A correction: Rays' Blake Snell leads by wider margin after fixing errors in 2018 Box-Toppers stats

Striving to create a more perfect Box-Toppers, I discovered some errors in player tracking in 2018 and have been correcting them in recent weeks.

There were 10 total errors I discovered that changed the Box-Toppers point totals for 17 different players. Those errors were discovered after re-examining about one-third of the 2,430 games played in the 2018 season. So in other words, after looking at about 830 games, I found 10 errors.

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Mariners' Robinson Cano is Box-Toppers Player of the Game as AL wins 2017 All-Star Game

Robinson Cano of the Mariners is Box-Toppers 2017 All-Star Player of the Game.

Cano hit a 10th-inning, go-ahead homer in the American League’s 2-1 win over the National League. Cano went 1-for-2, striking out while entering the game in the seventh inning as a pinch hitter.

Cano was also named All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.

Cano had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +1.0. One other player, Astros pitcher Chris Devenski, had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (1IP 0H 0R 0BB K ND), but did not qualify to earn Player of the Game honors because he did not earn the win or save and did not pitch at least three innings. 

Seven AL players had Box-Toppers game scores Tuesday of +1.0, but Cano beat them on tiebreakers. He automatically beat the four pitchers with game scores of +1.0 (Chris Sale of the Red Sox, Craig Kimbrel of the Red Sox, Andrew Miller of the Indians and Brandon Kintzler of the Twins), since batters always best pitchers in game score ties. He beat two batters with game scores of +1.0 (Miguel Sano of the Twins and Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles) because he had more at bats—Cano had two at bats, while both Sano and Schoop had one.

While Devenski had the highest Box-Toppers game score among AL pitchers, Kimbrel (1IP 0H 0R 2BB 2K W) was the highest-ranking pitcher qualified to earn Player of the Game honors because he earned the win. 

Cano has 4.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 20th among AL batters and second among AL second basemen, behind Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles (4.5). In 2016, Cano had 8.0 Box-Toppers points, second among AL batters, behind Jose Altuve of the Astros (12.5). Cano has 79.4 career Box-Toppers points, ranking sixth among active AL batters. He made his Box-Toppers debut in 2005 with the Yankees and has earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons.

Overall Box-Toppers points leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (21.1), was selected to the NL All-Star team but did not pitch in the game since he pitched in his regular start only two days earlier.

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who started for the NL team and ranks second in overall 2017 Box-Toppers points (17.0), had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +2.0 (1IP 1H 0R 0BB 2K ND).

Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale, who started for the AL team and leads AL players in 2017 Box-Toppers points (13.1), ranking third overall, had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of +1.0 (2IP 3H 0R 0BB 2K ND).

Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who has the most Box-Toppers points among AL batters in the All-Star Game (8.2), went 0-for-3 in the All-Star Game and had a Box-Toppers game score of -3.0, tied for the lowest among AL players. A night earlier, Judge won the All-Star Home Run Derby.

Ryon Healy of the Athletics has the most Box-Toppers points among AL batters (8.7), but was not selected for the All-Star Game.

Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers, who leads NL batters in Box-Toppers points (7.7), went 0-for-3 in the All-Star Game and had a Box-Toppers game score of -3.0.

Top player for the NL team was Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, who hit a sixth-inning, game-tying, solo homer and had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0.

Scoring—Just as All-Star Game statistics don’t count in a player’s regular season statistics, no Box-Toppers points are awarded for the All-Star Game.

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 game scores of AL All-Star players

Here are all the players who played for the the winning American League team in Tuesday's All-Star Game, listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score. Robinson Cano is Box-Toppers Player of the Game (POG) with a game score of +1.0. Astros pitcher Chris Devenski had a higher Box-Toppers game score (+2.0) but did not qualify to earn Player of the Game because he did not earn the win or save and did not pitch at least three innings. Seven AL players had Box-Toppers game scores of +1.0, but Cano beat them on tiebreakers.  

7/11 Score AL All-Stars Team AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
2.0 Chris Devenski Astros - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
POG 1.0 Robinson Cano (PH-2B) Mariners 2 1 1 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Miguel Sano (3B) Twins 1 0 1 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Jonathan Schoop (2B) Orioles 1 1 1 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Chris Sale Red Sox - - - - 2.0 3 0 0 0 2
1.0 Craig Kimbrel (W, 0-0) Red Sox - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 2 2
1.0 Andrew Miller (S, 0) Indians - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 1 1
1.0 Brandon Kintzler (H, 0) Twins - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
0.0 Jose Ramirez (3B) Indians 2 0 2 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Yonder Alonso (1B) Athletics 2 0 2 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Justin Smoak (1B) Blue Jays 1 0 1 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Dellin Betances Yankees - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 2 2
0.0 Jason Vargas Royals - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
0.0 Roberto Osuna Blue Jays - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
-1.0 Justin Upton (RF) Tigers 2 0 1 0 - - - - - -
-1.0 Michael Brantley (LF) Indians 2 0 1 0 - - - - - -
-1.0 Ervin Santana (B, 0) Twins - - - - 1.0 1 1 1 0 1
-2.0 Jose Altuve (2B) Astros 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Mike Moustakas (3B) Royals 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Carlos Correa (SS) Astros 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Francisco Lindor (SS) Indians 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Corey Dickerson (DH) Rays 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Nelson Cruz (PH) Mariners 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Salvador Perez (C) Royals 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Gary Sanchez (C) Yankees 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Mookie Betts (CF) Red Sox 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Avisail Garcia (CF) White Sox 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-3.0 Aaron Judge (RF) Yankees 3 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-3.0 George Springer (LF) Astros 3 0 0 0 - - - - - -
POG—2017 All-Star Game Player of the Game.
No Box-Toppers points are awarded for the All-Star Game.

Jake Arrieta tops players in World Series Game 6 as Cubs tie series with Indians, 3-3

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 6 Tuesday.

The Chicago Cubs win 9-3 and even the best-of-seven game series with the Cleveland Indians at three games apiece, setting up a decisive Game 7 Wednesday.

Arrieta struck out nine over 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, three hits and three walks, earning the win. Arrieta had the highest Box-Toppers game score of all Cubs players, +4.2.

This is the second time this postseason (and second time in the World Series) Arrieta has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game. He was also top player in the Game 2 win against the Indians.

Arrieta had 15.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers. In 2015, he led all players in Box-Toppers points with 29.1.

Shortstop Addison Russell had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+4.0) among Cubs batters (GS 2B 2-5 R 6BI). Russell was the leading candidate for Box-Toppers Player of the Game during much of Game 6 after his third-inning grand slam homer, but his game score fell just below Arrieta’s after hitless at-bats later in the game.

Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of −10.9 (2.1IP 6H 6R BB 0K L).

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.

Top Cubs in World Series Game 6: Cubs 9, Indians 3

Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Cubs who played in World Series Game 6 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.

BTG Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
4.2 * Jake Arrieta (W,2-1) - - - - - - 5.2 3 2 2 3 9
4.0 Addison Russell, SS 5 1 2 6 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Anthony Rizzo, 1B 5 3 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Kris Bryant, 3B 5 2 4 1 0 0 - - - - - -
0.1 Travis Wood - - - - - - 0.1 0 0 0 0 0
0.0 Ben Zobrist, LF 4 2 2 0 1 1 - - - - - -
-1.0 Mike Montgomery - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 1 0
-1.8 Pedro Strop - - - - - - 0.2 1 0 0 1 0
-1.9 Aroldis Chapman - - - - - - 1.1 1 1 1 1 1
-2.0 Kyle Schwarber, DH 4 1 1 0 1 0 - - - - - -
-3.0 Javier Baez, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 2 - - - - - -
-3.0 Willson Contreras, C 3 0 0 0 1 1 - - - - - -
-4.0 Jason Heyward, RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-5.0 Dexter Fowler, CF 5 0 0 0 0 1 - - - - - -
* Player of the Game
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Wednesday in Cleveland:

World Series Game 7, Cubs at Indians, series tied, 3-3

The pitching matchup Wednesday:

Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among National League pitchers. Hendricks was Player of the Game in the National League Championship Series Game 6 vs. the Dodgers.

Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among American League pitchers. Kluber was Player of the Game in AL Division Series Game 2 vs. the Red Sox, in AL Championship Series Game 1 vs. the Blue Jays, in World Series Game 1 vs. the Cubs and World Series Game 4 vs. the Cubs.

Kluber has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game four times during the postseason, more than any other player and twice during the World Series, tied with Arrieta of the Cubs.

Kluber is Box-Toppers’ highest-ranked AL pitcher in 2016 with 21.2 Box-Toppers points.

Given that, the Indians should be favored in Game 7. But Kluber is pitching on short rest. But again, he’s done that before in Game 4 and earned Player of the Game honors.

Hendricks has only been Player of the Game once this postseason. In his previous World Series start in Game 3, which the Cubs lost, he didn’t do badly. He had a positive Box-Toppers game score, +2.1 (4.1IP 6H 0R 2BB 6K ND). Unlike Kluber, he is pitching on full rest and making just his second appearance in the World Series. And though he has fewer regular season Box-Toppers points than Kluber, Hendricks is among the top 10 NL pitchers in 2016.

Given how both managers have put starters on a short leash and relied on middle relievers and closers to carry the load, it would be odd to see both pitchers go deep in a Jack Morris-John Smoltz style Game 7 1991 World Series pitching duel.

It would be far more likely to see the bullpens handle the load, as has happened most of the series. That would give the Indians the edge with strong relievers Cody Allen (7.0 Box-Toppers points) and Andrew Miller (8.0 Box-Toppers points), neither of whom pitched Tuesday. The Cubs counter with their closer Aroldis Chapman (7.4 Box-Toppers points), but Chapman pitched Tuesday and had a long 2 2/3-inning outing to secure Game 5 on Sunday.

But on the other hand, the Cubs have the best starting pitching line-up in baseball and have the luxury of bringing in two of their starting aces in relief in Game 7. Both Jon Lester (22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth, third among NL pitchers) and John Lackey (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers) would be available as relievers for the season’s final game. 

Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings

Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings

Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end

Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end

Box-Toppers ALCS Preview

Box-Toppers NLCS Preview

Game 6 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed

Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 6 progressed:

Cubs' Aroldis Chapman tops players in World Series Game 5; Indians lead series, 3-2

Cubs closing pitcher Aroldis Chapman is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 5 Sunday.

The Chicago Cubs win 3-2 as the Cleveland Indians maintain a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Chapman pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks, striking out four and earning the save. Chapman had the highest Box-Toppers game score of all Cubs players, +5.2.

This is the second time this postseason Chapman has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game. He was also top player in the National League Division Series Game 4 win vs. the Giants.

Chapman had 7.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 104th among all players, 33rd among NL pitchers and second among NL closers, behind Jeurys Familia of the Mets (8.0).

Starting pitcher Jon Lester had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score among Cubs players, +3.0 (6IP 4H 2R 0BB 5K W). Lester has the highest regular season Box-Toppers point total of any player remaining in the postseason 22.1, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.

Kris Bryant had the highest Box-Toppers game score among Cubs batters Sunday, 0.0 (HR 1-3 R BI).

Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer had a Box-Toppers game score of −1.0 (4IP 6H 3R 0BB 7K L).

Monday is a travel day in the World Series. Game 6 is Tuesday in Cleveland.

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.

Top Cubs in World Series Game 5: Cubs 3, Indians 2

Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Cubs who played in World Series Game 5 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.

BTG Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
5.2 * Aroldis Chapman (S,4) - - - - - - 2.2 1 0 0 0 4
3.0 Jon Lester (W,3-1) - - - - - - 6.0 4 2 2 0 5
0.0 Kris Bryant, 3B 3 1 1 1 1 2 - - - - - -
0.0 David Ross, C 1 0 0 1 0 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Carl Edwards Jr., P 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-0.9 Carl Edwards Jr. (H,3) - - - - - - 0.1 1 0 0 0 0
-1.0 Addison Russell, SS 4 0 2 1 0 1 - - - - - -
-1.0 Anthony Rizzo, 1B 3 1 1 0 1 0 - - - - - -
-1.0 Ben Zobrist, LF 3 1 1 0 1 0 - - - - - -
-1.0 a-Miguel Montero, PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 - - - - - -
-1.0 Aroldis Chapman, P 1 0 0 0 0 1 - - - - - -
-1.0 Willson Contreras, C 1 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Jon Lester, P 2 0 0 0 0 2 - - - - - -
-3.0 Jason Heyward, RF 4 0 1 0 0 3 - - - - - -
-3.0 Javier Baez, 2B 4 0 1 0 0 3 - - - - - -
-3.0 Dexter Fowler, CF 3 0 0 0 0 1 - - - - - -
* Player of the Game
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Tuesday in Cleveland:

World Series Game 6, Indians lead Cubs in series, 3-2

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers. Arrieta was Player of the Game in World Series Game 2.

Indians—Josh Tomlin, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, 202nd among all players, 63rd among American League pitchers. Tomlin was Player of the Game in the American League Championship Series Game 2 vs. the Blue Jays.

On paper, the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Arrieta outmatches Tomlin. In addition, Arrieta is pitching on five days rest having last pitched and won in Game 2. Tomlin is pitching on short rest, just three days, after having 58 pitches over 4 2/3 innings in Game 3 Friday.

But Tomlin was also outmatched in his Game 3 start vs. Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th) and the Indians still prevailed, 1-0, thanks to the Indians bullpen aces Andrew Miller and Cody Allen.

Box-Toppers World Series preview

Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings

Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings

Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end

Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end

Box-Toppers ALCS Preview

Box-Toppers NLCS Preview

Game 5 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed

Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 5 progressed:

Reliever Andrew Miller tops players in World Series Game 3 as Indians take 2-1 series lead

Indians pitcher Andrew Miller is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in World Series Game 3 Friday.

The Cleveland Indians win 1-0 to take a 2-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-seven-games series.

Miller struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, no walks and picking up the win. Miller had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.1, highest among Indians players. 

Miller relieved starter Josh Tomlin in the fifth inning with two outs and also pitched the sixth inning.

Miller was pulled for pinch hitter Coco Crisp in the seventh inning, who drove in the game’s only run. That made Miller the pitcher of record, earning him the win, since he was the last Indians pitcher on the mound before the Indians took the lead.

Miller had 8.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 92nd among all players, 32nd among American League pitchers and first among AL middle relievers. He earned 4.0 of his points with the Yankees before being traded to the Indians.

This is the third time this postseason Miller has been Box-Toppers Player of the Game, tied for the most such honors with teammate Corey Kluber (who starts for the Indians Saturday). Previously, Miller was Player of the Game in the AL Division Series Game 1 win vs. the Red Sox on Oct. 6 and in the AL Championship Series Game 3 win vs. the Blue Jays on Oct. 17.

Closer Cody Allen had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score (+3.1) among Indians (1.1IP H 0R 0BB 3K). Starter Josh Tomlin had the third-highest score (+2.2) among Indians (4.2IP 2H 0R BB K). Pinch hitter Coco Crisp had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Indians batters, driving in the game’s only run with a single in the seventh inning (1-1 BI).

Opposing starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.1 (4.1IP 6H 0R 2BB 6K ND). Hendricks had 13.4 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among National League pitchers.

The World Series resumes Saturday in Chicago with Game 4.

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.

Top Indians in World Series Game 3: Indians 1, Cubs 0

Here are the Box-Toppers game scores of all Indians who played in World Series Game 3 listed from highest-to-lowest Box-Toppers game score.

BTG Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
4.1 Andrew Miller (W,2-0) - - - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 3
3.1 Cody Allen (S,6) - - - - - - 1.1 1 0 0 0 3
2.2 Josh Tomlin - - - - - - 4.2 2 0 0 1 1
1.0 a-Coco Crisp, PH 1 0 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -
0.2 Bryan Shaw (H,4) - - - - - - 1.2 2 0 0 0 1
0.0 Michael Martinez, PR-CF-3B 1 1 0 0 0 1 - - - - - -
0.0 Andrew Miller, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Bryan Shaw, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Brandon Guyer, LF 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Cody Allen, P 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Rajai Davis, LF-CF 0 0 0 0 1 0 - - - - - -
-1.0 Tyler Naquin, CF 2 0 1 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-1.0 Carlos Santana, LF 1 0 0 0 2 1 - - - - - -
-1.0 Yan Gomes, C 1 0 0 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-1.0 Josh Tomlin, P 1 0 0 0 0 1 - - - - - -
-2.0 Francisco Lindor, SS 4 0 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Jose Ramirez, 3B 4 0 2 0 0 0 - - - - - -
-2.0 Jason Kipnis, 2B 3 0 1 0 0 1 - - - - - -
-2.0 Roberto Perez, C 3 0 1 0 0 1 - - - - - -
-4.0 Mike Napoli, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 3 - - - - - -
-4.0 Lonnie Chisenhall, RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 - - - - - -
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Saturday in Chicago:

World Series Game 4, Indians lead Cubs in series, 2-1

The pitching matchup Saturday:

Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among AL pitchers. Kluber was Player of the Game in AL Division Series Game 2 vs. the Red Sox, in AL Championship Series Game 1 vs. the Blue Jays and in World Series Game 1 vs. the Cubs.

Cubs—John Lackey, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers.

Kluber is pitching on short rest, having pitched and won World Series Game 1 on Oct. 25. He has earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors three times this postseason, tied for the most of any player with Indians middle reliever Andrew Miller (Friday’s Player of the Game). Lackey comes in on full rest, having not pitched since Oct. 19 and is among the top 10 NL pitchers in Box-Toppers player rankings. However, Lackey has not earned Player of the Game honors in his two postseason appearances (combined 8IP 10H 5R 5BB 7K) and last earned regular season Player of the Game honors on Sept. 4.

Box-Toppers World Series preview

Box-Toppers 2016 final team rankings

Box-Toppers 2016 final top 10 player rankings

Box-Toppers point totals of all Cubs players active at season’s end

Box-Toppers point totals of all Indians players active at season’s end

Box-Toppers ALCS Preview

 

Game 3 narrative via Box-Toppers Twitter feed

Here are real-time tweets from Box-Toppers Wednesday as World Series Game 3 progressed:

Ryan Merritt tops players as Indians eliminate Blue Jays in ALCS; Cubs' Rizzo tops players in NLCS Game 4 win

Pitcher Ryan Merritt led the Indians to a clinching American League Championship Series Game 5 win Wednesday, even though he has never earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors during the regular season.

Also Wednesday, Anthony Rizzo was Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the Cubs’ Game 4 win to even the National League Championship Series with the Dodgers at two games apiece.

American League Championship Series Game 5: Indians 3, Blue Jays 0

Merritt pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out three, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

The Indians win the best-of-seven-game series over the Blue Jays, 4-1, and advance to the World Series beginning next Tuesday in Cleveland.

Merritt picked up a no decision because he did not pitch the requisite five innings to earn the win. However, he did pitch at least three innings, enough to qualify to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game.

Merritt had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +5.1, most of any Indians player. Left fielder Coco Crisp had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Indians batters (HR 1-2 R BI).

Opposing pitcher Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (6IP 5H 3R 0BB 7K L).

Merritt had no Box-Toppers points during the regular season and in fact is unranked because he has yet to earn his first career Player of the Game honor during the regular season. Merritt made his Major League debut May 30 and has played in four games, pitching a total of 11 innings.

The Indians ranked higher than the Blue Jays in Box-Toppers team rankings. The Indians ranked fourth with an accumulated 123.7 Box-Toppers points earned by their players in 2016. The Blue Jays ranked ninth with 114.0, the lowest of the five AL teams to qualify for the playoffs.

Yet, the Indians were weakened by the loss of two of their top starting pitchers—Danny Salazar (12.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among AL pitchers) and Carlos Carrasco (12.4 points, ranked 10th among AL pitchers). Both were out with injuries. A third starter, Trevor Bauer (11.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers), was injured during the series—cutting his pinky finger repairing a drone—and could only pitch 2/3 of an inning in Game 3 before having to be removed because he was bleeding so profusely from his drone wound.

Yet, the Indians were able to cobble together four wins with bullpen stars like Andrew Miller (8.0 Box-Toppers points, first among AL middle relievers) and Cody Allen (7.0 Box-Toppers points, fourth among AL closers), plus their ace starter Corey Kluber (21.2 Box-Toppers points, first among AL pitchers).

One final note: In March, Box-Toppers somehow made the correct preseason forecast that the Indians and Blue Jays would face off in the American League Championship Series and the Cubs and Dodgers would face off in the National League Championship Series.

The only problem with that: Box-Toppers picked the Blue Jays to win the ALCS and the World Series. Now, that ain’t gonna happen.

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

National League Championship Series Game 4: Cubs 10, Dodgers 2

Rizzo homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in three runs, to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

The Cubs now even the best-of-seven-game National League Championship Series with the Dodgers, 2-2.

Rizzo had a Box-Toppers game score Wednesday of +3.0, most among Cubs players. Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey (13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 16th, ninth among NL pitchers) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.0 (4IP 3H 2R 3BB 3K ND).

Opposing pitcher Julio Urias of the Dodgers had a Box-Toppers game score of −6.8 (3.2IP 4H 4R 2BB 4K L).

Rizzo had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 71st among NL batters and 16th among NL first basemen.

The series resumes Thursday with Game 5 in Los Angeles.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

BTG Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
5.1 `CLE 3, TOR 0 Ryan Merritt - - - - 4.1 2 0 0 0 3
3.0 CHC 10, LAD 2 Anthony Rizzo, 1B 5 2 3 3 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

National League Championship Series Game 5, Cubs at Dodgers, series tied, 2-2

The pitching matchup Thursday is a rematch of the Game 1 starters from Saturday. The Cubs won that game, 8-4:

Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Kenta Maeada, 10.0 Box-Toppers points, 54th among all players, 21st among NL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

Andrew Miller tops players in ALCS Game 3 Monday, giving Indians 3-0 series lead over Blue Jays

Indians closing pitcher Andrew Miller is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Monday in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

Miller pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, no walks, striking out three and earning the save, in the 4-2 win over the Blue Jays. The Indians take a 3-0 lead over the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven game series.

Miller had 8.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranked 92nd among all players and 32nd among AL pitchers. Miller earned 3.0 of his Box-Toppers points as a middle reliever and 5.0 as a closer during the season. He ranks third among AL closers and first among AL middle relievers. He started the season with the Yankees (earning 4.0 Box-Toppers points) before being traded to the Indians (earning 4.0 more points).

This is the second time this postseason Miller has earned Player of the Game honors. He was also Player of the Game on Oct. 6 in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Red Sox.

Miller had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of +3.1, most among Indians players. He narrowly beat first baseman Mike Napoli, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 (HR 2B 2-3 2R 2BI). 

Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of −3.9 (5.1IP 3H 4R 3BB 5K L).

The series resumes Tuesday with Game 4 in Toronto (more details below).

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
3.1 CLE 4, TOR 2 Andrew Miller (S,1) - - - - 1.1 1 0 0 0 3
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Tuesday:

American League Championship Series Game 4: Indians lead Blue Jays, 3-0

The tentative pitching matchup Tuesday:

Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among AL pitchers. Kluber was also Player of the Game in ALCS Game 1 and ALDS Game 2.

Blue Jays—Aaron Sanchez, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers ALCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

National League Championship Series Game 3, Cubs at Dodgers, series tied, 1-1

The pitching matchup Tuesday:

Cubs—Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players, sixth among NL pitchers.

Dodgers—Rich Hill, 14.4 Box-Toppers points, 13th among all players, eighth among NL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

 

Cubs' Montero, Indians' Tomlin top players in Saturday's league championship series games

Miguel Montero of the Cubs is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Saturday in the National League Championship Series Game 1 win over the Dodgers.

And Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Saturday in the American League Championship Series Game 2 win over the Blue Jays.

National League Championship Series Game 1: Cubs 8, Dodgers 4

Montero hit an eighth-inning, pinch-hit, grand slam homer to earn Player of the Game honors as the Cubs take a 1-0 lead over the Dodgers in the best-of-seven game series.

Montero had 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season.

He had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +5.0, highest among all Cubs players. Starting pitcher Jon Lester (22.1 Box-Toppers points in 2016, ranked fourth) had a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0 (6IP 4H R BB 3K ND).

The series resumes Sunday with Game 2 in Chicago.

American League Championship Series Game 2: Indians 2, Blue Jays 1

Tomlin allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings, allowing three hits, two walks, striking out six and earning the win, as the Indians take a 2-0 lead over the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven game series.

Tomlin had 5.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 202nd among all players and 63rd among AL pitchers.

Tomlin had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +4.2. Middle reliever Andrew Miller had a higher Box-Toppers game score (+7.0) but did not qualify to earn Player of the Game because he did not earn the win or save and did not pitch the requisite three innings to earn the honor. However, he struck out five over two perfect innings. Designated hitter Carlos Santana had the highest Box-Toppers game score (+1.0) among Indians batters (HR 1-2 R BI).

Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ (14.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th, third among AL pitchers) had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 in the loss (5IP 4H 2R BB 4K L).

The series resumes Monday with Game 3 in Toronto.

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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
5.0 CHC 8, LAD 4 Miguel Montero, PH 1 1 1 4 - - - - - -
4.2 CLE 2, TOR 1 Josh Tomlin (W,2-0) - - - - 5.2 3 1 1 2 6
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

Coming Sunday:

National League Championship Series Game 2, Cubs lead Dodgers, 1-0

The pitching matchup Sunday:

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 24.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, second among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 17th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.

See Box-Toppers NLCS series preview with player-by-player matchups.

ALCS Preview: Though Indians rank higher in Box-Toppers rankings, Blue Jays have chance because of key Tribe injuries

Indians rank higher than the Blue Jays in Box-Toppers team rankings, but two pitchers who got them ranked so highly—Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco—are not available for the ALCS.

Read More

Blue Jays' Estrada, Indians' Miller top players in pair of opening ALDS games for Thursday, Oct. 6

Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays and Andrew Miller of the Indians are Box-Toppers Players of the Game in Thursday’s pair of American League Division Series openers.

Estrada allowed one run over 8 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out six, in the 10-1 win over the Rangers. The Blue Jays now lead the Rangers 1-0 in the best-of-five series.

Estrada had 11.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, 37th among all players and 15th among AL pitchers.

Estrada had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +8.1. Blue Jays’ top batter in the game was third baseman Josh Donaldson (two doubles, 4-4 2R 2BI) with a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0. Rangers starting pitcher Cole Hamels had a bad day (3.1IP 6H 7R 3BB K L), earning a Box-Toppers game score of −17.9. During the regular year, Hamels had 15.4 Box-Toppers points, sixth among all players and second among AL pitchers.

Indians 5, Red Sox 4—In the other ALDS Game 1, Indians pitcher Andrew Miller earned Player of the Game, allowing no runs over two innings of middle relief. He allowed one hit, one walk and struck out four.

During the regular season, Miller had 8.0 Box-Toppers points as a closer and middle reliever. He earned 4.0 points for the Yankees before his midseason trade to the Indians. He ranks 92nd among all players in Box-Toppers points, 32nd among AL pitchers, third among AL closing pitchers and first among AL middle relievers.

Indians’ top batter Thursday was second baseman Jason Kipnis (HR 3-4 R 2BI) with a Box-Toppers game score of +2.0.

Neither starting pitcher fared particularly well. Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello (4.1IP 6H 5R 0BB 6K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of −5.9. Indians starter Trevor Bauer (4.2IP 6H 3R 0BB 6K ND) had a game score of −1.8.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

BTG Game Player of Game AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
8.1 TOR 10, TEX 1 Marco Estrada (W,1-0) - - - - - - 8.1 4 1 1 0 6
4.0 CLE 5, BOS 4 Andrew Miller (W,1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 1 4
BTG: Box-Toppers game score

AL Division Series Game 2, Blue Jays lead Rangers, 1-0

The pitching matchup Friday:

Blue Jays—J.A. Happ, 14.7 Box-Toppers points, 11th among all players, third among AL pitchers.

Rangers—Yu Darvish, 10.4 Box-Toppers points, 51st among all players, 21st among AL pitchers.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Blue Jays and Rangers players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

AL Division Series Game 2, Indians lead Red Sox, 1-0

The pitching matchup Friday:

Red Sox—David Price, 12.4 Box-Toppers points, 27th among all players, ninth among AL pitchers.

Indians—Corey Kluber, 21.2 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players, first among AL pitchers.

Price and Kluber are the top two AL pitchers over the past two seasons. Over 2015 and 2016, Kluber ranks first among AL pitchers with 34.6 Box-Toppers points; Price ranks second with 33.5.

See the season Box-Toppers point totals of all Red Sox and Indians players who earned Player of the Game honors in 2016.

NL Division Series Game 1, Dodgers at Nationals

Though the Washington Nationals have the better winning percentage (.586 vs. .562), the Los Angeles Dodgers rank higher in Box-Toppers team rankings. Dodgers players have accumulated 125.2 Box-Toppers points, third-most among all teams, while the Nationals have 116.1, ranked eighth.

The pitching matchup Friday features the season’s top two players in Box-Toppers player rankings:

Dodgers—Clayton Kershaw, 24.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among all players, ranked second among NL pitchers. 

Nationals—Max Scherzer, 25.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among all players, ranked first among NL pitchers.

Kershaw led in Box-Toppers points much of the season and had earned 20.0 Box-Toppers points before the end of June, on pace to shatter the single-season Box-Toppers point record of 33.7. But then in late June, he went on the disabled list for two months. Despite his time away, Kershaw did not slip much down Box-Toppers rankings and was only passed by Scherzer in late August.

Kershaw and Scherzer are also the top two NL pitchers over the past two seasons. Over 2015 and 2016, Kershaw ranks first with 50.1 Box-Toppers points and Scherzer ranks second with 46.7. They are also the top two NL pitchers over the past six seasons. From 2011 to the present, Kershaw ranks first with 150.2 points and Scherzer ranks second with 111.3.

In addition to Kershaw, the Dodgers have one other player in a season’s top 10 Box-Toppers category list: Rich Hill with 14.4 Box-Toppers points ranks eighth among NL pitchers.

In addition to Scherzer, the Nationals have one other player a season’s top 10 Box-Toppers category list: Stephen Strasburg with 15.1 Box-Toppers points ranks 10th among all players and seventh among NL pitchers.

Dodgers vs. Nationals

Here are players for both teams in the NL Divisional Series beginning Friday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2016. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

Los Angeles Dodgers Washington Nationals
Player Pos BTP Player Pos BTP
Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp 24.4 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp 25.7
Hill, Rich 2215 pi sp 14.4 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp 15.1
Maeda, Kenta 3609 pi sp 10.0 Roark, Tanner 3261 pi sp 12.7
Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp 8.7 Murphy, Daniel 2589 2b 7.5
Grandal, Yasmani 3058 ca 7.2 Gonzalez, Gio 2626 pi sp 6.0
Jansen, Kenley 2871 pi cp 6.0 Werth, Jayson 1664 lf 6.0
Gonzalez, Adrian 2193 1b 5.7 Ross, Joe 3499 pi sp 5.7
Urias, Julio 3652 pi sp 5.7 Rendon, Anthony 3258 3b 5.5
Stripling, Ross 3629 pi sp 4.7 Latos, Mat 2644 pi sp 3.7
Kendrick, Howie 2191 2b lf 1b 4.0 Espinosa, Danny 2804 ss 2b 3.2
Seager, Corey 3587 ss 4.0 Harper, Bryce 3011 rf 3.0
Pederson, Joc 3621 cf 4.0 Melancon, Mark 2792 pi cp 3.0
Toles, Andrew 3692 rf lf cf ph 4.0 Turner, Trea 3730 2b cf 2.5
Reddick, Josh 2936 rf 3.5 Petit, Yusmeiro 2337 pi mr sp 2.0
Puig, Yasiel 3193 rf 3.5 Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 pi sp mr 2.0
McCarthy, Brandon 2082 pi sp 2.7 Solis, Sammy 3651 pi mr 2.0
Turner, Justin 2865 3b 2b 2.5 Zimmerman, Ryan 2180 1b 3b 1.5
Howell, J.P. 2016 pi mr 2.0 Ramos, Wilson 2904 ca 1.5
Stewart, Brock 3722 pi sp 1.7 den Dekker, Matt 3534 lf ph 1.5
Taylor, Chris 3684 2b 1.5 Taylor, Michael 3447 cf 1.0
Wood, Alex 3246 pi sp 1.0 Robinson, Clint 3475 1b 1.0
Hatcher, Chris 3420 pi mr 1.0 Kelley, Shawn 2630 pi cp mr 1.0
Hernandez, Enrique 3541 lf 1.0 Revere, Ben 2886 cf 1.0
Utley, Chase 1861 2b 1.0 Lobaton, Jose 3216 ca 1.0
Baez, Pedro 3678 pi mr 1.0 Cole, A.J. 3727 pi sp 1.0
Totals 125.2 Totals 116.1
What are those numbers after players' names?

NL Division Series Game 1, Giants at Cubs

The Cubs are the runaway leader in Box-Toppers team rankings, leading nearly all the season with 139.5 Box-Toppers points. The Giants are the lowest-ranking team to qualify for the postseason, ranked 10th with 112.7. 

But the Giants have won the World Series each of the past three even-numbered years (2010, 2012 and 2014)—2016 is an even-numbered year. The Cubs last won the World Series in an even-numbered year, but that year was 1908, 106 years ago.

The pitching matchup Friday:

Giants—Johnny Cueto, 16.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among all players, fifth among NL pitchers.

Cubs—Jon Lester, 22.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among all players, third among NL pitchers.

Cueto is the only Giants players in the top 10 in a Box-Toppers category.

The Cubs have four other players in season top 10 lists:

  • Jake Arrieta, 15.7 Box-Toppers points, ranks ninth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers. (Arrieta led all players in 2015 with 29.1 Box-Toppers points).
  • John Lackey, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranks ninth among NL pitchers.
  • Kyle Hendricks, 13.4 Box-Toppers points, ranks 10th among NL pitchers.
  • Kris Bryant, 10.5 Box-Toppers points, ranks second among NL batters.

Giants vs. Cubs

Here are players for both teams in the NL Divisional Series beginning Friday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2016. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.  

San Francisco Giants Chicago Cubs
Player Pos BTP Player Pos BTP
Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp 16.4 Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp 22.1
Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp 13.0 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp 15.7
Moore, Matt 2975 pi sp 12.4 Lackey, John 1640 pi sp 13.4
Samardzija, Jeff 2495 pi sp 10.7 Hendricks, Kyle 3386 pi sp 13.4
Belt, Brandon 2943 1b 7.0 Hammel, Jason 2235 pi sp 13.0
Panik, Joe 3401 2b 5.5 Bryant, Kris 3465 lf 3b rf 10.5
Nunez, Eduardo 2795 3b 2b ss 5.5 Chapman, Aroldis 2826 pi cp 7.4
Peavy, Jake 1635 pi sp 5.0 Montgomery, Mike 3513 pi cp mr sp 5.0
Posey, Buster 2745 ca 1b 3.5 Rondon, Hector 3201 pi cp 5.0
Pence, Hunter 2287 rf 3.5 Zobrist, Ben 2216 2b rf lf 4.0
Casilla, Santiago 2301 pi cp 3.0 Russell, Addison 3559 ss 3.5
Kontos, George 3106 pi cp mr 3.0 Rizzo, Anthony 3063 1b 3.0
Span, Denard 2502 cf 3.0 Cahill, Trevor 2658 pi mr sp 3.0
Tomlinson, Kelby 3619 2b ph 3.0 Soler, Jorge 3403 lf 2.5
Cain, Matt 2081 pi sp 2.7 Coghlan, Chris 2610 3b rf ph 2.5
Brown, Trevor 3610 ca 2.5 Ross, David 1729 ca 2.5
Crawford, Brandon 2878 ss 2.0 Montero, Miguel 2304 ca ph 2.0
Gillaspie, Conor 3218 3b ph 2.0 Smith, Joe 2388 pi cp mr 2.0
Blach, Ty 3754 pi sp 2.0 Baez, Javier 3395 2b ss 2.0
Law, Derek 3657 pi sp mr 2.0 LaStella, Tommy 3367 3b 2b 2.0
Pagan, Angel 2184 lf 1.0 Fowler, Dexter 2698 cf 1.5
Beckham, Gordon 2620 2b 1.0 Szczur, Matt 3704 cf 1.5
Strickland, Hunter 3546 pi mr 1.0 Wood, Travis 2777 pi mr sp 1.0
Okert, Steven 3745 pi mr 1.0 Heyward, Jason 2695 rf 1.0
Osich, Josh 3677 pi mr 1.0
Totals 112.7 Totals 139.5
What are those numbers after players' names?

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.

Reds' Adam Duvall tops players for Monday, Sept. 26; Angels' Weaver tops AL players

Adam Duvall of the Reds is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Sept. 26:  


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 24.7
2 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 24.4
3 Fernandez, Jose 3147 pi sp died* 22.4
4 Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp chi nl 22.1
5 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 21.2
6 Hamels, Cole 2135 pi sp tex al 17.8
7 Arrieta, Jake 2738 pi sp chi nl 15.7
8 Syndergaard, Noah 3472 pi sp nym al 15.7
9 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 15.4
10 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 15.1
What are those numbers after players' names?
* Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident Sept. 25. His team was the Miami Marlins.

Duvall hit two homers, including a three-run shot, in the 15-2 win over the Cardinals. Duvall went 4-for-6, scoring four times and driving in five runs.

American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Jered Weaver pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out three, in the 2-1 win over the Athletics. Weaver did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Athletics tied the game after he exited.

Weaver earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 127.8 for his career, rising to 35th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Monday, he passes Roy Oswalt (127.2) and A.J. Burnett (127.8) on the “all-time” list and now trails 34th-ranked player Vladimir Guerrero (128.3). Weaver has 4.7 Box-Toppers points on the season, his lowest point total in his 11-year career.

American League Batter of the Day—Robinson Cano of the Mariners hit two homers and a double in the 4-3, 11-inning win over the Astros. Cano went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs.

Cano earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, the highest point total of any of the 10 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday. He ranks 20th among AL batters.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Monday because the overall Player of the Day was NL batter Adam Duvall.

Kluber—Corey Kluber, ranked fifth in Box-Toppers season player rankings, started in the Indians’ win Monday but failed to earn Player of the Game honors.

Kluber (4IP 5H 2R BB 3K ND in the 7-4 win over the Tigers) had a Box-Toppers game score of −4.0. Player of the Game was middle reliever Andrew Miller (1.2IP H 0R 0BB 4K W) who had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.2.

Kluber has 21.2 Box-Toppers points on the season, fifth among all players and first among AL players.

Streak—Justin Morneau of the White Sox has now earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of the season Monday.

Morneau (HR 2-3 R 3BI in the 7-1 win over the Rays) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2004 with the Twins and has 74.3 career points, fourth among active AL first basemen. His best season was 2006 with the Twins, when he had 12.2 Box-Toppers points, seventh among AL batters. In 2015, he had 2.0 Box-Toppers points with the Rockies.

Scoring—Duvall earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Weaver earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Cano earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

9/26 Score Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 7.0 CIN 15, STL 2 Adam Duvall, LF 6 4 4 5 - - - - - -
6.0 MIL 8, TEX 3 Jonathan Villar, 2B 4 2 3 5 - - - - - -
AL 6.0 `LAA 2, OAK 1 Jered Weaver - - - - 5.0 1 0 0 1 3
5.0 ARI 14, WSH 4 Zack Godley (W,5-4) - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 3
4.2 CLE 7, DET 4 Andrew Miller (W,10-1; H,24) - - - - 1.2 1 0 0 0 4
4.0 CHC 12, PIT 2 Javier Baez, 2B-SS 5 1 2 6 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 SEA 4, HOU 3 (11) Robinson Cano, 2B 4 2 3 2 - - - - - -
3.0 MIA 7, NYM 3 Justin Bour, 1B 3 2 3 1 - - - - - -
3.0 CHW 7, TB 1 Justin Morneau, DH 3 1 2 3 - - - - - -
3.0 NYY 7, TOR 5 Adam Warren (W,7-4) - - - - 2.0 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.

Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).  

Player of Game Pos Team 16 15-16 11-16 Career +/-
Cano, Robinson 2092 2b sea al 7.0 13.5 42.5 74.4 0.5
Miller, Andrew 2436 pi cp mr cle al 7.0 11.0 15.0 22.0 3.0
Duvall, Adam 3573 lf cin nl 6.5 8.0 8.0 8.0 5.0
Weaver, Jered 2178 pi sp ana al 4.7 12.4 67.0 127.8 -3.0
Villar, Jonathan 3233 ss 2b ph mil nl 4.0 4.0 6.0 6.0 4.0
Warren, Adam 3169 pi mr nyy al 3.0 6.7 10.7 10.7 -0.7
Bour, Justin 3433 1b ph fla nl 2.5 11.0 12.5 12.5 -6.0
Baez, Javier 3395 2b ss chi nl 2.0 2.0 4.5 4.5 2.0
Godley, Zack 3538 pi mr sp ari nl 1.0 4.7 4.7 4.7 -2.7
Morneau, Justin 1900 dh 1b chi al 1.0 3.0 19.7 74.3 -1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?