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
▪️ Saturday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Nationals pitcher DJ Herz is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Saturday, June 15:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 13.4 |
| 2 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 10.7 |
| 3 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 9.7 |
| 4 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 9.7 |
| 5 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 9.7 |
| 6 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 9.7 |
| 7 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | White Sox | 9.7 |
| 8 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 9.4 |
| 9 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 9.4 |
| 10 | Bryce Miller | pi sp | Mariners | 8.7 |
Also Saturday, Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga rises to first place among National League pitchers in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors, rising to second place overall. In addition, Mariners pitcher George Kirby rises to fourth place overall in 2024 Box-Toppers points.
Player of the Day
Herz struck out 13 over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and no walks, in the 4-0 win over the Marlins.
Herz had a Box-Toppers game score of +18.0, second-highest among all Player of the Game winners in 2024. The only higher game score was the +18.0 recorded by Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow on April 9 (7IP 3H 0R 0BB 14K W in the 6-3 win over the Twins). Though Glasnow and Herz both had +18.0 game scores, Glasnow ranks ahead because he had more innings pitched—seven vs. six.
Herz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 266th among all players, 83rd among National League pitchers.
This was also Herz’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Herz made his Major League debut June 4 and was playing in his third career game.
American League Player of the Day
Riley Greene of the Tigers hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, in the 13-5 win over the Astros. Greene went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in six runs.
Greene earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 40th among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Hunter Goodman of the Rockies homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 16-4 win over the Pirates.
This was Goodman’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Goodman made his Major League debut Aug. 27, 2023, and was playing in his 46th career game.
American League Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Riley Greene.
New NL pitching leader
Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga rises to lead NL pitchers in 2024 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Imanaga (7IP 4H R 0BB 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Cardinals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season, second among all players behind Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (13.4) and passing previous NL pitching leader, Zack Wheeler of the Phillies (9.7), who falls to second place.
Imanaga becomes the second player this season (after Gil) to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his first season with 10 or more points in his rookie season.
Rankings
Mariners pitcher George Kirby rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Kirby (6IP 3H R 0ER 2BB 6K W in the 7-5 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Luis Gil of the Yankese (13.4).
Kirby is one of five players with 9.7 points in 2024 but ranks second among them, behind Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler, based on their 2023 point totals—Wheeler had 14.7 points in 2023, while Kirby had 13.7.
Saturday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers14.7 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 17th among AL pitchers
▪️George Kirby, Mariners
22.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 4th among AL pitchers
Result—SEA 7, TEX 5
Kirby was Player of the Game (6IP 3H R 0ER 2BB 6K W) with +6.0 B-T game score.
Eovaldi had -7.0 B-T game score in loss (3IP 4H 4R 4BB 6K L).
Kirby earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 23.4 over 2023-24, rising to 3rd among AL pitchers over that span.
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—Jack Flaherty, Tigers (5IP 3H 0R BB 6K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. HOU.
Player of the Game—Teammate Riley Green (2HR 4-5 2R 6BI) with +7.0 game score. (In cases of game score ties between batters and pitchers, batters hold the tiebreaking edge.)
▪️+5.0—J.D. Martinez, Mets (2HR 3-3 2R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. SD
Player of the Game—Teammate Jose Quintana (6IP 2H R 2BB 6K W) with +6.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Josh Rojas, Mariners (HR 2-3 3R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TEX.
Player of the Game—Teammate George Kirby (6IP 3H R 0ER 2BB 6K W) with +6.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 402 total players Saturday, 113 pitchers-17.9—Spencer Arrighetti, Astros (1.1IP 5H 7R 2BB 2K L vs. DET)
-17.0—Dennis Santana, Pirates
-12.8—Edward Bazardo, Mariners
-12.0—Mason Englert, Tigers
-12.0—Shawn Dubin, Astros
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 289 total batters Saturday-6.0—Justyn-Henry Malloy, Tigers 0-6 3K
-5.0—Anthony Volpe, Yankees 0-5 2K
-5.0—Adael Amador, Rockies 0-5 K
-5.0—Alex Verdugo, Yankees 0-5
-5.0—Corey Seager, Rangers 0-5
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Notable
Braves pitcher Charlie Morton now has 108.8 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Morton (6IP 3H R 2BB 8K W in the 9-2 win over the Rays) now ranks 69th among all players in career Box-Toppers points since tracking began in 1995. With his 1.0 point Saturday, he passes three players on the “all-time” career points list—Carlos Beltran (108.6), Gio Gonzalez (108.6) and Billy Wagner (108.7). He now trails 68th-ranked player Jeff Kent (110.2). (Kent began his career prior to the advent of Box-Toppers tracking in 1995. Box-Toppers projects he would have about 125 points if his career from 1992 were tracked.)
Morton ranks 12th among active, signed players in career points, sixth among active NL pitchers.
Morton has 4.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 28th among NL pitchers.
Also notable
Angels pitcher Carlos Estevez earns Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Saturday.
Estevez (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv in the 4-3 win over the Giants) was also Player of the Game Friday in the 8-6 win over the Giants (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K Sv). He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point each day and now has 3.0 points for the season, ninth among AL closing pitchers.
Debut
Blue Jays pitcher Bowden Francis also made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Francis (4IP 4H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 5-0 win over the Guardians) made his Major League debut April 27, 2022, and was playing in his 29th career game.
Scoring
Herz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Greene earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Goodman earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day.
All of Saturday’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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Highest Box-Toppers game scores by Player of the Game winners in 2024:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) June 16, 2024
+18.0—Tyler Glasnow @Dodgers, 4/9
+18.0—DJ Herz @Nationals, 6/15
+16.0—George Kirby @Mariners, 4/27
+16.0—Dylan Cease @Padres, 5/8
+16.0—Paul Skenes @Pirates, 5/17
+16.0—Jared Jones @Pirates, 5/4
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).| 6/15 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +18.0 | WSH 4, MIA 0 | DJ Herz (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| AL | +7.0 | DET 13, HOU 5 | Riley Greene CF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +7.0 | COL 16, PIT 4 | Hunter Goodman C | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +7.0 | CHC 5, STL 1 | Shota Imanaga (W, 7‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +7.0 | ATL 9, TB 2 | Charlie Morton (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| +6.1 | MIL 3, CIN 1 | Bryse Wilson (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +6.0 | BAL 6, PHI 2 | Anthony Santander RF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +6.0 | NYM 5, SD 1 | Jose Quintana (W, 2‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +6.0 | SEA 7, TEX 5 | George Kirby (W, 6‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | KC 7, LAD 2 | MJ Melendez LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | LAA 4, SF 3 | Carlos Estévez (S, 12) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | CHW 9, ARI 2 | Lenyn Sosa 3B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | TOR 5, CLE 0 | Bowden Francis (W, 3‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.1 | BOS 8, NYY 4 | Kenley Jansen (S, 11) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imanaga, Shota 4960 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | +10.7 |
| Kirby, George 4595 | pi sp | sea al | 9.7 | 23.4 | 34.8 | 34.8 | -4.0 |
| Morton, Charlie 2503 | pi sp | atl nl | 4.7 | 14.7 | 58.6 | 108.8 | -5.3 |
| Jansen, Kenley 2871 | pi cp | bos al | 4.0 | 7.0 | 23.0 | 68.4 | +1.0 |
| Estevez, Carlos 3641 | pi cp | ana al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | +2.0 |
| Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 25.8 | 86.1 | +3.0 |
| Melendez, MJ 4615 | lf | kc al | 2.5 | 6.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -1.5 |
| Santander, Anthony 3935 | rf | bal al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 17.0 | 18.5 | -1.0 |
| Wilson, Bryse 4048 | pi sp mr | mil nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 |
| Herz, DJ 5032 | pi sp | dc nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Greene, Riley 4675 | cf | det al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | +1.7 |
| Goodman, Hunter 5033 | ca | col nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Sosa, Lenyn 4907 | 2b | chi al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | -0.5 |
| Francis, Bowden 5034 | pi mr | tor 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 Sunday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 22.8 | 37.2 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 3.0 | 8.4 | 28.1 | 54.5 |
| MIA | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 2.0 | 19.8 | 35.9 | 35.9 |
| WSH | Parker, Mitchell 4982 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 9.7 | 24.4 | 69.9 | 93.3 |
| BAL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 7.7 | 19.4 | 60.6 | 63.6 |
| TB | Eflin, Zach 3679 | 2.0 | 14.0 | 32.8 | 45.5 |
| ATL | Waldrep, Hurston* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Lively, Ben 3903 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 4.7 | 15.1 | 47.2 | 74.0 |
| SD | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 8.7 | 18.7 | 55.5 | 55.5 |
| NYM | Megill, Tylor 4464 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| CIN | Montas, Frankie 3803 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 35.5 | 38.5 |
| MIL | Rea, Colin 3582 | 3.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 12.4 |
| DET | Maeda, Kenta 3609 | 2.7 | 13.8 | 36.6 | 67.3 |
| HOU | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 4.0 | 12.7 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| PIT | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| COL | Hudson, Dakota 4035 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 16.4 | 17.4 |
| LAA | Joyce, Ben* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CHW | Thorpe, Drew* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ARI | Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | 0.0 | 10.4 | 30.5 | 36.5 |
| KC | Singer, Brady 4337 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 28.7 | 28.7 |
| LAD | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 7.0 | 19.4 | 49.8 | 55.8 |
| TEX | Dunning, Dane 4317 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 7.0 | 20.4 | 41.5 | 41.5 |
| NYY | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 34.4 | 65.2 |
| BOS | Crawford, Kutter 4660 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| OAK | Estes, Joey 5000 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| MIN | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 31.5 | 31.5 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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