Brewers pitcher Eric Lauer is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, two players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after both earned Player of the Game honors—Mets pitcher Tylor Megill rises to second place and Ty France of the Mariners rises to fourth.
Player of the Day—Lauer struck out 13 over six scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Phillies. Lauer did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
Lauer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and now ranks 33rd among all players, 18th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole struck out nine over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 10-2 win over the Guardians.
Cole earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 50th in season player rankings, 18th among American League pitchers.
Cole has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of 2022. He earned his first points in 2013 with the Pirates and now has 124.6 career points, rising to 44th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his 1.7 points Sunday, he passes Gary Sheffield (124.1) on the “all-time” list and now trails 43rd-ranked player Mariano Rivera (126.4). He ranks 12th among active players in career points, fourth among active AL pitchers.
Cole’s best season was 2019 with the Astros when he led all players with 32.2 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total since 1995. He had 22.4 Box-Toppers points in 2021 with the Yankees, second overall and first among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Joc Pederson of the Giants hit two home runs and doubled, going 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 12-3 win over the Nationals.
Pederson earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season.
American League Batter of the Day—Byron Buxton of the Twins hit two home runs, including a walk-off, three-run, 10th-inning, game-winning shot, in the 6-4, 10-inning win over the White Sox. Buxton went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs.
This was the second straight day Buxton earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He also did it Saturday (HR 2B 4-4 3R 2BI in the 9-2 win over the White Sox). He now has 2.5 Box-Toppers points for 2022, 18th among all players and fourth among AL batters.
Rankings—Mets pitcher Tylor Megill rises from fourth to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Megill (6.2IP 5H 2R BB 7K W in the 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.7 for the season, trailing leader Shohei Ohtani of the Angels (5.0). He rises to first place among NL pitchers, passing previous leader Joe Musgrove of the Padres (4.0).
Also Sunday, Ty France of the Mariners rises from eighth to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors (HR 3-5 R 2BI in the 5-4, 12-inning win over the Royals).
France earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.0 for the season. He ranks second among AL batters, behind Ohtani (5.0).
This was the second straight day France earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors. He also was AL Batter of the Day Saturday (HR 5-6 3R 5BI in the 13-7 win over the Royals).
Streak—Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2022 Sunday.
Blackmon (2B 4-5 2R 2BI in the 6-2 win over the Tigers) earned his first points in 2011 with the Rockies. He earned no points in 2012, so his 10-season streak began in 2013 with the Rockies. He has 31.2 career Box-Toppers points, 28th among active NL batters. His best season was 2017 with the Rockies when he had 5.7 points, 15th among NL outfielders. He had 3.5 points in 2021 with the Rockies.
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, April 24.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | dh pi sp | ana al | 5.0 |
| 2 | Megill, Tylor 4464 | pi sp | nym nl | 4.7 |
| 3 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 4.0 |
| 4 | France, Ty 4243 | 1b | sea al | 4.0 |
| 5 | Wright, Kyle 4349 | pi sp | atl nl | 4.0 |
| 6 | Ramirez, Jose 3436 | 3b | cle al | 3.2 |
| 7 | Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi sp | sd nl | 3.0 |
| 8 | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | sf nl | 3.0 |
| 9 | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | pi sp | sea al | 3.0 |
| 10 | Cron, C.J. 3338 | 1b | col nl | 3.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Debut—Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Lodolo (5.2IP 5H R 0BB 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Cardinals) made his Major League debut April 13 and was playing in his third career game.
Scoring—Lauer 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. Pederson and Buxton each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter 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).| 4/24 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | `MIL 1, PHi 0 | Eric Lauer | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | |
| AL | +10.2 | NYY 10, CLE 2 | Gerrit Cole, (W 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| BAT | +6.0 | SF 12, WSH 3 | Joc Pederson, RF | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | OAK 2, TEX 0 | Cole Irvin, (W 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| +5.2 | CIN 4, STL 1 | Nick Lodolo, (W 1‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| +5.0 | MIA 5, ATL 4 | Jesus Luzardo, (W 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | MIN 6, CHW 4 (F/10) | Byron Buxton, CF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | LAD 10, SD 2 | Cody Bellinger, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | TB 5, BOS 2 | Shane McClanahan, (W 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| +3.2 | NYM 6, ARI 2 | Tylor Megill, (W 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +3.2 | PIT 4, CHC 3 | Dillon Peters, (W 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | COL 6, DET 2 | Charlie Blackmon, RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | LAA 7, BAL 6 | Jo Adell, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | SEA 5, KC 4 (F/12) | Ty France, 1B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | HOU 8, TOR 7 (F/10) | Michael Brantley, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 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.
N/A—Not applicable. No Player of the Game was chosen because the game ended in a tie.
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 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 (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Megill, Tylor 4464 | pi sp | nym nl | 4.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | ‑1.3 |
| France, Ty 4243 | 1b | sea al | 4.0 | 11.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | ‑3.5 |
| McClanahan, Shane 4399 | pi sp | tb al | 2.7 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | ‑2.0 |
| Buxton, Byron 3604 | cf | min al | 2.5 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 17.7 | +1.0 |
| Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp | mil nl | 2.0 | 8.0 | 21.4 | 21.4 | ‑4.0 |
| Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 1.7 | 24.1 | 88.7 | 124.6 | ‑20.7 |
| Pederson, Joc 3621 | rf lf | sf nl | 1.5 | 7.5 | 20.7 | 24.7 | ‑4.5 |
| Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 1.0 | 8.4 | 13.1 | 13.1 | ‑6.4 |
| Irvin, Cole 4140 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 5.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | ‑3.7 |
| Blackmon, Charlie 2891 | rf | col nl | 1.0 | 4.5 | 19.2 | 31.2 | ‑2.5 |
| Brantley, Michael 2785 | lf dh | hou al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 7.5 | 28.9 | ‑2.0 |
| Peters, Dillon 4524 | pi mr sp | pit nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | ‑1.0 |
| Bellinger, Cody 3781 | cf | lad nl | 1.0 | 2.7 | 23.6 | 23.6 | ‑0.7 |
| Adell, Jo 4527 | lf | ana al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Lodolo, Nick 4586 | pi sp | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Mantiply, Joe 4585 | pi cp | ari nl | 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 Monday’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.| Game | Starter | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Long, Sammy 4526 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 2.0 | 20.1 | 30.8 | 30.8 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 27.4 | 27.4 |
| PHI | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 2.0 | 9.7 | 29.5 | 46.5 |
| BOS | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 0.0 | 14.1 | 27.8 | 53.6 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 1.0 | 10.4 | 50.9 | 50.9 |
| NYM | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 1.0 | 26.1 | 95.6 | 227.3 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 16.7 | 19.4 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| TEX | Dunning, Dane 4317 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CLE | Bieber, Shane 4005 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 43.6 | 43.6 |
| LAA | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 10.5 | 12.5 |
| LAD | Buehler, Walker 3943 | 0.0 | 16.7 | 53.9 | 53.9 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
Starters subject to change.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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