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
▪️ Top 20 players “all-time”
▪️ Monday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Braves pitcher Chris Sale is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to first place in season player rankings.
Also Monday, Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck rises to first place among American League pitchers in 2024 Box-Toppers points, sixth overall, after earning AL Player of the Day honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Monday, May 20:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 8.7 |
| 2 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 8.7 |
| 3 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 4 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 7.7 |
| 5 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 6 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 7.7 |
| 7 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 7.7 |
| 8 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 7.4 |
| 9 | Yu Darvish | pi sp | Padres | 6.7 |
| 10 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 6.4 |
Player of the Day
Sale struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and no walks, in the 3-0 win over the Padres.
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, rising from seventh to first place in season player rankings, passing previous leader, Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (8.7), who falls to second place. Though Sale and Imanaga both have 8.7 points, Sale ranks higher because he has more 2023 points—8.7 vs. 0.0. Sale also passes Imanaga for the lead among National League pitchers.
This is the first time Sale has led all players in Box-Toppers season player rankings at any point in a season since he finished 2017 leading all players with 25.1 points when he was with the Red Sox.
Sale also now has 162.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 18th place among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 2.0 points Monday, he passes John Smoltz (160.9) on the “all-time” career points list. (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 now trails 17th-ranked player Roger Clemens (164.8). (It should be noted that Clemens also began his career before the advent of Box-Toppers in 1995. Box-Toppers projects he would have about 320 points if his entire career from 1984 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
Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck struck out five over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 5-0 win over the Rays.
Houck earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising to sixth place among all players and first place among AL pitchers, passing previous leader Luis Gil of the Yankees (7.7), who falls to second place. Though Houck and Gil both have 7.7 points, Houck ranks higher because he has more 2023 points—2.0 vs. 0.0.
American League Batter of the Day
Danny Jansen of the Blue Jays homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 9-3 win over the White Sox.
National League Batter of the Day
Michael Siani of the Cardinals hit a three-run home run and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 6-3 win over the Orioles.
This was Siani’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Siani made his Major League debut Sept. 22, 2022, and was playing in his 59th career game.
Siani had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of +3.0, the same as another NL batter who won Player of the Game honors Monday, Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers (in the 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks). Both players also had similar line scores (HR 2-4 R 4BI). But Siani beat Freeman for NL Batter of the Day honors on a tiebreaker because Siani had a stolen base while Freeman had none in his game.
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 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 162.0 |
| 19 | John Smoltz | pi sp | Retired | 160.9 |
| 20 | Miguel Cabrera | 1b | Retired | 159.4 |
Debut
Nolan Schanuel of the Angels also made his Box-Toppers debut Monday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Schanuel (HR 2-5 2R 3BI in the 9-7 win over the Astros) made his Major League debut Aug. 18, 2023, and was playing in his 72nd career game.
Scoring
Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Houck earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Jansen and Siani earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Monday’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 batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) May 21, 2024
1—Freddie Freeman @Dodgers 87.9*
2—Paul Goldschmidt @Cardinals 87.0
3—Joey Votto @BlueJays 85.4
4—Mike Trout @Angels 84.2
5—Andrew McCutchen @Pirates 80.9
6—Giancarlo Stanton @Yankees 75.9
*Earns 1.0 B-T point as Player of the Game Monday
Monday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Dean Kremer, Orioles13.7 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 38th
▪️Sonny Gray, Cardinals
14.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 31st
Result—STL 6, BAL 3
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Kremer had -13.0 B-T game score (4IP 6H 5R 3BB 2K L).
Gray had +2.2 B-T game score (5.2IP 3H 3R ER 2BB 6K W).
Player of the Game—Michael Siani, Cardinals (HR 2-4 R 4BI) with +3.0 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:▪️+7.1—Marcus Stroman, Yankees (7.1IP 3H R BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SEA.
Player of the Game—Andrés Muñoz, Mariners (1IP H 0R 0BB 2K Sv) with +2.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Mauricio Dubón, Astros (HR 3-4 3R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. LAA.
Player of the Game—Nolan Schanuel, Angels (HR 2-5 2R 3BI) with +2.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Paul DeJong, White Sox (HR 3-4 2R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. TOR.
Player of the Game—Danny Jansen, Blue Jays (HR 2B 3-5 2R 5BI) with +5.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 314 total players Monday, 96 pitchers-19.0—Framber Valdez, Astros (5IP 10H 8R BB 3K L vs. LAA)
-15.0—Joey Wentz, Tigers
-14.0—Reid Detmers, Angels
-13.8—Clay Holmes, Yankees
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 218 total batters Monday-5.0—Willy Adames, Brewers 0-5 3K
-5.0—Tommy Pham, White Sox 0-5 3K
-5.0—William Contreras, Brewers 0-5 2K
-5.0—Gary Sánchez, Brewers 0-5 2K
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).| 5/20 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +11.0 | ATL 3, SD 0 | Chris Sale (W, 7‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| AL | +9.0 | BOS 5, TB 0 | Tanner Houck (W, 4‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| +7.0 | `MIA 3, MIL 2 (F/10) | Ryan Weathers | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | TOR 9, CHW 3 | Danny Jansen C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.2 | CLE 3, NYM 1 | Ben Lively (W, 3‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | STL 6, BAL 3 | Michael Siani CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | LAD 6, ARI 4 | Freddie Freeman 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.1 | KC 8, DET 3 | Chris Stratton (S, 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | LAA 9, HOU 7 | Nolan Schanuel 1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | WSH 12, MIN 3 | Luis García Jr. 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | SEA 5, NYY 4 | Andrés Muñoz (S, 9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | SD 6, ATL 5 | Manny Machado 3B | 4 | 1 | 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 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 | 8.7 | 17.4 | 30.4 | 162.0 | 0.0 |
| Houck, Tanner 4342 | pi sp | bos al | 7.7 | 9.7 | 21.4 | 21.4 | +5.7 |
| Garcia, Luis Jr. 4671 | 2b ph | dc nl | 4.2 | 6.7 | 8.2 | 8.2 | +1.7 |
| Stratton, Chris 3883 | pi mr cp | kc al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 19.1 | +3.0 |
| Weathers, Ryan 4388 | pi sp | fla nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | +3.0 |
| Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | lad nl | 2.0 | 12.0 | 38.7 | 87.9 | -8.0 |
| Munoz, Andres 4222 | pi cp mr | sea al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -1.0 |
| Lively, Ben 3903 | pi sp | cle al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | +1.0 |
| Jansen, Danny 4163 | ca | tor al | 1.5 | 3.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | -0.5 |
| Siani, Michael 5010 | cf | stl nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b | sd nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 18.4 | 54.8 | -2.0 |
| Schanuel, Nolan 5011 | 1b | 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 Tuesday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYM | Houser, Adrian 4162 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| CLE | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 24.1 | 111.5 |
| MIL | Gasser, Robert 4998 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIA | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| SD | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 52.5 | 62.2 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 4.0 | 16.4 | 44.3 | 44.3 |
| PIT | Perez, Martin 3213 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 18.5 | 35.5 |
| TEX | Gray, Jon 3634 | 4.0 | 11.7 | 33.7 | 57.1 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 7.7 | 11.4 | 26.4 | 26.4 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 4.7 | 13.4 | 30.8 | 30.8 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 34.2 | 92.4 |
| BOS | Criswell, Cooper 4840 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| TB | Littell, Zack 4533 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 2.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| NYY | Schmidt, Clarke 4581 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 10.4 | 10.4 |
| CHW | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| TOR | Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | 2.7 | 12.7 | 30.1 | 30.1 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 55.9 | 106.1 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| DET | Mize, Casey 4377 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| KC | Marsh, Alec 4961 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 1.0 | 15.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 |
| STL | Lynn, Lance 2992 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 51.9 | 119.5 |
| LAA | Canning, Griffin 4134 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| HOU | Javier, Cristian 4290 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 31.7 | 31.7 |
| COL | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| OAK | Brooks, Aaron 3545 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 4.4 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.1 |
| LAD | Stone, Gavin 4942 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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