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.
Padres pitcher Yu Darvish is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara regains the Box-Toppers points lead among National League pitchers, rising to fourth place overall, after earning Player of the Game honors.
In addition, Aaron Judge of the Yankees extends his Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Player of the Day—Darvish struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
Darvish earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.8 for the season, 12th among all players and eighth among NL pitchers.
Darvish also now has 123.0 career Box-Toppers points, 48th among all players since player tracking began in 1995. He trails 47th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1). Darvish ranks 15th among active players in career points, eighth among active NL pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Martin Maldonado of the Astros hit a three-run homer and went 4-for-4, scoring four times and driving in four runs, in the 11-2 win over the Athletics.
Maldonado earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, 67th among AL batters.
AL and NL Batters of the Day—There are no separate AL or NL Batters of the Day for Sunday. There is no separate AL Batter of the Day because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Martin Maldonado. There is no separate NL Batter of the Day because for the second straight day, no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
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 Sunday, Sept. 18.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 24.0 |
| 2 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp | ana al | 22.7 |
| 3 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 20.4 |
| 4 | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | pi sp | fla nl | 19.1 |
| 5 | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | sf nl | 18.1 |
| 6 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 17.7 |
| 7 | Urias, Julio 3652 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.4 |
| 8 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 16.4 |
| 9 | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | pi sp | tb al | 16.4 |
| 10 | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 16.1 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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Alcantara—Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara rises from fifth to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Alcantara (CG 7H R BB 7K W in the 3-1 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 19.1 for the season. He regains the lead among NL pitchers, passing Carlos Rodon of the Giants (18.1).
Alcantara’s 19.1 points is now tied for the lowest Box-Toppers point total to lead NL pitchers in a single season. In 2006, John Smoltz of the Braves led NL pitchers with 19.1 points, the lowest point total to lead NL pitchers in a regular-length single season since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. Alcantara likely has at least two starts left this season to add to his total to avoid tying Smoltz for the record-low total.
Judge—Aaron Judge of the Yankees extends his lead among AL batters in 2022 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Judge (2HR 2B 4-5 3R 4BI in the 12-8 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.2 for the season, 26th among all players and first among AL batters, ahead of Jose Ramirez of the Guardians (10.7).
This now guarantees there will be no new record for lowest point total to lead AL batters in a single season. The record is 12.1 points by Edwin Encarnacion of Cleveland in 2017.
Judge only took the lead among AL batters Saturday and only because the previous leader, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels (22.7 points), no longer qualified to be ranked among batters because he has earned such an overwhelming majority of his Player of the Game honors as a pitcher.
Notable—Two other players with more than 10.0 Box-Toppers points also earned Player of the Game honors Sunday:
Twins pitcher Joe Ryan (7.2IP 3H 0R 2BB 5K W in the 3-0 win over the Guardians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.7 for the season, 17th overall, ninth among AL pitchers.
Braves pitcher Spencer Strider (6IP H R 2BB 10K W in the 5-2 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season, 20th among all players and 11th among NL pitchers.
Also notable—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom now has 131.5 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
deGrom (5IP 4H 3R 0BB 13K ND in the 7-3 win over the Pirates) ranks 38th among all players in career points since Box-Toppers player tracking began in 1995. He ranks 13th among active players and seventh among active NL pitchers.
deGrom now has 9.4 Box-Toppers points in 2022, 23rd among NL pitchers.
Debut—White Sox pitcher Tanner Banks made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Banks (3IP H R 0BB 5K W in the 11-5 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut April 10 and was playing in his 33rd career game.
Scoring—Darvish earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Maldonado earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 9/18 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +12.0 | SD 6, ARI 1 | Yu Darvish, (W 15‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| +10.0 | ATL 5, PHI 2 | Spencer Strider, (W 11‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||
| +9.0 | `LAD 4, SF 3 (F/10) | Andrew Heaney | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| AL | +8.0 | HOU 11, OAK 2 | Martin Maldonado, C | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +8.0 | `NYM 7, PIT 3 | Jacob deGrom | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | ||
| +7.2 | MIN 3, CLE 0 | Joe Ryan, (W 12‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +6.0 | NYY 12, MIL 8 | Aaron Judge, CF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +6.0 | MIA 3, WSH 1 | Sandy Alcantara, (W 13‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +5.0 | CHW 11, DET 5 | Tanner Banks, (W 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | BOS 13, KC 3 | Tommy Pham, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `TB 5, TEX 3 | Colin Poche, (Hld 21) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | LAA 5, SEA 1 | Luis Rengifo, 3B‑2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | CIN 3, STL 0 | Luis Cessa, (W 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| +3.0 | COL 4, CHC 3 | Daniel Bard, (S 32) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | BAL 5, TOR 4 | Joey Krehbiel, (W 5‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.
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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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | pi sp | fla nl | 19.1 | 28.8 | 38.2 | 38.2 | +9.4 |
| Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | sd nl | 15.8 | 28.9 | 67.4 | 123.0 | +2.7 |
| Ryan, Joe 4539 | pi sp | min al | 13.7 | 16.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 | +11.0 |
| Strider, Spencer 4626 | pi sp | atl nl | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | +13.4 |
| Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf cf | nyy al | 12.2 | 21.2 | 42.4 | 42.4 | +3.2 |
| deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.4 | 26.1 | 86.4 | 131.5 | -7.3 |
| Bard, Daniel 2657 | pi cp | col nl | 8.0 | 9.0 | 13.0 | 18.7 | +7.0 |
| Heaney, Andrew 3515 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 | 12.0 | 31.1 | 35.1 | +2.0 |
| Krehbiel, Joey 4562 | pi mr | bal al | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +4.7 |
| Maldonado, Martin 3082 | ca | hou al | 2.7 | 6.7 | 14.2 | 21.7 | -1.3 |
| Rengifo, Luis 4178 | 2b ss 3b | ana al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +2.5 |
| Cessa, Luis 3703 | pi sp cp mr | cin nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 |
| Poche, Colin 4165 | pi mr | tb al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| Pham, Thomas 3596 | lf | bos al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 15.5 | 18.5 | -0.5 |
| Banks, Tanner 4743 | pi cp | chi al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Monday’s pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 12.1 | 18.5 | 54.7 | 87.5 |
| CLE | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 11.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| LAA | Suarez, Jose 4425 | 8.0 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| CHC | Miley, Wade 3006 | 1.0 | 11.7 | 27.1 | 63.5 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| HOU | Garcia, Luis 4423 | 6.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 11.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 |
| DET | Alexander, Tyler 4196 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| BAL | Wells, Tyler 4428 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| WSH | Abbott, Cory 4701 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| ATL | Wright, Kyle 4349 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| NYM | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 8.0 | 33.1 | 102.6 | 234.3 |
| MIL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 13.4 | 31.5 | 42.2 | 42.2 |
| SF | Junis, Jakob 3857 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| COL | Kuhl, Chad 3687 | 4.0 | 6.7 | 13.7 | 15.7 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 9.0 | 12.0 | 24.0 | 24.0 |
| LAD | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | 8.0 | 21.4 | 72.9 | 256.6 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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