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
▪️ Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Cole struck out five over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 10-1 win over the Orioles.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2024 Box-Toppers points (BTP) through Thursday, Sept. 26:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 21.4 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 21.1 |
| 3 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Padres | 21.1 |
| 4 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 20.7 |
| 5 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 19.1 |
| 6 | Luis Gil | pi sp | Yankees | 17.4 |
| 7 | Blake Snell | pi sp | Giants | 15.7 |
| 8 | Bryce Miller | pi sp | Mariners | 15.7 |
| 9 | George Kirby | pi sp | Mariners | 15.4 |
| 10 | Framber Valdez | pi sp | Astros | 15.4 |
Cole earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, 57th among all players and 27th among American League pitchers.
Cole also now has 165.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 18th among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 2.0 points Thursday, Cole passes Roger Clemens (164.8) on the “all-time” career points list. (It should be noted that Clemens began his career before the advent of Box-Toppers in 1995. Box-Toppers estimates he would have about 320 points if his entire career from 1984 were tracked.)
Cole now trails 17th-ranked player Manny Ramirez (166.2). (Ramirez began his career in 1993, prior to Box-Toppers tracking. If his entire career were tracked, rough projections put his career total at about 173.)
Cole ranks fifth among active, signed players in career points, third among active AL pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Rangers (253.7) and Justin Verlander of the Astros (247.0).
National League Player of the Day
Brewers pitcher Aaron Civale struck out five over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 5-2 win over the Pirates.
Civale earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 7.1 for the season, 101st among all players and 41st among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day
Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies homered, hit a sacrifice fly and went 1-for-3, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-8 win over the Cardinals.
Blackmon earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for 2024, 31st among NL batters.
Blackmon recently announced he is retiring at the end of the season.
American League Batter of the Day
Adam Frazier of the Royals went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Nationals.
Frazier earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, 40th among AL batters.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 272.4 |
| 3 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Rangers | 253.7 |
| 4 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | Astros | 247.0 |
| 5 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | Retired | 244.8 |
| 6 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Free agent | 224.5 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b | Retired | 207.8 |
| 8 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | Retired | 203.4 |
| 9 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | Retired | 194.1 |
| 10 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b | Retired | 187.0 |
| 11 | Jon Lester | pi sp | Retired | 179.3 |
| 12 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | Retired | 175.1 |
| 13 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | Retired | 174.2 |
| 14 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 172.4 |
| 15 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | Retired | 170.7 |
| 16 | Johan Santana | pi sp | Retired | 166.6 |
| 17 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | Retired | 166.2 |
| 18 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 165.0 |
| 19 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | Retired | 164.8 |
| 20 | John Smoltz | pi sp | Retired | 160.9 |
Debut
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Thursday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Xavier Edwards of the Marlins (2B 2-4 3R BI in the 8-6, 13-inning win over the Twins) made his Major League debut May 2, 2023, and was playing in his 97th career game.
Andy Pages of the Dodgers (HR 1-3 2R 2BI in the 7-2 win over the Padres) made his Major League debut April 16 and was playing in his 113th career game.
Scoring
Cole earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Civale earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Blackmon and Frazier each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Note
Box-Toppers weekly team and player rankings reports are normally posted on Fridays. But this week’s reports will be delayed until after the end of the regular season. The final scheduled day of the season is Sunday but the Braves and Mets are scheduled to play a make-up doubleheader Monday after rain washed out two games of their series this week.
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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Thursday’s sidelights sidebar
Top pitching matchup
▪️Corbin Burnes, Orioles23.4 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 11th among AL pitchers
▪️Gerrit Cole, Yankees
24.7 Box-Toppers points over 2023-24, 9th among AL pitchers
Result—NYY 10, BAL 1
Cole was Player of the Game (6.2IP 2H 0R BB 5K W) with +8.2 B-T game score.
Burnes had +9.0 B-T game score in loss (5IP 2H R BB 9K L), best among all Thursday’s players.
Cole earns 2.0 B-T points as overall Player of the Day, giving him 26.7 over 2023-24, rising to 7th among AL pitchers over that span.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+9.0—Corbin Burnes, Orioles (5IP 2H R BB 9K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. NYY, despite having the day’s highest game score.
Player of the Game—Gerrit Cole, Yankees (6.2IP 2H 0R BB 5K W) with +8.2 game score.
▪️+7.0—Tyler Alexander, Rays (5IP 4H 0R 0BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. DET.
Player of the Game—Jason Foley, Tigers (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (HR 2B 2-4 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. BAL.
Player of the Game—Teammate Gerrit Cole (6.2IP 2H 0R BB 5K W) with +8.2 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 286 total players Thursday, 87 pitchers-10.9—Kyle Freeland, Rockies (4.1IP 8H 6R 4ER BB 4K ND vs. STL)
-10.8—Kyle Finnegan, Nationals
-9.9—Tyler Anderson, Angels
-9.0—Ryan Fernandez, Cardinals
-8.8—Tanner Scott, Padres
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 199 total batters Thursday-6.0—Connor Norby, Marlins 0-6 5K BB
-5.0—Derek Hill, Marlins 0-5 3K
-5.0—Byron Buxton, Twins 1-7 R BI K
-4.0—Josh Lowe, Rays 0-4 4K
-4.0—Leody Taveras, Rangers 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Career Box-Toppers points—Active players
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) September 27, 2024
1—Clayton Kershaw #Dodgers 272.4
2—Max Scherzer #Rangers 253.7
3—Justin Verlander #Astros 247.0
4—Chris Sale #Braves 172.4
5—Gerrit Cole #Yankees 165.0*
6—Yu Darvish #Padres 139.7
7—Jacob deGrom #Rangers 139.2
*Earns 2.0 B-T pts Thursday
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).| 9/26 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.2 | NYY 10, BAL 1 | Gerrit Cole (W, 8‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| +7.1 | CHW 7, LAA 0 | Chris Flexen (W, 3‑15) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| NL | +7.0 | MIL 5, PIT 2 | Aaron Civale (W, 8‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| BAT | +4.0 | COL 10, STL 8 | Charlie Blackmon DH | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.1 | OAK 3, TEX 2 | Mason Miller (S, 28) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | KC 7, WSH 4 | Adam Frazier PH‑3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | DET 4, TB 3 | Jason Foley (S, 27) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | MIA 8, MIN 6 (F/13) | Xavier Edwards SS | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | LAD 7, SD 2 | Andy Pages CF‑LF | 3 | 2 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 9.7 | 26.7 | 104.1 | 165.0 | -7.3 |
| Civale, Aaron 4173 | pi sp | mil nl | 7.1 | 13.1 | 35.5 | 35.5 | +1.1 |
| Blackmon, Charlie 2891 | rf dh | col nl | 5.0 | 6.0 | 22.5 | 42.7 | +4.0 |
| Foley, Jason 4906 | pi cp | det al | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +4.0 |
| Miller, Mason 4975 | pi cp | oak al | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +5.0 |
| Frazier, Adam 3771 | 2b rf 3b ph | kc al | 4.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 15.0 | +3.0 |
| Flexen, Chris 4368 | pi sp | chi al | 3.7 | 3.7 | 17.4 | 17.4 | +3.7 |
| Edwards, Xavier 5122 | ss | fla nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Pages, Andy 5123 | cf lf | 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 Friday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIN | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 7.0 | 12.4 | 32.1 | 58.5 |
| CHW | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| DET | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 10.4 | 14.1 | 29.1 | 29.1 |
| WSH | Williams, Trevor 3792 | 5.0 | 10.7 | 21.4 | 34.4 |
| PIT | Jones, Jared 4956 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 12.7 | 13.7 | 47.2 | 70.3 |
| MIA | Oller, Adam 4719 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 9.7 | 20.1 | 52.2 | 79.0 |
| HOU | Blanco, Ronel 4959 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| TB | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 10.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| BOS | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 9.7 | 18.7 | 34.4 | 54.1 |
| KC | Singer, Brady 4337 | 10.0 | 15.0 | 33.7 | 33.7 |
| ATL | Fried, Max 4011 | 11.4 | 20.4 | 63.9 | 64.9 |
| BAL | Povich, Cade 5029 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 11.7 | 25.1 | 57.2 | 58.9 |
| LAD | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| COL | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 22.7 | 22.7 |
| NYM | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 15.4 | 19.1 | 46.5 | 69.3 |
| MIL | Montas, Frankie 3803 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 38.5 | 41.5 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 61.6 | 139.2 |
| LAA | Detmers, Reid 4513 | 3.7 | 10.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 8.7 | 15.7 | 65.7 | 139.7 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 2.0 | 15.0 | 41.0 | 41.0 |
| OAK | Sears, JP 4627 | 7.7 | 11.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| SEA | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 4.0 | 10.7 | 25.8 | 40.2 |
| SF | Roupp, Landen 5079 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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