Astros pitcher Justin Verlander is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to third place 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 Sept. 22:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Snell, Blake 3688 | pi sp | tb al | 24.2 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 23.1 |
| 3 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 22.1 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 20.1 |
| 5 | Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 20.1 |
| 6 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 19.7 |
| 7 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 18.1 |
| 8 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | hou al | 18.0 |
| 9 | Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | nyy al | 17.7 |
| 10 | Berrios, Jose 3791 | pi sp | min al | 16.1 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Also Saturday, Javier Baez of the Cubs rises to first place among National League batters in 2018 Box-Toppers points after earning NL Batter of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Verlander struck out 11 over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 10-5 win over the Angels. Verlander did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Angels took the lead after he exited, before the Astros came back to win the game.
Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 22.1 for the season, rising from fifth to third in Box-Toppers season player rankings, second among American League pitchers, behind overall leader Blake Snell of the Rays (24.2). Verlander is just 1.0 Box-Toppers point behind second-ranked player, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (23.1).
Verlander also has 176.1 career Box-Toppers points, 10th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails ninth-ranked player Scherzer (179.8). Verlander ranks fifth among active players in career points.
National League Player of the Day—Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, four hits and no walks, in the 7-2 win over the Padres.
American League Batter of the Day—Rowdy Tellez of the Blue Jays homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 5-2 win over the Rays.
National League Batter of the Day—Javier Baez of the Cubs homered and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the White Sox.
Baez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season, rising to first place among NL batters, passing previous leader Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves (9.2).
Baez becomes the third batter this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points, joining J.D. Martinez (11.5) and Mookie Betts (10.9), both of the Red Sox. The record-low number of players to reach 10 points in a season is five (2014). Though Baez now leads all NL batters, his current point total would still set the record for the lowest Box-Toppers point to lead a category for a season in Box-Toppers’ 24-year tracking history. His 10.0 points is below the record-low 10.7 points Nolan Arenado of the Rockies had in 2016 to lead NL batters.
This is Baez’s first season with 10 or more points. His previous high was 5.2 points in 2017 with the Cubs, fourth among NL second basemen.
Notable—In addition to Verlander and Baez, there were four other Player of the Game winners from Saturday with 10 or more 2018 Box-Toppers points, including three others who reached the 10.0-point milestone Saturday.
With four players reaching the 10.0-point mark Saturday, 44 players now have 10 or more points on the season.
Among these notable Player of the Game winners from Saturday with 10 or more points:
Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz (7.1IP 2H 2R 3BB 5K W in the 5-3 win over the Phillies), who earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season, 29th among all players and 13th among NL pitchers.
Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers (6IP 4H R BB 5K ND in the 3-2 win over the Twins), who earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season, 39th among all players and 19th among AL pitchers. This is Fiers’ first season with 10 or more points. His previous high was 7.7 in 2012 with the Brewers.
Marlins pitcher Jose Urena (5.2IP 3H 0R BB 3K W in the 5-1 win over the Reds), who earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season, 40th among all players and 19th among NL pitchers. This is Urena’s first season with 10 or more points. His previous high was 6.0 in 2017 with the Marlins.
Mariners pitcher Marco Gonzales (6IP H 0R BB 3K W in the 13-0 win over the Rangers), who earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season, 43rd among all players and 20th among AL pitchers. This is Gonzales’ first season with 10 or more points. His previous high was 3.0 in 2014 with the Cardinals.
Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, each with their first career Player of the Game honors:
Nationals pitcher Austin Voth (5IP H 0R 2BB 5K W in the 6-0 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut July 14 and was playing in his third career game.
Indians pitcher Tyler Olson (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 5-4, 11-inning win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut April 7, 2015, and was playing in his 84th career game.
Scoring—Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hill earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Tellez and Baez 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.
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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (BTG)| 9/22 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | +16.0 | `HOU 10, LAA 5 | Justin Verlander | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| NL | +8.0 | LAD 7, SD 2 | Rich Hill (W, 10‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| +8.0 | PIT 3, MIL 0 | Trevor Williams (W, 14‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | SEA 13, TEX 0 | Marco Gonzales (W, 13‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +7.0 | WSH 6, NYM 0 | Austin Voth (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +6.0 | COL 5, ARI 1 | Antonio Senzatela (W, 6‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | CLE 5, BOS 4 (F/11) | Tyler Olson (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | `OAK 3, MIN 2 | Mike Fiers | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | `NYY 3, BAL 2 (F/11) | Dellin Betances | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.2 | MIA 5, CIN 1 | Jose Urena (W, 8‑12) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +3.1 | ATL 5, PHI 3 | Mike Foltynewicz (W, 12‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | TOR 5, TB 2 | Rowdy Tellez DH | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | `DET 5, KC 4 | Jordan Zimmermann | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | CHC 8, CHW 3 | Javier Baez SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +1.0 | STL 5, SF 4 (F/10) | Tyler O'Neill RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 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.
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 | +/‑ |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 22.1 | 36.8 | 71.9 | 176.1 | +7.4 |
| Foltynewicz, Mike 3455 | pi sp | atl nl | 11.7 | 15.7 | 22.4 | 22.4 | +7.7 |
| Fiers, Mike 3029 | pi sp | oak al | 10.7 | 17.1 | 35.5 | 43.2 | +4.3 |
| Urena, Jose 3492 | pi sp | fla nl | 10.7 | 16.7 | 20.4 | 20.4 | +4.7 |
| Gonzales, Marco 3408 | pi sp | sea al | 10.4 | 11.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 | +9.4 |
| Baez, Javier 3395 | ss 2b 3b | chi nl | 10.0 | 15.2 | 19.7 | 19.7 | +4.8 |
| Williams, Trevor 3792 | pi sp | pit nl | 8.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | +3.0 |
| Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.7 | 20.4 | 38.8 | 58.5 | -5.0 |
| Zimmermann, Jordan 2612 | pi sp | det al | 6.0 | 8.0 | 47.7 | 68.4 | +4.0 |
| Betances, Dellin 3333 | pi cp mr | nyy al | 4.0 | 9.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 | -1.0 |
| Senzatela, Antonio 3760 | pi sp mr | col nl | 4.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +1.0 |
| Tellez, Rowdy 4078 | 1b dh | tor al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| O’Neill, Tyler 4074 | rf pr | stl nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Olson, Tyler 4083 | pi cp | cle al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Voth, Austin 4082 | pi sp | dc nl | 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.