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.
Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Pivetta struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 3-0 win over the Orioles.
Pivetta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, 59th among all players and 31st among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Padres pitcher Nick Martinez struck out eight over five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 3-2 win over the White Sox.
Martinez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 7.4 for the season, 29th among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals homered, hit a sacrifice fly and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 12-5 win over the Yankees.
Witt earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, fourth among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Freddie Freeman of the Braves homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 6-2 win over the Giants.
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, Sept. 29.| 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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Freeman earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 10.0 for the season, 49th among all players and third among NL batters, behind Pete Alonso of the Mets (12.0) and Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves (10.7). Freeman has the same 10.0 point total as Nolan Gorman of the Cardinals, but ranks ahead among NL batters because he has more 2022 points—8.5 vs. 5.0.
Freeman becomes the 52nd player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. This is his third season with 10 or more points. He did it in 2013 with the Braves, when he had 11.5 points, second among NL batters and in 2019 with the Braves, when he had 10.2 points, fourth among NL batters. He had 8.5 points in 2022 with the Dodgers, fourth among NL batters.
Freeman is the seventh batter to reach 10 points in 2023, which is the most in a single season since 2019, when nine batters reached 10 points. Last year in 2022, only four batters reached 10 points, the fewest in a regular-length season (excluding the 2020 pandemic year) since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. Since about 2010, many fewer batters reach 10 Box-Toppers points in a season than they did from 1995 to 2009, when an average of 22.7 per season did it. (The average from 2010 on is 7.8 per season, excluding 2020 when no batters reached 10 points.) The most batters to reach 10 points in a season is 28, done in 1997, 1999 and 2000.
It should be noted that among the seven batters counted with 10 points in 2023 is Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, who has 19.4 total points. He is categorized both as a pitcher and a batter and has earned 9.7 points as a pitcher and 9.7 points as a batter.
Debut
Angels pitcher Davis Daniel made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Daniel (5IP 2H 0R BB 2K W in the 5-1 win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut Sept. 7 and was playing in his third career game.
Scoring
Pivetta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Martinez earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Witt and Freeman 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) 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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None of Box-Toppers top 3-ranked Friday starters earned Player of the Game honors.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 30, 2023
Zac Gallen @Dbacks & Dylan Cease @WhiteSox were both on losing teams.
A teammate won Player of the Game honors over Yusei Kikuchi in @BlueJays win.
(Details, thread)https://t.co/d1MVJg7S1v
Spencer Strider @Braves will be 2023 Box-Toppers Player of the Year even if does not earn Player of the Game honors Saturday. His 21.1 B-T points is enough to finish 1st.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 30, 2023
He will be 1st @Braves player to win B-T Player of the Year since 1996 (John Smoltz, 26.1 B-T points). pic.twitter.com/moNn35Rtyj
2023 Box-Toppers points—AL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 30, 2023
1—Shohei Ohtani @Angels 19.4
2—Kyle Tucker @Astros 12.5
3—Aaron Judge @Yankees 12.0
4—Bobby Witt Jr. @Royals 7.7*
5—Rafael Devers @RedSox 7.5
6—Jose Altuve @Astros 7.5
*Earns 1.5 B-T points as FR’s AL Batter of the Dayhttps://t.co/taUY4GpMNf pic.twitter.com/xYUpGOLw0L
2023 Box-Toppers points—NL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 30, 2023
1—Pete Alonso @Mets 12.0
2—Ronald Acuña Jr. @Braves 10.7
3—Freddie Freeman @Dodgers 10.0*
4—Nolan Gorman @Cardinals 10.0
5—Christian Yelich @Brewers 9.2
6—Juan Soto @Padres 9.0
*Earns 1.5 B-T pts as FR’s NL Batter of Dayhttps://t.co/taUY4GpMNf pic.twitter.com/H5goPQLJb0
Friday’s best performances by players who did not win Player of the Game honors (thread):
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 30, 2023
Sean Hjelle @SFGiants 3.2IP 0H 0R 0BB 4K ND
Dylan Cease @WhiteSox 5IP 4H R 2BB 7K L
Bryan Woo @Mariners 3.2IP 2H 0R 3BB 5K ND
Friday’s B-T Player of the Game winners—https://t.co/d1MVJg7S1v
Carlos Rodon @Yankees, who recorded Friday’s lowest Box-Toppers game score (-24.0), also leads among Box-Toppers big dippers from 2022 to 2023.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 30, 2023
He earned 19.8 B-T points in 2022 with @SFGiants & has 1.0 B-T point in 2023. That 18.8-point decline is largest among all players.
Friday’s lowest Box-Toppers game score by batters:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 30, 2023
-5.0—Kerry Carpenter @Tigers, Daulton Varsho @BlueJays, both 0-5 3K
-5.0—CJ Abrams @Nationals, Fernando Tatis Jr. @Padres, Christian Vázquez @Twins, all 0-5 2K
-5.0—Austin Riley @Braves 0-5 2K BBhttps://t.co/d1MVJg7S1v
Julio Teheran is designated for assignment by @Brewers Friday, one day after he was Thursday's Box-Toppers NL Player of the Day in win vs. STL (4IP H 0R 0BB 4K W).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 30, 2023
He earned 1.7 B-T points Thursday, giving him 2.7 for 2023.https://t.co/LOEl22YcKH
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).| 9/29 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | BOS 3, BAL 0 | Nick Pivetta (W, 10‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| NL | +9.0 | SD 3, CHW 2 | Nick Martinez (W, 6‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| +9.0 | `MIL 4, CHC 3 (F/10) | Colin Rea | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | KC 12, NYY 5 | Bobby Witt Jr. SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | SEA 8, TEX 0 | J.P. Crawford SS | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | LAA 5, OAK 1 | Davis Daniel (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | TOR 11, TB 4 | Bo Bichette SS | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | LAD 6, SF 2 | Freddie Freeman 1B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | CIN 19, STL 2 | Jonathan India 2B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | HOU 2, ARI 1 | José Urquidy (W, 3‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | MIN 7, COL 6 | Kody Funderburk (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | MIA 4, PIT 3 | Huascar Brazoban (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | CLE 7, DET 5 | Bo Naylor C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | WSH 10, ATL 6 | Carter Kieboom 3B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | lad nl | 10.0 | 18.5 | 44.2 | 85.9 | +1.5 |
| Pivetta, Nick 3825 | pi mr | bos al | 9.0 | 16.7 | 36.4 | 44.4 | +1.3 |
| Witt, Bobby Jr. 4592 | ss | kc al | 7.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | +5.7 |
| Martinez, Nick 3430 | pi sp | sd nl | 7.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 19.1 | +2.4 |
| Crawford, J.P. 3937 | ss | sea al | 6.5 | 8.5 | 19.0 | 19.0 | +4.5 |
| Rea, Colin 3582 | pi sp | mil nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 8.7 | +5.0 |
| India, Jonathan 4469 | 2b | cin nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | +4.0 |
| Naylor, Bo 4885 | ca | cle al | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +3.5 |
| Urquidy, Jose 4194 | pi sp | hou al | 2.0 | 10.0 | 23.1 | 23.1 | -6.0 |
| Bichette, Bo 4233 | ss | tor al | 2.0 | 8.5 | 17.0 | 17.0 | -4.5 |
| Kieboom, Carter 4276 | 3b | dc nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| Brazoban, Huascar 4787 | pi mr | fla nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Funderburk, Kody 4915 | pi mr | min al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Daniel, Davis 4953 | pi cp | ana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | McKenzie, Triston 4303 | 2.0 | 17.7 | 32.1 | 32.1 |
| DET | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TB | Armstrong, Shawn 4204 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| TOR | Ryu, Hyun Jin 3139 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 45.5 | 71.6 |
| PHI | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYM | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 0.0 | 11.4 | 32.9 | 83.1 |
| MIA | Chargois, JT 3736 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| PIT | Presser, Quinn* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Wicks, Jordan 4912 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYY | Schmidt, Clarke 4581 | 2.0 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| KC | Cruz, Steven* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| NYM | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SD | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 9.0 | 17.4 | 32.5 | 59.2 |
| CHW | Clevinger, Mike 3707 | 10.4 | 16.8 | 49.9 | 64.3 |
| BOS | Crawford, Kutter 4660 | 5.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| BAL | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 8.7 | 17.7 | 43.2 | 62.2 |
| CIN | Phillips, Connor 4943 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| STL | Rom, Drew 4935 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TEX | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 16.1 | 26.1 | 62.5 | 70.9 |
| WSH | Adon, Joan 4580 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| ATL | Strider, Spencer 4626 | 21.1 | 34.5 | 34.5 | 34.5 |
| HOU | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 10.7 | 36.7 | 89.3 | 243.3 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 13.0 | 24.0 | 39.0 | 39.0 |
| MIN | Pagan, Emilio 3876 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 5.7 | 7.7 |
| COL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAD | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | 11.1 | 21.8 | 63.6 | 270.4 |
| SF | Beck, Tristan 4823 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| OAK | Boyle, Joe 4948 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| LAA | Undecided | 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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