Cardinals’ Pallante tops players Monday, Sept. 16; Imanaga, Manaea rise in top 10 list

Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

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▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2024
▪️ Monday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
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Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Monday, two players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after both earn Player of the Game honors: Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga rises to second place and Mets pitcher Sean Manaea rises to eighth place.

Player of the Day

Pallante struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the Pirates.

Pallante earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, 84th among all players and 37th among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day is Andrew Benintendi of the White Sox.

American League Player of the Day

Andrew Benintendi of the White Sox hit two home runs and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 8-4 win over the Angels.

Benintendi earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 4.2 for the season, 29th among AL batters.

National League Batter of the Day is Miguel Rojas of the Dodgers.

National League Batter of the Day

Miguel Rojas of the Dodgers went 1-for-1, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 9-0 win over the Braves.

Rojas earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.5 for the season, 36th among NL batters.

American League Batter of the Day

There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Monday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Andrew Benintendi.

Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga rises to second place in 2024 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Monday, Sept. 16:
  Player Pos Team BTP
1 Zack Wheeler pi sp Phillies 20.4
2 Shota Imanaga pi sp Cubs 19.7
3 Dylan Cease pi sp Padres 19.1
4 Chris Sale pi sp Braves 19.1
5 Tarik Skubal pi sp Tigers 18.1
6 Luis Gil pi sp Yankees 17.4
7 Framber Valdez pi sp Astros 15.4
8 Sean Manaea pi sp Mets 14.4
9 Nestor Cortes pi sp Yankees 14.4
10 Seth Lugo pi sp Royals 14.1
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Rankings

Two players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after both earn Player of the Game honors Monday:

  • Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (6IP 5H 2R 3BB 11K W in the 9-2 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 19.7 for the season, rising from fourth to second place overall behind Phillies pitcher Zach Wheeler (20.4 points). Imanaga also ranks second among NL pitchers behind Wheeler. Imanaga also leads all rookies in 2024 Box-Toppers points ahead of Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (12.0 points). Skenes also pitched Monday and performed well, recording a +6.0 Box-Toppers game score (6IP 4H R BB 7K L) but did not win Player of the Game because the Pirates lost to the Cardinals, 4-0.

  • Mets pitcher Sean Manaea (7IP 4H R BB 6K ND in the 2-1, 10-inning win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season, rising to eighth place overall and fifth among NL pitchers.

Mets pitcher Sean Manaea rises to eighth place in 2024 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.

Notable

Padres pitcher Yu Darvish now has 138.7 career Box-Toppers points—35th-most since 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.

Darvish (6IP 3H 0R 2BB 3K W in the 3-1 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point Monday and passes Andy Pettitte (138.5) on the “all-time” career points list (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995). Darvish now trails 34th-ranked player Madison Bumgarner (139.1). Darvish ranks seventh among active, signed players in career points, third among active NL pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (272.4) and Chris Sale of the Braves (172.4).

Darvish also now has 7.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 80th among all players and 35th among NL pitchers. It is his first Player of the Game honor in nearly four months. When he last earned Player of the Game honors on May 19, his 6.7 points ranked eighth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers. Darvish missed June, July and August, first going on the restricted list to deal with a personal matter and subsequently going on the injured list.

Padres pitcher Yu Darvish now has 138.7 career Box-Toppers points—35th-most since 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.

Monday’s sidelights sidebar

Top pitching matchup

▪️Jake Irvin, Nationals
10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 23rd among NL pitchers
▪️Sean Manaea, Mets
13.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 6th among NL pitchers
Result—NYM 2, WSH 1 (F/10)
Manaea was Player of the Game with +6.0 B-T game score (7IP 4H R BB 6K ND).
Irvin had +5.1 game score in loss (7.1IP 4H R BB 5K ND).
Manaea earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 14.4 for 2024, rising to 5th among NL pitchers.

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—Paul Skenes, Pirates (6IP 4H R BB 7K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. STL.
Player of the Game—Andre Pallante, Cardinals (7IP 4H 0R BB 9K W) with +11.0 game score.
▪️+5.1—Jake Irvin, Nationals (7.1IP 4H R BB 5K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. NYM.
Player of the Game—Sean Manaea, Mets (7IP 4H R BB 6K ND) with +6.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks (6IP 2H R 2BB 5K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. COL.
Player of the Game—Anthony Molina, Rockies (3IP H 0R 0BB 2K ND) with +4.0 game score.

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores

Out of 297 total players Monday, 83 pitchers
-19.0—Joey Estes, Athletics (1IP 9H 6R 0BB K L vs. CHC)
-12.9—Reid Detmers, Angels
-9.8—Seth Lugo, Royals
-8.9—Daysbel Hernández, Braves
-7.9—Reese Olson, Tigers

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters

Out of 214 total batters Monday
-5.0—Bryan Ramos, White Sox 0-5 2K
-4.0—Chuckie Robinson, White Sox 0-4 3K
-4.0—Matt Thaiss, Angels 0-4 3K
-4.0—Willy Adames, Brewers 0-4 2K
-4.0—Francisco Alvarez, Mets 0-4 2K
-4.0—Joey Bart, Pirates 0-4 2K
-4.0—Michael Busch, Cubs 0-4 2K
-4.0—Dylan Crews, Nationals 0-4 2K
-4.0—J.D. Martinez, Mets 0-4 2K
-4.0—Christian Vázquez, Twins 0-4 2K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.

Debut

Rockies pitcher Anthony Molina made his Box-Toppers debut Monday with his first career Player of the Game honor.

Molina (3IP H 0R 0BB 2K ND in the 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks) made his Major League debut March 28 and was playing in his 33rd career game.

Scoring

  • Pallante earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.

  • Benintendi earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.

  • Rojas earns 1.5 points for being NL 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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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).
9/16 BTG Game Player AB R H BI   IP H R ER BB K
MLB +11.0 STL 4, PIT 0 Andre Pallante (W, 7‑8) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   7.0 4 0 0 1 9
  +6.0 `NYM 2, WSH 1 (F/10) Sean Manaea ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   7.0 4 1 1 1 6
AL +5.0 CHW 8, LAA 4 Andrew Benintendi LF 3 2 2 4   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +5.0 CHC 9, OAK 2 Shota Imanaga (W, 14‑3) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   6.0 5 2 2 3 11
BAT +4.0 LAD 9, ATL 0 Miguel Rojas SS 1 3 1 1   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +4.0 SD 3, HOU 1 Yu Darvish (W, 6‑3) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   6.0 3 0 0 2 3
  +4.0 `COL 3, ARI 2 Anthony Molina ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   3.0 1 0 0 0 2
  +3.0 CLE 4, MIN 3 Emmanuel Clase (S, 46) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.0 0 0 0 0 2
  +2.0 DET 7, KC 6 Wenceel Pérez PH‑DH 2 1 1 2   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +1.0 MIL 6, PHI 2 Joey Ortiz 3B 3 1 1 2   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
MLB—Overall Box‑Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box‑Toppers points.
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 (+/-).
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Player of the Game Pos Team ’24 ’23‑24 ’19‑24 Career +/‑
Imanaga, Shota 4960 pi sp chi nl 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 +19.7
Manaea, Sean 3637 pi sp nym nl 14.4 18.1 45.5 68.3 +10.7
Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp sd nl 7.7 14.7 64.7 138.7 +0.7
Pallante, Andre 4656 pi sp stl nl 7.7 7.7 9.7 9.7 +7.7
Rojas, Miguel 3642 ss lad nl 4.5 5.5 15.5 20.0 +3.5
Benintendi, Andrew 3815 lf chi al 4.2 5.2 14.9 26.6 +3.2
Clase, Emmanuel 4225 pi cp cle al 4.0 10.0 16.0 16.0 -2.0
Perez, Wenceel 4991 rf dh ph det al 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 +3.5
Ortiz, Joey 4987 3b mil nl 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 +3.0
Molina, Anthony 5112 pi mr col nl 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 +1.0
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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.
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Game Starter ’24 ’23‑24 ’19‑24 Career
SF Snell, Blake 3688 11.7 26.4 64.6 100.8
BAL Suarez, Albert 3870 7.0 7.0 7.0 8.0
ATL Holmes, Grant* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
CIN Williamson, Brandon 4813 0.0 4.7 4.7 4.7
LAD Miller, Bobby 4820 2.0 10.7 10.7 10.7
MIA McCaughan, Darren* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
MIN Matthews, Zebby* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
CLE Williams, Gavin* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
BOS Pivetta, Nick 3825 9.7 18.7 34.4 54.1
TB Baz, Shane 4560 1.0 1.0 2.7 2.7
WSH Parker, Mitchell 4982 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
NYM Megill, Tylor 4464 2.7 6.7 18.4 18.4
DET Mize, Casey 4377 0.0 0.0 7.7 7.7
KC Ragans, Cole 4889 11.0 15.4 15.4 15.4
OAK Spence, Mitch 4986 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7
CHC Wicks, Jordan 4912 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
PHI Wheeler, Zack 3204 20.4 35.1 80.6 104.0
MIL Montas, Frankie 3803 6.0 6.0 38.5 41.5
PIT Falter, Bailey 4473 3.7 8.4 13.4 13.4
STL Lynn, Lance 2992 5.0 9.7 55.9 123.5
TOR Bassitt, Chris 3413 7.7 27.8 65.6 71.6
TEX Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 12.0 21.7 46.8 81.3
ARI Montgomery, Jordan 3814 1.0 11.4 31.5 37.5
COL Feltner, Ryan 4635 2.0 4.0 6.0 6.0
CHW Martin, Davis 4657 0.0 0.0 5.0 5.0
LAA Canning, Griffin 4134 3.0 9.0 20.7 20.7
HOU Brown, Hunter 4729 12.0 22.1 23.1 23.1
SD King, Michael 4549 12.7 21.7 27.4 27.4
NYY Gil, Luis 4498 17.4 17.4 18.4 18.4
SEA Woo, Bryan 4842 10.7 19.4 19.4 19.4
Starters subject to change.
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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