Braves’ Schwellenbach tops players for Friday, April 4; Luzardo, Imanaga rise in top 10

Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

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 pitching matchups
▪️ Friday’s Sidelights Sidebar
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers

Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo rose to third place and Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga rose to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after both earned their second Player of the Game honor of 2025.

Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Rangers pitcher Tyler Mahle, José Ramírez of the Guardians and Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks.

Player of the Day

Schwellenbach struck out 10 over eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 10-0 win over the Marlins.

Schwellenbach earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season and is 12th in season player rankings.

Schwellenbach earned 7.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 41st among NL pitchers. He is one of eight players to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors three times during the 2025 spring training season, most among all players.

American League Player of the Day is Rangers pitcher Tyler Mahle.

American League Player of the Day

Rangers pitcher Tyler Mahle struck out five over five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 5-2 win over the Rays.

Mahle earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season and is 28th in season player rankings.

Mahle earned no points in 2024 in three starts. He was on the injured list recovering from elbow surgery until Aug. 6. He went back on the injured list Aug. 20 with right shoulder tightness and did not pitch again in 2024.

American League Batter of the Day is José Ramírez of the Guardians.

American League Batter of the Day

José Ramírez of the Guardians hit three home runs and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 8-6 win over the Angels.

Active season streaks

Here are the 15 players who have active streaks of earning Box-Toppers points for 12 or more consecutive seasons. Players are listed by the length of their streak and with their current team status. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.

Streak Player Pos Team Duration BTP*
17 Clayton Kershaw pi sp Dodgers 2008‑2024 272.4
16 Max Scherzer pi sp Blue Jays 2009‑2024 253.7
16 Andrew McCutchen dh lf Pirates 2009‑2024 81.9
15 Craig Kimbrel pi cp Braves 2010‑2024 94.1
15 Giancarlo Stanton dh rf Yankees 2010‑2024 78.9
15 Aroldis Chapman pi mr cp Red Sox 2010‑2024 69.1
14 Freddie Freeman 1b Dodgers 2011‑2024 91.4
14 Kenley Jansen pi cp Angels 2011‑2024 69.4
13 Starling Marte rf Mets 2012‑2024 30.0
12 Gerrit Cole pi sp Yankees 2013‑2024 165.0
12 Charlie Morton pi sp Orioles 2013‑2024 113.5
12 Sonny Gray pi sp Cardinals 2013‑2024 110.3
12 Kevin Gausman pi sp Blue Jays 2013‑2024 98.1
12 Jacob deGrom pi sp Rangers 2014‑2025 141.2
12 José Ramírez 3b Guardians 2014‑2025 68.3
BTP*: Career Box-Toppers points

Ramírez has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of 2025. Ramírez earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2014 with Cleveland and now has 68.3 career Box-Toppers points, fifth among active AL batters.

Ramírez had his best season in 2021 when he earned 13.0 points with Cleveland, first among AL batters. In 2024, he had 9.9 points, third among AL batters.

Ramírez is now one of 15 players with an active streak of earning Box-Toppers points for 12 or more consecutive seasons. Ramírez’s 12-season streak is tied for the 10th-longest.

National League Batter of the Day

Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 6-4 win over the Nationals.

National League Batter of the Day is Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks.

Rankings

Two players rose into Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after both earned Player of the Game honors for a second time in 2025:

Most 2025 Box-Toppers points 1—Aaron Judge #Yankees 3.5 2—Zack Wheeler #Phillies 2.7 3—Jesús Luzardo #Phillies 2.7* 4—Shota Imanaga #Cubs 2.0* 5—Nestor Cortes #Brewers 2.0 6—Logan Gilbert #Mariners 2.0 *Earned 1.0 B-T pt as Player of the Game Friday More—

[image or embed]

— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Apr 5, 2025 at 8:48 AM
  • Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo (7IP 2H 0R 2BB 8K W in the 3-2 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season, third among all players, behind Aaron Judge of the Yankees (3.0) and Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (2.7). (Though Luzardo and Wheeler both have 2.7 points, Wheeler ranks higher because he has more 2024 points—21.4 vs. 2.0.) Luzardo was also NL Player of the Day March 29 in the 11-6 win over the Nationals (5IP 5H 2R 2BB 11K W).

  • Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (7.1IP 4H R 0BB 4K W in the 3-1 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.0 for the season, fourth among all players. Imanaga is one of 18 players with 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2025 but ranks first among them because he has the most 2024 Box-Toppers points (20.7, which was fourth overall in 2024). Imanaga was also Player of the Game March 29 in the 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks (7IP 3H R 2BB 4K W).

Friday’s Sidelights Sidebar

Top pitching matchup

▪️Max Fried, Yankees
13.4 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 17th overall
▪️Mitch Keller, Pirates
11.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, 36th overall
Result—NYY 9, PIT 4
Neither starter won Player of the Game:
Fried had +2.2 B-T game score (5.2IP 6H R BB 6K W).
Keller had -18.8 game score in loss, lowest among all players Friday (3.2IP 8H 7R 4BB 4K L).
Player of the Game—Oswaldo Cabrera, Yankees (3-4 0R 4BI) with +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:
▪️+4.0—Marcell Ozuna, Braves (HR 2B 3-5 3R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. MIA
Player of the Game—Teammate Spencer Schwellenbach (8IP 2H 0R 0BB 10K W) with +16.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers (6IP 3H R 0ER 3BB 5K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. PHI.
Player of the Game—Jesús Luzardo, Phillies (7IP 2H 0R 2BB 8K W) with +11.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Jorge Polanco, Mariners (HR 3-5 R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SF.
Player of the Game—LaMonte Wade Jr., Giants (3B 2-2B 3-6 2R 2BI) with +1.0 game score.

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores

Out of 415 total players Friday, 130 pitchers
-18.8—Mitch Keller, Pirates (3.2IP 8H 7R 4BB 4K L vs. NYY)
-17.0—Erick Fedde, Cardinals
-14.9—Luarbert Arias, Marlins
-12.0—Cionel Pérez, Orioles

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters

Out of 285 total batters Friday
-5.0—Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees 0-5 2K
-5.0—Brent Rooker, Athletics 0-5 2K
-5.0—Taylor Ward, Angels 0-5 2K
-5.0—Hunter Goodman, Rockies 0-5 K
-5.0—Brenton Doyle, Rockies 1-6
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.

Two others also earned Player of the Game honors Friday for a second time in 2025:

  • Mets pitcher Tylor Megill (5.1IP 2H 0R 3BB 4K W in the 5-0 win over the Blue Jays). His 2.0 Box-Toppers points is 18th in season player rankings. He was also Player of the Game March 28.

  • LaMonte Wade Jr. of the Giants (3B 2-2B 3-6 2R 2BI in the 10-9, 11-inning win over the Mariners). His 2.0 Box-Toppers points is 19th in season player rankings. He was also Player of the Game April 2.

Debut

Three players made their Box-Toppers debut Friday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:

  • Kristian Campbell of the Red Sox (SF 1-2 3R BI in the 13-9 win over the Cardinals) made his Major League debut March 27 and was playing in his eighth career game. Earlier this week, he signed an eight-year, $60 million extension with the Red Sox.

  • Athletics pitcher Noah Murdock (2IP 0H 0R 2BB 3K W in the 6-3, 11-inning win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut March 29 and was playing in his third career game.

  • Maikel Garcia of the Royals (2B 2-4 R 3BI in the 8-2 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut July 15, 2022, and was playing in his 296th career game.

Scoring

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

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

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

  • All of Friday’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.

Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.

For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Bluesky or Twitter (X).

A look at 2024’s end-of-season Box-Toppers Almanac, featuring share of Box-Toppers points and Player of the Game honors won by batters and pitchers. Batters set a new record for the lowest share of Box-Toppers points earned in a season in 2024 (record-keeping began in 1995).

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).
4/4 BTG Game Player of the Game AB R H BI   IP H R ER BB K
MLB +16.0 ATL 10, MIA 0 Spencer Schwellenbach (W, 1‑0)   8.0 2 0 0 0 10
  +11.0 PHI 3, LAD 2 Jesús Luzardo (W, 2‑0)   7.0 2 0 0 2 8
  +8.2 MIL 3, CIN 2 Tyler Alexander (W, 1‑0)   5.2 0 0 0 3 6
AL +7.0 TEX 5, TB 2 Tyler Mahle (W, 1‑0)   5.0 1 0 0 2 5
BAT +6.0 CLE 8, LAA 6 José Ramírez 3B 4 3 3 4  
  +5.2 DET 7, CHW 4 Jack Flaherty (W, 1‑0)   5.2 3 1 1 2 7
  +5.1 CHC 3, SD 1 Shota Imanaga (W, 2‑0)   7.1 4 1 1 0 4
  +4.1 NYM 5, TOR 0 Tylor Megill (W, 2‑0)   5.1 2 0 0 3 4
  +3.0 NYY 9, PIT 4 Oswaldo Cabrera 3B 4 0 3 4  
BAT +3.0 ARI 6, WSH 4 Corbin Carroll RF 4 2 2 3  
  +3.0 BOS 13, STL 9 Kristian Campbell 2B 2 3 1 1  
  +3.0 ATH 6, COL 3 (F/11) Noah Murdock (W, 1‑0)   2.0 0 0 0 2 3
  +2.0 KC 8, BAL 2 Maikel Garcia 3B 4 1 2 3  
  +1.0 SF 10, SEA 9 (F/11) LaMonte Wade Jr. 1B 6 2 3 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.
Back to top

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 +/‑
Luzardo, Jesus 4282 pi sp phi nl 2.7 4.7 38.6 38.6 +0.7
Imanaga, Shota 4960 pi sp chi nl 2.0 22.7 22.7 22.7 -18.7
Schwellenbach, Spencer 5035 pi sp atl nl 2.0 9.7 9.7 9.7 -5.7
Megill, Tylor 4464 pi sp nym nl 2.0 4.7 20.4 20.4 -0.7
Wade, LaMonte Jr. 4523 1b rf ph sf nl 2.0 3.5 10.5 10.5 +0.5
Mahle, Tyler 3929 pi sp tex al 1.7 1.7 24.1 34.1 +1.7
Ramirez, Jose 3436 3b cle al 1.5 11.4 45.8 68.3 -8.4
Carroll, Corbin 4818 rf ph ari nl 1.5 5.0 8.0 8.0 -2.0
Flaherty, Jack 3971 pi sp det al 1.0 13.0 28.7 58.3 -11.0
Alexander, Tyler 4196 pi sp mr mil nl 1.0 6.7 16.4 19.4 -4.7
Cabrera, Oswaldo 4747 3b nyy al 1.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 -2.0
Campbell, Kristian 5133 2b bos al 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 +1.0
Garcia, Maikel 5135 3b kc al 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 +1.0
Murdock, Noah 5134 pi mr oak al 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 +1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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 view.
Back to top

A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’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
CHW Martin, Davis 4657 0.0 0.0 5.0 5.0
DET Olson, Reese 4861 0.0 3.0 10.4 10.4
HOU Arrighetti, Spencer 5022 1.0 7.7 7.7 7.7
MIN Ober, Bailey 4441 0.0 13.4 31.8 31.8
SD Pivetta, Nick 3825 2.0 11.7 34.4 56.1
CHC Boyd, Matthew 3550 0.0 3.0 7.0 31.8
ARI Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 0.0 1.0 24.0 68.2
WSH Parker, Mitchell 4982 0.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
LAD Sasaki, Roki* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
PHI Nola, Aaron 3569 0.0 13.4 59.8 115.1
NYY Stroman, Marcus 3327 0.0 3.0 26.4 65.2
PIT Falter, Bailey 4473 0.0 3.7 13.4 13.4
STL Pallante, Andre 4656 0.0 8.7 10.7 10.7
BOS Fitts, Richard* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
BAL Sugano, Tomoyuki* 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
KC Wacha, Michael 3276 0.0 10.4 36.9 71.6
TB Bradley, Taj 4780 1.0 13.1 18.1 18.1
TEX deGrom, Jacob 3343 1.0 2.0 44.5 141.2
TOR Bassitt, Chris 3413 0.0 7.7 58.9 71.6
NYM Canning, Griffin 4134 0.0 4.7 15.7 22.4
CIN Singer, Brady 4337 2.0 12.0 35.7 35.7
MIL Rodriguez, Elvin 4634 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0
MIA Quantrill, Cal 4195 0.0 5.0 20.7 22.7
ATL Smith-Shawver, AJ 4951 0.0 1.0 2.0 2.0
ATH Sears, JP 4627 0.0 7.7 16.7 16.7
COL Marquez, German 3788 0.0 0.0 25.1 52.2
SEA Miller, Bryce 4797 0.0 15.7 28.8 28.8
SF Ray, Robbie 3502 0.0 3.7 36.8 79.9
CLE Bibee, Tanner 4792 1.0 15.0 23.7 23.7
LAA Kochanowicz, Jack 5094 1.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Starters subject to change.
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
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.
Back to top