Indians pitcher Aaron Civale is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day in his Major League debut.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2019 season through the games of June 22.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 13.8 |
| 2 | Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | mil nl | 13.7 |
| 3 | Morton, Charlie 2503 | pi sp | tb al | 11.8 |
| 4 | Ryu, Hyun-Jin 3139 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.7 |
| 5 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | hou al | 10.4 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.2 |
| 7 | Giolito, Lucas 3900 | sp pi | chi al | 9.7 |
| 8 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | min al | 9.4 |
| 9 | Bieber, Shane 4005 | pi sp | cle al | 9.4 |
| 10 | Bellinger, Cody 3781 | rf | lad nl | 9.2 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Also Saturday, Brewers pitcher Josh Hader maintains his second-place rank in Box-Toppers season player rankings, increasing his lead among National League pitchers, after earning NL Player of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Civale struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks, in the 2-0 win over the Tigers.
Civale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season and his career, making his Box-Toppers debut and his Major League debut. He ranks 282nd among all players and 78th among American League pitchers in 2019 points.
National League Player of the Day—Brewers closing pitcher Josh Hader struck out four over two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks and earning the save, in the 6-5 win over the Reds.
Hader earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 13.7 for the season, maintaining his rank of second place among all players, now just 0.1 point behind overall leader Astros pitcher Justin Verlander (13.8). Hader increases his lead among NL pitchers, ahead of second-place Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers (10.7).
Best seasons by closers
Josh Hader of the Brewers is tied for the eighth-most Box-Toppers points by a closing pitcher in any single season since tracking of closers began in 1998. Here are the closing pitchers with the most Box-Toppers points in a single season, led by Eric Gagne of the Dodgers, who earned 19.7 points in 2004.| Player | Team | Year | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Gagne | Dodgers | 2004 | 19.7 |
| 2 | Eric Gagne | Dodgers | 2003 | 19.0 |
| 3 | Billy Wagner | Astros | 1999 | 15.0 |
| 3 | Craig Kimbrel | Braves | 2012 | 15.0 |
| 5 | Troy Percival | Angels | 1998 | 14.0 |
| 5 | Mariano Rivera | Yankees | 2008 | 14.0 |
| 5 | Aroldis Chapman | Reds | 2012 | 14.0 |
| 8 | Brad Lidge | Astros | 2004 | 13.7 |
| 8 | * Josh Hader | Brewers | 2019 | 13.7 |
| 10 | Eric Gagne | Dodgers | 2002 | 13.0 |
| 10 | Billy Wagner | Braves | 2010 | 13.0 |
NOTE: An earlier version of this chart inadvertently left out some key data, including three of the top 10 single-season point totals for a closing pitcher. Previous versions of this chart left out Eric Gagne’s record 19.7 points in 2004. Also not included were Aroldis Chapman’s 14.0-point 2012 season and Brad Lidge’s 13.7-point 2004 season.
Though it is less than halfway through the season, Hader’s 13.7 points in 2019 already is tied for the eighth-most in a single season for any closing pitcher in a complete season since Box-Toppers tracking of closers began in 1998. The record for most points in a single season for a closer since 1998 is 19.7 by Eric Gagne of the Dodgers in 2004. Hader is on pace to earn 29.0 points in 2019, which would not only shatter the record for closing pitchers, but would rank ninth among the highest single-season total for any player since overall player tracking began in 1995. [This paragraph was revised Monday, August 26, 2019, to correct errors. See Best seasons by closers chart for details.]
Hader has earned Player of the Game honors 13 times this season, most of any player. This is the first time he has earned Box-Toppers bonus points by being top overall player or top player or batter in his league for the day.
National League Batter of the Day—Freddie Freeman of the Braves doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 13-9 win over the Nationals.
American League Batter of the Day—Nomar Mazara of the Rangers hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 6-5 win over the White Sox.
Mazara just edged Jonathan Villar of the Orioles to earn AL Batter of the Day honors. Villar, Player of the Game in the 8-4 win over the Mariners (HR 2-4 2R 3BI), also had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 and had a similar line score, but Mazara beat him on a tiebreaker because he had more home runs (two vs. one).
Streak—Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2019 Saturday.
Stanton (2-4 0R 4BI in the 7-5 win over the Astros) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2010 with the Marlins and now has 60.9 career points, 10th among active AL batters. His best season was 2017 with the Marlins when he had 14.2 points, second among NL batters. In 2018, he had 6.5 points with the Yankees, fourth among AL designated hitters.
Notable—Alex Dickerson of the Giants earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Saturday.
Dickerson (2-2B 2-4 2R 3BI in the 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks) was also NL Batter of the Day Friday in the 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks (GS 3B 3-5 R 6BI). Friday was Dickerson’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Dickerson now has 2.5 Box-Toppers points on the season and for his career.
Debut—Marlins pitcher Austin Brice made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Brice (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 5-3 win over the Phillies) made his Major League debut Aug. 12, 2016, and was playing in his 92nd career game.
Scoring—Civale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hader earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Freeman and Mazara 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)| 6/22 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +7.0 | CLE 2, DET 0 | Aaron Civale (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |
| NL | +6.0 | MIL 6, CIN 5 | Josh Hader (S, 18) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| +5.1 | OAK 4, TB 2 | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | ATL 13, WSH 9 | Freddie Freeman 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | STL 4, LAA 2 | Dakota Hudson (W, 6‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +4.0 | NYM 10, CHC 2 | Zack Wheeler (W, 6‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | TOR 8, BOS 7 | Nick Kingham (W, 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | LAD 5, COL 4 (F/11) | Alex Verdugo CF | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | TEX 6, CHW 5 | Nomar Mazara RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | BAL 8, SEA 4 | Jonathan Villar 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | SF 7, ARI 4 | Alex Dickerson LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | PIT 6, SD 3 | Jose Osuna PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | MIA 5, PHI 3 | Austin Brice (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | MIN 5, KC 3 (F/10) | Blake Parker (S, 10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | NYY 7, HOU 5 | Giancarlo Stanton LF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 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.
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | mil nl | 13.7 | 25.4 | 28.4 | 28.4 | +2.0 |
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.0 | 15.7 | 24.4 | 28.4 | -5.7 |
| Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | atl nl | 4.5 | 12.0 | 33.2 | 53.7 | -3.0 |
| Parker, Blake 3823 | pi cp | min al | 3.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +1.0 |
| Hudson, Dakota 4035 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | +1.7 |
| Villar, Jonathan 3233 | 2b | bal al | 2.5 | 4.5 | 13.0 | 14.0 | +0.5 |
| Dickerson, Alex 4172 | lf | sf nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Kingham, Nick 3951 | pi cp mr sp | tor al | 2.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -2.0 |
| Petit, Yusmeiro 2337 | pi mr | oak al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 25.7 | +1.0 |
| Civale, Aaron 4173 | pi sp | cle al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Verdugo, Alex 4129 | rf cf | lad nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Mazara, Nomar 3614 | rf | tex al | 1.5 | 8.5 | 20.5 | 20.5 | -5.5 |
| Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | lf dh | nyy al | 1.0 | 7.5 | 40.4 | 60.9 | -5.5 |
| Osuna, Jose 3795 | rf ph | pit nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Brice, Austin 4174 | pi mr | fla 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.