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.
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom rises to lead Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors. Plus, Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
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 Friday, April 28.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | tex al | 7.7 |
| 2 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.7 |
| 3 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 6.0 |
| 4 | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 6.0 |
| 5 | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 5.0 |
| 6 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp | ana al | 4.7 |
| 7 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | min al | 4.7 |
| 8 | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 4.7 |
| 9 | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | pi sp | tb al | 4.0 |
| 10 | Strider, Spencer 4626 | pi sp | atl nl | 4.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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Player of the Day—Nola struck out six over eight innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Astros.
Nola earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 54th among all players, 19th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom struck out two over 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 5-2 win over the Yankees.
deGrom did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he did not pitch the required five innings to earn the win. deGrom exited after 50 pitches with forearm tightness, the second time in three games he’s exited early with injury concerns. deGrom’s appearances have been limited over the past three seasons as he’s recovered from various injuries.
While deGrom’s Friday appearance was limited, he pitched the required three innings to qualify to be considered for Box-Toppers Player of the Game winner and his relatively meager +3.2 Box-Toppers game score was enough to beat not only his Rangers teammates, but to be the best among all five AL Player of the Game winners Friday.
deGrom earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising from fourth to first in season player rankings, passing previous leader, Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (6.7 Box-Toppers points), who took the lead Wednesday and falls to second place. deGrom also takes the Box-Toppers points among AL pitchers, passing previous leader Gerrit Cole of the Yankees (6.0).
deGrom now has 139.2 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 33rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his 1.7 points Friday, he passes two players on the “all-time” list—Andy Pettitte (138.5) and Madison Bumgarner (139.1). deGrom now trails 32nd-ranked player Jake Peavy (141.8). deGrom ranks 10th among active players in career points, fourth among active AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Nick Senzel of the Reds doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 11-7 win over the Athletics.
American League Batter of the Day—Max Kepler of the Twins homered, hit a sacrifice fly and went 1-for-2, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 8-6 win over the Royals.
Rankings—Marlins pitcher Jesus Luzardo rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Luzardo (6.1IP 5H 2R 2BB 6K ND in the 3-2 win over the Cubs) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.7 for the season, second among NL pitchers, behind Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks (6.7).
Debut—Will Brennan of the Guardians made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Brennan (HR 1-3 2R BI in the 5-2 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Sept. 21, 2022, and was playing in his 33rd career game.
Scoring—Nola earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and deGrom earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Senzel and Kepler each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’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).Back to top
| 4/28 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +9.0 | PHI 3, HOU 1 | Aaron Nola, (W 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| +8.0 | ATL 4, NYM 0 (F/5) | Max Fried, (W 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | CIN 11, OAK 7 | Nick Senzel, 3B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| AL | +3.2 | `TEX 5, NYY 2 | Jacob deGrom | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| +3.0 | ARI 9, COL 1 | Josh Rojas, PH‑3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | MIN 8, KC 6 | Max Kepler, RF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | TOR 3, SEA 2 | Tim Mayza, (W 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | TB 3, CHW 2 | Isaac Paredes, 3B‑1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | LAD 7, STL 3 | Jason Heyward, RF‑CF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | MIL 2, LAA 1 | Devin Williams, (S 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +1.1 | `MIA 3, CHC 2 | Jesus Luzardo | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +1.0 | CLE 5, BOS 2 | Will Brennan, RF | 3 | 2 | 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 would 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | tex al | 7.7 | 17.1 | 78.4 | 139.2 | -1.7 |
| Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 4.7 | 8.7 | 20.8 | 20.8 | +0.7 |
| Paredes, Isaac 4666 | 3b 1b 2b | tb al | 2.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -2.0 |
| Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 18.0 | 46.5 | 46.5 | -14.0 |
| Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 2.0 | 18.0 | 67.2 | 91.7 | -14.0 |
| Mayza, Tim 4055 | pi mr | tor al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -1.0 |
| Heyward, Jason 2695 | cf rf ph | lad nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 13.7 | 34.2 | +2.0 |
| Kepler, Max 3664 | rf dh | min al | 1.5 | 3.5 | 18.7 | 26.7 | -0.5 |
| Senzel, Nick 4236 | 3b cf | cin nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +0.5 |
| Williams, Devin 4319 | pi cp | mil nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -2.0 |
| Rojas, Josh 4244 | 3b ph | ari nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | -1.5 |
| Brennan, Will 4794 | rf | cle al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| DET | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 36.8 | 56.2 |
| PIT | Hill, Rich 2215 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 29.4 | 80.2 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 43.1 | 85.3 |
| KC | Keller, Brad 4008 | 1.0 | 7.4 | 25.4 | 25.4 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| SEA | Flexen, Chris 4368 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 6.0 | 18.7 | 40.1 | 75.4 |
| ATL | Strider, Spencer 4626 | 4.0 | 17.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| NYM | Megill, Tylor 4464 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| CHC | Kilian, Caleb* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| CIN | Greene, Hunter 4651 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| OAK | Muller, Kyle 4454 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CLE | Plesac, Zach 4168 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 22.2 | 22.2 |
| BOS | Bello, Brayan 4727 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 1.0 | 15.4 | 57.2 | 69.9 |
| HOU | Javier, Cristian 4290 | 2.0 | 17.7 | 25.7 | 25.7 |
| BAL | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| DET | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 18.7 | 28.8 |
| SF | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 36.1 | 50.2 |
| SD | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | 0.0 | 17.4 | 47.5 | 53.2 |
| PIT | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 22.5 | 31.5 |
| WSH | Kuhl, Chad 3687 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 15.7 |
| NYY | Brito, Jhony 4761 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 33.8 | 59.6 |
| LAA | Detmers, Reid 4513 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| MIL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 2.0 | 17.4 | 46.2 | 46.2 |
| TB | Faucher, Calvin* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHW | Lynn, Lance 2992 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 49.2 | 113.8 |
| ARI | Henry, Tommy* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| COL | Davis, Noah* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| STL | Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | 1.0 | 10.4 | 21.1 | 27.1 |
| LAD | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | 2.7 | 13.4 | 55.2 | 262.0 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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