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
Rays pitcher Taj Bradley is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Bradley struck out eight over seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks, in the 2-0 win over the Guardians.
Bradley earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 43rd among all players and 21st among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day
Rece Hinds of the Reds hit a grand slam and went 1-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 7-4 win over the Marlins.
This was Hinds’ Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Hinds made his Major League debut July 8 and was playing in his fifth career game.
Hinds earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 78th among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Willie Calhoun of the Angels hit two home runs—including a walk-off, 10th-inning shot—and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 6-5, 10-inning win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day
There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter Rece Hinds.
Notable
Royals pitcher Cole Ragans has the most 2024 Box-Toppers points among Friday’s 15 Player of the Game winners.
Ragans (7IP 4H R BB 7K W in the 6-1 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season, 28th among all players and 14th among AL pitchers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Friday, July 12:| 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 |
Also notable
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole rises to 21st place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Cole (6IP 4H R BB 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 157.3 career points, passing Tim Hudson (157.0) on the “all-time” career points list. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.) Cole now trails 20th-ranked player Miguel Cabrera (159.4).
Cole ranks fifth among active, signed players in career points, third among active AL pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Rangers (252.7) and Justin Verlander of the Astros (247.0).
Cole now has 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 266th among AL pitchers.
Friday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Andrew Heaney, Rangers15.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 23rd among AL pitchers
▪️Hunter Brown, Astros
17.1 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 15th among AL pithcers
Result—HOU 6, TEX 3
Neither starter won Player of the Game.
Heaney had -2.0 B-T game score (5IP 5H 3R 2ER 2BB 5K L).
Brown had 0.0 B-T game score (6IP 5H 2R 2BB 5K W).
Player of the Game—Josh Hader, Astros (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv) 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:▪️+7.0—Tarik Skubal, Tigers (6IP 2H 2R BB 8K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. LAD.
Player of the Game—Yohan Ramírez, Dodgers (1.1IP H 0R 0BB 3K ND) with +3.1 game score.
▪️+4.0—Jason Adam, Rays (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K Sv)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TB.
Player of the Game—Teammate Taj Bradley (7IP 5H 0R 2BB 8K W) with +8.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Harrison Bader, Mets (2HR 2-4 2R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. COL.
Player of the Game—Teammate Sean Manaea (7IP 5H 3R BB 9K W) with +4.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 431 total players Friday, 123 pitchers-19.8—Yonny Chirinos, Marlins (5.2IP 8H 7R 4BB K L vs. CIN)
-16.0—Tanner Gordon, Rockies
-14.9—Bryan Woo, Mariners
-10.8—James Paxton, Dodgers
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 308 total batters Friday-5.0—Michael Busch, Cubs 0-5 2K
-5.0—DJ LeMahieu, Yankees 0-5 K
-4.0—Jackson Chourio, Brewers 0-4 3K
-4.0—Rhys Hoskins, Brewers 0-4 3K
-4.0—Justin Turner, Blue Jays 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
One more notable thing
Astros closing pitcher Josh Hader earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Friday.
Hader (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv in the 6-3 win over the Rangers) was also Player of the Game Thursday in the 6-3 win over the Marlins (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv). He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point each day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 44th among all players, 22nd among AL pitchers and first among AL closing pitchers, ahead of second-place Craig Kimbrel of the Orioles (6.0 points).
Scoring
Bradley earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Hinds earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Calhoun earns 1.5 points for being AL 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Twitter.
Career Box-Toppers points—Active, signed players
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 13, 2024
1—Clayton Kershaw @Dodgers 270.4
2—Max Scherzer @Rangers 252.7
3—Justin Verlander @Astros 247.0
4—Chris Sale @Braves 165.7
5—Gerrit Cole @Yankees 157.3*
6—Jacob deGrom @Rangers 139.2
*Earns 1.0 B-T Pt as Player of the Game Friday
2024 Box-Toppers points—AL closing pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 13, 2024
1—Josh Hader @Astros 7.0*
2—Craig Kimbrel @Orioles 6.0
3—Kirby Yates @Rangers 5.0
4—Kenley Jansen @RedSox 4.0
5—Jhoan Duran @Twins 4.0
6—Ryne Stanek @Mariners 4.0
*Earns 1.0 B-T point as Player of the Game Fridayhttps://t.co/w6pcbx62KL
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).| 7/12 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.0 | TB 2, CLE 0 | Taj Bradley (W, 4‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| +7.0 | KC 6, BOS 1 | Cole Ragans (W, 6‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +5.0 | NYY 4, BAL 1 | Gerrit Cole (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| NL | +4.0 | CIN 7, MIA 4 | Rece Hinds RF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | NYM 7, COL 6 | Sean Manaea (W, 6‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| +4.0 | ATL 6, SD 1 | Spencer Schwellenbach (W, 3‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | CHC 5, STL 1 | Kyle Hendricks (W, 2‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | OAK 6, PHI 2 | Osvaldo Bido (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | `PIT 4, CHW 1 | Carmen Mlodzinski (H, 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.1 | `LAD 4, DET 3 | Yohan Ramírez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | LAA 6, SEA 5 (F/10) | Willie Calhoun DH | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | SF 7, MIN 1 | Brett Wisely SS | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | HOU 6, TEX 3 | Josh Hader (S, 18) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | WSH 5, MIL 2 | Kyle Finnegan (S, 24) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | ARI 5, TOR 4 | Justin Martinez (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.
Back to top
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ragans, Cole 4889 | pi sp | kc al | 8.0 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 | +3.6 |
| Bradley, Taj 4780 | pi sp | tb al | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | +2.0 |
| Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | hou al | 7.0 | 11.0 | 38.7 | 53.4 | +3.0 |
| Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi mr sp | nym nl | 4.0 | 7.7 | 35.1 | 57.9 | +0.3 |
| Finnegan, Kyle 4535 | pi cp | dc nl | 4.0 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | +3.0 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 3.0 | 8.0 | 36.1 | 76.6 | -2.0 |
| Calhoun, Willie 4208 | dh | ana al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +1.5 |
| Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 | 19.0 | 96.4 | 157.3 | -15.0 |
| Mlodzinski, Carmen 4894 | pi mr | pit nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Martinez, Justin 5053 | pi mr cp | ari nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Schwellenbach, Spencer 5035 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Wisely, Brett 5047 | 2b ss | sf nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Hinds, Rece 5060 | rf | cin nl | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Bido, Osvaldo 4882 | pi mr | oak al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Ramirez, Yohan 4756 | pi mr cp | lad nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.
Back to top
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAD | Wrobleski, Justin* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| PIT | Ortiz, Luis 4738 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CHW | Flexen, Chris 4368 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| CHC | Wesneski, Hayden 4731 | 2.0 | 4.7 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| STL | Lynn, Lance 2992 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 54.9 | 122.5 |
| NYY | Gil, Luis 4498 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| BAL | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| OAK | Spence, Mitch 4986 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| PHI | Phillips, Tyler* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| TB | Littell, Zack 4533 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| COL | Feltner, Ryan 4635 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| NYM | Scott, Christian* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 8.4 | 14.8 | 23.8 | 32.8 |
| BOS | Crawford, Kutter 4660 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 10.1 | 10.1 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 8.0 | 17.7 | 42.8 | 77.3 |
| HOU | Arrighetti, Spencer 5022 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| WSH | Parker, Mitchell 4982 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| MIL | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 9.7 | 68.6 |
| ATL | Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 | 8.8 | 9.8 | 30.3 | 38.0 |
| SD | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 10.4 | 20.4 | 57.2 | 57.2 |
| MIN | Woods Richardson, Simeon 4974 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| SF | Birdsong, Hayden* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| STL | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 5.4 | 14.1 | 41.2 | 67.6 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 10.7 | 24.4 | 35.8 | 35.8 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 4.7 | 15.1 | 47.2 | 74.0 |
| ARI | Diaz, Yilber* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default, game-by-game view.
Back to top