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
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Padres pitcher Dylan Cease is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to first place in season player rankings.
Cease struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 7-0 win over the Guardians.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Saturday, July 20:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 14.4 |
| 2 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 14.4 |
| 3 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 13.4 |
| 4 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 12.4 |
| 5 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 12.0 |
| 6 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 11.7 |
| 7 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 11.7 |
| 8 | Tanner Houck | pi sp | Red Sox | 11.4 |
| 9 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 10.7 |
| 10 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 10.7 |
Cease earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 for the season, rising from third to first place in season player rankings, passing previous leader, Yankees pitcher Luis Gil. Though Cease and Gil both have 14.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, Cease ranks higher because he has more 2023 points—10.0 vs. 0.0.
Cease also increases his lead among NL pitchers ahead of second-place Chris Sale of the Braves (12.4 points).
This is the second time this season Cease has led Box-Toppers season player rankings. He also led from May 8 until he lost the lead May 17 to Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler.
American League Player of the Day
Rays pitcher Taj Bradley struck out five over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 9-1 win over the Yankees.
Bradley earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, 23rd among all players and 13th among AL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Brent Rooker of the Athletics hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 8-2 win over the Angels.
Rooker earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.5 for the season, fourth among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Alec Burleson of the Cardinals hit a sacrifice fly and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 9-5 win over the Braves.
Burleson earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.5 for the season, sixth among NL batters.
Debut
Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Wrobleski (4.1IP 3H 0R 2BB 5K ND in the 7-6, 11-inning win over the Rangers) made his Major League debut July 7 and was playing in his third career game.
2024 lead changes
Here are the season’s lead changes among players in Box-Toppers points. Chart shows the date and the player’s Box-Toppers point (BTP) total when they took the lead.| Date | Leader | Team | BTP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/20 | Evan Phillips | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 3/21 | Jake Cronenworth | sd nl | 2.0 |
| 3/28 | Corbin Burnes | bal al | 2.0 |
| 4/3 | Evan Phillips | lad nl | 3.0 |
| 4/5 | Brady Singer | kc al | 3.0 |
| 4/9 | Corbin Burnes | bal al | 3.7 |
| 4/12 | Freddy Peralta | mil nl | 4.0 |
| 4/27 | Ranger Suarez | phi nl | 6.7 |
| 5/6 | Zack Wheeler | phi nl | 6.7 |
| 5/7 | Shota Imanaga | chi nl | 7.7 |
| 5/8 | Dylan Cease | sd nl | 7.7 |
| 5/17 | Zack Wheeler | phi nl | 7.7 |
| 5/18 | Shota Imanaga | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 5/20 | Chris Sale | atl nl | 8.7 |
| 5/21 | Ranger Suarez | phi nl | 9.4 |
| 5/23 | Luis Gil | nyy al | 9.7 |
| 5/26 | Chris Sale | atl nl | 9.7 |
| 5/29 | Luis Gil | nyy al | 11.7 |
| 7/7 | Tarik Skubal | det al | 13.4 |
| 7/13 | Luis Gil | nyy al | 14.4 |
| 7/20 | Dylan Cease | sd nl | 14.4 |
Scoring
Cease earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Bradley earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Rooker and Burleson each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s 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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Saturday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Freddy Peralta, Brewers26.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 2nd
▪️Pablo López, Twins
22.1 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 13th
Result—MIL 8, MIN 4 (F/12)
Peralta was Player of the Game (6IP 2H 0R 2BB 8K ND) with +10.0 B-T game score.
López had +7.0 B-T game score in loss (7IP 4H R BB 7K ND).
Peralta earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 27.4 over 2023-24, rising to 1st overall over that span, passing Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (26.4).
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—Pablo López, Twins (7IP 4H R BB 7K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. MIL.
Player of the Game—Freddy Peralta, Brewers (6IP 2H 0R 2BB 8K ND) with +10.0 game score.
▪️+6.0—George Kirby, Mariners (6IP 4H R 0BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. HOU.
Player of the Game—Josh Hader, Astros (1IP 0H 0R BB 2K Sv) with +2.0 game score.
▪️+5.2—Kyle Gibson, Cardinals (6.2IP 3H R 2BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. ATL.
Player of the Game—Eddie Rosario, Braves (HR 1-3 R 2BI) with +1.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 458 total players Saturday, 137 pitchers-16.9—Nestor Cortes, Yankees (4.1IP 8H 6R 2BB K L vs. TB)
-16.0—Jack Kochanowicz, Angels
-12.0—Max Scherzer, Rangers
-10.9—Trevor Richards, Blue Jays
-10.0—Logan Webb, Giants
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 321 total batters Saturday-5.0—Manny Machado, Padres 0-5 2K
-5.0—Miguel Rojas, Dodgers 0-5 2K
-5.0—Jeimer Candelario, Reds 0-5 K
-5.0—Ryan Jeffers, Twins 0-5
-5.0—Gunnar Henderson, Orioles 0-5 2K BB
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Three players elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January are being inducted Sunday—Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer and Todd Helton.
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 21, 2024
Here is a look at how 2024 Hall of Fame candidates fared in Box-Toppers: https://t.co/0J0ELFLcoR pic.twitter.com/QHMc2BOyIq
2024 Box-Toppers points—AL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 21, 2024
1—Aaron Judge @Yankees 8.5
2—Juan Soto @Yankees 8.5
3—Josh Naylor @CleGuaridans 6.5
4—Brent Rooker @Athletics 6.5*
5—Yordan Alvarez @Astros 6.0
6—Ryan Mountcastle @Orioles 5.0
7—Byron Buxton @Twins 5.0
*Earns 1.5 B-T pts as SA AL Batter of Day
2024 Box-Toppers points—NL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 21, 2024
1—Brenton Doyle @Rockies 8.7
2—Bryce Harper @Phillies 7.7
3—Matt Chapman @SFGiants 6.5
4—Francisco Lindor @Mets 6.4
5—Luis Garcia Jr. @Nationals 6.2
6—Alec Burleson @Cardinals 5.5*
7—Ian Happ @Cubs 5.0
*Earns 1.5 B-T pts as SA’s NL Batter of Day
Career Box-Toppers points—Active AL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) July 21, 2024
1—Max Scherzer @Rangers 252.7
2—Justin Verlander @Astros 247.0
3—Gerrit Cole @Yankees 158.3
4—Jacob deGrom @Rangers 139.2
5—Johnny Cueto @Angels 118.2*
6—Carlos Carrasco @CleGuardians 113.2
*Agreed to minor league deal Saturday
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).| 7/20 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +15.0 | SD 7, CLE 0 | Dylan Cease (W, 9‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| +10.0 | `MIL 8, MIN 4 (F/12) | Freddy Peralta | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| AL | +9.0 | TB 9, NYY 1 | Taj Bradley (W, 5‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
| +8.0 | NYM 1, MIA 0 | Luis Severino (W, 7‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | KC 6, CHW 1 | Brady Singer (W, 6‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| +5.0 | BAL 8, TEX 4 | Grayson Rodriguez (W, 12‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| +4.1 | `LAD 7, BOS 6 (F/11) | Justin Wrobleski | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | OAK 8, LAA 2 | Brent Rooker DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | PIT 4, PHI 1 | Luis L. Ortiz (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | DET 7, TOR 3 | Alex Faedo (W, 5‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | STL 9, ATL 5 | Alec Burleson DH | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | WSH 5, CIN 4 | Derek Law (W, 6‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | `ARI 3, CHC 0 | Justin Martinez H, 6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | COL 4, SF 3 | Ezequiel Tovar SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | HOU 4, SEA 2 | Josh Hader (S, 20) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | ATL 3, STL 2 (F/10) | Eddie Rosario LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | sd nl | 14.4 | 24.4 | 61.2 | 61.2 | +4.4 |
| Peralta, Freddy 3965 | pi sp | mil nl | 9.7 | 27.4 | 57.5 | 66.2 | -8.0 |
| Bradley, Taj 4780 | pi sp | tb al | 8.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | +3.7 |
| Singer, Brady 4337 | pi sp | kc al | 8.0 | 13.0 | 31.7 | 31.7 | +3.0 |
| Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | hou al | 8.0 | 12.0 | 39.7 | 54.4 | +4.0 |
| Rooker, Brent 4795 | dh | oak al | 6.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | +4.5 |
| Burleson, Alec 4874 | dh rf 1b | stl nl | 5.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | +4.5 |
| Ortiz, Luis 4738 | pi sp mr | pit nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +5.0 |
| Tovar, Ezequiel 4801 | ss | col nl | 4.7 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | -1.8 |
| Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | nym nl | 4.7 | 9.4 | 19.1 | 62.9 | 0.0 |
| Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | pi sp | bal al | 4.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -4.0 |
| Martinez, Justin 5053 | pi mr cp | ari nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Law, Derek 3657 | pi mr sp | dc nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| Rosario, Eddie 3542 | lf | atl nl | 1.0 | 7.2 | 13.7 | 31.9 | -5.2 |
| Faedo, Alex 4612 | pi sp | det al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | -2.0 |
| Wrobleski, Justin 5062 | pi sp | lad 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 30.4 | 30.4 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 8.7 | 17.4 | 34.8 | 34.8 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| PHI | Phillips, Tyler* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PIT | Gonzales, Marco 3408 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 22.1 | 36.5 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 3.0 | 9.7 | 24.8 | 39.2 |
| ATL | Schwellenbach, Spencer 5035 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TB | Baz, Shane 4560 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| NYY | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 3.0 | 10.7 | 34.4 | 65.2 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 5.0 | 23.7 | 54.1 | 93.1 |
| NYM | Scott, Christian* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIA | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 7.0 | 16.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| CLE | Lively, Ben 3903 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 |
| CHW | Thorpe, Drew 5041 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 8.4 | 14.8 | 23.8 | 32.8 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 7.4 | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 6.0 | 15.7 | 27.1 | 27.1 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 4.0 | 15.4 | 36.8 | 51.5 |
| SF | Birdsong, Hayden* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 16.0 | 20.7 |
| LAA | Fulmer, Carson 3910 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.7 |
| OAK | Estes, Joey 5000 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| HOU | Blanco, Ronel 4959 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 7.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| BOS | Crawford, Kutter 4660 | 5.7 | 11.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| LAD | Paxton, James 3280 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 25.1 | 66.9 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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