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
▪️ Day’s highlights & lowlights
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to second place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Wednesday, May 1:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 6.7 |
| 2 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 6.7 |
| 3 | Freddy Peralta | pi sp | Brewers | 6.0 |
| 4 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 6.0 |
| 5 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 5.4 |
| 6 | Luis Castillo | pi sp | Mariners | 5.0 |
| 7 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 5.0 |
| 8 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 5.0 |
| 9 | Aaron Nola | pi sp | Phillies | 5.0 |
| 10 | Ryan Helsley | pi cp | Cardinals | 5.0 |
Also Wednesday, Royals pitcher Seth Lugo rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors. Plus, Braves pitcher Chris Sale rises to 20th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” career points list.
Player of the Day
Imanaga struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Mets.
Imanaga earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, rising to second place overall and second among National League pitchers, behind Ranger Suarez of the Phillies. While both Suarez and Imanaga have 6.7 Box-Toppers points for the season, Suarez ranks ahead because he has the most 2023 points—3.7 vs. 0.0.
American League Player of the Day
Royals pitcher Seth Lugo struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, two hits and two walks, in the 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Lugo earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 5.4 for the season, rising to fifth place in season player rankings, second among AL pitchers, behind Tanner Houck of the Red Sox (6.0 points).
American League Batter of the Day
Jose Miranda of the Twins doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 10-5 win over the White Sox.
National League Batter of the Day
There is no NL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because no NL batters earned Player of the Game honors. In fact, in the 15 games played, only one batter—Jose Miranda of the Twins—earned Player of the Game honors. The other 14 honorees are pitchers. In those 14 games, pitchers held the losing team to zero runs (five games), one run (five games) or two runs (four games).
Notable
Braves pitcher Chris Sale now has 157.0 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Sale (5IP 6H R 0BB 9K W in the 5-2 win over the Mariners) rises to 20th place among all players in career Box-Toppers points since tracking began in 1995. With his 1.0 point Wednesday, he passes Tim Hudson (157.0) on the “all-time” career points list. (Though both Sale and Hudson have 157.0 points, Sale ranks higher because he has earned points most recently.) Sale now trails 19th-ranked player Miguel Cabrera (159.4).
Sale ranks fourth among active, signed players in career points, second among active NL pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (270.4).
Sale now has 3.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 11th among NL pitchers.
Wednesday’s highlights & lowlights
Top pitching matchup
▪️Seth Lugo, Royals10.1 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 28th
▪️Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays
22.1 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 1st
Result—KC 6, TOR 1
Lugo was Player of the Game with +9.0 B-T game score (7IP 2H R 2BB 8K W)
Bassitt had -1.0 game score (6IP 4H 3R BB 4K L)
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+5.0—Andrew Heaney, Rangers (7IP 4H R 0BB 4K L)
Was not Player of the Game because TEX lost to WSH.
Player of the Game—Kyle Finnegan, Nationals (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K Sv) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Patrick Sandoval, Angels (5IP 4H 2R 2BB 10K L)
Was not Player of the Game because LAA lost to PHI.
Player of the Game—Zack Wheeler, Phillies (5IP 5H R BB 6K W) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Willy Adames, Brewers (2HR 2-42R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TB.
Player of the Game—Teammate Colin Rea (6IP 4H R 0BB 5K W) with +5.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 432 total players Wednesday, 124 pitchers-17.0—Jordan Montgomery, Diamondbacks (3IP 6H 6R 3BB K L vs. LAD)
-11.0—Erasmo Ramirez, Rays
-10.9—Fernando Cruz, Reds
-9.8—Daulton Jefferies, Giants
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 308 total batters Wednesday-5.0—Jo Adell, Angels 0-5 4K
-5.0—Mitch Haniger, Mariners 0-5 3K
-5.0—Yandy Díaz, Rays 0-5
-5.0—Sal Frelick, Brewers 0-5
-5.0—Josh Haylor, Guardians 0-5
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Debut
Marlins pitcher Roddery Munoz made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Munoz (6IP 3H R 2BB 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut April 20 and was playing in his second career game.
Scoring
Imanaga earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Lugo earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Miranda earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day.
All of Wednesday’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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Twitter (X).
Your support via Buy Me a Coffee keeps Box-Toppers percolating. Thanks for your contributions!
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).| 5/1 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +10.0 | CHC 1, NYM 0 | Shota Imanaga (W, 5‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| AL | +9.0 | KC 6, TOR 1 | Seth Lugo (W, 5‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| +8.1 | NYY 2, BAL 0 | Luis Gil (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +7.0 | `SD 6, CIN 2 | Joe Musgrove | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | ||
| +6.0 | MIA 4, COL 1 | Roddery Muñoz (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| +6.0 | ATL 5, SEA 2 | Chris Sale (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | ||
| +5.0 | DET 4, STL 1 | Kenta Maeda (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | MIL 7, TB 1 | Colin Rea (W, 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | OAK 4, PIT 0 | Ross Stripling (W, 1‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | LAD 8, ARI 0 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto (W, 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | WSH 1, TEX 0 | Kyle Finnegan (S, 10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | BOS 6, SF 2 | Kutter Crawford (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | PHI 2, LAA 1 | Zack Wheeler (W, 3‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | `CLE 3, HOU 2 (F/10) | Triston McKenzie | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | MIN 10, CHW 5 | Jose Miranda 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 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 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.
Back to top
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imanaga, Shota 4960 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +6.7 |
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | kc al | 5.4 | 11.8 | 20.8 | 29.8 | -1.0 |
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 4.7 | 19.4 | 64.9 | 88.3 | -10.0 |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | atl nl | 3.7 | 12.4 | 25.4 | 157.0 | -5.0 |
| Gil, Luis 4498 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +3.7 |
| Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Maeda, Kenta 3609 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 | 13.8 | 36.6 | 67.3 | -8.4 |
| Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 2.0 | 9.0 | 52.5 | 62.2 | -5.0 |
| McKenzie, Triston 4303 | pi sp | cle al | 2.0 | 4.0 | 34.1 | 34.1 | 0.0 |
| Finnegan, Kyle 4535 | pi cp | dc nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | +1.0 |
| Miranda, Jose 4653 | 3b 1b | min al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
| Crawford, Kutter 4660 | pi sp | bos al | 1.0 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | -4.7 |
| Rea, Colin 3582 | pi sp | mil nl | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 9.7 | -4.0 |
| Stripling, Ross 3629 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 25.7 | 40.1 | 0.0 |
| Munoz, Roddery 4994 | pi sp | fla nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.
Back to top
A Box-Toppers look at Thursday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COL | Lambert, Peter 4155 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 10.1 | 10.1 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 36.5 | 59.6 |
| BAL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Brown, Ben 4967 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| NYM | Houser, Adrian 4162 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| SF | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| BOS | Winckowski, Josh 4784 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| WSH | Parker, Mitchell 4982 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 3.0 | 12.7 | 37.8 | 72.3 |
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 1.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| HOU | Arrighetti, Spencer* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default, game-by-game view.
Back to top