Giants’ Snell tops players Tuesday, Sept. 17; Phillies’ Wheeler extends 2024 points lead

Giants pitcher Blake Snell is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

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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
▪️ Tuesday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
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Giants pitcher Blake Snell is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Tuesday, Sept. 17:
  Player Pos Team BTP
1 Zack Wheeler pi sp Phillies 21.4
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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Player of the Day

Snell struck out 12 over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 10-0 win over the Orioles.

Snell earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.7 for the season, 11th among all players and sixth among National League pitchers. Snell is now just 1.0 point shy of his 2023 Box-Toppers point total of 14.7 with the Padres, in which he finished the season 12th overall, sixth among NL pitchers and won the NL Cy Young Award.

Snell also now has 102.8 career Box-Toppers points, 83rd among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 2.0 points Tuesday, he passes two players on the “all-time” career points list—Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and Miguel Tejada (102.3). (Griffey began his career in 1989, prior to the start of Box-Toppers tracking. Box-Toppers estimates he would have about 140 career points if his entire career were tracked.) Snell now trails 82nd-ranked player Jamie Moyer (104.0). (Moyer began his career in 1986, prior to the start of Box-Toppers tracking. Box-Toppers estimates he would have about 128 career points if his entire career were tracked.)

Snell ranks 14th among active, signed players in career points, ninth among active NL pitchers.

American League Player of the Day

Angels pitcher Griffin Canning struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 5-0 win over the White Sox.

Canning earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season, 62nd among AL pitchers.

American League Player of the Day is Angels pitcher Griffin Canning.

National League Batter of the Day

Jesus Sanchez of the Marlins hit two doubles and went 5-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 11-9 win over the Dodgers.

Sanchez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season, 17th among NL batters.

National League Batter of the Day is Jesus Sanchez of the Marlins.

American League Batter of the Day

Juan Soto of the Yankees homered, doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 11-2 win over the Mariners.

Soto earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season, 32nd among all players and second among AL batters, behind teammate Aaron Judge (13.0 points).

Soto becomes the 49th player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2024 and just the third batter along with Judge (13.0) and Willy Adames of the Brewers (10.5). Since tracking began in 1995, the fewest batters to reach 10 points in a season is four in 2022. However, with 12 days left in the season, there are five batters with between 8.5 and 9.7 points who could reach 10 points by winning one Player of the Game or Batter of the Day honor.

This is Soto’s first season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points in a season. His previous high was 9.0 points in 2023 with the Padres, sixth among NL batters.

American League Batter of the Day is Juan Soto of the Yankees.

Rankings

Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Wheeler (7IP 4H R 0BB 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 21.4 for the season, increasing his lead over second-place player, Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (19.7), who he now leads by 1.7 points. Wheeler also leads Imanaga among NL pitchers.

Wheeler has now ensured there will be no record set in 2024 for the lowest Box-Toppers point total to lead all players in a season. The record low since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 is 21.1 set in 2023 by Braves pitcher Spencer Strider.

Wheeler also now has 105.0 career Box-Toppers points, 81st among all players since tracking began in 1995. He trails 80th-ranked Scott Kazmir (105.1) on the “all-time” career points list. Wheeler ranks 13th among active, signed players in career points, eighth among active NL pitchers.

Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Notable

Astros closing pitcher Josh Hader becomes the 50th player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2024 after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.

Hader (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season, 49th among all players, 24th among AL pitchers and first among AL closing pitchers, ahead of Craig Kimbrel of the Orioles (6.0 points).

This is Hader’s third season with 10 or more points. In 2018, he had 11.7 points with the Brewers, 16th among NL pitchers and first among NL closers. In 2019, he had 17.7 points with the Brewers, eighth overall, third among NL pitchers, first among NL closers and the third-highest single-season point total for a relief pitcher since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. In 2023, Hader had 4.0 points with the Padres, eighth among NL closers.

The average number of players reaching 10 Box-Toppers points in a regular-length season is 51. In 2023, there were 53 players with 10 points.

Astros closing pitcher Josh Hader becomes the 50th player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2024 Tuesday.

Also notable

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn now has 124.5 career Box-Toppers points, 48th-most since 1995, after earning 1.0 point as Player of the Game Tuesday.

Lynn (6IP 4H R 2BB 5K W in the 3-1 win over the Pirates) passes Gary Sheffield (124.1) on the “all-time” career points list. (Sheffield began his career before the advent of Box-Toppers. If his entire career from 1988 to 2009 were tracked, Box-Toppers estimates he would have roughly 155 career points.) Lynn ranks eighth among active, signed players in career points, fourth among active NL pitchers.

Lynn now has 6.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 48th among NL pitchers.

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn now has 124.5 career Box-Toppers points, after earning 1.0 point as Player of the Game Tuesday.

Scoring

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

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

  • Sanchez and Soto each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.

  • All of Tuesday’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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Tuesday’s sidelights sidebar

Top pitching matchup

▪️Hunter Brown, Astros
12.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 21st
▪️Michael King, Padres
12.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 17th
Result—HOU 4, SD 3 (F/10)
Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Brown had -1.0 B-T game score (6IP 5H 2R BB 3K ND).
King had +4.0 B-T game score in loss (7IP 5H 2R BB 7K ND).
Player of the Game—Josh Hader, Astros (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W) with +3.1 B-T 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:
▪️+5.0—Tylor Megill, Mets (6IP 2H R 0ER 2BB 4K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. WSH.
Player of the Game—Teammate Pete Alonso (HR 2B 3-5 2R 5BI) with +5.0 game score. (Though Alonso and Megill both had +5.0 game scores, Alonso won Player of the Game honors because in cases of game score ties, batters rank ahead of pitchers.)
▪️+4.0—Luisangel Acuña, Mets (HR 2B 3-4 3R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. WSH.
Player of the Game—Teammate Pete Alonso (HR 2B 3-5 2R 5BI) with +5.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Michael King, Padres 7IP 5H 2R BB 7K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. HOU.
Player of the Game—Josh Hader, Astros (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W) with +3.1 game score.

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores

Out of 460 total players Tuesday, 136 pitchers
-18.8—Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers (4.2IP 11H 7R 2BB 4K ND vs. TOR)
-14.8—Mitchell Parker, Nationals
-14.8—Craig Kimbrel, Orioles
-12.8—Bryan Woo, Mariners
-12.0—Bobby Miller, Dodgers

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters

Out of 324 total batters Tuesday
-5.0—Tyler Fitzgerald, Giants 0-5 4K
-5.0—Dansby Swanson, Cubs 0-5 4K
-5.0—Luis Arráez, Padres 0-5 K
-5.0—Tommy Edman, Dodgers 0-5 K
-5.0—Anthony Rizzo, Yankees 0-5 K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.

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).
9/17 BTG Game Player AB R H BI   IP H R ER BB K
MLB +15.0 SF 10, BAL 0 Blake Snell (W, 4‑3) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   6.0 1 0 0 2 12
  +7.0 PHI 5, MIL 1 Zack Wheeler (W, 16‑6) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   7.0 4 1 1 0 6
AL +7.0 LAA 5, CHW 0 Griffin Canning (W, 6‑13) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   6.0 3 0 0 2 6
  +6.0 TB 8, BOS 3 Shane Baz (W, 3‑3) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   7.0 2 2 2 1 6
BAT +5.0 MIA 11, LAD 9 Jesús Sánchez LF 5 2 5 3   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +5.0 NYM 10, WSH 1 Pete Alonso 1B 5 2 3 5   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
BAT +5.0 NYY 11, SEA 2 Juan Soto RF 2 3 2 2   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +4.0 TEX 13, TOR 8 Wyatt Langford LF 4 3 3 2   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +4.0 DET 3, KC 1 (F/10) Tyler Holton (W, 7‑1) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   2.0 0 0 0 0 2
  +3.1 HOU 4, SD 3 (F/10) Josh Hader (W, 8‑7) (BS, 3) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.1 0 0 0 0 2
  +3.0 OAK 4, CHC 3 Shea Langeliers C 4 2 2 3   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +3.0 STL 3, PIT 1 Lance Lynn (W, 7‑4) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   6.0 4 1 1 2 5
  +2.0 COL 8, ARI 2 Ezequiel Tovar SS 5 2 3 2   ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
  +2.0 CIN 6, ATL 5 Alexis Díaz (S, 28) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.0 1 0 0 0 2
  +2.0 MIN 4, CLE 1 Cole Sands (W, 9‑1) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑   1.0 0 0 0 0 1
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 +/‑
Wheeler, Zack 3204 pi sp phi nl 21.4 36.1 81.6 105.0 +6.7
Snell, Blake 3688 pi sp sf nl 13.7 28.4 66.6 102.8 -1.0
Soto, Juan 3994 rf nyy al 11.0 20.0 36.5 44.0 +2.0
Hader, Josh 3881 pi cp hou al 10.0 14.0 41.7 56.4 +6.0
Langeliers, Shea 4715 ca oak al 6.5 7.5 8.5 8.5 +5.5
Diaz, Alexis 4613 pi cp cin nl 6.0 13.0 16.0 16.0 -1.0
Lynn, Lance 2992 pi sp stl nl 6.0 10.7 56.9 124.5 +1.3
Sanchez, Jesus 4551 rf fla nl 6.0 9.5 13.2 13.2 +2.5
Tovar, Ezequiel 4801 ss col nl 5.7 12.2 12.2 12.2 -0.8
Alonso, Pete 4118 1b nym nl 5.0 17.0 43.4 43.4 -7.0
Sands, Cole 5017 pi mr cp mil nl 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 +5.0
Canning, Griffin 4134 pi sp ana al 4.7 10.7 22.4 22.4 -1.3
Langford, Wyatt 5058 lf tex al 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 +4.5
Holton, Tyler 4775 pi sp mr det al 2.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 -1.0
Baz, Shane 4560 pi sp tb al 2.0 2.0 3.7 3.7 +2.0
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A Box-Toppers look at Wednesday’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
OAK Basso, Brady* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
CHC Steele, Justin 4415 8.0 19.1 27.1 27.1
ARI Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 0.0 13.0 34.4 67.2
COL Gomber, Austin 3985 6.0 7.0 20.0 24.7
CHW Shuster, Jared 4816 1.0 2.7 2.7 2.7
LAA Kochanowicz, Jack 5094 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
SF Birdsong, Hayden 5063 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
BAL Kremer, Dean 4330 8.7 18.4 29.8 29.8
ATL Schwellenbach, Spencer 5035 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
CIN Junis, Jakob (Jake) 3857 0.0 5.7 12.7 21.7
HOU Valdez, Framber 4048 15.4 25.4 54.8 56.8
SD Cease, Dylan 4231 19.1 29.1 65.9 65.9
LAD Knack, Landon 5009 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
MIA Weathers, Ryan 4388 4.0 4.0 6.7 6.7
MIN Ober, Bailey 4441 13.4 22.1 31.8 31.8
CLE Bibee, Tanner 4792 13.0 21.7 21.7 21.7
BOS Houck, Tanner 4342 12.4 14.4 26.1 26.1
TB Pepiot, Ryan 4714 9.7 14.7 16.7 16.7
WSH Herz, DJ 5032 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7
NYM Quintana, Jose 3040 9.0 9.0 31.8 92.1
DET Skubal, Tarik 4414 18.1 28.8 48.2 48.2
KC Marsh, Alec 4961 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
PHI Nola, Aaron 3569 13.4 25.4 69.5 115.1
MIL Peralta, Freddy 3965 12.4 30.1 60.2 68.9
PIT Woodford, Jake 4293 0.0 0.0 6.0 6.0
STL Gray, Sonny 3259 12.4 22.8 60.4 110.3
TOR Francis, Bowden 5034 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.7
TEX Bradford, Cody 4938 6.7 7.7 7.7 7.7
NYY Cortes, Nestor 4160 14.4 16.4 38.8 38.8
SEA Miller, Bryce 4797 13.7 26.8 26.8 26.8
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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