Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2019 season through the games of May 11.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 8.4 |
| 2 | Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | mil nl | 7.0 |
| 3 | Eflin, Zach 3679 | pi sp | phi nl | 6.7 |
| 4 | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | pi sp | tb al | 6.7 |
| 5 | Paddack, Chris 4093 | pi sp | sd nl | 6.7 |
| 6 | Castillo, Luis 3840 | pi sp | cin nl | 6.4 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.2 |
| 8 | Bellinger, Cody 3781 | rf | lad nl | 6.2 |
| 9 | Snell, Blake 3688 | pi sp | tb al | 6.0 |
| 10 | Ozuna, Marcell 3190 | lf | stl nl | 5.5 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Also Saturday, Albert Pujols ties Box-Toppers all-time record for most consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points at 19, after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2019.
Player of the Day—Eflin pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking none, in the 7-0 win over the Royals.
Eflin earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, rising to third in season player rankings, second among National League pitchers, behind Josh Hader of the Brewers (7.0).
American League Player of the Day—Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole struck out 12 over six innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 11-4 win over the Rangers.
American League Batter of the Day—Albert Pujols of the Angels hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-2 win over the Orioles.
Box-Toppers season streaks
Here are the players who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. In 2019, Albert Pujols and CC Sabathia have tied Carlos Beltran and Jason Giambi for the longest streak—19 straight seasons. Players are listed by length of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.)Streak |
Player |
Pos |
Duration |
Career BTP |
|
| 1 | 19 | Jason Giambi | 1b | 1995‑2013 | 133.4 |
| 1 | 19 | Carlos Beltran | rf | 1999‑2017 | 108.6 |
| 1 | 19 | CC Sabathia* | pi sp | 2001‑2019 | 201.4 |
| 1 | 19 | Albert Pujols* | 1b dh | 2001‑2019 | 192.3 |
| 5 | 18 | Jim Thome | 1b dh | 1995‑2012 | 146.7 |
| 5 | 18 | Chipper Jones | 3b | 1995‑2012 | 149.0 |
| 5 | 18 | Johnny Damon | lf | 1995‑2012 | 63.0 |
| 5 | 18 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b | 1996‑2013 | 187.0 |
| 9 | 17 | Mariano Rivera | pi cp | 1995‑2011 | 126.4 |
| 9 | 17 | Derek Jeter | ss | 1996‑2012 | 76.4 |
| 9 | 17 | Paul Konerko | 1b | 1998‑2014 | 100.7 |
| 9 | 17 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | 1999‑2015 | 157.0 |
| 9 | 17 | Torii Hunter | cf | 1999‑2015 | 115.9 |
| 9 | 17 | David Ortiz | dh | 2000‑2016 | 145.9 |
| 15 | 16 | Manny Ramirez | lf | 1995‑2010 | 167.2 |
| 15 | 16 | Andy Pettitte | pi sp | 1995‑2010 | 138.5 |
| 15 | 16 | Jamie Moyer | pi sp | 1995‑2010 | 104.0 |
| 15 | 16 | Scott Rolen | 3b | 1996‑2011 | 97.6 |
| 15 | 16 | Kevin Millwood | pi sp | 1997‑2012 | 108.3 |
| 15 | 16 | Derek Lowe | pi sp | 1998‑2013 | 91.5 |
| 15 | 16 | Aramis Ramirez | 3b | 2000‑2015 | 105.8 |
| 15 | 16 | Mark Buehrle | pi sp | 2000‑2015 | 116.7 |
| 15 | 16 | Ichiro Suzuki | rf | 2001‑2016 | 53.7 |
| 15 | 16 | Miguel Cabrera* | 1b | 2003‑2018 | 147.9 |
| 25 | 15 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | 1995‑2009 | 278.8 |
| 25 | 15 | Garret Anderson | lf | 1995‑2009 | 86.5 |
| 25 | 15 | Ivan Rodriguez | ca | 1995‑2009 | 79.0 |
| 25 | 15 | Tony Clark | 1b | 1995‑2009 | 63.8 |
| 25 | 15 | Gary Sheffield | lf | 1995‑2009 | 124.1 |
| 25 | 15 | Jason Kendall | ca | 1996‑2010 | 40.9 |
| 25 | 15 | Vladimir Guerrero | rf | 1997‑2011 | 128.3 |
| 25 | 15 | Bobby Abreu | rf | 1997‑2011 | 95.5 |
| 25 | 15 | Mike Cameron | cf | 1997‑2011 | 70.3 |
| 25 | 15 | Miguel Tejada | ss | 1997‑2011 | 102.3 |
| 25 | 15 | Jorge Posada | ca | 1997‑2011 | 79.5 |
| 25 | 15 | Livan Hernandez | pi sp | 1997‑2011 | 76.7 |
| 25 | 15 | Kyle Lohse | pi sp | 2001‑2015 | 89.0 |
| 25 | 15 | Jake Peavy | pi sp | 2002‑2016 | 141.8 |
| 25 | 15 | Joe Mauer | 1b | 2004‑2018 | 82.6 |
* Active streak of a player active in 2019.
(Chart updated May 11, 2019)
Details of Box-Toppers season streaks as of the close of the 2017 season
Pujols has now earned Box-Toppers points in 19 consecutive seasons, tied for the longest streak in Box-Toppers tracking history (going back to 1995). Three other players have similar 19 season streaks—Jason Giambi (1995-2013), Carlos Beltran (1999-2017) and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (2001-2019), who reached the milestone earlier this season. While the 19-season streaks by Sabathia and Pujols are both active, Sabathia has announced this season will be his last, so his streak won’t continue to 20 straight seasons. Pujols, 39, has made no retirement announcement and so could set the new record at 20 straight seasons in 2020.
Pujols earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2001 with the Cardinals and now has 192.3 career points, seventh among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails sixth-ranked player Curt Schilling (194.1). Pujols has the most career Box-Toppers points among all batters since 1995, ahead of Alex Rodriguez (187.0). He ranks fourth among active players in career points.
Pujols’ best season was 2009 with the Cardinals when he had 16.7 Box-Toppers points, leading all NL batters and ranking eighth among all players that season. Pujols has led NL batters in Box-Toppers points five times—leading the league in season Box-Toppers points more than any other batter—all with the Cardinals:
In 2003, he had 16.5 points.
In 2004—15.9.
2008—15.2.
2009—16.7.
2010—15.4.
Pujols has had as few as 3.0 points in a season in 2018 with the Angels.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day for Saturday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Streak—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2019 Saturday.
Scherzer (7IP 5H 2R 2BB 7K W in the 5-2 win over the Dodgers) earned his first points in 2009 with the Diamondbacks. His best season was 2016 with the Nationals when he had 25.7 Box-Toppers points to lead all players. He’s had five straight seasons of 20.0 or more Box-Toppers points (2014-2018) and seven straight seasons of 17.0 or more points (2012-2018). Scherzer had 25.1 points in 2018, second among all players and first among NL pitchers. He’s led NL pitchers in points each of the last three seasons.
Scherzer now has 182.8 career Box-Toppers points, 10th among all players since 1995, when player tracking began. He trails ninth-ranked player, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander (186.5). Scherzer ranks sixth among active players in career points.
This is the latest in a season Scherzer has earned his first Player of the Game honor since 2010, when he did it on May 30. That season, Scherzer had 13.4 Box-Toppers points with the Tigers, eighth among AL pitchers.
Scoring—Eflin earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cole earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Pujols earn 1.5 points for being AL 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)| 5/11 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | +12.0 | PHI 7, KC 0 | Zach Eflin (W, 5‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| AL | +12.0 | HOU 11, TEX 4 | Gerrit Cole (W, 4‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | |
| +8.0 | CHC 2, MIL 1 (F/15) | Tyler Chatwood (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | NYM 4, MIA 1 | Jacob deGrom (W, 3‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +7.0 | `CIN 5, SF 4 | David Hernandez (H, 6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +6.0 | PIT 2, STL 1 | Jordan Lyles (W, 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | LAA 7, BAL 2 | Albert Pujols 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | SD 4, COL 3 | Kirby Yates (S, 16) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | MIN 8, DET 3 | C.J. Cron 1B | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | TB 7, NYY 2 | Yandy Diaz 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | DET 5, MIN 3 | Ronny Rodriguez SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | WSH 5, LAD 2 | Max Scherzer (W, 2‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| +3.0 | ATL 6, ARI 4 | Kevin Gausman (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +2.1 | `OAK 3, CLE 2 | Yusmeiro Petit (H, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | CHW 7, TOR 2 | James McCann C | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BOS 9, SEA 5 | Rafael Devers 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
| Eflin, Zach 3679 | pi sp | phi nl | 6.7 | 14.4 | 19.4 | 19.4 | -1.0 |
| Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | hou al | 4.7 | 22.7 | 60.9 | 65.6 | -13.3 |
| deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.7 | 20.5 | 81.3 | 81.3 | -13.1 |
| Lyles, Jordan 3100 | pi sp | pit nl | 3.7 | 7.7 | 9.7 | 15.4 | -0.3 |
| Devers, Rafael 4038 | 3b | bos al | 2.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 |
| Rodriguez, Ronny 4119 | ss | det al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 5.7 | 37.0 | 41.0 | -1.7 |
| Chatwood, Tyler 2856 | pi sp cp | chi nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 19.4 | 28.1 | +1.0 |
| McCann, James 3649 | ca | chi al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +1.0 |
| Pujols, Albert 1438 | 1b dh | ana al | 1.5 | 4.5 | 32.5 | 192.3 | -1.5 |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 1.0 | 26.1 | 119.9 | 182.8 | -24.1 |
| Yates, Kirby 3628 | pi cp | sd nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -4.0 |
| Hernandez, David 2649 | pi mr | cin nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 17.0 | -2.0 |
| Cron, C.J. 3338 | 1b | min al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | -1.0 |
| Petit, Yusmeiro 2337 | pi mr | oak al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 24.7 | 0.0 |
| Diaz, Yandy 3896 | 3b dh | tb al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 0.0 |
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.