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
Mets pitcher Jose Quintana is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Braves pitcher Chris Sale rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and first place among National League pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day
Quintana struck out eight over 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run (none earned), four hits and one walk, in the 11-1 win over the Cubs.
Quintana earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 64th among all players and 27th among NL pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Guardians pitcher Carlos Carrasco struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run, four hits and no walks, in the 7-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Carrasco earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 93rd among AL pitchers.
Carrasco now has 113.2 career Box-Toppers points, 62nd-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his 1.7 points Friday, he passes three players on the “all-time” career points list—Kevin Brown (112.8), Sammy Sosa (113.2) and Dan Haren (113.2). He trails 61st-ranked player Chris Carpenter (113.3).
Carrasco ranks 10th among active, signed players in career points, sixth among active AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Jake Cronenworth of the Padres homered, doubled and went 5-for-5, scoring four times and driving in two runs, in the 9-5 win over the Brewers.
American League Batter of the Day
Josh Lowe of the Rays hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, in the 10-3 win over the Pirates. Lowe went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Friday, June 21:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 13.4 |
| 2 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 10.7 |
| 3 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 10.7 |
| 4 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 10.0 |
| 5 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 9.7 |
| 6 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 9.7 |
| 7 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 9.7 |
| 8 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | White Sox | 9.7 |
| 9 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 9.4 |
| 10 | Ranger Suárez | pi sp | Phillies | 9.4 |
Rankings
Braves pitcher Chris Sale rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and first place among NL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Sale (5IP H R 3BB 8K W in the 8-1 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He trails top-ranked player, Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (13.4) by 2.7 points. He rises to lead NL pitchers, passing previous leader Shota Imanaga of the Cubs. Though Sale and Imanaga both have 10.7 points for the season, Sale ranks ahead because he has more 2023 points—8.7 vs. 0.0.
Sale becomes the fourth player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his ninth season with 10 or more points and his first since 2019 with the Red Sox, when he had 11.0 points, 15th among AL pitchers. Sale’s best season was 2017 with the Red Sox when he had 25.1 points to lead all players. Sale had 8.7 points in 2023 with the Red Sox, 36th among AL pitchers.
Friday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Brady Singer, Royals5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 27th among AL pitchers
▪️Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers
5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 24th among AL pitchers
Result—TEX 6, KC 2
Eovaldi was Player of the Game (6IP 4H 2R BB 6K W) with +3.0 B-T game score.
Singer had +2.0 B-T game score in loss (5IP 3H R 2BB 4K ND).
Eovaldi earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 6.0 in 2024, rising to 17th among AL pitchers.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+4.0—Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (2HR 3-5 3R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. HOU.
Player of the Game—Jose Altuve, Astros (2-2B 3-5 2R 2BI) with +2.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—J.D. Martinez, Mets (HR 2-4 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. CHC
Player of the Game—Teammate Jose Quintana (6.1IP 4H R 0ER BB 8K W) with +8.1 game score.
▪️+3.2—Yoendrys Gómez, Yankees (4.2IP 3H 0R 3BB 5K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. ATL
Player of the Game—Chris Sale, Braves (5IP H R 3BB 8K W) with +7.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 414 total players Friday, 122 pitchers-26.0—Shota Imanaga, Cubs (3IP 11H 10R BB 3K L vs. NYM)
-26.0—Dakota Hudson, Rockies (3IP 11H 8R 2BB 0K L vs. COL)
-21.8—Carlos Rodón, Yankees
-16.0—Luis Ortiz, Pirates
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 292 total batters Friday-5.0—Harrison Bader, Mets 0-5 2K
-5.0—Mark Vientos, Mets 0-5 K
-4.0—Salvador Perez, Royals 0-4 4K
-4.0—Lawrence Butler, Athletics 0-4 3K
-4.0—Rafael Devers, Red Sox 0-4 3K
-4.0—Dylan Moore, Mariners 0-4 3K
-4.0—Juan Soto, Yankees 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Sale also now has 164.0 career Box-Toppers points, 18th-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 17th-ranked player Roger Clemens (164.8). (It should be noted that Clemens 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, second among active NL pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (270.4).
Debut
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Friday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Tyler Soderstrom of the Athletics (2B 2-2 R 3BI in the 6-5 win over the Twins) made his Major League debut July 14, 2023, and was playing in his 80th career game.
Angels pitcher Ben Joyce (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K ND in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Dodgers) made his Major League debut May 29, 2023, and was playing in his 18th career game.
Scoring
Quintana earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Carrasco earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Cronenworth and Lowe each earn 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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Career Box-Toppers points—Active players
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) June 22, 2024
1—Clayton Kershaw @Dodgers 270.4
2—Max Scherzer @Rangers 251.7
3—Justin Verlander @Astros 247.0
4—Chris Sale @RedSox 164.0*
5—Gerrit Cole @Yankees 155.3
6—Jacob deGrom @Rangers 139.2
*Earns 1.0 B-T pt FR as Player of the Game
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).| 6/21 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.1 | NYM 11, CHC 1 | Jose Quintana (W, 3‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| AL | +7.0 | CLE 7, TOR 1 | Carlos Carrasco (W, 3‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| +7.0 | ATL 8, NYY 1 | Chris Sale (W, 10‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| +6.2 | CIN 5, BOS 2 | Andrew Abbott (W, 6‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| BAT | +6.0 | SD 9, MIL 5 | Jake Cronenworth 2B | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.2 | DET 2, CHW 1 | Jack Flaherty (W, 5‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | TB 10, PIT 3 | Josh Lowe RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | OAK 6, MIN 5 | Tyler Soderstrom 1B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `LAA 3, LAD 2 (F/10) | Ben Joyce | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | WSH 11, COL 5 | Lane Thomas RF | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | TEX 6, KC 2 | Nathan Eovaldi (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +2.1 | `MIA 3, SEA 2 (F/10) | Trevor Rogers | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +2.0 | HOU 14, BAL 11 | Jose Altuve 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ARI 5, PHI 4 | Gabriel Moreno C | 3 | 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 | 10.7 | 19.4 | 32.4 | 164.0 | +2.0 |
| Flaherty, Jack 3971 | pi sp | det al | 7.0 | 11.0 | 39.2 | 52.3 | +3.0 |
| Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | tex al | 6.0 | 15.7 | 40.8 | 75.3 | -3.7 |
| Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 27.8 | 88.1 | +5.0 |
| Cronenworth, Jake 4380 | 2b 1b | sd nl | 3.5 | 4.5 | 14.0 | 14.0 | +2.5 |
| Abbott, Andrew 4839 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | -8.0 |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 3.0 | 10.5 | 23.5 | 58.5 | -4.5 |
| Thomas, Lane 4623 | rf | dc nl | 3.0 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | -0.7 |
| Moreno, Gabriel 4781 | ca | ari nl | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| Rogers, Trevor 4311 | pi sp | fla nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | +1.0 |
| Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 1.7 | 3.4 | 25.8 | 113.2 | 0.0 |
| Lowe, Josh 4838 | rf dh | tb al | 1.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | -1.5 |
| Joyce, Ben 5040 | pi mr | ana al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Soderstrom, Tyler 5039 | 1b | oak 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 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 | Thorpe, Drew* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Maeda, Kenta 3609 | 2.7 | 13.8 | 36.6 | 67.3 |
| SF | Hicks, Jordan 3991 | 4.4 | 7.4 | 11.4 | 13.4 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 23.8 | 38.2 |
| NYM | Megill, Tylor 4464 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 3.0 | 8.4 | 28.1 | 54.5 |
| ARI | Henry, Tommy 4829 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 9.7 | 24.4 | 69.9 | 93.3 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 3.0 | 14.0 | 33.5 | 64.2 |
| TEX | Gray, Jon 3634 | 4.0 | 11.7 | 33.7 | 57.1 |
| TB | Eflin, Zach 3679 | 2.0 | 14.0 | 32.8 | 45.5 |
| PIT | Jones, Jared 4956 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 5.0 | 13.7 | 23.4 | 23.4 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| BAL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 7.7 | 19.4 | 60.6 | 63.6 |
| HOU | Blanco, Ronel 4959 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 5.0 | 14.0 | 29.7 | 49.4 |
| CIN | Montas, Frankie 3803 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 35.5 | 38.5 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 9.0 | 22.4 | 43.5 | 43.5 |
| MIA | Anderson, Shaun* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 4.7 | 15.1 | 47.2 | 74.0 |
| CLE | Lively, Ben 3903 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 4.7 | 14.7 | 58.6 | 108.8 |
| NYY | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 34.4 | 65.2 |
| MIL | Rodriguez, Carlos* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SD | Vasquez, Randy 4841 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| WSH | Parker, Mitchell 4982 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| COL | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 22.7 | 22.7 |
| LAA | Plesac, Zach 4168 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 22.2 | 22.2 |
| LAD | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 8.7 | 21.1 | 51.5 | 57.5 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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