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
▪️ Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Thursday, July 11:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 13.4 |
| 2 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 13.4 |
| 3 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 12.4 |
| 4 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 11.7 |
| 5 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 11.7 |
| 6 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 11.4 |
| 7 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 11.0 |
| 8 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 10.7 |
| 9 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 10.7 |
| 10 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 10.4 |
Player of the Day
Skenes struck out 11 over seven hitless, scoreless innings, allowing one walk, in the 1-0 win over the Brewers.
Skenes was pulled after 99 pitches despite having a no-hitter intact and replaced with reliever Colin Holderman in the eighth inning, who gave up a single on his second pitch to Jake Bauers of the Brewers, breaking up the combined no-hitter effort.
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, 32nd among all players and 15th among National League pitchers.
Skenes had a +17.0 Box-Toppers game score Thursday, the fourth-highest among all Player of the Game winners in 2024.
American League Player of the Day
Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks, in the 7-0 win over the Athletics.
Houck earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, sixth among all players and third among AL pitchers, behind Tarik Skubal of the Tigers (13.4) and Luis Gil of the Yankees (13.4).
Houck becomes the 11th player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his first season with 10 or more points. His previous best season was 2021 with the Red Sox when he had 6.0 points, 46th among AL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Cal Raleigh of the Mariners hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, in the 11-0 win over the Angels. Raleigh went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs.
This is the second time Raleigh has won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in three days. He was AL Player of the Day Tuesday (2HR 2B 3-5 3R 4BI in the 8-3 win over the Padres). He earned 1.7 points on Tuesday, 1.5 on Thursday and now has 4.2 Box-Toppers points for the season, 12th among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
There is no NL Batter of the Day for Thursday because no NL batter won Player of the Game honors in the 12 games completed.
Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Max Fried, Braves17.7 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 12th among NL pitchers
▪️Brandon Pfaadt, Diamondbacks
10.1 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 39th among NL pithcers
Result—ARI 1, ATL 0
Pfaadt was Player of the Game (6IP 3H 0R 0BB 4K W) with +7.0 B-T game score.
Fried had +3.0 B-T game score in loss (6IP 5H R 3BB 7K L).
Pfaadt earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 11.1 over 2023-24, rising to 31st among NL 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:▪️+6.0—Chase Anderson, Red Sox (3IP 2H 0R 0BB 5K Sv)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. OAK.
Player of the Game—Teammate Tanner Houck (6IP 2H 0R 3BB 6K W) with +7.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—J.P. Crawford, Mariners (HR 2B 3-4 3R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. LAA.
Player of the Game—Teammate Cal Raleigh (2HR 3-5 3R 4BI) with +5.0 game score. (Though Raleigh and Crawford both had +5.0 game scores, Raleigh won Player of the Game because he had more at bats—5 vs. 4.)
▪️+5.0—Luis Castillo, Mariners (6IP 4H 0R 2BB 5K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. LAA.
Player of the Game—Teammate Cal Raleigh (2HR 3-5 3R 4BI) with +5.0 game score. (Though Raleigh and Castillo both had +5.0 game scores, Raleigh beat Castillo for Player of the Game because in cases of game score ties, batters rank ahead of pitchers.)
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 337 total players Thursday, 89 pitchers-13.9—Jordan Hicks, Giants (4.1IP 8H 5R BB K L vs. TOR)
-13.0—Kenny Rosenberg, Angels
-12.8—Anthony Molina, Rockies
-12.0—Jack Kochanowicz, Angels
-11.0—Spencer Howard, Guardians
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 248 total batters Thursday-4.0—Tyler O’Neill, Red Sox 0-4 4K
-4.0—Willy Adames, Brewers 0-4 3K
-4.0—Will Smith, Dodgers 0-4 3K
-4.0—Tyrone Taylor, Mets 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Notable
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola now has 111.4 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Nola (6IP 4H R 2BB 9K W in the 5-1 win over the Dodgers) ranks 66th among all players in career points since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 1.0 point Thursday, he passes Tom Glavine (110.6) on the “all-time” career points list. (It should be noted that Glavine began his career before the advent of Box-Toppers tracking in 1995. Box-Toppers projects he would have about 170 points if his career from 1987 were tracked.) Nola now trails 65th-ranked player Kevin Brown (112.8).
Nola ranks 10th among active players in career Box-Toppers points, fifth among active NL pitchers.
Nola now has 9.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 13th among all players and sixth among NL pitchers.
Player & team rankings
Box-Toppers normally posts player and team rankings on Fridays. But as All-Star break season approaches, we change our calendar slightly. Here are the planned dates for the next two player and team rankings reports:
Monday, July 15
Friday, July 26
We will post the next player and team rankings reports after the conclusion of Sunday, July 14, games before the All-Star break. With no regular season games from Monday to Thursday next week, there will be no need for updated rankings reports on Friday, July 19. We will resume the regular Friday schedule on July 26.
Here are last Friday’s Box-Toppers team and player rankings reports.
Scoring
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Houck earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Raleigh earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’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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2024 Box-Toppers points—AL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 12, 2024
1—Tarik Skubal @Tigers 13.4
2—Luis Gil @Yankees 13.4
3—Tanner Houck @RedSox 11.4*
4—Tanner Bibee @CleGuardians 11.0
5—George Kirby @Mariners 10.7
6—Logan Gilbert @Mariners 10.0
*Earns 1.7 B-T points as Thursday’s AL Player of the Day
Career Box-Toppers points—Active NL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 12, 2024
1—Clayton Kershaw @Dodgers 270.4
2—Chris Sale @Braves 165.7
3—Yu Darvish @Padres 137.7
4—Lance Lynn @Cardinals 122.5
5—Aaron Nola @Phillies 111.4*
6—Charlie Morton @Braves 109.8
*Earns 1.0 B-T point as Player of the Game Thursday
Paul Skenes @Pirates also has the 7th-highest Box-Toppers game score for a Player of the Game winner in 2024: On 5/17, he had +16.0 game score (6IP 0H 0R BB 11K W in 9-3 win over CHC).
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 12, 2024
He's the only player with 2 of the top 10 game scores in 2024.
Details—https://t.co/EKN50AGpHO
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).| 7/11 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +17.0 | PIT 1, MIL 0 | Paul Skenes (W, 6‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| +10.0 | CIN 8, COL 1 | Hunter Greene (W, 6‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| +8.0 | CHC 8, BAL 0 | Justin Steele (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +7.0 | PHI 5, LAD 1 | Aaron Nola (W, 11‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| AL | +7.0 | BOS 7, OAK 0 | Tanner Houck (W, 8‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |
| +7.0 | ARI 1, ATL 0 | Brandon Pfaadt (W, 4‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | SEA 11, LAA 0 | Cal Raleigh C | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | NYM 7, WSH 0 | David Peterson (W, 4‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | DET 10, CLE 1 | Jack Flaherty (W, 6‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| +3.0 | HOU 6, MIA 3 | Josh Hader (S, 17) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | TB 5, NYY 4 | Brandon Lowe DH | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 0.0 | TOR 5, SF 3 | Spencer Horwitz 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houck, Tanner 4342 | pi sp | bos al | 11.4 | 13.4 | 25.1 | 25.1 | +9.4 |
| Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 9.7 | 21.7 | 65.8 | 111.4 | -2.3 |
| Flaherty, Jack 3971 | pi sp | det al | 8.0 | 12.0 | 40.2 | 53.3 | +4.0 |
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +8.0 |
| Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.4 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 | +3.7 |
| Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | hou al | 6.0 | 10.0 | 37.7 | 52.4 | +2.0 |
| Raleigh, Cal 4481 | ca ph | sea al | 4.2 | 7.2 | 15.7 | 15.7 | +1.2 |
| Steele, Justin 4415 | pi sp | chi nl | 4.0 | 15.1 | 23.1 | 23.1 | -7.1 |
| Greene, Hunter 4651 | pi sp | cin nl | 4.0 | 9.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 | -1.7 |
| Lowe, Brandon 4108 | dh 2b | tb al | 3.5 | 9.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | -2.0 |
| Peterson, David 4347 | pi sp | nym nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | -2.0 |
| Horwitz, Spencer 4922 | 2b 1b | tor al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Friday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAD | Paxton, James 3280 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 25.1 | 66.9 |
| DET | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 13.4 | 24.1 | 43.5 | 43.5 |
| OAK | Harris, Hogan 4846 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 9.4 | 13.1 | 28.1 | 28.1 |
| CLE | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 25.8 | 113.2 |
| TB | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 1.0 | 18.0 | 95.4 | 156.3 |
| BAL | Povich, Cade 5029 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| COL | Gordon, Tanner* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYM | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 3.0 | 6.7 | 34.1 | 56.9 |
| KC | Ragans, Cole 4889 | 7.0 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 |
| BOS | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIA | Chirinos, Yonny 4039 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 |
| CIN | Spiers, Carson 5048 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| PIT | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHW | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 4.0 | 15.4 | 36.8 | 51.5 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 7.0 | 17.1 | 18.1 | 18.1 |
| WSH | Rutledge, Jackson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 8.7 | 26.4 | 56.5 | 65.2 |
| CHC | Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 35.1 | 75.6 |
| STL | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 8.4 | 18.8 | 56.4 | 106.3 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 7.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 29.4 | 42.4 |
| ATL | Schwellenbach, Spencer 5035 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SD | Vasquez, Randy 4841 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TOR | Rodriguez, Yariel 4979 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| ARI | Nelson, Ryne 4728 | 3.0 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 8.7 | 17.4 | 34.8 | 34.8 |
| SF | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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