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 2025
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Thursday’s Sidelights Sidebar
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Thursday include Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker, Randy Arozarena of the Mariners and Pavin Smith of the Diamondbacks.
Player of the Day
Sánchez struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned), four hits and one walk, in the 6-4 win over the Giants.
Sánchez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, 11th among all players and fourth among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Rangers pitcher Kumar Rocker struck out eight over seven innings, allowing three runs, five hits and no walks, in the 5-3 win over the Angels.
Rocker earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season and is 24th among AL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Randy Arozarena of the Mariners homered, doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 11-7, 10-inning win over the Reds.
Arozarena earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, 18th among all players and fourth among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Pavin Smith of the Diamondbacks homered, doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Marlins.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Thursday, April 17.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 5.0 |
| 2 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 4.7 |
| 3 | Tyler Mahle | pi sp | Rangers | 4.7 |
| 4 | Pete Alonso | 1b | Mets | 4.5 |
| 5 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 3.7 |
| 6 | Alex Bregman | 3b | Red Sox | 3.7 |
| 7 | Aaron Judge | rf dh | Yankees | 3.5 |
| 8 | Michael King | pi sp | Padres | 3.4 |
| 9 | Shota Imanaga | pi sp | Cubs | 3.0 |
| 10 | Cole Ragans | pi sp | Royals | 3.0 |
Scoring
Sánchez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Rocker earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Arozarena and Smith 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.
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 Thursday pitchers
One of the three pitchers with the most 2024-25 Box-Toppers points among Thursday’s starters earned Player of the Game honors:▪️Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies
12.4 Box-Toppers points over 2024-25, 42nd overall
Won Player of the Game in win vs. SF.
(7IP 4H 3R 2ER BB 12K W), +9.0 B-T game score.
Sánchez earns 2.0 B-T points as Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 over 2024-25, rising to 25th overall.
▪️Tanner Bibee, Guardians
15.0 Box-Toppers points over 2024-25, 21st overall
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. BAL.
(5.2IP 5H 6R 4BB 5K L), -10.8 B-T game score, 5th-lowest overall Thursday.
Player of the Game—Ryan O'Hearn, Orioles (HR 2-3 R 3BI), +3.0 game score.
▪️Taj Bradley, Rays
13.1 Box-Toppers points over 2024-25, 35th overall
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. NYY.
(5.1IP 9H 6R 4BB 3K L), -16.9 B-T game score, lowest overall Thursday.
Player of the Game—Tim Hill, Yankees (2IP H 0R BB 2K W), +3.0 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:▪️+3.0—Jake Fraley, Reds (HR 2B 3-5 R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SEA.
Player of the Game—Randy Arozarena, Mariners (HR 2B 2-4 2R 3BI) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+2.0—Brent Rooker, Athletics (HR 3-5 2R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. CHW.
Player of the Game—Teammate JP Sears (6IP 3H 0R 2BB 2K W) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+2.0—Matt Chapman, Giants (HR 2-4 R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. PHI.
Player of the Game—Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies (7IP 4H 3R 2ER BB 12K W) with +9.0 B-T game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 288 total players Thursday, 85 pitchers-16.9—Taj Bradley, Rays (5.1IP 9H 6R 4BB 3K L vs. NYY)
-12.0—Eduard Bazardo, Mariners
-11.8—Jack Kochanowicz, Angels
-10.8—Michael Lorenzen, Royals
-10.8—Tanner Bibee, Guardians
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 203 total batters Thursday-5.0—Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Diamondbacks 0-5 2K
-5.0—Yandy Diaz, Rays 0-5
-4.0—José Herrera, Diamondbacks 0-4 3K
-4.0—Casey Schmitt, Giants 0-4 3K
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).| 4/17 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +9.0 | PHI 6, SF 4 | Cristopher Sánchez (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | |
| +7.0 | NYM 4, STL 1 | Griffin Canning (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| +4.1 | PIT 1, WSH 0 | Andrew Heaney (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| AL | +4.0 | TEX 5, LAA 3 | Kumar Rocker (W, 1‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | |
| +4.0 | DET 6, KC 1 | Reese Olson (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | SEA 11, CIN 7 (F/10) | Randy Arozarena LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | BAL 6, CLE 2 | Ryan O’Hearn RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | ATH 8, CHW 0 | JP Sears (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | NYY 6, TB 3 | Tim Hill (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | ARI 6, MIA 4 | Pavin Smith 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 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 2025 (’25). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’24-’25), the period 2020-2025 (’20-25) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2025 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2024 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’25 | ’24‑25 | ’20‑25 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | pi sp | phi nl | 3.0 | 14.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 | -8.4 |
| Heaney, Andrew 3515 | pi sp | pit nl | 3.0 | 12.0 | 39.8 | 59.5 | -6.0 |
| Arozarena, Randy 4331 | lf | sea al | 3.0 | 5.5 | 23.0 | 23.0 | +0.5 |
| Rocker, Kumar 5108 | pi sp | tex al | 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | +0.7 |
| Smith, Pavin 4427 | 1b dh lf | ari nl | 1.5 | 6.0 | 12.5 | 12.5 | -3.0 |
| Sears, JP 4627 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 8.7 | 17.7 | 17.7 | -6.7 |
| Canning, Griffin 4134 | pi sp | nym nl | 1.0 | 5.7 | 16.7 | 23.4 | -3.7 |
| Olson, Reese 4861 | pi sp | det al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 11.4 | 11.4 | -2.0 |
| O’Hearn, Ryan 4043 | rf dh | bal al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 11.5 | 14.5 | -1.0 |
| Hill, Tim 4237 | pi mr | nyy al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | Burnes, Corbin 4029 | 0.0 | 11.7 | 64.6 | 67.6 |
| CHC | Rea, Colin 3582 | 0.0 | 10.4 | 15.4 | 19.1 |
| CLE | Ortiz, Luis 4738 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| PIT | Mlodzinski, Carmen 4894 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| KC | Ragans, Cole 4889 | 3.0 | 15.0 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| DET | Jobe, Jackson 5141 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 42.8 | 49.2 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 2.7 | 24.1 | 75.3 | 107.7 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| BAL | Povich, Cade 5029 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 1.0 | 13.7 | 46.2 | 71.3 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 22.5 | 22.5 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 2.0 | 13.7 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| TOR | Francis, Bowden 5034 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| CHW | Perez, Martin 3213 | 1.7 | 7.4 | 22.2 | 41.9 |
| BOS | Dobbins, Hunter* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 22.8 | 40.2 |
| NYM | Peterson, David 4347 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| MIN | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 0.0 | 5.7 | 15.7 | 31.5 |
| ATL | Elder, Bryce 4709 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 3.0 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 44.5 | 141.2 |
| ATH | Ginn, J.T. 5142 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 2.0 | 15.4 | 55.2 | 71.9 |
| SD | Hart, Kyle 5140 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| HOU | Gusto, RyanI | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| COL | Dollander, Chase* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 50.6 | 52.3 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 33.4 | 46.4 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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