Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2019 season through the games of Sept. 28.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | hou al | 31.2 |
| 2 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 27.5 |
| 3 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 20.7 |
| 4 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 19.1 |
| 5 | Morton, Charlie 2503 | pi sp | tb al | 18.8 |
| 6 | Bieber, Shane 4005 | pi sp | cle al | 18.1 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | hou al | 17.9 |
| 8 | Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | mil nl | 17.7 |
| 9 | Clevinger, Mike 3707 | pi sp | cle al | 17.4 |
| 10 | Ryu, Hyun-Jin 3139 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.4 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Also Saturday, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander maintains his second-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. He also now has the 12th-highest single-season Box-Toppers point total (27.5) since 1995, when player tracking began.
In addition, Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Hamels struck out eight over four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 8-6 win over the Cardinals.
Hamels did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because even though the Cubs were in the lead when he exited, he did not pitch the required five innings to earn the win. Hamels was pitching limited innings after returning from injury. Though he did not pitch enough innings to earn the win, he did pitch at least three innings, the minimum to be automatically qualified to be considered as a Box-Toppers Player of the Game winner.
Hamels earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, 53rd among all players and 24th among National League pitchers.
In Hamels’ 14 consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points, he has earned 10 or more 12 times (including a record 11 seasons straight from 2006-2016). This is just the second time he will miss earning at least 10 points. The other time was 2017, he had 9.4 points with the Rangers. So in other words, he has 9.4 or more points for 14 straight seasons. He missed earning 10 points in two seasons and both by less than 1.0 point each time—in fact, by a combined 0.9 points (0.6 in 2017 and 0.3 in 2019).
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 227.5 |
| 4 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | hou al | 207.1 |
| 5 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | hou al | 205.6 |
| 6 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 203.4 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 201.8 |
| 8 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | dc nl | 197.2 |
| 9 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 10 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | retired | 187.0 |
| 11 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 175.1 |
| 12 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | chi nl | 174.2 |
| 13 | Jon Lester | pi sp | chi nl | 172.6 |
| 14 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 15 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 16 | Johan Santana | pi sp | retired | 166.6 |
| 17 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 18 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 19 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 20 | Bartolo Colon | pi sp | free agent | 155.9 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
List of top 100 players since 1995 as of the 2019 All-Star break.
Hamels now has 174.2 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 12th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his 2.0 points Saturday, he passes teammate Jon Lester (172.6) on the “all-time” list and now trails 11th-ranked player, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (175.1) by 0.9 points. Passing Lester, Hamels now ranks eighth among active players in career points.
American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Reynaldo Lopez struck out nine over eight innings, allowing one run, five hits and one walk, in the 7-1 win over the Tigers.
Lopez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 13.1 for the season, 23rd among all players and 10th among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Christian Walker of the Diamondbacks hit two home runs, including a seventh-inning, go-ahead grand slam, in the 6-5 win over the Padres. Walker went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in five runs.
American League Batter of the Day—Rougned Odor of the Rangers hit a grand slam and doubled, going 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in six runs, in the 9-4 win over the Yankees.
Best seasons
Randy Johnson holds the record for most Box-Toppers points in a single season with 33.7, which he achieved twice—in 2000 and 2002. Here are all players who have earned 25 or more Box-Toppers points in a single season since 1995, ranked by their single-season Box-Toppers point total.| Player | Team | Pos | Year | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2000 | 33.7 |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 33.7 |
| 3 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2000 | 33.5 |
| 4 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 1999 | 31.5 |
| 4 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2014 | 31.5 |
| 6 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 1999 | 31.4 |
| 7 | *Gerrit Cole | Astros | pi sp | 2019 | 31.2 |
| 8 | Randy Johnson | Dbacks | pi sp | 2001 | 29.4 |
| 9 | Jake Arrieta | Cubs | pi sp | 2015 | 29.1 |
| 10 | Pedro Martinez | Red Sox | pi sp | 2002 | 28.8 |
| 11 | Curt Schilling | Dbacks | pi sp | 2002 | 28.4 |
| 12 | *Justin Verlander | Astros | pi sp | 2019 | 27.5 |
| 13 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1997 | 27.4 |
| 14 | Blake Snell | Rays | pi sp | 2018 | 27.2 |
| 15 | Johan Santana | Twins | pi sp | 2004 | 26.8 |
| 16 | Pedro Martinez | Expos | pi sp | 1997 | 26.7 |
| 16 | CC Sabathia | Indians/Brewers | pi sp | 2008 | 26.7 |
| 18 | Randy Johnson | Mariners/Astros | pi sp | 1998 | 26.4 |
| 19 | John Smoltz | Braves | pi sp | 1996 | 26.1 |
| 19 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2011 | 26.1 |
| 21 | Roger Clemens | Blue Jays | pi sp | 1998 | 25.8 |
| 21 | Corey Kluber | Indians | pi sp | 2014 | 25.8 |
| 23 | Johan Santana | Twins | pi sp | 2006 | 25.7 |
| 23 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | pi sp | 2015 | 25.7 |
| 24 | Max Scherzer | Nationals | pi sp | 2016 | 25.7 |
| 26 | Cliff Lee | Phillies | pi sp | 2011 | 25.4 |
| 27 | Chris Sale | Red Sox | pi sp | 2017 | 25.1 |
| 27 | Max Scherzer | Nationals | pi sp | 2018 | 25.1 |
| 29 | Max Scherzer | Nationals | pi sp | 2017 | 25.0 |
Verlander—Astros pitcher Justin Verlander maintains his second-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Verlander (6IP 4H 3R 0BB 12K W in the 6-3 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 27.5 for the season. He trails overall leader and teammate pitcher Gerrit Cole (31.2) by 3.7 points. Verlander led player rankings much of the season but was decisively passed by Cole in early September with Cole clinching the Box-Toppers Player of the Year crown a week ago, on Sept. 22. Verlander ranks second to Cole both overall and among AL pitchers.
However, this is Verlander’s best season (his previous best was 2012 with the Tigers when he had 24.8 points, when he led all players) and his 27.5 points is the 12th-highest single-season point total since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. That point total would have been high enough to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Year honors in any of the three previous seasons from 2016-18. Cole, however, has the seventh-highest single-season point total since 1995 (31.2).
Verlander now has 205.6 career Box-Toppers points, fifth-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails fourth-ranked player and teammate Zack Greinke (207.1). Verlander ranks third among active players in career points, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (227.4) and Greinke.
Ryu—Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Ryu (7IP 5H 0R 0BB 7K W in the 2-0 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.4 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.
Notable—Mets pitcher Steven Matz becomes the 50th player in 2019 to reach 10 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Matz (6IP 2H 0R 5BB 7K W in the 3-0 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season, 49th among all players and 21st among NL pitchers.
This is Matz’s second season with 10 or more points. In 2016, he had 12.1 points with the Mets, 32nd among all players and 17th among NL pitchers.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Adam Haseley of the Phillies (3-4 R 2BI in the 9-3 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut June 4 and was playing in his 66th career game.
Richie Martin of the Orioles (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 9-4 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut March 28 and was playing in his 119th career game.
Scoring—Hamels earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lopez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Walker and Odor 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 (BTG)| 9/28 | BTG |
Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +10.0 | `CHC 8, STL 6 | Cole Hamels | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| AL | +9.0 | CHW 7, DET 1 | Reynaldo Lopez (W, 10‑15) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| +9.0 | LAD 2, SF 0 | Hyun‑Jin Ryu (W, 14‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| +8.0 | HOU 6, LAA 3 | Justin Verlander (W, 21‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 | ||
| +8.0 | TOR 4, TB 1 | Trent Thornton (W, 6‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | ||
| BAT | +6.0 | ARI 6, SD 5 | Christian Walker 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | NYM 3, ATL 0 | Stephen Matz (W, 11‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | TEX 9, NYY 4 | Rougned Odor 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | `COL 3, MIL 2 (F/10) | Chi Chi Gonzalez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +4.0 | WSH 10, CLE 7 | Gerardo Parra CF‑RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | DET 4, CHW 3 | John Hicks PH‑C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | OAK 1, SEA 0 | Brett Anderson (W, 13‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | `CIN 4, PIT 2 (F/12) | Matt Bowman | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | PHI 9, MIA 3 | Adam Haseley CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BAL 9, BOS 4 | Richie Martin SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | MIN 4, KC 3 | Mitch Garver C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (’19). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’18-19), the period 2014-2019 (’14-19) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2019 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2018 total (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’19 | ’18‑19 | ’14‑19 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 27.5 | 51.6 | 91.4 | 205.6 | +3.4 |
| Ryu, Hyun-Jin 3139 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.4 | 27.5 | 43.9 | 53.6 | +7.3 |
| Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 | pi sp | chi al | 13.1 | 18.8 | 20.8 | 20.8 | +7.4 |
| Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 10.0 | 15.7 | 32.3 | 32.3 | +4.3 |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.7 | 20.8 | 75.8 | 174.2 | -1.4 |
| Thornton, Trent 4120 | pi sp | tor al | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | +8.7 |
| Garver, Mitch 3950 | ca | min al | 7.5 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 |
| Walker, Christian 3958 | 1b | ari nl | 5.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | +3.5 |
| Anderson, Brett 2597 | pi sp | oak al | 3.0 | 8.0 | 16.0 | 36.7 | -2.0 |
| Gonzalez, Chi Chi 3490 | pi sp mr | col nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +3.0 |
| Parra, Gerardo 2746 | 1b rf cf | dc nl | 2.7 | 4.7 | 22.7 | 34.7 | +0.7 |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | tex al | 2.5 | 10.0 | 29.7 | 29.7 | -5.0 |
| Hicks, John 3777 | ca 1b ph | det al | 1.0 | 3.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | -1.5 |
| Bowman, Matt 3699 | pi mr | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| Haseley, Adam 4265 | cf | phi nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Martin, Richie 4266 | ss | bal al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Box-Toppers
Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.
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.