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
▪️ Wednesday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Royals pitcher Cole Ragans is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Ragans struck out 12 over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and three walks, in the 8-3 win over the Tigers.
Ragans earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 26th among all players and 13th among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Braves pitcher Max Fried pitched a complete game, striking out nine and allowing two runs (one earned), three hits and no walks, in the 9-2 win over the Cubs.
Fried earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season, 19th among all players and 11th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
LaMonte Wade Jr. of the Giants went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in one run, in the 9-5 win over the Pirates.
American League Batter of the Day
Wilyer Abreu of the Red Sox homered and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 8-5 win over the Rays.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Wednesday, May 22:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 9.4 |
| 2 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 8.7 |
| 3 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 8.7 |
| 4 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 7.7 |
| 5 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 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 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | White Sox | 6.7 |
Notable
Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn now has 120.5 career Box-Toppers points—49th-most since 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Lynn (6IP 2H R 0ER 0BB 5K W in the 3-1 win over the Orioles) now trails 48th-ranked player, Gary Sheffield (124.1) on the “all-time” career points list. Lynn ranks eighth among active, signed players in career points, fourth among active NL pitchers.
Lynn now has 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 45th among NL pitchers.
Lynn’s pitching performance is actually from Tuesday, but since that game was suspended by weather and completed Wednesday, its Box-Toppers statistics are recorded for Wednesday, the day the game was finished.
Wednesday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Freddy Peralta, Brewers23.7 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 1st
▪️Jesús Luzardo, Marlins
18.8 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 11th
Result—MIA 1, MIL 0
Luzardo was Player of the Game (8IP 3H 0R 0BB 4K W) with +9.0 B-T game score.
Peralta had +7.0 B-T game score in loss (7IP 4H R BB 7K L).
Luzardo earns 1.0 B-T points, giving 19.8 for 2023-24, rising to 8th overall.
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—Freddy Peralta, Brewers (7IP 4H R BB 7K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. OAK.
Player of the Game—Jesús Luzardo, Marlins (8IP 3H 0R BB 4K W) with +9.0 game score..
▪️+4.0—Nolan Gorman, Cardinals (HR 2B 2-2 R 3BI)†
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. BAL.
Player of the Game—Teammate Lance Lynn (6IP 2H R ER 0BB 5K W) with +8.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Kyle Bradish, Orioles (5IP 4H R BB 6K ND)†
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. STL.
Player of the Game—Lance Lynn, Cardinals (6IP 2H R ER 0BB 5K W) with +8.0 game score.
†Game began Tuesday, was suspended for weather and completed Wednesday, counted in Box-Toppers tracking as a Wednesday game.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 446 total players Wednesday, 129 pitchers*-26.9—Nick Nastrini, White Sox (3.1IP 7H 9R 8ER 6BB 0K L vs. TOR)
-12.8—Nick Martinez, Reds
-11.0—Alex Lange, Tigers
-10.0—Carmen Mlodzinski, Pirates
-8.9—Cole Irvin, Orioles
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 317 total batters Wednesday*-6.0—Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies 0-6 K
-5.0—Mike Yastrzemski, Giants 0-5 4K
-5.0—Mark Canha, Tigers 0-5 3K
-5.0—Jordan Beck, Rockies 0-5 2K
-5.0—Connor Joe, Pirates 0-5 2K
* Includes players in BAL-STL game begun Tuesday but finished Wednesday.
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Scoring
Ragans earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Fried earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Wade and Abreu each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s 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.
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Career Box-Toppers points—active NL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) May 23, 2024
1—Clayton Kershaw @Dodgers 270.4
2—Chris Sale @Braves 162.0
3—Yu Darvish @Padres 137.7
4—Lance Lynn @Cardinals 120.5*
5—Aaron Nola @Phillies 107.7
6—Charlie Morton @Braves 106.1
*Earns 1.0 B-T point as Player of the Game Wednesday
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).| 5/22 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | KC 8, DET 3 | Cole Ragans (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | |
| NL | +12.0 | ATL 9, CHC 2 | Max Fried (W, 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| +9.0 | MIA 1, MIL 0 | Jesús Luzardo (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +8.0 | STL 3, BAL 1 | Lance Lynn (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +7.0 | `COL 4, OAK 3 (F/12) | Austin Gomber | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +5.0 | NYY 7, SEA 3 | Nestor Cortes (W, 3‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| +4.0 | TOR 9, CHW 2 | Chris Bassitt (W, 4‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| +3.1 | CLE 6, NYM 3 | Hunter Gaddis (W, 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.1 | MIN 3, WSH 2 | Steven Okert (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | SF 9, PIT 5 | LaMonte Wade Jr. 1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | LAA 2, HOU 1 | Luis García (S, 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | SD 7, CIN 3 | Luis Arraez 2B | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | PHI 11, TEX 4 | J.T. Realmuto C | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ARI 6, LAD 0 | Ryne Nelson (W, 3‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +2.0 | STL 5, BAL 4 | John King (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| BAT | +1.0 | BOS 8, TB 5 | Wilyer Abreu RF | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 5.7 | 14.7 | 58.2 | 59.2 | -3.3 |
| Ragans, Cole 4889 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | +0.6 |
| Cortes, Nestor 4160 | pi sp | nyy al | 5.0 | 7.0 | 29.4 | 29.4 | +3.0 |
| Bassitt, Chris 3413 | pi sp | tor al | 4.0 | 24.1 | 61.9 | 67.9 | -16.1 |
| Abreu, Wilyer 4911 | lf rf | bos al | 2.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | fla nl | 2.0 | 19.8 | 35.9 | 35.9 | -15.8 |
| Lynn, Lance 2992 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 | 6.7 | 52.9 | 120.5 | -2.7 |
| Realmuto, J.T. 3491 | ca | phi nl | 2.0 | 4.5 | 27.7 | 47.7 | -0.5 |
| Gomber, Austin 3985 | pi sp | col nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 20.7 | +1.0 |
| Wade, LaMonte Jr. 4523 | 1b rf | sf nl | 1.5 | 5.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | -2.5 |
| Arraez, Luis 4219 | 2b | sd nl | 1.0 | 8.5 | 20.7 | 20.7 | -6.5 |
| Nelson, Ryne 4728 | pi sp | ari nl | 1.0 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 9.4 | -5.7 |
| Gaddis, Hunter 4764 | pi mr sp | cle al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Garcia, Luis 3300 | pi mr cp | ana al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Okert, Steven 3745 | pi mr | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| King, John 5012 | pi mr | stl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 5.0 | 21.1 | 59.5 | 75.9 |
| NYY | Gil, Luis 4498 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| SF | Black, Mason* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 0.0 | 11.4 | 32.8 | 47.5 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 7.7 | 22.4 | 67.9 | 91.3 |
| SD | Waldron, Matt 4946 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CIN | Montas, Frankie 3803 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 33.5 | 36.5 |
| ATL | Smith-Shawver, AJ 4951 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CHC | Brown, Ben 4967 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| COL | Feltner, Ryan 4635 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| OAK | Estes, Joey 5000 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 3.0 | 21.7 | 52.1 | 91.1 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 35.2 | 48.3 |
| BAL | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| CHW | Clevinger, Mike 3707 | 1.0 | 11.4 | 37.2 | 65.3 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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