Miguel Tejada has the most Box-Toppers points of any shortstop since tracking began in 1995. Derek Jeter ranks a distant second.
Other leaders at shorstop include Troy Tulowitzki, Elvis Andrus, Corey Seager and Stephen Drew.
Read MoreBox-Toppers 2012-17 All-Star teams
The Box-Toppers All-Star teams for 2012-17 consist of the best players over the past six seasons, which includes 12 of the 27 players who are also on Box-Toppers 2016-17 All-Star teams.
Also, among the 27 players on the teams, there are 11 players who are on Box-Toppers 2017 All-Star teams and 10 who are on All-Star teams over all three time spans—for 2017, for 2016-17 and for 2012-17.Leading the 2012-17 All-Stars is Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who ranks first in Box-Toppers points over the past six seasons with 147.2.
Read MoreYankees' Micheal Pineda tops players for Monday, April 10; Giants' Moore tops NL players
Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Pineda struck out 11 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 8-1 win over the Rays. Pineda retired the first 20 Rays batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of April 10:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.0 |
| 2 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 2.7 |
| 4 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 2.0 |
| 6 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 7 | Finnegan, Brandon 3535 | pi sp | cin nl | 2.0 |
| 8 | Mazara, Nomar 3614 | rf | tex al | 2.0 |
| 9 | Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 |
| 10 | Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 2.0 |
Pineda receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first of the season and rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Matt Moore allowed one run and three hits over eight innings, striking out five, in the 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
National League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Nationals doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 14-6 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Monday because no AL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Rankings—Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander rose to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Verlander (7IP 3H R 2BB 4K ND in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season.
Verlander now has 142.0 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 27th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Jake Peavy (141.8) on the “all-time” list and now trails 26th-ranked player, Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (144.0).
Streaks—Two players extended their streaks of 10 or more consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Monday:
- Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has now earned Box-Toppers points for 12 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors in the 3-2 win over the Dodgers (6IP 4H R BB 7K ND). Lester earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Red Sox and has 144.2 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 25th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels (144.0) on the “all-time” list. He now trails 24th-ranked player Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (144.9). Lester also rises to eighth among active players in career Box-Toppers points. Lester’s best season was 2010 with the Red Sox when he led all players with 23.4 points. In 2016, he was fourth among all players with 22.1.
- Jay Bruce of the Mets has now earned Box-Toppers points for 10 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors in the 4-3 win over the Phillies (2HR 2-3 3R 3BI). Bruce earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2008 with the Reds and has 59.8 career Box-Toppers points, 10th among active NL batters. His best season was 2010 with the Reds when he had 12.7 Box-Toppers points, third among active NL batters. In 2016, he had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, eighth among NL batters.
Debut—Reds pitcher Cody Reed made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Reed (3IP 0H 0R 0BB 4K ND in the 7-1 win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut June 18, 2016, and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,765th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Pineda earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Moore earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Drew earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score| 4/10 | Score | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.2 | NYY 8, TB 1 | Michael Pineda (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | |
| 9.0 | SEA 6, HOU 0 | James Paxton (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| NL | 8.0 | SF 4, ARI 1 | Matt Moore (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| 8.0 | OAK 2, KC 0 | Jharel Cotton (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 7.0 | `CIN 7, PIT 1 | Cody Reed | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | WSH 14, STL 6 | Stephen Drew, SS | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | `CHC 3, LAD 2 | Jon Lester | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 5.0 | NYM 4, PHI 3 | Jay Bruce, RF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | `DET 2, BOS 1 | Justin Verlander | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | SD 5, COL 3 | Wil Myers, 1B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.
All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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 (’17). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’16-17), the period 2012-2017 (’12-17) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2017 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2016 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 | 17.4 | 62.6 | 142.0 | -12.0 |
| Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 | 8.0 | 24.4 | 36.1 | -4.0 |
| Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | sf nl | 1.7 | 14.1 | 37.6 | 39.6 | -10.7 |
| Drew, Stephen 2210 | ss 2b | dc nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 17.5 | 37.5 | 1.5 |
| Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 1.0 | 23.1 | 68.6 | 144.2 | -21.1 |
| Myers, Wil 3228 | 1b | sd nl | 1.0 | 10.7 | 19.2 | 19.2 | -8.7 |
| Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | nym nl | 1.0 | 9.5 | 26.7 | 59.8 | -7.5 |
| Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 1.0 | 5.4 | 12.1 | 12.1 | -3.4 |
| Cotton, Jharel 3733 | pi sp | oak al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Reed, Cody 3765 | pi mr | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
How 2015 Silver Slugger winners fared in Box-Toppers points and rankings
Only 5 of 17 Silver Slugger Award winners also led their position in Box-Toppers points.
Read MoreCubs' Jake Arrieta, pitching no-hitter, tops players for Sunday, Aug. 30, rises to 2nd in player rankings
(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)
Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, pitching a no-hitter, is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Sunday, Aug. 30 and rises to second in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 30.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 19.4 |
| 2 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 19.1 |
| 3 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 18.7 |
| 4 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 18.1 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 17.1 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.0 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 16.7 |
| 8 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 16.4 |
| 9 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 10 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
Also Sunday, Michael Cuddyer of the Mets extended to 12 the number of consecutive seasons in which he’s earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Player of the Day—Arrieta struck out 12 and walked one, pitching the complete-game no-hitter, shutting out the Dodgers, 2-0.
Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 19.1 for the season and rising to second in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He trails overall leader, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom (19.4 Box-Toppers points).
American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Derek Holland pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing three hits, in the 6-0 win over the Orioles.
American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Yankees homered and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 20-6 win over the Braves.
National League Batter of the Day—Jayson Werth of the Nationals hit a two-run homer and doubled, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Marlins.
Streak—Michael Cuddyer of the Mets has now earned Box-Toppers points for 12 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Cuddyer (3-3 2R BI in the 5-4 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Cuddyer earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2004 with the Twins. His best year was 2013 with the Rockies when he had 11.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked third among NL batters. In 2014, he had 3.0 Box-Toppers points with the Rockies.
Cuddyer has 60.7 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 209th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He ranks third among active NL outfielders in career Box-Toppers points, behind Matt Holliday of the Cardinals (91.8) and Ryan Braun (77.7).
Trivial—This is the first time this season in which all players in the Box-Toppers top 10 have different Box-Toppers point totals. After the games of Aug. 29, Arrieta and White Sox pitcher Chris Sale both had 17.1 Box-Toppers points, but with Arrieta earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points, each player has a different point total.
Scoring—Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Holland earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Drew and Werth each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 8/30 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 20.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W,17-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| AL | 17.0 | Rangers | Derek Holland (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 11.0 | Twins | Ervin Santana (W,3-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 8.0 | Rockies | Jorge De La Rosa (W,8-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | Yankees | Stephen Drew, 2B | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Padres | James Shields (W,10-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | Indians | Josh Tomlin (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | White Sox | David Robertson (W,6-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Blue Jays | Russell Martin, C | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Brewers | Wily Peralta (W,5-8) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Nationals | Jayson Werth, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Mets | Michael Cuddyer, LF-1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Kevin Siegrist (S,6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Rays | Brandon Guyer, RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Athletics | Pat Venditte (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Mariners' Iwakuma tops players for Sunday, Aug. 2, Athletics' Gray rises to 6th in Box-Toppers player rankings
Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rises to sixth in Box-Toppers season player rankings and Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals extends his Box-Toppers points lead among National League batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of Aug. 2.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 16.4 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 3 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 15.4 |
| 4 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 14.4 |
| 6 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 14.1 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 13.7 |
| 8 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 13.1 |
| 9 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 13.0 |
| 10 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 13.0 |
Player of the Day—Iwakuma struck out eight over 8 2/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 4-1, 11-inning win over the Twins. Iwakuma did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he exited the game with the score tied, 1-1.
National League Player of the Day—Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing four hits, in the 5-2 win over the Padres. Fernandez did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because after he exited, the Padres tied the game 2-2.
American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Yankees tripled, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 12-3 win over the White Sox.
National League Batter of the Day—Jace Peterson of the Braves hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4 in the 6-2 win over the Phillies.
Rankings—Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rose to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Gray (7IP 4H R 7K ND in the 2-1 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.1 for the season. He ranks third among AL pitchers, behind Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (15.4) and Chris Sale of the White Sox (14.4).
Notable—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals extends his Box-Toppers point lead among NL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Grichuk (2-R HR 2-4 in the 3-2 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.5 for the season. Grichuk ranks 24th among all players this season.
Debut—Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Norris (7.1IP 4H R 5K W in the 6-1 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut Sept. 5, 2014, and was playing in his 11th career game. He is the 3,548th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Iwakuma earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Fernandez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Drew and Peterson each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’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
| 8/2 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 10.2 | `Mariners | Hisashi Iwakuma | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 10.1 | Rangers | Martin Perez (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| NL | 10.0 | `Marlins | Jose Fernandez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| 9.0 | Pirates | Charlie Morton (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 9.0 | Blue Jays | R.A. Dickey (W,6-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | Mets | Noah Syndergaard (W, 6-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 5.1 | Tigers | Daniel Norris (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Yankees | Stephen Drew, 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | `Athletics | Sonny Gray | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | Rays | Brad Boxberger (S,26) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Braves | Jace Peterson, 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Andre Ethier, LF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W,13-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | Cubs | Clayton Richard (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Randal Grichuk, CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Cardinals' Carlos Martinez tops players for Friday, June 5, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings
Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 5.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 11.4 |
| 2 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 10.0 |
| 3 | Martinez, Carlos 3371 | pi sp | stl nl | 9.7 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 9.0 |
| 5 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 9.0 |
| 6 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.7 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.4 |
| 8 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 7.7 |
| 9 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 7.7 |
| 10 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 7.7 |
Martinez struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 2-1 win over the Dodgers. Martinez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, rising from ninth to third in Box-Toppers player rankings. He ranks second among NL pitchers, behind Gerrit Cole of the Pirates (10.0).
American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Chi Chi Gonzalez pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout in the 4-0 win over the Royals. This was Gonzalez’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut May 30 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,490th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—Adam Lind of the Brewers hit a three-run homer and drove in six total runs in the 10-5 win over the Twins. Lind also doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice.
American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Yankees hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 8-7 win over the Angels.
Debut—J.T. Realmuto of the Marlins made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Realmuto (3B 4-4 R BI in the 6-2 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut June 5, 2014, and was playing in his 53rd career game. He is the 3,491st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Martinez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Lind and Drew each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s 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
| 6/5 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Cardinals | Carlos Martinez (W, 6-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Brewers | Adam Lind DH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 6.0 | Rangers | Chi Chi Gonzalez (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 5.0 | Pirates | Starling Marte LF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | `White Sox | David Robertson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.1 | `Rays | Jake Odorizzi | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Dbacks | A.J. Pollock CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Yankees | Stephen Drew 2B, 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Nationals | Danny Espinosa 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.1 | Red Sox | Wade Miley (W, 5-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | Marlins | J.T. Realmuto C | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Orioles | Adam Jones CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Aaron Sanchez (W, 5-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Giants | Santiago Casilla (S, 16) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Padres | Will Middlebrooks 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Pirates' Cole tops players for Monday, April 13; Athletics' Kazmir takes Box-Toppers points lead
Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole is Monday’s Player of the Day, while Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir took the season lead in Box-Toppers points.
Cole struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 5-4 win over the Tigers to earn Player of the Day honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of April 13.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 2 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 2.0 |
| 3 | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 2.0 |
| 4 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 2.0 |
| 6 | Wilson, C.J. 2074 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 8 | Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 2.0 |
| 9 | Street, Huston 1979 | pi cp | ana al | 2.0 |
| 10 | Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | oak al | 2.0 |
American League Player of the Day—Kazmir earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points as AL Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, the most of any player this season. Kazmir struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 8-1 win over the Astros. Kazmir was one of three players Monday who were the first this season to earn Player of the Game honors for the second time. The others were Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi (8IP R 3K W in the 2-1 win over the Blue Jays) and Huston Street (1IP 0R 2K Sv in the 6-3 win over the Rangers). Both Odorizzi and Street have 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.
National League Batter of the Day—Jorge Soler of the Cubs hit two two-run homers and went 3-for-5 with three runs in the 7-6 win over the Reds.
American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Yankees hit a pinch-hit, go-ahead grand slam in the 6-5 win over the Orioles.
Streak—Nick Markakis of the Braves has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. Markakis (1-2 BI) was Player of the Game in the 3-2 win over the Marlins to earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He began his 10-season streak in 2006, when he earned his first Box-Toppers point with the Orioles. His best year was 2009 with the Orioles when he earned 7.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking fifth among AL outfielders. In 2014, he had 3.0 points with the Orioles. Markakis has 38.6 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks him 14th among active outfielders currently in the NL.
Debut—Dodgers pitcher Yimi Garcia made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Garcia (1IP 0R 2K W in the 6-5 win over the Mariners) made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,440th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He is the only player in the Box-Toppers database named "Yimi."
Scoring—Cole earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Kazmir earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Soler and Drew each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/13 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | Pirates | Gerrit Cole (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| AL | 6.0 | Athletics | Scott Kazmir (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Cubs | Jorge Soler RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Yankees | Stephen Drew PH, 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Dbacks | Ender Inciarte CF, RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Red Sox | Mookie Betts CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Rays | Jake Odorizzi (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Huston Street (S, 3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Rockies | Rafael Betancourt (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Yimi Garcia (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Eric Hosmer 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.1 | Mets | Jacob deGrom (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1.0 | Brewers | Carlos Gomez CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Braves | Nick Markakis RF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Rays' Chris Archer tops players for Saturday, July 27; Masterson reaffirms top spot in Box-Toppers points
Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Saturday, July 27:
Rays pitcher Chris Archer is Saturday's Player of the Day, while Indians pitcher Justin Masterson reaffirmed his top spot among players in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Archer pitched a complete game two-hit shutout, striking out six, in the 1-0 win over the Yankees.
Masterson (7.2IP 0R 8K in 1-0 win vs. Rangers) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 16.4 points for the season, most among all players.
Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is National League Player of the Day. Ryu struck out nine and gave up two hits over seven innings in the 4-1 win over the Reds.
Stephen Drew of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Drew hit two home runs, drove in five runs and went 3-for-4 in the 7-3 win over the Orioles.
Chris Denorfia of the Padres is NL Batter of the Day. Denorfia homered and scored three runs in the 12-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Notable: Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer rose to 10th place among players in Box-Toppers points for the season. Scherzer (6IP 0R 7K in 10-0 win vs. Phillies) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season.
Archer receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Ryu receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Drew and Denorfia 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
| 727 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Archer (W, 6-3) | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 12.0 | Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Max Scherzer (W, 15-1) | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||
| NL | 11.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 9-3) | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 10.0 | `Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Julio Teheran | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |||
| 9.2 | Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Justin Masterson (W, 12-7) | 7.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |||
| BAT | 7.0 | Red Sox | Stephen Drew SS | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7.0 | Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Samuel Deduno (W, 7-4) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |||
| 7.0 | Nationals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Dan Haren (W, 5-11) | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
| 5.0 | `Cubs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Rusin | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 4.1 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wade Davis (W, 5-9) | 7.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Padres | Chris Denorfia CF, RF, LF | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Athletics | Derek Norris PH, C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jim Henderson (S, 12) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Neil Walker 2B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Astros | Chris Carter DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 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.
Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Gonzalez among best in Box-Toppers All-Star teams
Still struggling with your All-Star vote?
Are you someone who truly wants to field a great team—voting for the best players—and not someone who is just willing to vote that .125 hitter in simply because he is on your favorite team?
Well, even if you aren't, Box-Toppers is going to take a look at the top players by position in each league. And as in past all-star updates, we'll look at the all-star teams in a couple of different ways: We'll look at who is leading in Box-Toppers points by position so far through the 2013 season. And we'll also look at players over the longer run, seeing who is leading in Box-Toppers points for the combined 2012 and 2013 seasons.
So, for example, Stephen Drew of the Red Sox is leading among American League shortstops so far in 2013 with 4.5 Box-Toppers points. But J.J. Hardy of the Orioles is leading among AL shortstops if you combine his 2012 and 2013 Box-Toppers points. Hardy has 9.2 (7.2 in 2012 and 2.0 in 2013).
Box-Toppers also includes starting, middle relief and closing pitchers in its all-star line-ups, even though fans don't get to vote for them.
Several players appear on both the 2013 and the combined 2012-13 list, indicating they may be especially worthy of your attention as you fill out your ballot. They include:
- AL 1B: Chris Davis of the Orioles.
- AL 2B: Robinson Cano of the Yankees.
- AL 3B: Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who also leads all AL batters in Box-Toppers for 2013 (9.7) and combined 2012-13 seasons (21.4).
- AL pitchers: Yu Darvish of the Rangers and Chris Sale of the White Sox (but, again, fans don't vote on pitchers).
- NL 2B: Brandon Phillips of the Reds.
- NL CA: Brian McCann of the Braves.
- NL OF: Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies.
- NL pitcher: Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.
- NL middle reliever: Santiago Casilla of the Giants.
Voting for the All-Star game is open until July 4.
Here is how the Box-Toppers All-Star teams stand as of today:
| 2013 SEASON | 2012-13 SEASONS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | PLAYER | TEAM | BTP | PLAYER | TEAM | BTP | |
| First base | Davis, Chris 2478 | bal al | 4.5 | Davis, Chris 2478 | bal al | 16.5 | |
| Second base | Cano, Robinson 2092 | nyy al | 4.5 | Cano, Robinson 2092 | nyy al | 8.5 | |
| Shortstop | Drew, Stephen 2210 | bos al | 4.5 | Hardy, J.J. 2071 | bal al | 9.2 | |
| Third base | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 9.7 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 21.4 | |
| Catcher | Arencibia, J.P. 2781 | tor al | 5.5 | Mauer, Joe 1869 | min al | 13 | |
| Outfield 1 | Johnson, Kelly 2018 | tb al | 4.5 | Trout, Mike 2949 | ana al | 13.5 | |
| Outfield 2 | Raburn, Ryan 2340 | cle al | 4.5 | Hamilton, Josh 2332 | ana al | 11.5 | |
| Outfield 3 | Joyce, Matt 2480 | tb al | 3 | Rios, Alex 1989 | chi al | 9.9 | |
| Designated hitter | Ortiz, David | bos al | 3.7 | Butler, Billy 2330 | kc al | 12.7 | |
| Starting pitcher 1 | Masterson, Justin 2462 | cle al | 10.7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | det al | 30.8 | |
| Starting pitcher 2 | Buchholz, Clay 2363 | bos al | 9.1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 25.4 | |
| Starting pitcher 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | chi al | 8.7 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 24.8 | |
| Starting pitcher 4 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 8 | Sale, Chris 2806 | chi al | 24.4 | |
| Middle reliever | Scheppers, Tanner 3136 | tex al | 3 | Chen, Bruce 1170 | kc al | 8 | |
| Closing pitcher | Perkins, Glen 2506 | min al | 5 | Rodney, Fernando 1803 | tb al | 10 | |
| NL | |||||||
| First base | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | ari nl | 5.2 | LaRoche, Adam 1910 | dc nl | 11.5 | |
| Second base | Phillips, Brandon 1691 | cin nl | 3.5 | Phillips, Brandon 1691 | cin nl | 13 | |
| Shortstop | Crawford, Brandon 2878 | sf nl | 3 | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | col nl | 7 | |
| Third base | Zimmerman, Ryan 2180 | dc nl | 3.7 | Freese, David 2710 | stl nl | 11.7 | |
| Catcher | McCann, Brian 2179 | atl nl | 5 | McCann, Brian 2179 | atl nl | 11 | |
| Outfield 1 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | dc nl | 5.9 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | mil nl | 16 | |
| Outfield 2 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 5 | Holliday, Matt 1836 | stl nl | 14.7 | |
| Outfield 3 | Pollock, A.J. 3142 | ari nl | 4.7 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 14.2 | |
| Starting pitcher 1 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | nym nl | 9 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 28.8 | |
| Starting pitcher 2 | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | ari nl | 8.4 | Lynn, Lance 2992 | stl nl | 25.1 | |
| Starting pitcher 3 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | dc nl | 23.4 | |
| Starting pitcher 4 | Miller, Shelby 3134 | stl nl | 7.7 | Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | dc nl | 22.7 | |
| Middle reliever | Casilla, Santiago 2301 | sf nl | 2 | Casilla, Santiago 2301 | sf nl | 6 | |
| Closing pitcher | Grilli, Jason 2209 | pit nl | 4.7 | Chapman, Aroldis 2826 | cin nl | 18 | |
| AL top player | Masterson, Justin 2462 | cle al | 10.7 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | det al | 30.8 | |
| AL top batter | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 9.7 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 21.4 | |
| NL top player | Harvey, Matt 3075 | nym nl | 9 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 28.8 | |
| NL top batter | Harper, Bryce 3011 | dc nl | 5.9 | Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | mil nl | 16 |