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.
Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to first place in season player rankings.
Also Sunday, Giants pitcher Anthony DeSclafani rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Rasmussen struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 11-0 win over the Athletics.
Rasmussen earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, rising to first place in season player rankings, passing previous leader, Rays pitcher Jeffrey Springs (3.7), who only took the lead Saturday.
This is Rasmussen’s second overall Player of the Day honor this season. He also did it April 3.
National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Anthony DeSclafani struck out seven over 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run, three hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Royals. DeSclafani did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Giants trailed when he exited.
DeSclafani earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, rising to ninth place in season player rankings.
National League Batter of the Day—Nelson Cruz of the Padres hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in six runs, in the 10-2 win over the Braves.
Active season streaks
Here are the 13 players who have active streaks of earning Box-Toppers points for 13 or more consecutive seasons. Players are listed by the length of their streak and with their current team status. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.| Streak | Player | Pos | Team | Duration | BTP* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Miguel Cabrera | dh 1b | Tigers | 2003‑2022 | 159.4 |
| 18 | Nelson Cruz | dh | Padres | 2006‑2023 | 89.9 |
| 16 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Royals | 2007‑2022 | 222.5 |
| 16 | Evan Longoria | 3b | Diamondbacks | 2008‑2023 | 61.0 |
| 15 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 2008‑2022 | 259.3 |
| 15 | Johnny Cueto | pi sp | Marlins | 2008‑2022 | 118.2 |
| 14 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Mets | 2009‑2022 | 236.3 |
| 14 | Andrew McCutchen | dh lf | Pirates | 2009‑2022 | 78.9 |
| 14 | Aroldis Chapman | pi cp mr | Royals | 2010‑2023 | 63.1 |
| 13 | Madison Bumgarner | pi sp | Diamondbacks | 2010‑2022 | 139.1 |
| 13 | Craig Kimbrel | pi cp | Phillies | 2010‑2022 | 84.1 |
| 13 | Giancarlo Stanton | dh | Yankees | 2010‑2022 | 73.4 |
| 13 | Mike Trout | cf | Angels | 2011‑2023 | 82.2 |
Cruz has now earned Box-Toppers points in 18 straight seasons, tied for the sixth-longest streak since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. It is the second-longest active streak, behind Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (20 seasons).
Cruz earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Rangers and now has 89.9 career Box-Toppers points, 41st among all batters since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, and second among active batters, behind Cabrera (159.4). His best season was 2019 with the Twins when he had 12.5 Box-Toppers points, first among AL batters. In 2022, he had 5.5 points with the Nationals, 24th among NL batters.
Cruz is tied with four other players who earned Box-Toppers points in 18 consecutive seasons:
Jim Thome, 1995-2012
Chipper Jones, 1995-2012
Johnny Damon, 1995-2012
Alex Rodriguez, 1996-2013
Albert Pujols holds the record for most consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points (22), from 2001-2022.
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 Sunday, April 9.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 4.0 |
| 2 | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | pi sp | tb al | 3.7 |
| 3 | Reynolds, Bryan 4169 | cf lf | pit nl | 3.7 |
| 4 | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 3.7 |
| 5 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 3.0 |
| 6 | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | sea al | 2.7 |
| 7 | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | pi sp | col nl | 2.7 |
| 8 | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | pi sp | chi nl | 2.7 |
| 9 | DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | pi sp | sf nl | 2.7 |
| 10 | Devers, Rafael 4038 | 3b | bos al | 2.5 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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American League Batter of the Day—Matt Chapman of the Blue Jays hit a grand slam and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 12-11, 10-inning win over the Angels.
Debut—Reds pitcher Fernando Cruz makes his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Cruz (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K ND in the 6-4 win over the Phillies) made his Major League debut Sept. 2, 2022, and was playing in his 18th career game.
Scoring—Rasmussen earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and DeSclafani earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Cruz and Chapman 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).Back to top
| 4/9 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | TB 11, OAK 0 | Drew Rasmussen, (W 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| +9.0 | HOU 5, MIN 1 | Hunter Brown, (W 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| NL | +8.1 | `SF 3, KC 1 | Anthony DeSclafani | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| BAT | +7.0 | SD 10, ATL 2 | Nelson Cruz, DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.2 | PIT 1, CHW 0 | Johan Oviedo, (W 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | TOR 12, LAA 11 (F/10) | Matt Chapman, 3B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | MIA 7, NYM 2 | Bryan De La Cruz, LF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | MIL 6, STL 1 | Willy Adames, SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | NYY 5, BAL 3 | Aaron Judge, CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | BOS 4, DET 1 | Kutter Crawford, (W 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +4.0 | `CIN 6, PHI 4 | Fernando Cruz | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | COL 7, WSH 6 | Elias Díaz, C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | ARI 11, LAD 6 | Pavin Smith, DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | `CLE 7, SEA 6 (F/12) | Zach Plesac | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +2.0 | TEX 8, CHC 2 | Bubba Thompson, CF | 4 | 2 | 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.
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 4.0 | 15.1 | 17.1 | 17.1 | -7.1 |
| DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | pi sp | sf nl | 2.7 | 2.7 | 29.1 | 40.8 | +2.7 |
| Cruz, Nelson Ramon 2224 | dh | sd nl | 1.5 | 7.0 | 30.7 | 89.9 | -4.0 |
| Chapman, Matt 3849 | 3b | tor al | 1.5 | 5.0 | 24.0 | 26.5 | -2.0 |
| Judge, Aaron 3767 | cf rf | nyy al | 1.0 | 14.2 | 33.2 | 44.4 | -12.2 |
| Adames, Willy 4041 | ss | mil nl | 1.0 | 6.9 | 13.4 | 13.4 | -4.9 |
| Plesac, Zach 4168 | pi sp | cle al | 1.0 | 6.7 | 22.2 | 22.2 | -4.7 |
| Crawford, Kutter 4660 | pi sp mr | bos al | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -3.0 |
| Oviedo, Johan 4442 | pi sp mr | pit nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -2.0 |
| Diaz, Elias 3813 | ca | col nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 8.5 | 10.0 | -1.5 |
| De La Cruz, Bryan 4500 | lf rf cf | fla nl | 1.0 | 2.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -0.5 |
| Smith, Pavin 4427 | dh rf 1b | ari nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 0.0 |
| Brown, Hunter 4729 | pi sp | hou al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Thompson, Bubba 4760 | cf | tex al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Cruz, Fernando 4768 | pi mr | cin 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 3.0 | 23.4 | 39.8 | 39.8 |
| MIN | Maeda, Kenta 3609 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 33.5 | 53.5 |
| NYY | German, Domingo 3957 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 24.4 | 24.4 |
| CLE | Bieber, Shane 4005 | 0.0 | 13.7 | 56.3 | 56.3 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| BAL | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 34.5 | 53.5 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 0.0 | 16.0 | 31.4 | 31.4 |
| PIT | Contreras, Roansy 4574 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 27.4 | 35.4 |
| TB | Fleming, Josh 4316 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 2.0 | 23.1 | 42.2 | 42.2 |
| PHI | Strahm, Matt 3724 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 0.0 | 16.8 | 55.4 | 124.0 |
| NYM | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 79.6 | 236.3 |
| CIN | Ashcraft, Graham 4645 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| ATL | Elder, Bryce 4709 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 2.7 | 12.7 | 49.1 | 57.5 |
| CHC | Smyly, Drew 3009 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 20.7 | 56.2 |
| KC | Greinke, Zack 1871 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 46.3 | 222.5 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 31.1 | 36.1 |
| STL | Matz, Steven 3516 | 0.0 | 5.4 | 27.8 | 44.4 |
| COL | Marquez, German 3788 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 47.5 | 52.2 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 43.1 | 85.3 |
| LAA | Suarez, Jose 4425 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| MIL | Miley, Wade 3006 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 23.4 | 63.5 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 0.0 | 18.7 | 34.4 | 34.4 |
| LAD | Urias, Julio 3652 | 1.0 | 20.4 | 46.5 | 53.2 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 27.9 | 27.9 |
| SD | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 14.7 | 19.7 |
| ATL | Dodd, Dylan* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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