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
▪️ Monday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
(Correction: An earlier version of this post listed the incorrect Player of the Game in Monday’s Astros win over the Red Sox. The correct Player of the Game is Yusei Kikuchi.)
Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Monday, Royals pitcher Seth Lugo rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day
Stone struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 3-0 win over the Mariners.
Stone earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, 59th among all players and 26th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Athletics pitcher Joe Boyle struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks, in the 3-0 win over the Rays.
Boyle earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 121st among AL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Adrian Del Castillo of the Diamondbacks hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in six runs, in the 9-6 win over the Marlins.
This was Del Castillo’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Del Castillo made his Major League debut Aug. 7 and was playing in his ninth career game.
American League Batter of the Day
Corey Seager of the Rangers hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, in the 4-3 win over the Pirates. Seager went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs.
Rankings
Royals pitcher Seth Lugo rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Lugo (7IP 4H 2R 3BB 8K W in the 5-3 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.1 for the season, fifth among AL pitchers.
Notable
Padres pitcher Michael King now has 11.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024 after earning 1.0 point as Player of the Game Monday.
King (6IP 4H 2R 3BB 6K W in the 5-3 win over the Twins) now ranks 13th among all players in 2024 Box-Toppers points, sixth among NL pitchers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Monday, Aug. 19:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 17.4 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 17.1 |
| 3 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 16.7 |
| 4 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 15.7 |
| 5 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 15.4 |
| 6 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 14.4 |
| 7 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | Guardians | 13.0 |
| 8 | Bailey Ober | pi sp | Twins | 12.4 |
| 9 | Seth Lugo | pi sp | Royals | 12.1 |
| 10 | Aaron Judge | dh cf | Yankees | 12.0 |
Scoring
Stone earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Boyle earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Del Castillo and Seager each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Monday’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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Monday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Tanner Houck, Red Sox11.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 7th among AL pitchers
▪️Yusei Kikuchi, Astros
6.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 33rd among AL pitchers
Result—HOU 5, BOS 4
Kikuchi was Player of the Game (5.2IP 6H 3R ER BB 7K ND) with a +1.2 B-T game score.
Houck had +1.0 B-T game score in loss (6IP 8H 3R 2ER 0BB 8K ND).
Kikuchi earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 7.7 in 2024, rising to 30th 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:▪️+3.1—Bryan Woo, Mariners (6.1IP 2H 2R 2BB 5K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. LAD.
Player of the Game—Gavin Stone, Dodgers (7IP 2H 0R 2BB 10K W) with +13.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—José Ureña, Rangers (4IP 2H 0R 2BB 3K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. PIT.
Player of the Game—Teammate Corey Seager (2HR 2-3 2R 4BI) with +5.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Kirby Yates, Rangers (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. PIT.
Player of the Game—Teammate Corey Seager (2HR 2-3 2R 4BI) with +5.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 278 total players Monday, 77 pitchers-10.8-Adam Oller, Marlins (4.2IP 3H 5R 4BB 2K L vs. ARI)
-9.9—Brandon Pfaadt, Diamondbacks
-9.0—Jonathan Cannon, White Sox
-7.0—Zebby Matthews, Twins
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 201 total batters Monday-5.0—Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Pirates 0-5 2K
-5.0—Jake Burger, Marlins 0-5 K
-4.0—Dylan Carlson, Rays 0-4 3K
-4.0—Triston Casas, Red Sox 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
2024 Box-Toppers points—AL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) August 20, 2024
1—Tarik Skubal #Tigers 17.1
2—Luis Gil #Yankees 15.4
3—Tanner Bibee #Guardians 13.0
4—Bailey Ober #Twins 12.4
5—Seth Lugo #Royals 12.1*
6—George Kirby #Mariners 11.7
7—Framber Valdez #Astros 11.4
*Earns 1.0 B-T pt as Player of the Game Monday
2024 Box-Toppers points—NL pitchers
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) August 20, 2024
1—Dylan Cease #Padres 17.4
2—Zack Wheeler #Phillies 16.7
3—Shota Imanaga #Cubs 15.7
4—Chris Sale #Braves 14.4
5—Tyler Glasnow #Dodgers 11.7
6—Michael King #Padres 11.7*
7—Freddy Peralta #Brewers 10.7
*Earns 1.0 B-T pt as Player of the Game MO
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).| 8/19 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +13.0 | LAD 3, SEA 0 | Gavin Stone (W, 11‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| AL | +7.0 | OAK 3, TB 0 | Joe Boyle (W, 3‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |
| BAT | +5.0 | ARI 9, MIA 6 | Adrian Del Castillo C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +5.0 | TEX 4, PIT 3 | Corey Seager SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | KC 5, LAA 3 | Seth Lugo (W, 14‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| +3.0 | `NYM 4, BAL 3 | David Peterson | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +2.0 | CIN 6, TOR 3 | TJ Friedl CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | SF 5, CHW 3 | Kyle Harrison (W, 7‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +1.2 | `HOU 5, BOS 4 | Yusei Kikuchi | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +1.0 | SD 5, MIN 3 | Michael King (W, 11‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | kc al | 12.1 | 18.5 | 27.5 | 36.5 | +5.7 |
| King, Michael 4549 | pi sp | sd nl | 11.7 | 20.7 | 26.4 | 26.4 | +2.7 |
| Stone, Gavin 4942 | pi sp | lad nl | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +7.0 |
| Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | pi sp | hou al | 7.7 | 17.7 | 35.1 | 35.1 | -2.3 |
| Harrison, Kyle 4914 | pi sp | sf nl | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +4.0 |
| Friedl, TJ 4720 | cf | cin nl | 4.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -1.0 |
| Seager, Corey 3587 | ss dh | tex al | 3.5 | 9.7 | 18.7 | 32.2 | -2.7 |
| Peterson, David 4347 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | -1.0 |
| Boyle, Joe 4948 | pi sp | oak al | 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | +0.7 |
| Del Castillo, Adrian 5087 | ca | ari nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 0.0 | 13.0 | 34.4 | 67.2 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 11.1 | 11.1 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 17.0 | 21.7 |
| WSH | Herz, DJ 5032 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CLE | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 29.8 |
| NYY | Gil, Luis 4498 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| CIN | Spiers, Carson 5048 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 7.7 | 18.1 | 50.2 | 77.0 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 6.0 | 15.7 | 27.1 | 27.1 |
| NYM | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 29.8 | 90.1 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 16.7 | 31.4 | 76.9 | 100.3 |
| ATL | Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 | 8.8 | 9.8 | 30.3 | 38.0 |
| MIL | Montas, Frankie 3803 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 35.5 | 38.5 |
| STL | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 23.5 | 25.2 |
| DET | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 9.7 | 22.7 | 29.7 | 29.7 |
| TEX | Bradford, Cody 4938 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 32.4 | 45.4 |
| KC | Ragans, Cole 4889 | 10.0 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 6.7 | 15.7 | 31.4 | 51.1 |
| HOU | Blanco, Ronel 4959 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 12.4 | 21.1 | 30.8 | 30.8 |
| SD | Perez, Martin 3213 | 4.7 | 9.4 | 22.2 | 39.2 |
| TB | Baz, Shane 4560 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| OAK | Estes, Joey 5000 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| CHW | Martin, Davis 4657 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| SF | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 44.5 | 78.9 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 10.7 | 23.8 | 23.8 | 23.8 |
| LAD | Buehler, Walker 3943 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 44.5 | 59.6 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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