Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and regains the lead in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2018 season through the games of July 27:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.4 |
| 2 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 17.1 |
| 3 | Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | nyy al | 16.7 |
| 4 | Berrios, Jose 3791 | pi sp | min al | 16.1 |
| 5 | Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 14.4 |
| 6 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 14.4 |
| 7 | Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 14.0 |
| 8 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | hou al | 14.0 |
| 9 | Snell, Blake 3688 | pi sp | tb al | 12.7 |
| 10 | Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 12.1 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Also Friday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale rises from fourth to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Plus, three players in Box-Toppers “all-time” top 10 in career points earned Player of the Game honors Friday—Scherzer, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke.
Player of the Day—Scherzer struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing one run (none earned), three hits and one walk, in the 9-1 win over the Marlins.
2018 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 | Leader | Team | BTP |
| 3/29 | Luis Severino | nyy al | 2.0 |
| 3/30 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 2.0 |
| 4/02 | Paul DeJong | stl nl | 2.5 |
| 4/04 | Luis Severino | nyy al | 3.0 |
| 4/09 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 3.7 |
| 4/12 | Jose Berrios | min al | 4.0 |
| 4/13 | Gerrit Cole | hou al | 5.0 |
| 4/14 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 5.7 |
| 4/18 | Jose Berrios | min al | 6.0 |
| 4/20 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 6.7 |
| 4/22 | Patrick Corbin | ari nl | 7.0 |
| 4/27 | Luis Severinio | nyy al | 7.7 |
| 5/1 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 7.7 |
| 5/2 | Luis Severinio | nyy al | 9.7 |
| 5/11 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 11.4 |
| 6/4 | Luis Severinio | nyy al | 13.7 |
| 6/5 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 15.4 |
| 7/1 | Luis Severinio | nyy al | 16.7 |
| 7/27 | Max Scherzer | dc nl | 18.4 |
Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 18.4 for the season, rising from second to first in season player rankings. Scherzer regains the lead from Yankees pitcher Luis Severino (16.7 points), who falls to third place overall. This is the eighth time this season Scherzer has led all players in Box-Toppers points. He last led from June 5 to 30, when Severino the took the lead he just relinquished.
Scherzer also now has 175.1 career Box-Toppers points, rising to ninth place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers player tracking began. With his points Friday, he passes Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (174.1) on the “all-time” list and moves into fifth place among all active players. Scherzer trails eighth-ranked player Alex Rodriguez (187.0).
American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 4-3, 10-inning win over the Twins. Sale did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Twins tied the game and took the lead after he exited.
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 | 211.8 |
| 4 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 196.7 |
| 5 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 189.3 |
| 7 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 188.2 |
| 8 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | retired | 187.0 |
| 9 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | dc nl | 175.1 |
| 10 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 174.1 |
| 11 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 12 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | hou al | 168.4 |
| 13 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 14 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 15 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 16 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 17 | Jon Lester | pi sp | chi nl | 160.6 |
| 18 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | tex al | 159.8 |
| 19 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 20 | Bartolo Colon | pi sp | tex al | 155.9 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
List of top 100 players since 1995 at the end of the 2017 season.
Sale earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 17.1 for the season. He rises from fourth to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and rises to first place among AL pitchers, passing previous leader, Severino (16.7).
Sale also now has 128.6 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 35th place among all players since 1995, when player tracking began. With his points Friday, he passes five players on the “all-time” list—Roy Oswalt (127.2), John Lackey (127.2), A.J. Burnett (127.8), Jered Weaver (127.8) and Vladimir Guerrero (128.3). Sale now trails 34th-ranked player Trevor Hoffman (129.4).
National League Batter of the Day—David Freese of the Pirates homered and went 3-for-3, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 5-4 win over the Mets.
American League Batter of the Day—Adam Jones of the Orioles hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 15-5 win over the Rays.
Notable—Three players in Box-Toppers “all-time” top 10 in career points earned Player of the Game honors Friday. In addition to Scherzer, who rose to ninth place:
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (7.2IP 6H R 0BB 8K W in the 4-1 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 211.8 career points. He ranks third among all players since 1995 and first among active players. He trails second-ranked player Pedro Martinez (244.8). Kershaw now has 5.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 39th among NL pitchers. Kershaw has earned 20 or more Box-Toppers points for seven straight seasons and has finished among the top three players each of those seven seasons.
Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke (7IP 6H R 0BB 6K W in the 6-2 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 188.2 career points. He ranks seventh among all players since 1995 and trails sixth-ranked player Albert Pujols of the Angels (189.3). Greinke has 12.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 11th among all players and third among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Scherzer 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. Freese and Jones 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.
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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (BTG)| 7/27 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | +14.0 | WSH 9, MIA 1 | Max Scherzer (W, 14‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| AL | +11.0 | `BOS 4, MIN 3 (F/10) | Chris Sale | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| +7.2 | LAD 4, ATL 1 | Clayton Kershaw (W, 4‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| BAT | +6.0 | PIT 5, NYM 4 | David Freese 3B‑1B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | ARI 6, SD 2 | Zack Greinke (W, 12‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +4.1 | TEX 11, HOU 2 | Yovani Gallardo (W, 5‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | ||
| +4.1 | CIN 6, PHI 4 | David Hernandez (W, 4‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | BAL 15, TB 5 | Adam Jones CF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | STL 5, CHC 2 | Paul DeJong SS | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | CLE 8, DET 3 | Brandon Guyer PH‑RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | TOR 10, CHW 5 | Curtis Granderson RF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | COL 3, OAK 1 | Kyle Freeland (W, 9‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +3.0 | MIL 3, SF 1 | Chase Anderson (W, 7‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +2.0 | LAA 4, SEA 3 (F/10) | Kole Calhoun RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 (’18). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’17-18), the period 2013-2018 (’13-18) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2018 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2017 total (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’18 | ’17‑18 | ’13‑18 | Career | +/‑ |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.4 | 43.4 | 130.3 | 175.1 | -6.6 |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 17.1 | 42.2 | 107.9 | 128.6 | -8.0 |
| Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 12.0 | 32.1 | 98.4 | 188.2 | -8.1 |
| Freeland, Kyle 3763 | pi sp | col nl | 5.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | -0.3 |
| Granderson, Curtis 2051 | dh rf | tor al | 5.7 | 8.9 | 20.9 | 74.7 | +2.5 |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 5.0 | 28.1 | 131.4 | 211.8 | -18.1 |
| Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 4.7 | 15.1 | 31.1 | 31.1 | -5.7 |
| Jones, Adam 2347 | cf | bal al | 4.0 | 10.0 | 36.0 | 59.5 | -2.0 |
| DeJong, Paul 3827 | ss | stl nl | 3.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -1.0 |
| Calhoun, Kole 3279 | rf | ana al | 3.0 | 6.5 | 22.2 | 22.2 | -0.5 |
| Hernandez, David 2649 | pi mr | cin nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 16.0 | +3.0 |
| Freese, David 2710 | 3b 1b | pit nl | 2.5 | 4.5 | 13.0 | 28.7 | +0.5 |
| Gallardo, Yovani 2333 | pi sp | tex al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 28.4 | 92.7 | +1.0 |
| Guyer, Brandon 3363 | rf ph | cle al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | +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.