Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
▪️ Box-Toppers points of the day’s top players.
▪️ Top 10 players in 2023 Box-Toppers points.
▪️ A B-T look at upcoming pitching matchups.
▪️ Subscribe to Box-Toppers Email Newsletter.
Padres pitcher Michael Wacha is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander passes Pedro Martinez, rising to fourth place among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995, after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Player of the Day
Wacha struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 6-1 win over the White Sox.
Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season, 37th among all players and 17th among National League pitchers.
Wacha becomes the 53rd player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his first season with 10 or more points. His previous best season was 2015 with the Cardinals, when he had 9.7 points, 23rd among NL pitchers. In 2022, he had 8.4 points with the Red Sox, 32nd among American League pitchers.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 10 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 270.4 |
| 3 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | tex al | 251.7 |
| 4 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | hou al | 245.0 |
| 5 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 6 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | kc al | 224.5 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | retired | 207.8 |
| 8 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | retired | 203.4 |
| 9 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 10 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | retired | 187.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
American League Player of the Day
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander struck out five over five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks, in the 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Verlander earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 12.4 for the season, 22nd overall and 11th among AL pitchers.
Verlander also now has 245.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to fourth place among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 1.7 points, he passes Pedro Martinez (244.8) on the “all-time” career points list. (It should be noted that Martinez began his career in 1992, prior to the start of Box-Toppers tracking. If his entire career were tracked, Martinez is projected to have 270 points.)
Verlander now trails third-ranked player, Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer (251.7) by 6.7 points. Verlander ranks third among active players, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (270.4) and Scherzer (251.7). He ranks second among active AL pitchers in career points behind Scherzer.
National League Batter of the Day
Francisco Alvarez of the Mets hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 11-4 win over the Phillies. Alvarez went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in six runs.
Alvarez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.5 for the season, 29th among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Zack Gelof of the Athletics homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 7-3 win over the Angels.
Debut
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2023. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Saturday, Sept. 30.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strider, Spencer 4626 | pi sp | atl nl | 21.1 |
| 2 | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | pi sp | tor al | 20.1 |
| 3 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | ana al | 19.4 |
| 4 | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 18.7 |
| 5 | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 17.8 |
| 6 | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | pi sp | mil nl | 17.7 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 17.0 |
| 8 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 16.7 |
| 9 | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | sea al | 16.1 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | tex al | 15.4 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, both with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Ivan Herrera of the Cardinals (2B 2-3 3R 2BI in the 15-6 win over the Reds) made his Major League debut May 24, 2022, and was playing in his 24th career game.
Giants pitcher Ryan Walker (2IP H 0R BB K W in the 2-1 win over the Dodgers) made his Major League debut May 21 and was playing in his 49th career game.
Scoring
Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Verlander earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Alvarez and Gelof each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Saturday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) 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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Justin Verlander @Astros is Box-Toppers Player of Saturday’s HOU-ARI Game (5IP 2H 0R 3BB 5K W) with +5.0 B-T game score.@Dbacks starter Merrill Kelly had +3.0 B-T game score in loss (7IP 5H R 2BB 5K L).https://t.co/gvWsg1jXZD pic.twitter.com/LaAJTqK16k
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 1, 2023
Career Box-Toppers points since 1995
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 1, 2023
1—Randy Johnson 282.5
2—Clayton Kershaw @Dodgers 270.4
3—Max Scherzer @Rangers 251.7
4—Justin Verlander @Astros 245.0*
5—Pedro Martinez 244.8
6—Zack Greinke @Royals 224.5
*Earns 1.7 B-T pts as SA’s AL Player of the Dayhttps://t.co/gvWsg1kvPb pic.twitter.com/Oqr45Uu81x
Spencer Strider @Braves finishes 2023 with 21.1 Box-Toppers points, most among all players no matter what happens on final day of the season Sunday. pic.twitter.com/ZOU0nSwETj
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) October 1, 2023
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).| 9/30 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +10.0 | SD 6, CHW 1 | Michael Wacha (W, 14‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| BAT | +8.0 | NYM 11, PHI 4 | Francisco Alvarez C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.1 | NYM 4, PHI 3 | Tylor Megill (W, 9‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| AL | +5.0 | HOU 1, ARI 0 | Justin Verlander (W, 13‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | |
| +5.0 | MIN 14, COL 6 | Chris Paddack (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +4.1 | MIA 7, PIT 3 | Tanner Scott (S, 12) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | STL 15, CIN 6 | Iván Herrera C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | CHC 10, MIL 6 | Yan Gomes C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | OAK 7, LAA 3 | Zack Gelof 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | DET 8, CLE 0 | Andy Ibáñez 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | NYY 5, KC 2 | Clay Holmes (S, 24) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | TB 7, TOR 5 | Harold Ramírez DH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ATL 5, WSH 3 | Marcell Ozuna DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BAL 5, BOS 2 | Jorge Mateo PR‑SS | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | SF 2, LAD 1 | Ryan Walker (W, 5‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| +0.2 | TEX 6, SEA 1 | Josh Sborz (W, 6‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.
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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 2023 (’23). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’22-23), the period 2018-2023 (’18-23) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2023 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2022 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’23 | ’22‑23 | ’18‑23 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 12.4 | 38.4 | 91.0 | 245.0 | -13.6 |
| Wacha, Michael 3276 | pi sp | sd nl | 11.0 | 19.4 | 34.5 | 61.2 | +2.6 |
| Ozuna, Marcell 3190 | dh | atl nl | 7.5 | 10.0 | 29.0 | 56.7 | +5.0 |
| Ibanez, Andy 4496 | 2b | det al | 5.5 | 5.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | +5.5 |
| Alvarez, Francisco 4815 | ca | nym nl | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | +5.5 |
| Ramirez, Harold 4164 | dh | tb al | 4.5 | 5.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | +3.5 |
| Megill, Tylor 4464 | pi sp | nym nl | 4.0 | 9.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 | -1.7 |
| Holmes, Clay 4022 | pi cp | nyy al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| Mateo, Jorge 4669 | ss ph pr | bal al | 3.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | -1.5 |
| Sborz, Josh 4397 | pi mr | tex al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +2.0 |
| Gomes, Yan 3177 | ca ph | chi nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 7.5 | 22.2 | +2.0 |
| Gelof, Zack 4881 | 2b | oak al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Scott, Tanner 4292 | pi cp | fla nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -1.0 |
| Paddack, Chris 4093 | pi mr sp | min al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 25.8 | 25.8 | 0.0 |
| Herrera, Ivan 4954 | ca | stl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Walker, Ryan 4955 | pi mr | sf 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 Sunday’s pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day’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 2023 (’23), over a two-year period (’22-23), over a six-year period (’18-23) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’23 | ’22‑23 | ’18‑23 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS | Houck, Tanner 4342 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 14.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 |
| LAD | Miller, Bobby 4820 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| SF | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| MIA | Garrett, Braxton 4341 | 12.7 | 18.4 | 20.4 | 20.4 |
| PIT | Jackson, Andre 4748 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| LAA | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TB | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 18.7 | 31.4 | 52.8 | 88.1 |
| CHC | Steele, Justin 4415 | 11.1 | 16.1 | 19.1 | 19.1 |
| MIL | Houser, Adrian 4162 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| CLE | Giolito, Lucas 3900 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 45.1 | 48.1 |
| DET | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 46.8 | 66.2 |
| HOU | Javier, Cristian 4290 | 6.0 | 21.7 | 29.7 | 29.7 |
| ARI | Nelson, Kyle 4596 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| NYY | King, Michael 4549 | 9.0 | 13.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| KC | Greinke, Zack 1871 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 48.3 | 224.5 |
| PHI | Strahm, Matt 3724 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | 14.0 |
| NYM | Butto, Jose 4933 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| SD | Avila, Pedro 4105 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CHW | Urena, Jose 3492 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 13.7 | 23.4 |
| TEX | Dunning, Dane 4317 | 4.0 | 8.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 11.7 | 23.1 | 23.1 | 23.1 |
| WSH | Rutledge, Jackson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ATL | Dodd, Dylan* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 8.7 | 11.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| COL | Anderson, Chase 3328 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 18.1 | 44.5 |
| CIN | Greene, Hunter 4651 | 5.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 5.7 | 17.8 | 32.5 | 35.2 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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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.