured by Box-Toppers game score.
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