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
▪️ Upcoming spring training pitching matchups
▪️ Pitching matchup in Tuesday’s regular season opening series in Tokyo
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Giants pitcher Hayden Birdsong is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Sunday’s spring training games.
Other Player of the Game winners Sunday include Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos, Padres pitcher Dylan Cease, Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, Hunter Renfroe of the Royals and Andruw Monasterio of the Brewers.
Player of the Day
Birdsong struck out eight over five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 7-3 win over the Athletics.
Birdsong had a Box-Toppers game score of +11.0, best among all Giants players and highest among all Sunday Player of the Game winners.
This is the second time Birdsong has won Player of the Game honors in the 2025 spring training season. He also did it March 10 in the 8-2 win over the Rockies (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 4K Sv).
Birdsong earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points with the Giants in 2024 in 16 games in his rookie season.
American League Player of the Day
Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 6-2 win over the Braves.
Berríos earned 9.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024 with the Blue Jays, 29th among AL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Hunter Renfroe of the Royals tripled and hit two doubles, going 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 10-2 win over the Rockies.
This is the second time Renfroe has won Player of the Game honors in the 2025 spring training season. He also did it March 14 in the 9-8 win over the Angels (2B 2-3 2R 2BI).
Renfroe earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024, playing in 120 games with the Royals.
National League Batter of the Day
Andruw Monasterio of the Brewers went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 6-2 win over the Guardians.
Monasterio earned 0.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024 playing in 59 games with the Brewers. But he earned 2.0 points in his 2023 rookie season with the Brewers over 92 games.
Notable
Padres pitcher Dylan Cease has the most 2024 Box-Toppers points among Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners in Sunday’s spring training games.
Cease (4.1IP 3H 0R 3BB 8K W in the 4-2 win over the Angels) earned 21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2024, third overall and second among NL pitchers, behind Zack Wheeler of the Phillies (21.4).
Also notable
Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the second time during the 2025 spring training season on Sunday.
Crochet (4IP 2H R BB 7K W in the 6-5 win over the Twins) was also overall Player of the Day on March 5 in the 4-2 win over the Rays (3IP 2H 0R BB 7K ND).
Crochet earned 10.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024 with the White Sox, 23rd among AL pitchers.
Sunday’s games
There were 16 completed spring training games between two Major League teams Sunday. (Spring games featuring club prospects were also played Sunday but are excluded here). In the 16 games, there were 13 Player of the Game winners who had previously earned Box-Toppers points in regular season games. In three of Sunday’s games, the Player of the Game winner was a player who has yet to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in the regular season and so has 0.0 career Box-Toppers points.
Scoring
No Box-Toppers points are awarded in exhibition games. Were it a regular season day:
Birdsong would have earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Berríos would have earned 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Renfroe and Monasterio would have each earned 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Sunday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) would have earned 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).| 3/16 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +11.0 | SF 7, ATH 3 | Hayden Birdsong (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| +10.0 | ARI 5, SD 4 | Brandon Pfaadt (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| AL | +9.0 | TOR 6, ATL 2 | José Berríos (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| +7.0 | SEA 8, CIN 3 | Bryce Miller (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +6.1 | SD 4, LAA 2 | Dylan Cease (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| +6.0 | BOS 6, MIN 5 | Garrett Crochet (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +5.2 | HOU 5, NYM 0 | Steven Okert (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | KC 10, COL 2 | Hunter Renfroe RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | PIT 4, NYY 3 | Isaac Mattson (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | TB 11, WSH 5 | Jake Mangum LF‑CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | MIL 8, CLE 2 | Andruw Monasterio SS | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | BAL 7, DET 1 | Dylan Carlson LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | PHI 12, BAL 1 | Jesús Luzardo (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | MIA 11, STL 5 | Jonah Bride 1B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | NYY 7, TB 5 | Oswaldo Cabrera 1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | `CHW 7, TEX 6 | Dan Altavilla | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.
N/A—Not applicable. No Player of the Game was chosen because the game ended in a tie.
All other players listed here would 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. No points are awarded during spring training games, so all players have 0.0 Box-Toppers points for 2025. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total in 2024 (’24). Also shown is their point total for the period 2020-2024 (’20-24) and each players’ career point total. (Player of the Game winners not listed here have yet to earn Box-Toppers points during the regular season.)Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’25 | ’24 | ’20‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | sd nl | 0.0 | 21.1 | 65.9 | 67.9 |
| Miller, Bryce 4797 | pi sp | sea al | 0.0 | 15.7 | 28.8 | 28.8 |
| Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | pi sp | ari nl | 0.0 | 12.4 | 16.1 | 16.1 |
| Crochet, Garrett 4434 | pi sp | bos al | 0.0 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| Berrios, Jose 3791 | pi sp | tor al | 0.0 | 9.7 | 41.5 | 79.0 |
| Cabrera, Oswaldo 4747 | 3b | nyy al | 0.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | phi nl | 0.0 | 2.0 | 35.9 | 35.9 |
| Renfroe, Hunter 3749 | rf | kc al | 0.0 | 2.0 | 18.7 | 33.9 |
| Birdsong, Hayden 5063 | pi sp | sf nl | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Okert, Steven 3745 | pi mr | hou al | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Monasterio, Andruw 4837 | 3b | mil nl | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Carlson, Dylan 4359 | cr rf | bal al | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Altavilla, Dan 3761 | pi mr | chi al | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Monday’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 2025 (’25)†, last year (’24), over a five-year period (’20-24) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’25† | ’24 | ’20‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | Contreras, Roansy 4574 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| BOS | Houck, Tanner 4342 | 0.0 | 13.4 | 27.1 | 27.1 |
| PIT | Falter, Bailey 4473 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| DET | Olson, Reese 4861 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 10.4 | 10.4 |
| STL | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 23.5 | 27.2 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 19.7 | 19.7 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 35.8 | 35.8 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 0.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| TOR | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 58.9 | 71.6 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 0.0 | 13.4 | 59.8 | 115.1 |
| BOS | Droahn, Shane* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| ATL | Strider, Spencer 4626 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 35.5 | 35.5 |
| NYY | Headrick, Brent 4852 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 56.1 | 98.1 |
| TB | Vasil, Mike* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYM | Canning, Griffin 4134 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 15.7 | 22.4 |
| NYM | Blackburn, Paul 3869 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 12.7 | 15.7 |
| MIA | Weathers, Ryan 4388 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| ARI | Nelson, Ryne 4728 | 0.0 | 8.4 | 16.8 | 16.8 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 0.0 | 14.1 | 25.5 | 38.5 |
| SEA | Lawrence, Casey 3873 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| ATH | Harris, Hogan 4846 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| SF | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 41.4 | 247.0 |
| CHW | Cannon, Jonathan 5036 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| LAA | Silseth, Chase 4605 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 33.0 | 41.0 |
| MIL | Henderson, Logan* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SD | Benjamin, Wes* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 0.0 | 14.0 | 22.7 | 22.7 |
Games shown are spring training games between MLB teams. Doesn't include games vs. non-MLB teams.
† Players don’t earn Box-Toppers points in spring training games, only regular season games, so no pitcher has earned any points in 2025.
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’s Toyko Series pitching matchups
Major League Baseball’s regular season opens this week in Japan with the Dodgers facing the Cubs. This is a Box-Toppers look at the probable pitching matchups for Tuesday. 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 2025 (’25), this year and last year (’24-25), over a six-year period (’20-25) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’25 | ’24-25 | ’20‑25 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 0.0 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 0.0 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
What are those numbers after players' names?
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default, game-by-game view.
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