Tigers' Alfredo Simon (5IP 0R H) tops players for Saturday, April 4's final spring games

Tigers pitcher Alfredo Simon is Saturday’s Player of the Day on the final day of spring training.

Simon pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit, in the 1-0 win over the Rays.

Phillies pitcher David Buchanan is National League Player of the Day. Buchanan pitched five scoreless innings and struck out four in the 6-4 win over the Pirates.

Mark Trumbo of the Diamondbacks is NL Batter of the Day. Trumbo hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-2 with three RBIs in the 4-2 win over the Cubs.

Chris Young of the Yankees is AL Batter of the Day. Young hit a two-run homer in the 4-3 win over the Nationals.

Box-Toppers points aren’t awarded for spring training games, but if this were the regular season, Simon would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Buchanan would earn 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Trumbo and Young would each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Fifteen spring training games were scheduled Saturday. Two games which ended in ties (Mets-Rangers and Angels-Dodgers) and two games that featured non-Major League teams (Marlins-Jacksonville and Padres-Diablos) are not included in Box-Toppers results.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

404	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	7.0	Tigers	Alfredo Simon (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	1	0	0	0	3
	6.0	`Royals	Jason Vargas	-	-	-	-	-	-		4.0	0	0	0	1	3
NL	5.0	Phillies	David Buchanan (W, 3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	2	0	0	2	4
BAT	4.0	Dbacks	Mark Trumbo DH	2	1	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Mariners	James Gillheeney (S, 1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	0	3
	4.0	Giants	Hunter Strickland (S, 2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	3.0	Yankees	Chris Young CF	1	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Brewers	Wirfin Obispo (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Blue Jays	Josh Donaldson 3B	3	1	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Red Sox	Jemile Weeks PR, 2B	1	1	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Braves	Alberto Callaspo 3B	2	1	2	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
			`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Cubs' Tsuyoshi Wada (6.1IP H R 8K) tops players for Sunday, Aug. 24

Cubs pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Wada allowed one hit and one run in 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight, in the 2-1 win over the Orioles.

Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer is American League Player of the Day. Bauer pitched six scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 3-1 win over the Astros.

Lucas Duda of the Mets is National League Batter of the Day. Duda homered twice and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 11-3 win over the Dodgers.

Josh Hamilton of the Angels is AL Batter of the Day. Hamilton homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 9-4 win over the Athletics.

Notable: Reds pitcher Alfredo Simon has the highest Box-Toppers point total of all 15 players who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday. Simon (7IP R 6K W in the 5-3 win over the Braves) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season. He ranks 37th among all players and 18th among NL pitchers.

Wada receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Bauer receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Duda and Hamilton each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

824	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	10.1	Cubs	Tsuyoshi Wada (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.1	1	1	1	1	8
AL	8.0	Indians	Trevor Bauer (W, 5-7)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	3	9
	7.0	Brewers	Mike Fiers (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	2	2	1	7
BAT	5.0	Mets	Lucas Duda 1B	5	2	3	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Reds	Alfredo Simon (W, 13-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	6
BAT	4.0	Angels	Josh Hamilton LF	3	2	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Yankees	Brian McCann PH	1	1	1	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Rays	Jake McGee (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	2
	4.0	`Rangers	Shawn Tolleson (H, 6)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Nationals	Jose Lobaton C	4	3	3	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Mariners	Kyle Seager 3B	3	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Padres	Yasmani Grandal 1B	3	1	1	4	1	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Phillies	Jerome Williams (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	1	1	3	5
	2.0	Tigers	Victor Martinez DH	6	1	3	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rockies	LaTroy Hawkins (S, 20)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Reds' Simon top players for Wednesday, July 9, Tigers' Scherzer bolsters Box-Toppers AL pitching lead

Reds pitcher Alfredo Simon is Wednesday’s Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer bolstered his Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers.

Simon struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 4-1 win over the Cubs.

Scherzer, American League Player of the Day, added to his lead among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points and maintained his second-place spot in overall player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Scherzer struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 4-1 win over the Dodgers. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 16.1 for the season. He widens his lead over second-place AL pitcher Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees (12.7 Box-Toppers points). He ties Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw with 16.1 Box-Toppers points, but Kershaw maintains the overall player rankings lead on a tie-breaker—he has more points since the start of the 2013 season—37.8 vs. 34.2.

Scherzer is only 2.0 Box-Toppers points away from his 2013 total of 18.1, his best season, a year in which he led all AL players.

Robbie Grossman of the Astros is AL Batter of the Day. Grossman went 4-for-5, scored twice and drove in two runs, in the 8-4 win over the Rangers.

Jayson Werth of the Nationals is National League Batter of the Day. Werth homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-2 win over the Orioles.

Notables: Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Tulowitzki homered twice in the 6-3 win over the Padres, earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.6 for the season. He rejoins the overall top 10 after being bumped July 6 and is again the only batter on the list.

Tulowitzki also surpassed his highest Box-Toppers points total for a season with 11.6. His previous high was 11.5 during the 2011 season.

Chris Colabello of the Twins, who early in the season led all players in Box-Toppers points before slumping and being sent to the minors, earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday for the first time since his return to the Majors. Colabello (2-4 R 2BI in the 8-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.2 for the season. He ranks sixth among all AL batters. He last earned Player of the Game honors April 17.

Simon receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Scherzer receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Grossman and Werth each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Wednesday, click here.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

709	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	6.2	Reds	Alfredo Simon (W, 12-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	4	1	1	2	8
AL	6.0	Tigers	Max Scherzer (W, 11-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	2	7
	4.0	Phillies	Roberto Hernandez (W, 4-8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	1	1	2	3
	4.0	Yankees	Chase Whitley (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	0	3
	4.0	Red Sox	Koji Uehara (W, 5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	3.0	Astros	Robbie Grossman RF	5	2	4	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Nationals	Jayson Werth RF	3	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	`Ddbacks	Josh Collmenter	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	1	1	1	6
	3.0	Angels	Joe Smith (S, 12)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	Royals	Greg Holland (S, 24)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	3.0	`Giants	Sergio Romo (H, 1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Rockies	Troy Tulowitzki SS	4	2	2	2	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Cardinals	Matt Holliday LF	3	2	2	1	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Mets	Dillon Gee (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	1	1	1	4
	1.0	Twins	Chris Colabello 1B	4	1	2	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

White Sox' Chris Sale (8IP 0R 6K) tops players for Sunday, April 6

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Sale pitched eight shutout innings and struck out six in the 5-1 win over the Royals.

Sale moves into fourth place among players in Box-Toppers points in the young 2014 season. He has 3.0 points.

Reds pitcher Alfredo Simon is National League Player of the Day. Simon allowed one run over seven innings and struck out six in the 2-1 win over the Mets.

Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. Ramirez homered twice and went 3-4 in the 6-2 win over the Giants.

Chris Colabello of the Twins is American League Batter of the Day. Colabello drove in four runs and went 2-5 in the 10-7 win over the Indians. Colabello is the first batter to earn Player of the Game honors more than once so far this season. With 3.2 Box-Toppers points, he moves into second place among all players for the season, behind only Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (3.4).

Sale receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Simon receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Kemp and Colabello each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

406	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.0	White Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Sale (W, 2-0)	8.0	4	0	0	1	6
NL	6.0	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Alfredo Simon (W, 1-0)	7.0	4	1	1	1	6
	5.1	Orioles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chris Tillman (W, 1-0)	8.1	5	1	1	1	5
	5.0	Rangers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Yu Darvish (W, 1-0)	7.0	7	0	0	1	6
	5.0	Padres	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ian Kennedy (W, 1-1)	6.0	3	1	1	1	5
	4.1	Pirates	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Tony Watson (W, 1-0)	1.1	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	4.0	Dodgers	Hanley Ramirez SS	4	3	3	2	0	0
	4.0	Cubs	Ryan Kalish LF	3	2	2	3	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.2	Brewers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Yovani Gallardo (W, 2-0)	6.2	7	0	0	0	3
BAT	2.0	Twins	Chris Colabello DH	5	1	2	4	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Astros	Jonathan Villar SS	3	2	1	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Athletics	Jed Lowrie SS	1	1	1	1	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Nationals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jerry Blevins (W, 1-0)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Yankees	Brett Gardner LF	4	2	1	2	1	2			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Diamondbacks	Mark Trumbo LF	3	1	1	2	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Indians' Corey Kluber tops players for Sunday, June 16; Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez now season leader among NL batters

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is Sunday's Player of the Day. Kluber struck out eight over eight shutout innings in the 2-0 win over the Nationals.

Reds pitcher Alfredo Simon is National League Player of the Day. Simon earned a three-inning save, striking out six, in the 5-1 win over the Brewers. 

Josh Reddick of the Athletics is American League Batter of the Day. Reddick homered and went 4-for-5 in the 10-2 win over the Mariners. 

Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Gonzalez homered and went 2-for-4 in the 5-2 win over the Phillies. With the Batter of the Day honor, Gonzalez rises to sixth place among players in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season (see updated top 10 standings on the home page).  Gonzalez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for the honor, giving him 9.5 points for the season. He becomes the top NL batter in Box-Toppers points, passing Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks (8.7). In addition, Gonzalez already has more Box-Toppers points this season than he did in 2012 (9.2).

Kluber receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Simon receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Reddick and Gonzalez each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:

616	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.0	Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Corey Kluber (W, 5-4)	8.0	7	0	0	0	8
NL	7.0	Reds	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Alfredo Simon (S, 1)	3.0	2	0	0	0	6
	6.2	Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Doug Fister (W, 6-4)	7.2	2	2	2	2	7
	6.0	Braves	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Julio Teheran (W, 5-3)	6.0	7	0	0	1	8
	5.0	Marlins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Ricky Nolasco (W, 4-7)	7.0	3	1	1	1	4
BAT	3.0	Athletics	Josh Reddick RF	5	2	4	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	3.0	Blue Jays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Chien-Ming Wang (W, 1-0)	7.0	7	0	0	2	5
	2.0	Orioles	Nick Markakis RF	5	3	4	0	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
BAT	2.0	Rockies	Carlos Gonzalez LF	4	2	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Pirates	Garrett Jones 1B	3	1	2	2	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Yankees	Travis Hafner DH	3	1	1	3	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Mets	Kirk Nieuwenhuis CF	3	1	1	3	1	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Royals	Alcides Escobar SS	4	1	3	1	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Astros	Jason Castro DH	4	1	2	2	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Padres	Kyle Blanks 1B	4	1	1	3	0	1			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0