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
Twins pitcher Bailey Ober is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to sixth place in season player rankings.
Also Friday, Brenton Doyle of the Rockies extends his 2024 Box-Toppers points lead among National League batters after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day
Ober struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 6-3 win over the Guardians.
Ober earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.4 for the season, sixth overall and third among American League pitchers, behind Tarik Skubal of the Tigers (16.1) and Luis Gil of the Yankees (15.4).
National League Player of the Day
Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson struck out nine over 7 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, three hits and one walk, in the 3-2 win over the Phillies. Nelson did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Phillies tied the game after he exited.
Nelson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 7.4 for the season, 25th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Willson Contreras of the Cardinals hit two home runs, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 8-5 win over the Royals.
American League Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday because no AL batter earned Player of the Game honors in the 15 games completed.
Rankings
Brenton Doyle of the Rockies extends his 2024 Box-Toppers points lead among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Doyle (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 6-5 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season, 24th overall and first among NL batters, ahead of second-place Francisco Lindor of the Mets (8.4).
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Friday, Aug. 9:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 17.4 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 16.1 |
| 3 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 4 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 15.7 |
| 5 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 15.4 |
| 6 | Bailey Ober | pi sp | Twins | 12.4 |
| 7 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 12.4 |
| 8 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 12.0 |
| 9 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 11.7 |
| 10 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 11.7 |
Notable
Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller became the 18th player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Miller (6IP 3H 0R BB 6K W in the 6-0 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season, 14th overall and eighth among AL pitchers.
This is Miller’s second season with 10 or more points. He earned 13.1 points in his 2023 rookie season with the Mariners, 11th among AL pitchers.
Debut
Friday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Mitch Keller, Pirates9.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 8th among NL pitchers
▪️Jack Flaherty, Dodgers
10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 6th among NL pitchers
Result—LAD 9, PIT 5
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Keller had -14.0 B-T game score in loss (4IP 7H 7R 2BB 5K L).
Flaherty had -2.8 B-T game score (5.2IP 9H 4R BB 10K W).
Player of the Game—Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (HR 2B 2-3 2R BI) with +2.0 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—Beau Brieske, Tigers (3IP 0H 0R BB 5K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SF.
Player of the Game—Landen Roupp, Giants (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K ND) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+6.0—José Soriano, Angels (6IP 4H R BB 7K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. WSH.
Player of the Game—Kyle Finnegan, Nationals (2IP 0H 0R BB 2K W) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Matthew Liberatore, Cardinals (3IP 0H 0R BB 3K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. KC.
Player of the Game—Teammate Willson Contreras (2HR 2B 3-4 2R 4BI) with +5.0 game score. (Though Contreras and Liberatore both had +5.0 game scores, Contreras won Player of the Game honors because in cases of game score ties, batters rank ahead of pitchers.)
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 418 total players Friday, 123 pitchers-15.9—Garrett Crochet, White Sox (2.1IP 9H 7R 0BB 5K L vs. CHC)
-15.0—Carson Spiers, Reds
-14.0—Mitch Keller, Pirates
-13.8—Alex Cobb, Guardians
-11.0—Miles Mikolas, Cardinals
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 295 total batters Friday-5.0—Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies 0-5, 4K
-5.0—Logan O'Hoppe, Angels 0-5 3K
-5.0—Lane Thomas, Guardians 0-5 2K
-5.0—Luis Robert Jr., White Sox 0-5 2K
-5.0—Nolan Schanuel, Angels 0-5 2K
-5.0—Connor Wong, Red Sox 0-5 2K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Friday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Astros pitcher Kaleb Ort (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K W in the 8-4 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut Sept. 13, 2021, and was playing in his 52nd career game.
Giants pitcher Landen Roupp (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K ND in the 3-2 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut March 29 and was playing in his 12th career game.
Scoring
Ober earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Nelson earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Contreras earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
2024 Box-Toppers points—AL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) August 10, 2024
1—Tarik Skubal #Tigers 16.1
2—Luis GIl #Yankees 15.4
3—Bailey Ober #Twins 12.4*
4—Tanner Bibee #Guardians 12.0
5—George Kirby #Mariners 11.7
6—Tanner Houck #RedSox 11.4
7—Seth Lugo #Royals 11.1
*Earns 2.0 B-T pts as Friday’s Player of the Day
2024 Box-Toppers points—NL batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) August 10, 2024
1—Brenton Doyle #Rockies 9.7*
2—Francisco Lindor #Mets 8.4
3—Bryce Harper #Phillies 7.7
4—Ketel Marte #Dbacks 7.0
5—Willy Adames #Brewers 6.5
6—Ian Happ #Cubs 6.5
7—Matt Chapman #Giants 6.5
*Earns 1.0 B-T points as Player of the Game Friday
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).| 8/9 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +11.0 | MIN 6, CLE 3 | Bailey Ober (W, 12‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| +9.0 | BAL 4, TB 1 | Zach Eflin (W, 8‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| NL | +8.1 | `ARI 3, PHI 2 | Ryne Nelson | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |
| +8.0 | SEA 6, NYM 0 | Bryce Miller (W, 9‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +6.0 | TOR 3, OAK 1 | José Berríos (W, 10‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | STL 8, KC 5 | Willson Contreras C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.1 | HOU 8, BOS 4 | Kaleb Ort (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | `SD 6, MIA 2 (F/10) | Martín Pérez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +4.0 | `MIN 4, CLE 2 | Caleb Thielbar (H, 8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | `SF 3, DET 2 | Landen Roupp | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | CHC 7, CHW 6 | Cody Bellinger DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | WSH 3, LAA 2 (F/10) | Kyle Finnegan (W, 3‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | COL 6, ATL 5 | Brenton Doyle CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | LAD 9, PIT 5 | Freddie Freeman 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | MIL 8, CIN 3 | Willy Adames SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ober, Bailey 4441 | pi sp | min al | 12.4 | 21.1 | 30.8 | 30.8 | +3.7 |
| Miller, Bryce 4797 | pi sp | sea al | 10.7 | 23.8 | 23.8 | 23.8 | -2.4 |
| Doyle, Brenton 4803 | cf | col nl | 9.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | +5.7 |
| Nelson, Ryne 4728 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.4 | 14.1 | 15.8 | 15.8 | +0.7 |
| Berrios, Jose 3791 | pi sp | tor al | 6.7 | 17.1 | 49.2 | 76.0 | -3.7 |
| Adames, Willy 4041 | ss | mil nl | 6.5 | 13.2 | 24.6 | 25.6 | -0.2 |
| Finnegan, Kyle 4535 | pi cp | dc nl | 5.0 | 6.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | +4.0 |
| Eflin, Zach 3679 | pi sp | bal al | 4.7 | 16.7 | 35.5 | 48.2 | -7.3 |
| Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | lad nl | 4.0 | 14.0 | 40.7 | 89.9 | -6.0 |
| Contreras, Willson 3776 | ca dh | stl nl | 3.5 | 8.5 | 21.0 | 31.5 | -1.5 |
| Perez, Martin 3213 | pi sp mr | sd nl | 3.0 | 7.7 | 20.5 | 37.5 | -1.7 |
| Bellinger, Cody 3781 | dh cf 1b | chi nl | 1.0 | 6.5 | 22.4 | 31.1 | -4.5 |
| Thielbar, Caleb 3272 | pi mr | min al | 1.0 | 5.0 | 14.7 | 15.7 | -3.0 |
| Ort, Kaleb 5078 | pi mr | hou al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Roupp, Landen 5079 | pi mr | sf 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 10.0 | 19.7 | 44.8 | 79.3 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 43.5 | 66.6 |
| OAK | Bido, Osvaldo 4882 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| TOR | Rodriguez, Yariel 4979 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| DET | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 7.0 | 19.4 | 47.3 | 47.3 |
| HOU | Arrighetti, Spencer 5022 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| BOS | Winckowski, Josh 4784 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| SD | Waldron, Matt 4946 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| MIA | Munoz, Roddery 4994 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TEX | Bradford, Cody 4938 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 3.0 | 20.0 | 97.4 | 158.3 |
| LAA | Canning, Griffin 4134 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| WSH | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 2.0 | 9.1 | 36.2 | 94.4 |
| CIN | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 5.7 | 13.1 | 18.1 | 24.8 |
| MIL | Myers, Tobias 5026 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| MIN | Woods Richardson, Simeon 4974 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 6.0 | 17.0 | 36.5 | 67.2 |
| BAL | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 8.7 | 20.4 | 61.6 | 64.6 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 19.8 | 19.8 |
| CHC | Steele, Justin 4415 | 5.0 | 16.1 | 24.1 | 24.1 |
| CHW | Flexen, Chris 4368 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| ATL | Fried, Max 4011 | 8.7 | 17.7 | 61.2 | 62.2 |
| COL | Hudson, Dakota 4035 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 16.4 | 17.4 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 9.7 | 21.7 | 65.8 | 111.4 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 6.0 | 22.7 | 57.1 | 57.1 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| LAD | Ryan, River 5071 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| NYM | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 8.0 | 11.7 | 39.1 | 61.9 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 10.0 | 23.4 | 44.5 | 44.5 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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