Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
▪️ Box-Toppers points of the day’s top players.
▪️ Top 10 players in 2022 Box-Toppers points.
▪️ A B-T look at today’s pitching matchups.
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to third in season player rankings.
Also Saturday, three other players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list—Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove rises to second place, Braves pitcher Kyle Wright rises to fifth and Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff rises to ninth.
Player of the Day—Verlander struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing six hits and no walks, in the 2-1 win over the Rangers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2022. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Saturday, May 21.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | dh pi sp | ana al | 8.0 |
| 2 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 7.0 |
| 3 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 7.0 |
| 4 | Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp | mil nl | 6.7 |
| 5 | Wright, Kyle 4349 | pi sp | atl nl | 6.7 |
| 6 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 6.0 |
| 7 | Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 6.0 |
| 8 | Alonso, Pete 4118 | 1b | nym nl | 6.0 |
| 9 | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 5.7 |
| 10 | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | pi sp | det al | 5.7 |
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Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, third among all players behind Shohei Ohtani of the Angels (8.0) and Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove (7.0). (Though both Verlander and Musgrove have 7.0 points on the season, Musgrove ranks ahead because he has more 2021 Box-Toppers points—16.1 vs. 0.0.)
Verlander ranks second among American League pitchers, behind Ohtani (8.0). Ohtani has earned 4.0 of his points as a starting pitcher and 4.0 as a designated hitter. So Verlander now has the most points among players who have earned them exclusively as an AL pitcher.
Verlander now has 213.6 career Box-Toppers points, sixth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails fifth-ranked player, Royals pitcher Zack Greinke (217.8), by 4.2 points. Verlander ranks fourth among active players in career points, second among active AL pitchers, behind Greinke.
National League Player of the Day—Braves pitcher Kyle Wright struck out six over five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks, in the 4-3 win over the Marlins.
Wright earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, fifth among all players and third among NL pitchers, behind Musgrove (7.0) and Eric Lauer of the Brewers (6.7).
American League Batter of the Day—Rafael Devers of the Red Sox hit two home runs and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 6-5 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Brian Serven of the Rockies hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 11-3 win over the Mets.
This was Serven’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Serven made his Major League debut May 5 and was playing in his second career game.
Rankings—In addition to Verlander and Wright, two other players rose in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after each earned Player of the Game honors Saturday:
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove (7IP 4H 0R 3BB 4K W in the 2-1 win over the Giants) rises from third to second place with 7.0 Box-Toppers points. Musgrove also rises to lead NL pitchers, passing previous leader Eric Lauer of the Brewers (6.7).
Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff (6IP 5H R 0BB 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Nationals) rises to ninth place with 5.7 Box-Toppers points, fifth among NL pitchers.
Notable—Mookie Betts of the Dodgers rises to second place among NL batters in 2022 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Betts (HR 2B 3-4 R 3BI in the 7-4 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.5 for the season, 15th overall and second among NL batters, behind Pete Alonso of the Mets (6.0).
Also notable—Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco now has 103.1 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Carrasco (5.1IP 7H R 0BB 4K W in the 5-1 win over the Rockies) ranks 78th among all players in career Box-Toppers points since tracking began in 1995. With his 1.0 point Saturday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list—Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and Miguel Tejada (102.3). He now trails 77th-ranked player Jamie Moyer (104.0).
Carrasco has 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2022, 28th among NL pitchers.
Debut—Jake McCarthy of the Diamondbacks made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
McCarthy (2B 3-4 2R BI in the 7-6, 10-inning win over the Cubs) made his Major League debut Aug. 27, 2021, and was playing in his 39th career game.
Scoring—Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Wright earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Devers and Serven each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Player of the Game winners (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.
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Box‑Toppers Player of the Game winners
Here is the top player from each of the day’s games listed from highest to lowest Box‑Toppers game score (BTG).Back to top
| 5/21 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.0 | HOU 2, TEX 1 | Justin Verlander, (W 6‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| +7.2 | TB 6, BAL 1 | Jeffrey Springs, (W 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | ||
| +6.0 | LAA 5, OAK 3 | Michael Lorenzen, (W 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| NL | +6.0 | ATL 4, MIA 3 | Kyle Wright, (W 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |
| +5.0 | MIL 5, WSH 1 | Brandon Woodruff, (W 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | BOS 6, SEA 5 | Rafael Devers, 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +4.0 | COL 11, NYM 3 | Brian Serven, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | MIN 9, KC 2 | Luis Arraez, 1B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | SD 2, SF 1 | Joe Musgrove, (W 5‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | TOR 3, CIN 1 | Jordan Romano, (S 14) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.1 | STL 5, PIT 4 | Drew VerHagen, (W 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +3.1 | NYY 7, CHW 5 | Clay Holmes, (S 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | LAD 7, PHI 4 | Mookie Betts, RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | ARI 7, CHC 6 (F/10) | Jake McCarthy, RF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +0.1 | NYM 5, COL 1 | Carlos Carrasco, (W 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
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.
N/A—Not applicable. No Player of the Game was chosen because the game ended in a tie.
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.
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Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s Player of the Game winners
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total in 2022 (’22). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’21-22), the period 2017-2022 (’17-22) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2022 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2021 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 7.0 | 23.1 | 39.1 | 42.8 | -9.1 |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 7.0 | 7.0 | 74.3 | 213.6 | +7.0 |
| Wright, Kyle 4349 | pi sp | atl nl | 6.7 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | +6.7 |
| Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 5.7 | 22.8 | 39.5 | 39.5 | -11.4 |
| Betts, Mookie 3404 | rf | lad nl | 5.5 | 8.5 | 36.6 | 47.8 | +2.5 |
| Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 56.6 | 103.1 | +3.0 |
| Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | pi sp cp | ana al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 11.5 | 13.5 | +3.0 |
| Arraez, Luis 4219 | 1b 2b lf 3b | min al | 2.5 | 6.7 | 9.2 | 9.2 | -1.7 |
| Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | pi sp mr | tb al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Holmes, Clay 4022 | pi cp mr | nyy al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| Devers, Rafael 4038 | 3b | bos al | 1.5 | 9.0 | 23.5 | 23.5 | -6.0 |
| Serven, Bruce 4620 | ca | col nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| VerHagen, Drew 3584 | pi mr sp | stl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| McCarthy, Jake 4621 | rf | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Sunday’s pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at Sunday’s probable pitching matchups. Teams are paired below with visiting teams on top and home teams on the bottom. Each team’s starting pitcher is shown with their Box-Toppers point total from 2022 (’22), over a two-year period (’21-22), over a six-year period (’17-22) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’22 | ’21-22 | ’17-22 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | Matz, Steven 3516 | 4.4 | 11.1 | 27.8 | 43.4 |
| PIT | Wilson, Bryse 4048 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| LAD | Gonsolin, Tony 4211 | 3.0 | 7.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| PHI | Eflin, Zach 3679 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 24.8 | 28.8 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| BOS | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 0.0 | 14.1 | 27.8 | 53.6 |
| TB | Kluber, Corey 3200 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 53.7 | 119.1 |
| BAL | Watkins, Spenser 4479 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CIN | Ashcraft, Graham* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TOR | Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| ATL | Anderson, Ian 4312 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 2.7 | 12.4 | 21.8 | 21.8 |
| DET | Faedo, Alex 4612 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CLE | Bieber, Shane 4005 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 44.6 | 44.6 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| KC | Singer, Brady 4337 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| TEX | Hearn, Taylor 4604 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| HOU | Urquidy, Jose 4194 | 1.0 | 9.4 | 14.1 | 14.1 |
| WSH | Sanchez, Aaron 3392 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 21.4 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 5.4 | 18.1 | 36.8 | 36.8 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| CHC | Miley, Wade 3006 | 1.0 | 11.7 | 27.1 | 63.5 |
| CHW | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | 1.7 | 6.7 | 13.7 | 113.5 |
| NYY | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 31.4 | 36.4 |
| NYM | Walker, Taijuan 3453 | 0.0 | 9.4 | 20.4 | 41.8 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| SD | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| SF | Wood, Alex 3246 | 1.0 | 14.0 | 34.7 | 54.1 |
| OAK | Irvin, Cole 4140 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| LAA | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CHW | Kopech, Michael 4385 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| NYY | Severino, Luis 3567 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 43.8 | 48.8 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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