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The Cleveland Indians are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2018 preseason rankings, the same position where they finished the 2017 season.
The Nationals top NL teams and the World Series-champion Astros fall to 8th.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals had the biggest declines.
Read MoreTwins pitcher Jose Berrios is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors. Plus, Edwin Encarnacion of the Indians extends his 2017 Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreReds pitcher Luis Castillo is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Mariners pitcher James Paxton rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Read More
White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 8.7 |
| 2 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 3 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 7.7 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 5 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 6.0 |
| 6 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 7 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 6.0 |
| 8 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 6.0 |
| 9 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 5.4 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 5.4 |
Also Friday, Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Quintana allowed one run and one hit over eight innings, striking out seven and walking one, in the 2-1, 10-inning win over the Mariners. Quintana picked up the no-decision and did not earn the win because he exited with the score tied, 1-1.
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits, in the 3-0 win over the Angels.
American League Batter of the Day—Wellington Castillo of the Orioles hit two homers, including the game-winning, walk-off, two-run homer in the 10th inning, in the 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Castillo went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs.
National League Batter of the Day—Jake Lamb of the Diamondbacks hit two homers, going 2-for-5 and driving in five runs, in the 10-1 win over the Padres.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Wood (7.1IP 6H 0R 2BB 4K W in the 7-2 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.0 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers.
Streak—Evan Longoria of the Rays has now earned Box-Toppers points for 10 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor for 2017 on Friday.
Longoria (2B 4-5 2R BI in the 5-4 win over the Yankees) earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2008 with the Rays and has 48.0 career points, second among active AL third basemen (behind Adrian Beltre of the Rangers who has 111.3). Longoria’s best season was 2009 with the Rays when he had 8.5 points, second among AL third basemen. In 2016, he had 6.5 points with the Rays, sixth among AL third basemen.
Scoring—Quintana earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and deGrom earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Castillo and Lamb each earn 1.5 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.
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| 5/19 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | `CHW 2, SEA 1 (F/10) | Jose Quintana | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| NL | 9.0 | NYM 3, LAA 0 | Jacob deGrom (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
| 6.0 | MIL 6, CHC 3 | Wily Peralta (W,5-2) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | BAL 5, TOR 3 (F/10) | Welington Castillo, C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | ARI 10, SD 1 | Jake Lamb, 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.1 | LAD 7, MIA 2 | Alex Wood (W,5-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | COL 12, CIN 6 | Alexi Amarista, SS | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | ATL 7, WSH 4 | Dansby Swanson, SS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | MIN 4, KC 3 (F/10) | Kennys Vargas, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | TEX 5, DET 3 | Nick Martinez (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | SF 6, STL 5 | Bryan Morris (W,2-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.- | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | CLE 5, HOU 3 | Trevor Bauer (W,4-4) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 2.0 | TB 5, NYY 4 | Evan Longoria, 3B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | OAK 3, BOS 2 (F/10) | Mark Canha, RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | PHI 7, PIT 2 | Jeremy Hellickson (W,5-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 | 7.0 | 25.4 | 25.4 | 5.0 |
| Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 4.0 | 14.4 | 39.2 | 39.2 | -6.4 |
| Hellickson, Jeremy 2778 | pi sp | phi nl | 3.0 | 16.1 | 37.1 | 47.8 | -10.1 |
| deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.7 | 12.4 | 47.8 | 47.8 | -7.0 |
| Lamb, Jake 3517 | 3b | ari nl | 2.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | -1.5 |
| Vargas, Kennys 3511 | dh 1b ph | min al | 2.5 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0.0 |
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 2.0 | 13.4 | 31.5 | 31.5 | -9.4 |
| Peralta, Wily 3123 | pi sp | mil nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 1.0 |
| Canha, Mark 3454 | cf rf | oak al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 |
| Martinez, Nick 3430 | pi sp | tex al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 2.0 |
| Amarista, Alexi 3032 | ss ph | col nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 2.0 |
| Castillo, Wellington 3251 | ca | bal al | 1.5 | 6.5 | 13.0 | 13.0 | -3.5 |
| Longoria, Evan 2423 | 3b | tb al | 1.0 | 7.5 | 20.0 | 48.0 | -5.5 |
| Swanson, Dansby 3751 | ss | atl nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Morris, Bryan 3369 | pi mr | sf nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
Yankees pitcher Chad Green is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 18.7 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 16.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 16.2 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 14.1 |
| 7 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 8 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.4 |
| 9 | Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 12.7 |
| 10 | Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 12.5 |
Also Monday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to 10th place in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors. Hernandez passes Johan Santana who had been among Box-Toppers “all-time” top 10 players for more than six years.
Player of the Day—Green pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing two hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Player of the Day—Marlins pitcher David Phelps struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk, in the 6-3 win over the Reds.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit a grand slam, going 1-for-2, in the 5-2 win over the Athletics.
Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 109.8 for his career, rising to 53rd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Monday, Beltre passes three players on the “all-time” list—Billy Wagner (108.7), Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (109.0) and Jeff Kent (109.7). Beltre now trails 52nd-ranked player Tom Glavine (110.6).
Beltre also has 8.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, rising to seventh place among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day—Wellington Castillo of the Diamondbacks hit two doubles and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 10-6 win over the Mets.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | released | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 182.0 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 181.3 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 179.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 166.7 |
| 11 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 12 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 156.1 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
Hernandez—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to 10th place in career Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors Monday.
Hernandez (6.2IP 4H 2R 4BB 8K W in the 3-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 166.7 for his career. He passes Johan Santana (166.6) on the “all-time” list. Santana has been in the top 10 since July 23, 2010, when he reached 151.9 career Box-Toppers points, passing Greg Maddux (151.7). Hernandez now trails ninth-place player Manny Ramirez (167.2).
Hernandez has 4.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 15.4 points below his 2015 total of 19.4, when he ranked eighth among all players.
Notable—Red Sox pitcher Drew Pomeranz has the highest Box-Toppers season point total of the 10 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday.
Pomeranz (7.2IP 5H 2R 2BB 6K W in the 3-2 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season, rising to 15th place among all players and fourth among AL pitchers. It is the first point he has earned since being traded from the Padres to the Red Sox July 15.
Scherzer—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer had the chance to take the season Box-Toppers points lead Monday, but did not earn Player of the Game honors in his team’s 5-4 win over the Rockies.
Scherzer (4IP 7H 4R 2BB 3K ND) had a Box-Toppers game score of −10, uncharacteristically low for him. Player of the Game was Jayson Werth (HR 2-4 R 2BI) with a Box-Toppers game score of +1.0.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has led Box-Toppers season player rankings since May 7 and continues to lead even after being on the disabled list for six weeks. Kershaw has 20.0 Box-Toppers points, Scherzer has 18.7. Had Scherzer won overall Player of the Day or NL Player of the Day honors, he would have passed Kershaw for the lead. Kershaw could return to pitch as soon as late August.
Scoring—Green earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Phelps earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Beltre and Castillo each earn 1.5 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/15 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | NYY 1, TOR 0 | Chad Green (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 6.0 | TB 8, SD 2 | Drew Smyly (W,5-11) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| NL | 4.1 | MIA 6, CIN 3 | David Phelps (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| BAT | 4.0 | TEX 5, OAK 2 | Adrian Beltre, 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.2 | KC 3, DET 1 | Ian Kennedy (W,7-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | ARI 10, NYM 6 | Welington Castillo, C | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | PIT 8, SF 5 | Gregory Polanco, RF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.2 | BOS 3, CLE 2 | Drew Pomeranz (W,9-9) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2.2 | SEA 3, LAA 2 | Felix Hernandez (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1.0 | WSH 5, COL 4 | Jayson Werth, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | bos al | 11.4 | 14.4 | 22.4 | 22.4 | 8.4 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 8.0 | 20.5 | 46.4 | 109.8 | -4.5 |
| Kennedy, Ian 2723 | pi sp | kc al | 8.0 | 14.7 | 58.5 | 64.5 | 1.3 |
| Smyly, Drew 3009 | pi sp | tb al | 7.4 | 13.4 | 35.5 | 35.5 | 1.4 |
| Phelps, David 2994 | pi mr sp | fla nl | 5.7 | 9.1 | 22.5 | 22.5 | 2.3 |
| Polanco, Gregory 3361 | rf | pit nl | 5.5 | 8.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 2.5 |
| Werth, Jayson 1664 | lf | dc nl | 4.5 | 7.5 | 21.5 | 48.7 | 1.5 |
| Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 | 23.4 | 89.4 | 166.7 | -15.4 |
| Castillo, Wellington 3251 | ca | ari nl | 3.0 | 6.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | -0.5 |
| Green, Chad 3675 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 13.4 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 12.0 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 11.7 |
| 5 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 10.8 |
| 6 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.7 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 10.7 |
| 8 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 10.5 |
| 9 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 10.4 |
| 10 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 10.0 |
Kazmir pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 10 and allowing three hits and no walks, in the 6-1 win over the Rockies.
Kazmir earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 103.4 for his career, rising to 62nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Saturday, he passes four players on the “all-time” list—Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (101.7), Carlos Beltran of the Yankees (101.9), Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and Miguel Tejada (102.3). Kazmir trails 61st-ranked player Jamie Moyer (104.0).
Kazmir has 7.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 14th among NL pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—C.J. Cron of the Angels hit two homers and doubled, going 6-for-6, scoring five times and driving in five runs, in the 21-2 win over the Red Sox.
Cron had a Box-Toppers game score of +10 Saturday, the highest score for any batter earning Player of the Game honors this season. June 27’s Player of the Day Kris Bryant of the Cubs also had a Box-Toppers game score of +10, but Cron’s score ranks higher than Bryant’s because Cron had more at bats—6 vs. 5.
National League Batter of the Day—Wellington Castillo of the Diamondbacks hit a go-ahead, eighth-inning, three-run homer in the 6-5 win over the Giants. Castillo also doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall AL Player of the Day was batter C.J. Cron.
100 career points—In addition to Kazmir, two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Saturday:
Notable—Padres pitcher Drew Pomeranz has the most 2016 Box-Toppers points of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Pomeranz (7IP 5H R 0BB 7K ND in the 2-1 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season, 17th among all players, 12th among NL pitchers.
Debut—Reds pitcher Josh Smith made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.
Smith (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB K W in the 9-4 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut June 23, 2015, and was playing in his 22nd career game. He is the 3,674th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Kazmir earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cron earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Castillo earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 7/2 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | LAD 6/COL 1 | Scott Kazmir (W,7-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| AL | 10.0 | LAA 21/BOS 2 | C.J. Cron, 1B | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | DET 3/TB 2 | Justin Verlander (W,8-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 7.0 | `SD 2/NYY 1 | Drew Pomeranz | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | MIN 17/TEX 5 | Max Kepler, RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.2 | KC 6/PHI 2 | Danny Duffy (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | ATL 9/MIA 1 | Lucas Harrell (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 4.1 | `NYM 4/CHC 3 | Addison Reed (H,17) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | SEA 12/BAL 6 | Seth Smith, LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | ARI 6/SF 5 | Welington Castillo, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | TOR 9/CLE 6 | Josh Donaldson, DH | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | STL 3/MIL 0 | Adam Wainwright (W,7-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 2.1 | CIN 9/DC 4 | Josh Smith (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | CHW 7/HOU 6 | Dioner Navarro, DH | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | PIT 4/OAK 2 | Juan Nicasio (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Pomeranz, Drew 3061 | pi sp | sd nl | 8.7 | 11.7 | 19.7 | 19.7 | 5.7 |
| Donaldson, Josh 3144 | 3b | tor al | 8.2 | 18.1 | 38.1 | 38.1 | -1.7 |
| Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 | 19.7 | 47.6 | 103.4 | -5.7 |
| Nicasio, Juan 2888 | pi sp | pit nl | 6.0 | 7.0 | 22.4 | 22.4 | 5.0 |
| Duffy, Danny 2915 | pi sp | kc al | 5.7 | 9.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 | 1.7 |
| Wainwright, Adam 2150 | pi sp | stl nl | 4.5 | 7.5 | 55.6 | 106.3 | 1.5 |
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | det al | 4.0 | 10.4 | 73.6 | 128.6 | -2.4 |
| Cron, C.J. 3338 | dh 1b | ana al | 2.7 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | -3.3 |
| Smith, Seth 2489 | rf lf | sea al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 21.0 | 35.2 | 1.0 |
| Kepler, Max 3664 | rf | min al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Castillo, Wellington 3251 | ca | ari nl | 1.5 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -2.0 |
| Navarro, Dioner 2087 | dh ca | chi al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 19.0 | 0.0 |
| Reed, Addison 3023 | pi mr | nym nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| Harrell, Lucas 2988 | pi sp | atl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 1.0 |
| Smith, Josh 3674 | pi mr | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Wellington Castillo of the Diamondbacks is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Monday.
Castillo hit a two-run homer and two doubles, going 3-for-4 and driving in five runs, in the 10-8 win over the Mariners. Castillo had 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015, a season he spent with the Cubs, Mariners and Diamondbacks, but he scored all his Box-Toppers points with the Diamondbacks.
American League Player of the Day—Stephen Vogt of the Athletics hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, going 2-for-3, in the 6-4 win over the Royals. Vogt had 2.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Athletics.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Castillo would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Vogt would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/7 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 5.0 | Dbacks | Wellington Castillo C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 5.0 | Athletics | Stephen Vogt DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Nationals | Clint Robinson DH | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | `Royals | Kris Medlen | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Rangers | Ryan Rua PH-DH | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | White Sox | Steve Lombardozzi 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Astros | Cesar Valdez (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.1 | Twins | Trevor May (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Indians | Giovanny Urshela 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | Adam Duvall LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Stephen Piscotty RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Lucas Duda 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Padres | Derek Norris C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `Phillies | Vince Velásquez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Roberto Osuna (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Rays | Logan Forsythe 2B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Rockies | Mark Reynolds 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Royals pitcher Johnny Cueto is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Cueto pitched a complete game shutout, striking out eight and allowing four hits, in the 4-0 win over the Tigers.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 17.4 |
| 2 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 16.1 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 4 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
| 5 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 15.4 |
| 6 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 7 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 14.4 |
| 8 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 14.4 |
| 9 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 14.4 |
| 10 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 |
Cueto earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Game, giving him 12.8 for the season, rising to 15th in player rankings. He ranks eighth among American League pitchers. Monday marked the first time Cueto earned Box-Toppers points since his trade last month from the Reds.
National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out six, in the 8-3 win over the Dodgers.
American League Batter of the Day—Avisail Garcia of the White Sox hit two home runs and drove in four in the 8-2 win over the Angels.
National League Batter of the Day—Wellington Castillo of the Diamondbacks homered and hit a three-run triple in the 13-3 win over the Phillies. Castillo went 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs.
Scoring—Cueto earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Garcia and Castillo 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/10 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | Royals | Johnny Cueto (W,8-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| NL | 6.0 | Nationals | Gio Gonzalez (W,9-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 5.1 | Orioles | Wei-Yin Chen (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | White Sox | Avisail Garcia, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | Dbacks | Welington Castillo, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Mets | Jeurys Familia (S,31) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | `Padres | Shawn Kelley (H,4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
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.