Mets' Bartolo Colon tops players for Tuesday, July 26; Angels' Skaggs tops AL players

Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon 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 July 26:  

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	20.0
2	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	16.4
3	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	16.0
4	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	sf nl	14.4
5	Kluber, Corey 3200	pi sp	cle al	12.5
6	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	12.1
7	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	11.4
8	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	11.0
9	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	11.0
10	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	10.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Colon struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Cardinals.

Colon earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 145.8 for his career. He ranks 22nd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, and now trails 21st-ranked player Jim Thome (146.7).

Colon has 5.7 Box-Toppers points this season, most of any of the 16 who earned Player of the Game honors Tuesday. He ranks 78th among all players, 31st among NL pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, one walk and striking out five, in the 13-0 win over the Royals.

American League Batter of the Day—Kyle Seager of the Mariners homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Pirates.

National League Batter of the Day—Scooter Gennett of the Brewers went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 9-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Notable—Matt Cain of the Giants becomes the fifth pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting and also has now earned Box-Toppers points for 12 straight seasons.

It is the second time in his career that Cain (3-R HR 1-2 in the 9-7 win over the Reds) has earned Player of the Game honors for batting. He also did it Aug. 23, 2007.

With his first point of the season, Cain has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2005 with the Giants and has 98.0 career points, 12th among active NL pitchers and third among active Giants, behind Jake Peavy (141.8) and Madison Bumgarner (103.7). His best season was 2010 with the Giants when he had 16.1 Box-Toppers points, seventh among NL pitchers. In 2015, he had 2.0 Box-Toppers points with the Giants.

Scoring—Colon earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Skaggs earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Seager and Gennett 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

7/26	Score	Game	Player of Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	10.0	NYM 3, STL 1	Bartolo Colon (W,9-5)	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	1	1	0	8
	8.1	LAD 3, TB 2	Bud Norris (W,6-9)	-	-	-	-		6.1	2	0	0	2	6
AL	8.0	LAA 13, KC 0	Tyler Skaggs (W,1-0)	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	1	5
	7.0	MIA 5, PHI 0	Tom Koehler (W,8-8)	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	0	0	1	5
	4.2	CHW 3, CHC 0	James Shields (W,5-12)	-	-	-	-		7.2	4	0	0	4	5
BAT	3.0	SEA 7, PIT 4	Kyle Seager, 3B	4	2	3	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	MIL 9, ARI 4	Scooter Gennett, 2B	3	1	2	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	SF 9, CIN 7	Matt Cain, P	2	1	1	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	ATL 2, MIN 0	Lucas Harrell (W,2-2)	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	3	4
	2.0	OAK 6, TEX 3	Josh Reddick, RF	4	1	2	3		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	CLE 7, WSH 6	Tyler Naquin, PH	1	1	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	NYY 6, HOU 3	Andrew Miller (S,9)	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	COL 6, BAL 3	Carlos Estevez (S,9)	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	DET 9, BOS 8	Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C	4	0	3	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	TOR 7, SD 6 (12)	Justin Smoak, 1B	2	1	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	0.0	STL 3, NYM 2	Jedd Gyorko, 3B	4	1	1	2		-	-	-	-	-	-

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	+/-
Colon, Bartolo	pi sp	nym nl	5.7	12.4	54.3	145.8	-1.0
Norris, Bud 2638	pi sp	lad nl	5.7	6.7	37.1	46.1	4.7
Seager, Kyle 3031	3b	sea al	5.0	10.0	24.0	24.0	0.0
Koehler, Tom 3159	pi sp	fla nl	4.0	8.0	16.0	16.0	0.0
Miller, Andrew 2436	pi cp	nyy al	4.0	8.0	12.0	19.0	0.0
Reddick, Josh 2936	rf	oak al	3.5	11.7	24.4	24.4	-4.7
Harrell, Lucas 2988	pi sp	atl nl	3.0	3.0	7.7	7.7	3.0
Estevez, Carlos 3641	pi cp mr	col nl	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
Gyorko, Jedd 3164	3b 2b	stl nl	2.5	6.0	15.2	15.2	-1.0
Shields, James 2157	pi sp	chi al	2.0	9.4	67.6	98.4	-5.4
Smoak, Justin 2731	1b	tor al	2.0	7.0	16.9	21.4	-3.0
Saltalamacchia, Jarod 2355	ca	det al	2.0	2.0	13.0	19.0	2.0
Naquin, Tyler 3662	cf ph	cle al	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Skaggs, Tyler 3183	pi sp	ana al	1.7	1.7	11.4	11.4	1.7
Gennett, Scooter 3254	2b	mil nl	1.5	3.5	10.5	10.5	-0.5
Cain, Matt 2081	pi sp	sf nl	1.0	3.0	35.8	98.0	-1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Angels' Skaggs tops players for Thursday, July 31; Kershaw, Cueto improve standing in Box-Toppers player rankings

Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs is Thursday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings and Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rises to fourth place in rankings.

Skaggs pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 1-0, 13-inning win over the Orioles. Skaggs left in the fifth inning with a left forearm strain and picked up a no-decision.

Kershaw extended his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw (CG R 9K W in the 2-1 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 21.1 for the season. Last season, he led all players with 21.7 Box-Toppers points.

Cueto, National League Player of the Day, rises from eighth to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Cueto struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Marlins. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points, giving him 15.4 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers. This is his highest Box-Toppers point total for any season, beating his previous high, 14.4 in 2012.

Andy Marte of the Diamondbacks is NL Batter of the Day. Marte hit a pinch-hit two-run homer in the 7-4 win over the Pirates. This was Marte’s first Major League at bat since 2010. He last earned Box-Toppers points when he was AL Batter of the Day on Aug. 4, 2010, with the Indians.

Adam Eaton of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Eaton went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Tigers.

Skaggs receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Cueto receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Marte and Eaton 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

731	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	9.2	`Angels	Tyler Skaggs	-	-	-	-	-	-		4.2	0	0	0	2	7
NL	9.0	Reds	Johnny Cueto (W, 12-6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	1	9
	7.0	Dodgers	Clayton Kershaw (W, 13-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	9	1	1	0	9
	7.0	Cubs	Jake Arrieta (W, 6-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	1	1	2	7
	4.0	Cardinals	Shelby Miller (W, 8-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	2	2	0	5
BAT	3.0	Diamondbacks	Andy Marte PH	1	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Royals	Yordano Ventura (W, 8-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	2	1	3	7
	3.0	Blue Jays	Aaron Sanchez (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	Phillies	Grady Sizemore LF	5	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	2.0	White Sox	Adam Eaton CF	5	2	3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Mariners	Fernando Rodney (S, 30)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	2

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

Yankees' Ivan Nova, D-Backs' Tyler Skaggs top players for Friday, July 5

Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova is Friday's Player of the Day. Nova pitched a complete game and struck out 11 in the 3-2 win over the Orioles.

Diamondbacks pitcher Tyler Skaggs is National League Player of the Day. Skaggs pitched eight scoreless innings and gave up only three hits in the 5-0 win over the Rockies. 

Kirk Nieuwenhuis of the Mets is NL Batter of the Day. Nieuwenhuis went 4-for-4 with five RBIs in the 12-5 win over the Brewers.

Josh Reddick of the Athletics is American League Batter of the Day. Reddick went 2-for-3 and scored three runs in the 6-3 win over the Royals. 

Notable: Mariners closing pitcher Oliver Perez (Save, 3K in 4-2 win vs. Reds) was Player of the Game for the first time in more than four years. The previous time Perez was Player of the Game was April 15, 2009, when he was a starting pitcher for the New York Mets. In 2004, Perez had 17.0 Box-Toppers points for the season as a starter for the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates. He has 43.1 career Box-Toppers points.

Nova receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Skaggs receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Nieuwenhuis and Reddick each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

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

705	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	12.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ivan Nova (W, 3-2)	9.0	3	2	2	1	11
NL	9.0	Diamondbacks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tyler Skaggs (W, 2-1)	8.0	3	0	0	1	5
BAT	8.0	Mets	Kirk Nieuwenhuis RF	4	3	4	5	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	8.0	Rays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeremy Hellickson (W, 8-3)	7.0	6	1	1	0	9
	7.0	Dodgers	Juan Uribe 3B	5	2	3	7	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	6.0	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Rick Porcello (W, 5-6)	7.0	5	0	0	2	6
	6.0	Blue Jays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Mark Buehrle (W, 5-5)	7.0	6	0	0	0	5
BAT	4.0	Athletics	Josh Reddick RF	3	3	2	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	4.0	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Francisco Liriano (W, 8-3)	9.0	4	2	2	4	7
	4.0	`Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Trevor Rosenthal (H, 18)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	4.0	Mariners	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Oliver Perez (S, 2)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Phillies	Humberto Quintero C	3	1	2	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz PH	1	1	1	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Rangers	Nelson Cruz RF	5	2	1	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Nationals	Wilson Ramos C	4	1	2	3	0	1			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.