Los Angeles Dodgers edge out Washington Nationals as Box-Toppers' top preseason team. Champion Cubs slip to 5th after key player losses. Indians rank 1st among AL teams.
Read MoreBox-Toppers’ top single game performances by batters for 2016
C.J. Cron of the Angels had highest Box-Toppers game score among batters in 2016, which is only 149th-best game score among 2,428 games played.
Read MoreCubs' Jake Arrieta tops players for Friday, June 17, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers rankings
Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of June 17:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 11.7 |
| 3 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.0 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 10.0 |
| 6 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 10.0 |
| 7 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.4 |
| 8 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 9 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 8.8 |
| 10 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
Arrieta pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing two hits, in the 6-0 win over the Pirates.
Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season, rising from ninth to third place among all players. He becomes the sixth player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points and has now earned 10 or more points for three straight years. He had 14.7 in 2014 and 29.1 in 2015, when he led all players in Box-Toppers points.
American League Player of the Day—Michael Saunders of the Blue Jays hit three homers and went 3-for-5, driving in eight runs, in the 13-3 win over the Orioles.
National League Batter of the Day—Peter O’Brien of the Diamondbacks hit two home runs and went 2-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 10-2 win over the Phillies.
This was O’Brien’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. O’Brien made his Major League debut Sept. 11, 2015, and was playing in his 14th career game. He is the 3,661st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Michael Saunders.
Notable—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels now has 134.6 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Hamels (7.2IP 3H 0R 3BB 6K W in the 1-0 win over the Cardinals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game and ranks 27th in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 26th-ranked player Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (136.9).
Hamels has 8.4 Box-Toppers points on the season, 13th among all players and third among AL pitchers.
Debut—Braves pitcher John Gant made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Gant (6.2IP 2H R 2BB 5K W in the 5-1 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut April 6 and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,660th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Saunders earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. O’Brien earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Friday’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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/17 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | CHC 6/PIT 0 | Jake Arrieta (W,11-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | |
| AL | 9.0 | TOR 13/BAL 3 | Michael Saunders, LF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.2 | TEX 1/STL 0 | Cole Hamels (W,7-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | SEA 8/BOS 4 | Franklin Gutierrez, RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 7.0 | SF 5/TB 1 | Jeff Samardzija (W,8-4) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 7.0 | `CLE 3/CHW 2 | Trevor Bauer | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 7.0 | `LAD 3/MIL 2 | Julio Urias | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 5.2 | ATL 5/NYM 1 | John Gant (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 5.1 | KC 10/DET 3 | Yordano Ventura (W,6-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | `OAK 3/LAA 2 | Kendall Graveman | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.1 | `CIN 4/HOU 2 | John Lamb | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 4.0 | NYY 8/MIN 2 | Masahiro Tanaka (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | ARI 10/PHI 2 | Peter O'Brien, LF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | DC 7/SD 5 | Daniel Murphy, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.2 | `MIA 5/COL 1 | Adam Conley | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | ||
| `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 | +/- |
| Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 | 39.8 | 67.5 | 70.5 | -18.4 |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 8.4 | 23.8 | 75.4 | 134.6 | -7.0 |
| Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 | pi sp | nyy al | 5.0 | 13.0 | 25.7 | 25.7 | -3.0 |
| Murphy, Daniel 2589 | 2b | dc nl | 5.0 | 6.5 | 28.5 | 30.0 | 3.5 |
| Samardzija, Jeff 2495 | pi sp | sf nl | 4.7 | 14.1 | 42.8 | 43.8 | -4.7 |
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 4.7 | 14.1 | 22.8 | 22.8 | -4.7 |
| Ventura, Yordano 3294 | pi sp | kc al | 4.0 | 15.7 | 25.4 | 25.4 | -7.7 |
| Conley, Adam 3594 | pi sp | fla nl | 4.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 1.0 |
| Saunders, Michael 2768 | lf | tor al | 2.3 | 2.3 | 12.0 | 13.0 | 2.3 |
| Graveman, Kendall 3444 | pi sp | oak al | 2.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | -2.7 |
| Lamb, John 3654 | pi sp | cin nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Urias, Julio 3652 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| O’Brien, Peter 3661 | lf | ari nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Gutierrez, Franklin 2242 | rf | sea al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 21.0 | 0.0 |
| Gant, John 3660 | pi sp | atl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw tops players for Monday, April 4, moves into 12th in Box-Toppers' 'all-time' rankings
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Kershaw struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit, in the 15-0 win over the Padres.
Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and takes the lead in Box-Toppers player rankings after the second day of the season. He passes Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano, who was Sunday’s Player of the Day. While both players have 2.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, Kershaw ranks ahead on a tiebreaker because he had more Box-Toppers points in 2015—25.7 vs. 14.9.
Kershaw’s 25.7 points ranked second among all players in 2015 (behind Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta’s 29.1). Kershaw led all National League pitchers in points from 2011 to 2014. He led all players in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
In addition, Kershaw passes John Smoltz to move into 12th place in career Box-Toppers player rankings since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Kershaw now has 161.3 career Box-Toppers points, passing Smoltz’s 160.9 points. Kershaw trails 11th place player, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (162.7).
American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels struck out eight over seven innings, allowing two runs and four hits, in the 3-2 win over the Mariners. Hamels ranked eighth among AL pitchers in 2015 with 15.4 Box-Toppers points.
Hamels also has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Phillies and in each of his 10 previous seasons, has earned at least 10.0 Box-Toppers points per season. He has 127.9 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks 30th among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began). It ranks third among active AL pitchers, behind CC Sabathia of the Yankees (179.0) and Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (162.7). His best season was 2011 with the Phillies, when he had 15.8 points, ranked eighth among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Denard Span of the Giants hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 12-3 win over the Brewers.
American League Batter of the Day—Michael Saunders of the Blue Jays hit a two-run homer and doubled, going 2-for-4, in the 5-3 win over the Rays.
Notable—Two other pitchers who ranked among Box-Toppers’ top 10 players in 2015 also earned Player of the Game honors Monday:
- Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (7.0IP 2H 0R 6K W in the 9-0 win over the Angels) had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score (+10.0) of Monday’s Players of the Day, but only earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, since he lost overall Player of the Day and NL Player of the Day honors to Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +14.0. Arrieta led all players in 2015 with 29.1 Box-Toppers points.
- Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (7.0IP 3H 2R 7K ND in the 4-3 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He had 21.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015, sixth among all players and fourth among NL pitchers.
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
- Trevor Story of the Rockies (2HR 2-6 2R 4BI in the 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks) was making his Major League debut Monday. He is the 3,607th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Tyler Wilson of the Orioles (3.0IP 2H 0R K ND in the 3-2 win over the Twins) made his Major League debut May 20, 2015, and was playing in his 10th career game. He is the 3,608th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hamels earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Span and Saunders each earn 1.5 points for being top batter in their league for 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/4 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| 10.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Giants | Denard Span, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | `Nationals | Max Scherzer | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| AL | 4.0 | Rangers | Cole Hamels (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | |
| 3.0 | `Reds | Raisel Iglesias | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Trevor Story, SS | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `Orioles | Tyler Wilson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 1.0 | Blue Jays | Michael Saunders, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.0 | White Sox | Adam Eaton, RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Blue Jays' Michael Saunders top players in Saturday, March 5's spring training games
Michael Saunders of the Blue Jays is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Saturday.
Saunders hit two home runs—a three-run homer and a two-run homer—while going 3-for-3, in the 9-6 win over the Phillies.
Saunders had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Blue Jays, but had 4.5 in 2013 with the Mariners.
National League Player of the Day—Rob Segedin of the Dodgers hit two homers and drove in three runs in the 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Segedin has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and so does not have any career Box-Toppers points.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Saunders would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Segedin would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Note—Sixteen spring training games were scheduled for Saturday—15 are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Brewers vs. Athletics).
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/5 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | Blue Jays | Michael Saunders LF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 5.0 | Dodgers | Rob Segedin PH-3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Rays | Drew Smyly (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Twins | Juan Centeno C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Rockies | Mike Tauchman PH-LF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Yankees | Aaron Judge RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Angels | Nick Buss CF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.1 | Mets | Hansel Robles (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | White Sox | Adam Eaton DH | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Pirates | Pedro Florimón PH-SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Rangers | Mitch Moreland 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Scott Sizemore 2B | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | Brandon Finnegan (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Giants | Cory Gearrin (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Cardinals | Miguel Socolovich SV, 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Yankees' Ivan Nova tops players for Saturday, Aug. 3
Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Saturday, Aug. 3:
Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova is Saturday's Player of the Day. Nova pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight, in the 3-0 win over the Padres.
Nationals pitcher Dan Haren is National League Player of the Day. Haren pitched seven shutout innings and struck out six in the 3-0 win over the Brewers.
Michael Saunders of the Mariners is American League Batter of the Day. Saunders homered twice and drove in five runs in the 8-4 win over the Orioles.
Devin Mesoraco of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Mesoraco homered twice and drove in three runs in the 8-3 win over the Cardinals.
Notables: Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer rose to 11th place in player Box-Toppers points for the season and Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano rose to 15th place as both players were top player in their games Saturday:
- Scherzer (7.2 IP 0R 6K W in 3-0 win vs. the White Sox) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season.
- Liriano (7IP 0R 6K W in 5-2 win vs. the Rockies) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season.
Nova receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Haren receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Saunders and Mesoraco each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Saturday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 803 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.0 | Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ivan Nova (W, 5-4) | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 8.0 | `Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bruce Chen | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |||
| 7.2 | Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Max Scherzer (W, 16-1) | 7.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |||
| 7.0 | `Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | David Price | 9.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||
| NL | 7.0 | Nationals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Dan Haren (W, 6-11) | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | `Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Anthony Swarzak | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 6.0 | Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Francisco Liriano (W, 12-4) | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | |||
| BAT | 5.0 | Mariners | Michael Saunders CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.1 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Capuano (W, 4-6) | 6.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 4.1 | `Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Zach McAllister | 5.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |||
| 4.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jake Peavy (W, 9-4) | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Reds | Devin Mesoraco C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Grant Balfour (S, 29) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Craig Kimbrel (S, 33) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 1.0 | Angels | Howie Kendrick 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.