Cubs, Blue Jays top preseason rankings. 2015 champ Royals fall to 11th. Red Sox, Dbacks make big offseason gains in Box-Toppers points, signing marquee pitchers.
Read MoreGiants' Vogelsong tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 18; Mets' deGrom extends Box-Toppers points lead
(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)
Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Also Tuesday, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom extended his season lead in Box-Toppers points and now has 19.4.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 18.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 19.4 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 16.7 |
| 3 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 16.1 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 16.1 |
| 5 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 16.0 |
| 7 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
| 8 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 15.4 |
| 9 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 15.4 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 14.7 |
Player of the Day—Vogelsong pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five, in the 2-0 win over the Cardinals.
Vogelsong earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and now has 10.0 for the season. He is the 27th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and now ranks 26th among all players, 13th among NL pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, and went 3-for-4, scoring three times, in the 8-5 win over the Phillies.
Donaldson earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 7.9 for the season. He ranks fifth among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day—Yunel Escobar of the Nationals homered and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 15-6 win over the Rockies.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Tuesday because the AL Player of the Day was a batter, Josh Donaldson.
Rankings—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom extended his season lead in Box-Toppers points among all players after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
deGrom (7IP 5H R 6K W in the 5-3 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 19.4 for the season. deGrom has led all players since July 26.
Debut—Cole Gillespie of the Marlins made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Gillespie (3B 2-4 R 3BI in the 9-6 win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut April 21, 2010, and was playing in his 153rd career game. He is the 3,561st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Vogelsong earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Donaldson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Escobar earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’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
| 8/18 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | Giants | Ryan Vogelsong (W,9-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | Nationals | Yunel Escobar, 3B | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 6.0 | Blue Jays | Josh Donaldson, 3B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Padres | James Shields (W,9-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | `Athletics | Felix Doubront | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 5.2 | Mets | Jacob deGrom (W,12-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 5.0 | Tigers | Ian Kinsler, 2B | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | Red Sox | Eduardo Rodriguez (W,7-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 4.0 | Yankees | Chase Headley, PH-3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Astros | Luke Gregerson (W,6-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | `Royals | Edinson Volquez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Mariners | Hisashi Iwakuma (W,5-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | Marlins | Cole Gillespie, CF-LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `Pirates | Arquimedes Caminero | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Angels | Huston Street (S,29) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 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. | ||||||||||||||||
Reds' Billy Hamilton (HR 4-4 4R 2BI) tops players for Thursday, Aug. 13
(Apologies: Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)
Billy Hamilton of the Reds is Thursday, Aug. 13’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Hamilton homered and went 4-for-4, scoring four times and driving in two runs, in the 10-3 win over the Dodgers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 13.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 18.4 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 16.7 |
| 3 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 16.1 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 5 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
| 6 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 15.4 |
| 7 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 15.4 |
| 8 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 9 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 14.4 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 14.4 |
American League Player of the Day—Mitch Moreland of the Rangers hit a two-run homer and a two-run double, going 4-for-4, in the 6-5 win over the Twins.
American League and National League Batters of the Day—There are no separate AL and NL Batters of the Day for Thursday because the overall Players of the Day were batters—Billy Hamilton and Mitch Moreland. In fact, batters were unusually dominant Thursday and were Players of the Game in seven of the nine games played.
Notable—Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was the highest-ranked player to earn Player of the Game honors Thursday. Vogelsong (5IP 3H R 8K W in the 3-1 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season and ranks 40th among all players, 17th among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Hamilton earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Moreland earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. All of Thursday’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
| 8/13 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | Reds | Billy Hamilton, CF | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 5.0 | Rangers | Mitch Moreland, 1B | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Cubs | Kyle Schwarber, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | Yankees | Stephen Drew, 2B | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Mets | Juan Lagares, PH-CF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Giants | Ryan Vogelsong (W,8-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2.2 | Angels | Jose Alvarez (W,3-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Pedro Alvarez, 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Ryan Goins, SS | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Blue Jays' Marco Estrada (8.2IP 0R 2H 10K ND) tops players for Wednesday, June 24
Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Estrada pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out 10, in the 1-0, 12-inning win over the Rays. Estrada picked up a no decision and did not earn the win because he left the game in scoreless tie. Estrada had a perfect game before allowing a hit in the eighth inning.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 24.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 13.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 13.0 |
| 3 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 12.0 |
| 4 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.0 |
| 5 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 11.1 |
| 6 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 10.4 |
| 7 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 |
| 8 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 9.7 |
| 9 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 |
| 10 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 9.4 |
National League Player of the Day—Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson allowed one run on two hits over eight innings, striking out five, in the 4-1 win over the Mets.
American League Batter of the Day—Brett Lawrie of the Athletics hit a grand slam and went 3-for-5 in the 8-2 win over the Rangers.
National League Batter of the Day—Yasmany Tomas of the Diamondbacks doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 8-7 win over the Rockies.
Notable—Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong has the highest Box-Toppers player ranking of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Vogelsong has 7.0 Box-Toppers points and ranks 21st among all players, 13th among NL pitchers. Vogelsong (6IP 5H 0R 4K W in the 6-0 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game.
Rankings—Two pitchers ranked among Box-Toppers top 10 players this season started Wednesday but both failed to earn Player of the Game honors as their teams both lost:
- Gerrit Cole of the Pirates ranks fourth in player rankings with 12.0 Box-Toppers points, but lost 5-2 to the Reds. Cole (4.2IP 8H 5R 8K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of −11.8. Player of the Game was Reds closing pitcher J.J. Hoover (1IP 0H 0R 2K Sv) who had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.
- Chris Sale of the White Sox ranks sixth in player rankings with 10.4 Box-Toppers points, but lost 6-1 to the Twins. Sale (6.2IP 8H 6R 10K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.8. Player of the Game was Twins pitcher Phil Hughes (8IP 6H R 5K W) who had a Box-Toppers game score of 5.
Streak—Omar Infante of the Royals has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 12 straight seasons.
Infante was Player of the Game in Wednesday’s 8-2 win over the Mariners (2B 3-4 R 3BI) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Infante earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2004 with the Tigers. His best year was 2012 when he had 4.5 Box-Toppers points with the Tigers and ranked third among AL second basemen. Infante had 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2014 with the Royals.
Infante has 29.5 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks fifth among active AL second basemen.
Return—Dodgers pitcher J.P. Howell earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the first time in more than five years Wednesday. Howell (1.1IP H 0R K W in the 5-2 win over the Cubs) last earned Player of the Game honors on Aug. 5, 2009, when he was with the Rays.
Debut—Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Heaney (6IP 4H R 5K ND in the 2-1, 13-inning win over the Astros) made his Major League debut June 19, 2014, and was playing in his eighth career game. He is the 3,515th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Estrada earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Nelson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Lawrie and Tomas each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’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
| 6/24 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 16.2 | `Blue Jays | Marco Estrada | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| NL | 8.0 | Brewers | Jimmy Nelson (W, 4-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5.0 | Indians | Carlos Carrasco (W, 9-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | Twins | Phil Hughes (W, 6-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | `Nationals | Jordan Zimmermann | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | Jaime Garcia (W, 3-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | `Angels | Andrew Heaney | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Athletics | Brett Lawrie 3B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Royals | Omar Infante 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Red Sox | Clay Buchholz (W, 5-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Giants | Ryan Vogelsong (W, 6-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | J.J. Hoover (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | Yankees | Ivan Nova (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Dbacks | Yasmany Tomas RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1.1 | Dodgers | J.P. Howell (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 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. | ||||||||||||||||
Royals' Wade Davis, pitching scoreless 8th, tops players in World Series Game 3, Friday, Oct. 24
Reliever Wade Davis held the lead for the Royals, shutting down the Giants in the eighth inning and earned Box-Toppers Player of the Day honors for Friday in Game 3 of the World Series.
Davis pitched a scoreless inning and struck out two, as the Royals beat the Giants 3-2 to take a 2-1 game lead in the best-of-seven series.
Davis had a Box-Toppers game score of +3, the highest of any Royals player in Friday’s game. It is the second time this postseason he has earned Player of the Game honors. Previously, he was top player in the American League Championship Series Game 1 win over the Orioles. In the Royals’ 10 postseason wins this year, Davis is the first player from the team to earn Player of the Game honors more than once.
Davis did not earn a win or a save in the game and earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in a roundabout, but not uncommon fashion. Davis earned the honor because:
• He had a higher Box-Toppers game score than the winning or saving pitcher who otherwise would have been Player of the Game.
• He had the same or more innings pitched as that player.
In Game 3, Royals closer Greg Holland—who earned the save—would have been Player of the Day, pitching a scoreless ninth inning and striking out one. He had a Box-Toppers game score of +1. However, two other Royals pitchers (see the chart below) had a higher Box-Toppers game score than Holland:
• Brandon Finnegan (0.2IP 0R K, Box-Toppers game score +1.2). However, Finnegan would not qualify for Player of the Game because though his game score was higher than Holland’s, he had fewer innings pitched.
• Davis, who beat Holland for the honor because he had the same number of innings pitched (one) and had a higher Box-Toppers game score (+3.0 vs. +1.0).
During the regular season, Davis had 7.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 117th among all players, 42nd among AL pitchers and first among AL middle relievers.
In close, low-scoring games, such as Game 3, Player of the Game honors often goes to relief pitchers who can hold the lead. In fact, only one Royals batter had a Box-Toppers game score of 0 or better—Alcides Escobar (2B 2-4 2R) had a game score of 0. Only five Royals (including four relief pitchers) had game scores of 0 or better.
Royals starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who earned the win, had a Box-Toppers game score of -3 (5IP 4H 2R 0K). Giants starting pitcher Tim Hudson, who earned the loss, had a Box-Toppers game score of -3.8 (5.2IP 4H 3R BB 2K).
Coming Saturday:
World Series Game 4: Royals lead Giants, 2-1
The pitching matchup Saturday:
Royals: Jason Vargas, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 107th among all players, 38th among AL pitchers.
Giants: Ryan Vogelsong, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 74th among all players, 36th among NL pitchers.
Vargas has started twice this postseason (ALDS Game 1 and ALCS Game 4) and Vogelsong has started twice (NLDS Game 4 and NLCS Game 4). Both have earned Player of the Game honors once:
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 2014 World Series previews:
Royals sweep Giants in series—in regular season, interleague series back in August, that is
Top 5 players in World Series Game 3
Here are the top five Royals players in Friday's World Series Game 3, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Wade Davis, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0, is Player of the Game (POG). Only five Royals players had game scores of 0 or better. Alcides Escobar was the Royals' highest-scoring batter, with a game score of 0.
| 1024 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 3.0 | Royals | Wade Davis (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1.2 | Royals | Brandon Finnegan (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Royals | Greg Holland (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0.1 | Royals | Kelvin Herrera (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | ||
| 0.0 | Royals | Alcides Escobar SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Royals' Herrera, Giants' Ishikawa top players in LCS games, Tuesday, Oct. 14
Kelvin Herrera, who pitched a perfect seventh inning in relief for the Royals in their Game 3 American League Championship Series win over the Orioles, is Box-Toppers.com Player of the Day for Tuesday.
Herrera struck out two in one scoreless inning in the 2-1 win, as the Royals took a three games to zero lead over the Orioles in the best-of-seven game ALCS.
Herrera, who held the lead for the Royals, is an unconventional player to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors—he did not pick up a win or a save and pitched only one inning. He had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0, the highest of any Royals player Tuesday.
Normally, a pitcher without a win or a save who pitched fewer than three innings is not even considered for Player of the Game. But they can win the honor if they pitch the same or more innings as the pitcher who otherwise would earn Player of the Game honors and have a higher Box-Toppers game score.
In this game, Jason Frasor, who pitched the sixth inning for the Royals and earned the win (because the Royals scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth) would normally be Player of the Game with a Box-Toppers game score of +1. But two other players who also pitched one inning actually had higher Box-Toppers game scores—Wade Davis, who pitched the eighth inning, struck out one and held the lead, had a Box-Toppers game score of +2. And Herrera, Player of the Game, had a game score of +3.
No Royals batter had a positive Box-Toppers game score in the low-scoring contest. The highest score was Jarrod Dyson’s, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 0—he went 0-for-1 with a run.
Three Royals relievers have earned Player of the Game honors so far during the postseason. Previously, closer Greg Holland was Player of the Game in the ALDS Game 1 on Oct. 2. Wade Davis was Player of the Day in the ALCS Game 1 on Oct. 10.
Herrera had 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 439th among all players and 114th among AL pitchers.
NLCS Game 3: Giants 5, Cardinals 4
Travis Ishikawa drove in three runs on a first inning double and is Box-Toppers.com Player of the Game in the Giants’ National League Championship Series Game 3 win over the Cardinals.
Ishikawa went 1-for-3, driving in three runs, in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Cardinals, as the Giants take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven game series. He had a Box-Toppers game score of +1.
Giants reliever Santiago Casilla (1IP 1K) actually had a higher Box-Toppers game score than Ishikawa of +2. However, because Casilla pitched fewer than three innings and did not earn the win or save, the only way he could be considered for Player of the Game is if he had a higher Box-Toppers game score and the same or more innings pitched as a pitcher who otherwise would have earned Player of the Game.
During the regular season, Ishikawa had 1.0 Box-Toppers point, ranked 644th among all players and 159th among NL batters.
Coming Wednesday:
ALCS Game 4: Royals lead Orioles, 3-0
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Orioles: Miguel Gonzalez, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 70th among all players, 31st among AL pitchers.
Royals: Jason Vargas, 7.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 107th among all players, 38th among AL pitchers.
NLCS Game 4: Giants lead Cardinals, 2-1
The pitching matchup Wednesday:
Cardinals: Shelby Miller, 9.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 64th among all players, 30th among NL pitchers.
Giants: Ryan Vogelsong, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 74th among all players, 36th among NL pitchers.
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
Players of the Game (POG) listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1013 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 3.0 | `Royals | Kelvin Herrera (H, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| POG | 1.0 | Giants | Travis Ishikawa LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Giants' Vogelsong, Cardinals' Adams top players for Tuesday, Oct. 7, leading their teams into the NLCS
Ryan Vogelsong allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings and led the San Francisco Giants to a National League Division Series Game 4 win, eliminating the Washington Nationals. He is Box-Toppers.com Player of the Day for Tuesday.
Vogelsong also allowed two hits, two walks and struck out four, earning a Box-Toppers game score of +3.2, the highest of any Giants player, in the 3-2 win. Vogelsong did not earn the win because after he exited the game, the Nationals tied the score, 2-2 in the top of the seventh, before the Giants took the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the seventh.
During the regular season Vogelsong had 8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 74th among all players, 36th among NL pitchers.
The Giants eliminate the Nationals in the best-of-five game series, 3-1, and will face the Cardinals in the NL Championship series beginning Saturday in St. Louis.
The Giants were ranked eighth in Box-Toppers team rankings with their players accumulating 110.8 Box-Toppers points during the regular season. The Nationals were ranked fourth with 115.5 Box-Toppers points.
NLDS Game 4: Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2
Matt Adams hit a three-run homer and led the St. Louis Cardinals to a National League Division Series Game 4 win, eliminating the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is Player of the Game in the 3-2 win.
Adams hit his go-ahead homer in the seventh inning off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw (who led all players in Box-Toppers points for 2014). Adams had a Box-Toppers game score of 2.0. The Cardinals win the best-of-five game series, 3-1.
Kershaw uncharacteristically lost two consecutive starts (he also lost Game 1 of the NLDS). The last time he did that was last October in the NL Championship Series, also against the Cardinals. Kershaw had 31.5 Box-Toppers points in 2014, tied for the fourth-most Box-Toppers points in a single season in the past 20 years.
Kershaw allowed only one hit through six innings. In the end, he gave up three runs, four hits and two walks over six innings, striking out nine. He had a Box-Toppers game score of +3—which was actually the highest of any player in the game.
Adams, meanwhile, had 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the regular season, ranked 530th among all players and 127th among NL batters.
The Cardinals were ranked fifth in Box-Toppers team rankings with 114.8 Box-Toppers points. The Dodgers were the highest-rated NL team, ranked second with 123.2 Box-Toppers points.
The Cardinals face the Giants in the NL Championship Series beginning Saturday.
•
With the elimination of the Angels, Dodgers, Athletics and Nationals, the Cardinals now have the highest Box-Toppers ranking of remaining playoff teams. They are ranked fifth with 114.8 Box-Toppers points.
No playoff games are scheduled Wednesday or Thursday. Baseball resumes Friday with Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Royals and Orioles in Baltimore.
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
Players of the Game (POG) listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1007 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 3.2 | `Giants | Ryan Vogelsong | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| POG | 2.0 | Cardinals | Matt Adams 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Cardinals' Lackey, Nationals' Fister top players in pair of NLDS Game 3s, Monday, Oct. 6
John Lackey, who struck out eight over seven innings and allowed one run in the Cardinals 3-1 win over the Dodgers in the National League Division Series Game 3, is Monday’s Player of the Day.
Lackey gives the Cardinals a 2-1 lead over the Dodgers in the best-of-five game series that resumes Tuesday.
Lackey had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Cardinals player of 7.0.
During the regular season, Lackey had 10.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 50th among all players, 24th among NL pitchers.
NLDS Game 3: Nationals 4, Giants 1
Doug Fister, who pitched seven scoreless innings, leading the Nationals to a 4-1 win over the Giants is Player of the Game in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
Fister, who also allowed four hits, walked three and struck out three, gave the Nationals their first 2014 postseason win. They trail the Giants in the best-of-five game series, 2-1.
Fister had the highest Box-Toppers game score of any Nationals player of 3.0.
During the regular season, Fister had 14.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 19th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.
Giants starter Madison Bumgarner, who was third among all players in Box-Toppers player rankings during the regular season, picked up the loss. Bumgarner gave up three runs on eight hits over seven innings, striking out six. His Box-Toppers game score was +1. Bumgarner had 22.6 Box-Toppers points during the regular season.
Coming Tuesday:
NLDS Game 4, Cardinals lead Dodgers, 2-1
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, 31.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among all players.
Cardinals: Shelby Miller, 9.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 64th among all players, 30th among NL pitchers.
NLDS Game 4, Giants lead Nationals, 2-1
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Nationals: Gio Gonzalez, 11.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 44th among all players, 18th among NL pitchers.
Giants: Ryan Vogelsong, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 74th among all players, 36th among NL pitchers.
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
Players of the Game (POG) listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 1006 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POG | 7.0 | Cardinals | John Lackey (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| POG | 3.0 | Nationals | Doug Fister (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Giants' Vogelsong tops players for Friday, Aug. 1; White Sox' Abreu extends Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters
Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is Friday’s Player of the Day, while Jose Abreu of the White Sox extends his Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters.
Vogelsong pitched a complete game two-hitter, allowing one run, in the 5-1 win over the Mets.
Abreu rose to 11th place among all players in Box-Toppers rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Abreu (3-3 2R BI in the 10-8 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.0 for the season, extending his lead among AL batters. Second place Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers has 8.5 Box-Toppers points.
Orioles pitcher Wei-Yin Chen is AL Player of the Day. Chen struck out eight over 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1 win over the Mariners.
Tommy Medica of the Padres is National League Batter of the Day. Medica hit two home runs and went 5-for-5, scoring four times and driving in four runs, in the 10-1 win over the Braves.
David Murphy of the Indians is AL Batter of the Day. Murphy doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 12-2 win over the Rangers.
Vogelsong receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Chen receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Medica and Murphy each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Friday’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 Friday, 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
| 801 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 9.0 | Giants | Ryan Vogelsong (W, 6-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| BAT | 8.0 | Padres | Tommy Medica 1B | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 7.1 | Orioles | Wei-Yin Chen (W, 12-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 7.0 | Royals | Jeremy Guthrie (W, 7-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Indians | David Murphy RF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Phillies | Roberto Hernandez (W, 6-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | `Astros | Collin McHugh | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | Brewers | Jonathan Lucroy C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | White Sox | Jose Abreu 1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Rajai Davis CF, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Jordy Mercer SS | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Cubs | Kyle Hendricks (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Koji Uehara (S, 22) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Angels | Mike Trout CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Reds | Chris Heisey PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
San Francisco Giants stay atop Box-Toppers team rankings, Blue Jays remain top AL team
The San Francisco Giants are on top of Box-Toppers team rankings for the second straight week.
Giants players had accumulated 47.9 Box-Toppers points through Thursday, June 5.
The Giants are led by pitchers Madison Bumgarner (10.5 Box-Toppers points, third place in Box-Toppers player rankings, second place among National League pitchers), Tim Hudson (5.7 points, 14th place among NL pitchers) and Ryan Vogelsong (5.7 points, 15th place among NL pitchers).
Top 10 teams
Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, June 5. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated so far this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams have accumulated during the past week.| 605 | Teams |
BTP |
BTP /wk |
Last wk rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giants | 47.9 | 6.0 | 1 |
| 2 | Blue Jays | 45.4 | 6.0 | 2 |
| 3 | Athletics | 43.9 | 6.0 | 3 |
| 4 | Marlins | 42.1 | 5.2 | 5 |
| 5 | Brewers | 40.4 | 4.7 | 7 |
| 6 | Angels | 39.3 | 2.0 | 4 |
| 7 | White Sox | 39.0 | 4.0 | 8 |
| 8 | Mariners | 37.3 | 5.5 | 14 |
| 9 | Dodgers | 37.1 | 3.2 | 10 |
| 10 | Cardinals | 36.5 | 2.0 | 9 |
The Toronto Blue Jays remain the top American League team in Box-Toppers points and remain in second place among all teams. Blue Jays players have 45.4 Box-Toppers points.
The Blue Jays are led by pitchers Drew Hutchison (6.0 Box-Toppers points, 11th place among AL pitchers) and Mark Buehrle (5.7 points, 12th among AL pitchers).
The Cleveland Indians were the hottest team of the week with 7.7 Box-Toppers points. They rose from 22nd to 13th place in Box-Toppers team rankings with 35.6 Box-Toppers points.
The Seattle Mariners rose into the top 10 this week, picking up 5.5 Box-Toppers points over the past week, giving them 37.3 for the season, in eighth place overall. The Colorado Rockies fell out of the top 10, earning no Box-Toppers points over the week ending Thursday, June 6—with 36.5 points, they fell from sixth to 11th place.
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.
Giants' Ryan Vogelsong (6.2IP 7K) tops players for Saturday, May 24
Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is Saturday’s Player of the Day. Vogelsong pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 2-1 win over the Twins.
Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is American League Player of the Day. Kluber pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 9-0 win over the Orioles. Kluber earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season. He is now 14th among all players in Box-Toppers player rankings and fifth among AL pitchers.
Rougned Odor of the Rangers is AL Batter of the Day. Odor tripled, went 4-for-5 and drove in five runs in the 12-2 win over the Tigers. This was Odor’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,336th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Odor made his Major League debut May 14 and was playing in his 12th big league game.
Odor also has our current favorite baseball name, pronounced “ROOG-ned oh-DORE,” according to Baseball-Reference.com. The Venezuelan-born player passes previous favorite name, Joey Terdoslavich of the Braves. (Terdoslavich is current on the Braves’ Triple-A minor league team. He played in Atlanta last season, but has yet to make his Box-Toppers debut.)
Ben Revere of the Phillies is National League Batter of the Day. Revere went 4-for-4 with a double and scored three runs in the 5-3 win over the Dodgers.
Vogelsong receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kluber receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Odor and Revere 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.
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
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Royals' Alex Gordon (2 3-R HR) tops players for Sunday, May 18; Braves' Freeman rises to 8th in player rankings
Alex Gordon of the Royals is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Gordon hit two three-run home runs, went 4-for-4 and drove in six runs in the 8-6 win over the Orioles.
Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is National League Player of the Day. Vogelsong pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out six, in the 4-1 win over the Marlins.
Freddie Freeman of the Braves rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Sunday’s NL Batter of the Day honors. Freeman homered, went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs in the 6-5 win over the Cardinals. Freeman earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.2 for the season, moving him up to eighth place overall. He is second place among NL batters, behind overall leader Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (9.1). (See the updated top 10 player rankings on the home page.)
Notable: It was a batter-heavy day Sunday for Players of the Game. Normally, pitchers earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors more frequently than batters. But on Sunday, batters earned Player of the Game honors in 12 of the 16 games. One notable batter who was top player in his game was Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (3-for-4, 2RBI in the 6-2 win over the Red Sox), last year’s AL batting leader. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point Sunday, giving him 4.5 for the season, in 26th place overall, fourth among AL batters.
Gordon receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Vogelsong receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Freeman receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.
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