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
▪️ Friday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler regains the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal rises to sixth place overall and first place among American League pitchers after earning AL Player of the Day honors.
Player of the Day
Skenes struck out 11 over six scoreless, hitless innnings, walking one, in the 9-3 win over the Cubs.
While Skenes allowed no hits through six innings and 100 pitches, reliever Carmen Mlodzinski gave up the first of four eventual Cubs hits in the seventh inning.
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first career Player of the Game honor as he was making his Box-Toppers debut. Skenes made his Major League debut May 11 and was playing in his second career game.
Skenes’ 2.0 Box-Toppers points ranks 158th among all players in 2024.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Friday, May 17:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 7.7 |
| 3 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 4 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 7.7 |
| 5 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 6.7 |
| 6 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 6.4 |
| 7 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 6.4 |
| 8 | Freddy Peralta | pi sp | Brewers | 6.0 |
| 9 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 6.0 |
| 10 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 6.0 |
American League Player of the Day
Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 13-0 win over the Diamondbacks.
Skubal earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 6.4 for the season, sixth among all players and first among AL pitchers, passing previous leader, Seth Lugo of the Royals (6.4).
While Skubal and Lugo both have 6.4 points on the season, Skubal ranks higher because he has more 2023 points—10.7 vs. 6.4.
National League Batter of the Day
Thairo Estrada of the Giants hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-5 win over the Rockies.
Estrada earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, 10th among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Austin Hays of the Orioles doubled and went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in one run, in the 9-2 win over the Mariners.
Rankings
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler regains the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Wheeler (7.1IP 3H 2R 3BB 6K W in the 4-2 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising from fourth to first overall, passing previous leader Dylan Cease of the Padres (7.7 points).
While Wheeler is one of four players with 7.7 points this season, he ranks first among them because he has the most 2023 points. Wheeler had 14.7 points in 2023, Cease in second place had 10.0, Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez in third had 3.7 and Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga in fourth had 0.0.
Wheeler also rises to first among NL pitchers passing Cease.
This is Wheeler’s second time leading Box-Toppers season player rankings in 2024. He took the lead May 6 before being passed the next day, May 7, by Imanaga.
Friday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Freddy Peralta, Brewers23.7 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 1st
▪️Hunter Brown, Astros
10.1 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 73rd
Result—HOU 5, MIL 4
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Peralta had -8.0 B-T game score in loss (5IP 8H 5R BB 6K L).
Brown had -5.0 B-T game score (5IP 4H 4R 3BB 5K W).
Player of the Game—Josh Hader, Astros (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K Sv) with +2.0 game score.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+7.0—Logan S. Allen, Diamondbacks (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 4K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. DET.
Player of the Game—Tarik Skubal, Tigers (6IP H 0R 0BB 6K W) with +11.0 game score.
▪️+6.0—Nick Fortes, Marlins (HR 3-3 3R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. NYM.
Player of the Game—Teammate Jesús Luzardo (6IP 5H 0R 0BB 7K W) with +8.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Javier Báez, Tigers (2-2B 3-4 R 5BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. ARI.
Player of the Game—Teammate Tarik Skubal (6IP H 0R 0BB 6K W) with +11.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 429 total players Friday, 122 pitchers-20.0—Ryne Nelson, Diamondbacks (4IP 11H 8R BB 4K L vs. DET)
-17.8—Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
-13.0—Ryan Feltner, Rockies
-12.0—Matt Bowman, Diamondbacks
-12.0—Kyle Gibson, Cardinals
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 307 total batters Friday-6.0—Nolan Schanuel, Angels 0-6 3K
-5.0—Jake Rogers, Tigers 0-5 4K
-5.0—Oneil Cruz, Pirates 0-5 2K
-4.0—Josh Lowe, Rays 0-4 3K
-4.0—Miles Mastrobuoni, Cubs 0-4 3K
-4.0—Brent Rooker, Athletics 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Scoring
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Skubal earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Estrada and Hays earns 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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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).| 5/17 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +16.0 | PIT 9, CHC 3 | Paul Skenes (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| AL | +11.0 | DET 13, ARI 0 | Tarik Skubal (W, 6‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| +10.0 | KC 6, OAK 2 | Cole Ragans (W, 3‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| +8.0 | MIA 8, NYM 0 | Jesús Luzardo (W, 1‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| +6.2 | SD 3, ATL 1 | Matt Waldron (W, 2‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| +6.0 | NYY 4, CHW 2 | Nestor Cortes (W, 2‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +5.0 | LAA 9, TEX 3 | Tyler Anderson (W, 4‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | SF 10, COL 5 | Thairo Estrada 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.2 | `CLE 3, MIN 2 | Triston McKenzie | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| +3.1 | PHI 4, WSH 2 | Zack Wheeler (W, 5‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | STL 10, BOS 6 | Lars Nootbaar RF | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.1 | TB 4, TOR 3 | Tyler Alexander (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | BAL 9, SEA 2 | Austin Hays PH‑LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | HOU 5, MIL 4 | Josh Hader (S, 6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | LAD 7, CIN 3 | Michael Grove (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 7.7 | 22.4 | 67.9 | 91.3 | -7.0 |
| Skubal, Tarik 4414 | pi sp | det al | 6.4 | 17.1 | 36.5 | 36.5 | -4.3 |
| McKenzie, Triston 4303 | pi sp | cle al | 4.0 | 6.0 | 36.1 | 36.1 | +2.0 |
| Cortes, Nestor 4160 | pi sp | nyy al | 4.0 | 6.0 | 28.4 | 28.4 | +2.0 |
| Ragans, Cole 4889 | pi sp | kc al | 3.0 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | -1.4 |
| Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | hou al | 3.0 | 7.0 | 34.7 | 49.4 | -1.0 |
| Anderson, Tyler 3656 | pi sp | ana al | 3.0 | 5.0 | 27.4 | 40.4 | +1.0 |
| Estrada, Thairo 4460 | 2b | sf nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | +3.0 |
| Waldron, Matt 4946 | pi sp | sd nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Hays, Austin 4538 | lf ph | bal al | 1.5 | 5.5 | 10.5 | 10.5 | -2.5 |
| Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 1.0 | 18.8 | 34.9 | 34.9 | -16.8 |
| Alexander, Tyler 4196 | pi mr sp | tb al | 1.0 | 3.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | -1.7 |
| Nootbaar, Lars 4507 | rf | stl nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 0.0 |
| Grove, Michael 4774 | pi sp | lad nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | Keller, Brad 4008 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 21.4 | 25.4 |
| NYY | Gil, Luis 4498 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| PIT | Falter, Bailey 4473 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| TB | Eflin, Zach 3679 | 2.0 | 14.0 | 32.8 | 45.5 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 3.0 | 21.7 | 52.1 | 91.1 |
| COL | Blach, Ty 3754 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 |
| SF | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 5.0 | 21.1 | 59.5 | 75.9 |
| BAL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYM | Severino, Luis 3567 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 15.4 | 59.2 |
| MIA | Garrett, Braxton 4341 | 0.0 | 12.7 | 20.4 | 20.4 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 1.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 4.0 | 12.7 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| MIL | Wilson, Bryse 4048 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 |
| HOU | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 1.0 | 13.4 | 67.9 | 246.0 |
| OAK | Stripling, Ross 3629 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 25.7 | 40.1 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 6.4 | 12.8 | 21.8 | 30.8 |
| LAA | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| TEX | Urena, Jose 3492 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 23.4 |
| BOS | Crawford, Kutter 4660 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 21.8 | 36.2 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 4.7 | 11.7 | 61.7 | 135.7 |
| ATL | Elder, Bryce 4709 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 34.2 | 47.3 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 3.0 | 19.7 | 54.1 | 54.1 |
| CIN | Ashcraft, Graham 4645 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| LAD | Buehler, Walker 3943 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 42.8 | 57.9 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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