Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2024
▪️ All-time top 20 players
▪️ Tuesday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Braves pitcher Chris Sale is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fifth place in season player rankings.
Also Tuesday, Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day
Sale struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks in the 7-0 win over the Cubs.
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, rising to fifth place overall and fifth place among National League pitchers.
Sale now has 160.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 19th place among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 2.0 points Tuesday, he passes Miguel Cabrera (159.4) on the “all-time” list and now trails 18th-ranked John Smoltz (160.9). (It should be noted that Smoltz began his career before the advent of Box-Toppers in 1995. Box-Toppers projects he would have about 255 career points if his entire career from 1988 were tracked.)
Sale ranks fourth among active, signed players in career points, and second among active NL pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (270.4).
American League Player of the Day
White Sox pitcher Erick Fedde struck out six over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 4-0 win over the Nationals.
Fedde earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season, 26th among all players and 14th among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Alec Burleson of the Cardinals homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-6 win over the Angels.
American League Batter of the Day
Josh Naylor of the Guardians hit a three-run home run and went 1-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Rangers.
Naylor earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, second among AL batters, behind Juan Soto of the Yankees (4.5).
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Tuesday, May 14:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 7.7 |
| 2 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 3 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 7.7 |
| 4 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 6.7 |
| 5 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 6.7 |
| 6 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 6.4 |
| 7 | Freddy Peralta | pi sp | Brewers | 6.0 |
| 8 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 6.0 |
| 9 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 6.0 |
| 10 | Aaron Nola | pi sp | Phillies | 6.0 |
Rankings
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Nola (CG 4H 0R 0BB 8K W in the 4-0 win over the Mets) just missed earning overall Player of the Day with a +13.0 Box-Toppers game score, behind Sale’s +14.0 score that topped all players.
Nola earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season, 10th overall and eighth among NL pitchers.
Nola now has 107.7 career Box-Toppers points, 73rd among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 72nd-ranked player Lance Berkman (108.1). Nola ranks 11th among active, signed players in career points, fifth among active NL pitchers.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 270.4 |
| 3 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Rangers | 251.7 |
| 4 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | Astros | 246.0 |
| 5 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | Retired | 244.8 |
| 6 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Free agent | 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 |
| 11 | Jon Lester | pi sp | Retired | 179.3 |
| 12 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | Retired | 175.1 |
| 13 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | Retired | 174.2 |
| 14 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | Retired | 170.7 |
| 15 | Johan Santana | pi sp | Retired | 166.6 |
| 16 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | Retired | 166.2 |
| 17 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | Retired | 164.8 |
| 18 | John Smoltz | pi sp | Retired | 160.9 |
| 19 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 160.0 |
| 20 | Miguel Cabrera | 1b | Retired | 159.4 |
Debut
Astros relief pitcher Tayler Scott made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Scott (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K ND in the 2-1, 10-inning win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut June 8, 2019, and was playing in his 58th career game.
Scoring
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Fedde earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Burleson and Naylor each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Tuesday’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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Career Box-Toppers points—active NL Ps
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) May 15, 2024
1—Clayton Kershaw @Dodgers 270.4
2—Chris Sale @Braves 160.0*
3—Yu Darvish @Padres 135.7
4—Lance Lynn @Cardinals 119.5
5—Aaron Nola @Phillies 107.7†
*Earns 2.0 pts TU (Player of Day)
†Earns 1.0 pt TU (Player of Game)https://t.co/8rYdGWrzxr
Tuesday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays23.1 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 1st among AL pitchers
▪️Kyle Bradish, Orioles
15.0 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 12th among AL pitchers
Result—TOR at BAL postponed
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+11.0—Reese Olson, Tigers (8IP 3H 0R 0BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game because DET lost to MIA.
Player of the Game—Ryan Weathers, Marlins (8IP 3H 0R 0BB 4K ND) with +9.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Matt Olson, Braves (HR 2B 2-3 R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. CHC.
Player of the Game—Teammate Chris Sale (7IP 2H 0R 0BB 9K W) with +14.0 game score, also earning overall Player of the Day honors.
▪️+4.0—Josh Hader, Astros (2IP 0H 0R BB 3K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. OAK.
Player of the Game—Teammate Tayler Scott (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K ND) with +5.0 game score.
Note: Players such as Scott who pitched fewer than three innings and did not earn the win or save can only earn Player of the Game honors if they pitch the same or more innings than the player who otherwise would have been Player of the Game. In this case, it would have been Hader. But since Scott had the same innings pitched as Hader (two) and had a higher game score (+5.0 vs. +4.0), Scott won Player of the Game honors.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 408 total players Tuesday, 118 pitchers-15.8—Jack Leiter, Rangers (1.2IP 3H 6R 3BB K NL vs. CLE)
-15.0—Chris Paddack, Twins
-13.0—Jameson Taillon, Cubs
-11.8—Slade Cecconi, Diamondbacks
-10.0—Keaton Winn, Giants
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 289 total batters Tuesday-5.0—Andy Pages, Dodgers 0-5 4K
-5.0—Richie Palacios, Rays 0-5 3K
-5.0—Yandy Diaz, Rays 0-5 2K
-5.0—Marcus Semien, Rangers 0-5 2K
-5.0—Charlie Blackmon, Rockies 0-5 K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
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).| 5/14 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | ATL 7, CHC 0 | Chris Sale (W, 6‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| +13.0 | PHI 4, NYM 0 | Aaron Nola (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| AL | +10.0 | CHW 4, WSH 0 | Erick Fedde (W, 4‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| +9.0 | `MIA 1, DET 0 (F/10) | Ryan Weathers | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +6.0 | KC 4, SEA 2 | Michael Wacha (W, 3‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| +5.2 | `BOS 5, TB 4 (F/12) | Nick Pivetta | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| +5.0 | `HOU 2, OAK 1 (F/10) | Tayler Scott | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | NYY 5, MIN 1 | Carlos Rodón (W, 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +4.0 | MIL 4, PIT 3 | Joe Ross (W, 2‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | STL 7, LAA 6 | Alec Burleson DH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | WSH 6, CHW 3 | Joey Meneses 1B | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | CLE 7, TEX 4 | Josh Naylor 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | LAD 10, SF 2 | Miguel Rojas SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CIN 6, ARI 2 | Hunter Greene (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +1.0 | COL 6, SD 3 | Ryan McMahon 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 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 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 2024 (’24). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’23-24), the period 2019-2024 (’19-24) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2024 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2023 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’24 | ’23‑24 | ’19‑24 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | atl nl | 6.7 | 15.4 | 28.4 | 160.0 | -2.0 |
| Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 6.0 | 18.0 | 62.1 | 107.7 | -6.0 |
| Fedde, Erick 4065 | pi sp | chi al | 4.7 | 4.7 | 21.5 | 23.2 | +4.7 |
| Wacha, Michael 3276 | pi sp | kc al | 3.0 | 14.0 | 33.5 | 64.2 | -8.0 |
| Naylor, Josh 4154 | dh 1b | cle al | 3.0 | 10.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | -4.0 |
| Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 37.5 | 60.6 | +2.0 |
| McMahon, Ryan 4004 | 3b | col nl | 2.7 | 7.2 | 22.9 | 24.6 | -1.8 |
| Pivetta, Nick 3825 | pi sp mr | bos al | 2.0 | 11.0 | 26.7 | 46.4 | -7.0 |
| Greene, Hunter 4651 | pi sp | cin nl | 2.0 | 7.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | -3.7 |
| Weathers, Ryan 4388 | pi sp mr | fla nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +2.0 |
| Burleson, Alec 4874 | dh lf | stl nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +0.5 |
| Meneses, Joey 4725 | 1b dh | dc nl | 1.0 | 8.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -6.0 |
| Rojas, Miguel 3642 | ss | lad nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 16.5 | 0.0 |
| Ross, Joe 3499 | pi sp | mil nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 25.7 | +1.0 |
| Scott, Tayler 5003 | pi mr | hou 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 Wednesday’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 2024 (’24), this year and last year (’23-24), over a six-year period (’19-24) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’24 | ’23-24 | ’19‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOR | Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | 2.7 | 12.7 | 30.1 | 30.1 |
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 1.0 | 15.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 |
| MIA | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 |
| DET | Mize, Casey 4377 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| PIT | Perez, Martin 3213 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 18.5 | 35.5 |
| MIL | Gasser, Robert 4998 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 34.2 | 92.4 |
| CHW | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 2.7 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 14.0 | 18.7 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| KC | Marsh, Alec 4961 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 1.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| NYM | Lucchesi, Joey 3936 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 12.4 | 18.4 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 7.7 | 11.4 | 26.4 | 26.4 |
| TB | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| BOS | Houck, Tanner 4342 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 55.9 | 106.1 |
| NYY | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 32.4 | 63.2 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 4.0 | 17.4 | 49.5 | 51.2 |
| CLE | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 24.1 | 111.5 |
| TEX | Gray, Jon 3634 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 32.7 | 56.1 |
| OAK | Brooks, Aaron 3545 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 39.4 | 41.4 |
| STL | Lynn, Lance 2992 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 51.9 | 119.5 |
| LAA | Canning, Griffin 4134 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| LAD | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 3.0 | 15.4 | 43.3 | 43.3 |
| LAD | Stone, Gavin 4942 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| SF | Winn, Keaton 4931 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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