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Albert Pujols has the chance in 2020 to break the record for most consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points.
If Pujols of the Angels earns Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors once in 2020, he will have earned Box-Toppers points for 20 straight seasons (2001-2020). Pujols is currently tied for the longest streak at 19 seasons with three other players—CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi and Carlos Beltran.
Read MoreRandy Johnson leads all players in career Box-Toppers points and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Johnson earned 278.8 Box-Toppers points from the time Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995 until he retired in 2009.
Read MoreRandy Johnson leads all players in career Box-Toppers points and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
The most likely rival to Johnson’s throne at the moment is Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw who has 214.8 career Box-Toppers points, third among all players since 1995 and most among active players.
Read MoreRockies pitcher Tyler Anderson is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Anderson struck out eight over eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 3-1 win over the Dodgers.
Read MoreRandy Johnson leads Box-Toppers "all-time" career top 100 list, since record-keeping began in 1995. Clayton Kershaw, ranked third overall, leads all active players. And Box-Toppers 2017 Player of the Year Chris Sale makes the biggest jump up the top 100 chart.
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Pirates pitcher Ivan Nova is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Nova struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 2-1 win over the Yankees.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 5.0 |
| 2 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | kc al | 5.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 4.7 |
| 4 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 4.7 |
| 5 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc al | 4.0 |
| 6 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | rf | dc nl | 4.0 |
| 7 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | col nl | 4.0 |
| 8 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 3.7 |
| 9 | Chacin, Jhoulys 2711 | pi mr sp | sd nl | 3.7 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 3.4 |
American League Player of the Day—Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit, in the 6-2 win over the Orioles.
American League Batter of the Day—John Hicks of the Tigers homered and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 13-4 win over the Twins.
This was Hicks’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Hicks made his Major League debut Aug. 29, 2015, and was playing in his 20th career game. He is the 3,777th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—Gerardo Parra of the Rockies homered and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 8-0 win over the Giants.
Rankings—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Scherzer (8IP 5H 3R BB 9K W in the 6-3 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.0 for the season. Scherzer led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2016 with 25.7.
Scherzer now has 135.7 career Box-Toppers points, 30th-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 29th-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5).
Streak—Mariners pitcher Yovani Gallardo has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Gallardo (6.1IP 4H R BB 7K W in the 11-1 win over the Athletics) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2007 with the Brewers and has 90.7 career points, 10th among active AL pitchers. His best season was 2011 with the Brewers when he had 19.9 points, fourth among NL pitchers.
Notable—Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo earns his first Box-Toppers points in nearly three years after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Arroyo (6IP 3H 2R 0BB 7K W in the 7-5 win over the Cubs) last earned Player of the Game honors on May 13, 2014, when he was with the Diamondbacks. He was out in 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery and did not appear in 2016.
Scoring—Nova earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Rodriguez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Hicks and Parra each earn 1.5 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.
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| 4/23 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | PIT 2, NYY 1 | Ivan Nova (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| AL | 7.0 | BOS 6, BAL 2 | Eduardo Rodriguez (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | |
| 6.1 | SEA 11, OAK 1 | Yovani Gallardo (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 6.0 | TEX 5, KC 2 | Yu Darvish (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | CIN 7, CHC 5 | Bronson Arroyo (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | DET 13, MIN 4 | John Hicks, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | WSH 6, NYM 3 | Max Scherzer (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 5.0 | `PHI 5, ATL 2 | Zach Eflin | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | CHW 6, CLE 2 | Derek Holland (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 4.0 | `HOU 6, TB 4 (F/10) | Brad Peacock | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | COL 8, SF 0 | Gerardo Parra, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | STL 6, MIL 4 | Kolten Wong, 2B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | TOR 6, LAA 2 | Marcus Stroman (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | LAD 6, ARI 2 | Brandon McCarthy (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | MIA 7, SD 3 | Christian Yelich, CF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 4.0 | 29.7 | 107.9 | 135.7 | -21.7 |
| Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 3.0 | 11.0 | 26.7 | 34.1 | -5.0 |
| Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | pi sp | bos al | 2.7 | 7.4 | 13.4 | 13.4 | -2.0 |
| Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | tex al | 2.0 | 12.4 | 57.6 | 57.6 | -8.4 |
| Holland, Derek 2634 | pi sp | chi al | 2.0 | 6.0 | 28.1 | 47.8 | -2.0 |
| McCarthy, Brandon 2082 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 | 4.7 | 24.4 | 38.5 | -0.7 |
| Parra, Gerardo 2746 | rf | col nl | 1.5 | 4.0 | 16.0 | 22.5 | -1.0 |
| Hicks, John 3777 | 1b | det al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Stroman, Marcus 3327 | pi sp | tor al | 1.0 | 7.7 | 24.1 | 24.1 | -5.7 |
| Yelich, Christian 3334 | cf | fla nl | 1.0 | 6.5 | 16.5 | 16.5 | -4.5 |
| Eflin, Zach 3679 | pi sp | phi nl | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -3.0 |
| Gallardo, Yovani 2333 | pi sp | sea al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 39.4 | 90.7 | -1.0 |
| Wong, Kolten 3377 | 2b | stl nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 0.0 |
| Arroyo, Bronson 1375 | pi sp | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 21.4 | 85.9 | 1.0 |
| Peacock, Brad 2968 | pi sp | hou al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 10.4 | 1.0 |
Pirates pitcher Juan Nicasio is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Nicasio struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 5-1 win over the Cardinals. Nicasio earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and is in fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 2.0 |
| 2 | Liriano, Francisco 2104 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 3 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 |
| 4 | Nicasio, Juan 2888 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 |
| 5 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 1.7 |
| 6 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | tb al | 1.7 |
| 7 | Volquez, Edinson 2220 | pi sp | kc al | 1.7 |
| 8 | Souza, Steven Jr. 3461 | rf | tb al | 1.7 |
| 9 | Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 1.5 |
| 10 | Kinsler, Ian 2144 | 2b | det al | 1.5 |
American League Player of the Day—Steven Souza of the Rays hit two home runs, including a three-run go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, in the 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Souza also doubled and went 4-for-4.
National League Batter of the Day—Matt den Dekker of the Nationals hit a seventh-inning, pinch-hit, two-run, go-ahead double in the 3-1 win over the Braves.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because the over AL Player of the Day is a batter, Steven Souza.
Streaks—Two players Wednesday extended their streak of 10 or more consecutive seasons earning at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
Debut—Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Maeda (6IP 5H 0R 4K W in the 7-0 win over the Padres) was making his Major League debut. He is the 3,609th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Maeda also hit a home run in the game.
Scoring—Nicasio earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Souza earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and den Dekker earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/6 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Pirates | Juan Nicasio (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| 7.0 | `Reds | Brandon Finnegan | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | Rays | Steven Souza, RF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Yankees | Starlin Castro, SS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | Mariners | Robinson Cano, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | Dodgers | Kenta Maeda (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Indians | Carlos Santana, DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Tigers | Victor Martinez, PH-DH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Athletics | Sonny Gray (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Nationals | Matt den Dekker, PH-LF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Orioles | Yovani Gallardo (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2.0 | Brewers | Jeremy Jeffress (S,1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Rockies | DJ LeMahieu, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Andrew McCutchen replaces Ryan Braun as leader among NL batters in six-year rolling Box-Toppers totals (2011-2016 vs. 2010-2015).
Read MoreWho are each franchise's top 4 players in career Box-Toppers points since 1995?
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Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Wednesday’s National League Wild Card game.
Arrieta pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing four hits, in the 4-0 win over the Pirates.
Arrieta led all players during the regular season with 29.1 Box-Toppers points, the eighth-highest single-season total since 1995. He outdueled Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole, who had 19.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ninth among all players and sixth among NL pitchers. Cole (5IP 6H 4R 4K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of -6.
The Pirates’ loss means the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers rankings is eliminated from the playoffs. The Pirates had 129.6 Box-Toppers points on the season. The Cubs, rank third with 127.4, are now the top-ranked NL team remaining in the playoffs.
The Cubs carried more momentum into the postseason, picking up 11.0 Box-Toppers points in the final 10 days of the season. The Pirates, by comparison, had 5.5 during that period.
The Cubs will face face the St. Louis Cardinals in the best-of-five NL Divisional Series beginning Friday in St. Louis. The Cardinals have baseball’s best record, but rank fourth in Box-Toppers team rankings, behind both the Cubs and Pirates, with 124.3 Box-Toppers points.
| 10/7 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| POG | 16.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Coming Thursday: The American League begins both division playoff series Thursday.
The Blue Jays rank fifth in Box-Toppers team rankings with 124.1 Box-Toppers points. The Rangers rank 10th with 107.2. In the final 10 days of the season, the Blue Jays picked up 6.5 Box-Toppers points, while the Rangers earned 5.7
The pitching matchup Thursday:
Rangers—Yovani Gallardo, 5.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 176th among all players, 62nd among AL pitchers.
Blue Jays—David Price, 21.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among all players, second among AL pitchers.
Here are players for both teams in the AL Division Series beginning Thursday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2015. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.
| Texas Rangers | Toronto Blue Jays | |||||
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | 15.4 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | 21.1 | |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | 12.5 | Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh | 10.4 | |
| Fielder, Prince 2029 | dh | 11.5 | Bautista, Jose 2169 | rf | 10.0 | |
| Lewis, Colby 1567 | pi sp | 7.7 | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | 3b | 9.9 | |
| Moreland, Mitch 2799 | 1b | 6.2 | Hutchison, Drew 3038 | pi sp | 9.0 | |
| Tolleson, Shawn 3077 | pi cp | 6.0 | Estrada, Marco 2847 | pi sp | 8.0 | |
| Gallardo, Yovani 2333 | pi sp | 5.0 | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | ss | 6.0 | |
| Napoli, Mike 2161 | 1b | 4.5 | Dickey, R.A. 1734 | pi sp | 5.0 | |
| Choo, Shin-Soo 2267 | rf | 4.5 | Martin, Russell 2202 | ca | 5.0 | |
| DeShields, Delino 3557 | cf | 4.5 | Smoak, Justin 2731 | 1b | 5.0 | |
| Hamilton, Josh 2332 | lf dh ph | 3.5 | Goins, Ryan 3478 | ss 2b | 4.5 | |
| Chirinos, Robinson 2924 | ca | 3.5 | Osuna, Roberto 3512 | pi cp | 4.0 | |
| Odor, Rougned 3336 | 2b | 3.0 | Pillar, Kevin 3486 | cf | 3.5 | |
| Holland, Derek 2634 | pi sp | 2.7 | Travis, Devon 3436 | 2b | 3.0 | |
| Martinez, Nick 3430 | pi sp | 2.0 | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | pi sp | 2.7 | |
| Dyson, Sam 3399 | pi mr cp | 2.0 | Buehrle, Mark 1407 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Patton, Spencer 3416 | pi mr | 2.0 | Colabello, Chris 3235 | lf dh 1b | 2.0 | |
| Gonzalez, Chi Chi 3490 | pi sp | 1.7 | Sanchez, Aaron 3392 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Blanks, Kyle 2661 | 1b | 1.5 | Cecil, Brett 2566 | pi cp mr | 2.0 | |
| Gallo, Joey 3485 | 3b | 1.5 | Pennington, Cliff 2641 | ss 3b | 2.0 | |
| Perez, Martin 3213 | pi sp | 1.0 | Navarro, Dioner 2087 | ca | 1.0 | |
| Gimenez, Chris 2870 | ca | 1.0 | Revere, Ben 2886 | lf | 1.0 | |
| Ohlendorf, Ross 2457 | pi mr | 1.0 | Loup, Aaron 3146 | pi mr cp | 1.0 | |
| Claudio, Alex 3459 | pi mr | 1.0 | Hendriks, Liam 3339 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Klein, Phil 3477 | pi sp | 1.0 | Delabar, Steve 3020 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Strausborger, Ryan 3560 | lf | 1.0 | Carrera, Ezequiel 2873 | lf ph | 1.0 | |
| Pompey, Dalton 3450 | cf | 1.0 | ||||
| Total | 107.2 | Total | 124.1 | |||
The Royals have the most Box-Toppers team points in the AL with 127.5, ranked second overall, behind the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Astros rank eighth with 118.4. In the final 10 days of the season, the Astros were slightly hotter than the Royals—7.9 vs. 6.0.
The pitching matchup Thursday:
Astros—Collin McHugh, 9.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 49th among all players, 19th among AL pitchers.
Royals—Yordano Ventura, 11.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 30th among all players, 15th among AL pitchers.
Here are players for both teams in the AL Division Series beginning Thursday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2015. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters.
| Houston Astros | Kansas City Royals | |||||
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | 21.4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | 12.8 | |
| Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | 12.7 | Ventura, Yordano 3294 | pi sp | 11.7 | |
| McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi sp | 9.7 | Hosmer, Eric 2886 | 1b | 9.0 | |
| Correa, Carlos 3506 | ss | 7.2 | Cain, Lorenzo 3171 | cf | 8.2 | |
| Fiers, Michael 3029 | pi sp | 7.0 | Young, Chris R. 1933 | pi sp | 8.0 | |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | 7.0 | Holland, Greg 2906 | pi cp | 8.0 | |
| McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | 6.7 | Moustakas, Mike 2967 | 3b | 7.7 | |
| Gomez, Carlos 2397 | cf | 6.0 | Volquez, Edinson 2220 | pi sp | 7.0 | |
| Rasmus, Colby 2608 | lf rf cf | 6.0 | Rodriguez, Wandy 2117 | pi sp | 6.7 | |
| Gregerson, Luke 2563 | pi cp | 6.0 | Infante, Omar 1949 | 2b | 5.2 | |
| Valbuena, Luis 2600 | 3b | 4.5 | Morales, Kendrys 2142 | dh | 4.7 | |
| Gattis, Evan 3179 | dh | 4.0 | Perez, Salvador 2972 | ca | 4.5 | |
| Harris, Will 3093 | pi mr cp | 3.7 | Gomes, Jonny 2059 | lf rf | 4.5 | |
| Qualls, Chad 1958 | pi mr cp | 3.0 | Gordon, Alex 2328 | lf | 4.5 | |
| Lowrie, Jed 2437 | ss dh | 2.5 | Duffy, Danny 2915 | pi sp | 4.0 | |
| Feldman, Scott 2632 | pi sp cp | 2.0 | Davis, Wade 2681 | pi cp | 4.0 | |
| Marisnick, Jake 3428 | cf | 2.0 | Escobar, Alcides 2663 | ss | 3.5 | |
| Tucker, Preston 3525 | rf lf | 2.0 | Rios, Alex 1989 | rf | 2.5 | |
| Carter, Chris 2828 | dh | 1.0 | Guthrie, Jeremy 2290 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Springer, George 3337 | rf | 1.0 | Dyson, Jarrod 2813 | cf pr | 2.0 | |
| Fields, Josh 3247 | pi mr | 1.0 | Medlen, Kris 2596 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Conger, Hank 2843 | ca | 1.0 | Vargas, Jason 2055 | pi sp | 1.0 | |
| Oberholtzer, Brett 3244 | pi sp | 1.0 | Morales, Franklin 2369 | pi mr sp | 1.0 | |
| Zobrist, Ben 2216 | lf ss | 1.0 | ||||
| Hochevar, Luke 2440 | pi mr | 1.0 | ||||
| Orlando, Paulo 3526 | cf | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 118.4 | Totals | 127.5 | |||
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.
Nationals' offseason net gain in Box-Toppers points pushes them to top of preseason team rankings. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Athletics plummet in rankings and the Cubs and Red Sox make big leaps upward.
Read More
The Oakland Athletics have risen to top Box-Toppers team power rankings for the week.
Athletics players have accumulated 22.7 Box-Toppers points this season, including an American League-high 6.0 points during the past week, to rise from third place last week. This is the third straight week the Athletics have been the top AL team but the first week they have taken the overall points lead.
501 | Teams | BTP | BTP/ wk | Last week rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athletics | 22.7 | 6.0 | 3 |
| 2 | Brewers | 22.2 | 4.0 | 1 |
| 3 | Rockies | 22.1 | 6.9 | 6 |
| 4 | Dodgers | 21.4 | 4.0 | 2 |
| 5 | Marlins | 20.4 | 5.7 | 10 |
| 6 | Braves | 19.7 | 3.5 | 5 |
| 7 | Nationals | 19.5 | 6.0 | 15 |
| 8 | White Sox | 18.5 | 3.5 | 8 |
| 9 | Giants | 18.0 | 5.0 | 18 |
| 10 | Cardinals | 18.0 | 3.0 | 9 |
The Athletics, who have the best record in the AL (.643), are led by pitchers Jesse Chavez (4.7 Box-Toppers points) and Scott Kazmir (4.0).
Last week’s top team, the Milwaukee Brewers, fall to second place overall, but still lead all National League teams, with 22.2 Box-Toppers points. The Brewers, who have the best record in all of baseball (.690) are led by right fielder Ryan Braun (4.5 Box-Toppers points) and pitcher Yovani Gallardo (3.0).
The Colorado Rockies are the hottest team of the past week, picking up 6.9 Box-Toppers points. They have 22.1 overall points, rising from sixth place last week to third place this week, only 0.1 behind the Brewers.
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.
The Milwaukee Brewers, rising to the top of Box-Toppers team power rankings this week, also have the best record of any team in baseball.
Brewers players have accumulated 18.2 Box-Toppers points this season, including 5.5 during the past week, rising from second place to first in the power rankings. At 16-6, the Brewers also have baseball’s best win-loss record.
| 424 | Teams | BTP | BTP/wk | Last week rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brewers | 18.2 | 5.5 | 2 |
| 2 | Dodgers | 17.4 | 4.7 | 3 |
| 3 | Athletics | 16.7 | 4.5 | 4 |
| 4 | Rangers | 16.2 | 6.0 | 11 |
| 5 | Braves | 16.2 | 4.0 | 5 |
| 6 | Rockies | 15.2 | 4.0 | 8 |
| 7 | Yankees | 15.1 | 3.7 | 7 |
| 8 | White Sox | 15.0 | 3.5 | 6 |
| 9 | Cardinals | 15.0 | 2.0 | 1 |
| 10 | Marlins | 14.7 | 6.5 | 22 |
The Brewers are led by right fielder Ryan Braun, who has 4.5 Box-Toppers points (fifth among all players this season) and starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo (3.0 points).
The Oakland Athletics remain the top American League team in Box-Toppers power rankings with 16.7 points. The Athletics are in third place overall, rising from No. 4 last week. The Athletics are led by starting pitchers Scott Kazmir (4.0 Box-Toppers points) and Jesse Chavez (2.7).
The Miami Marlins are the hottest team of the week, picking up 6.5 Box-Toppers points over the past seven days, more than any other team. They rose from 22nd place to 10th with 14.7 Box-Toppers points.
Last week’s No. 1 team, the St. Louis Cardinals, fell to ninth place after picking up the fewest points of any NL team during the past week. Cardinals players earned only 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the week, giving them 15.0 for the season.
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.
Rays pitcher Alex Cobb is Saturday’s Player of the Day. Cobb pitched seven scoreless innings in the 1-0 win over the Reds.
Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke is National League Player of the Day. Greinke struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings in the 8-5 win over the Diamondbacks.
David Murphy of the Indians is American League Batter of the Day. Murphy homered, tripled and drove in four runs in the 12-6 win over the White Sox. Murphy earned 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, and now ranks ninth place among all players in Box-Toppers points for the season.
Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies is NL Batter of the Day. Rollins hit a 10th inning, walk-off home run in the 5-4 win over the Marlins. He went 3-5 in the game and drove in two runs.
Notable: Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. Gallardo (6IP 6K ND) was top player in the 3-2 win over the Pirates. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 3.0 for the season.
Cobb receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Greinke receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Murphy and Rollins 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 412 | Score | Team | Players | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 8.0 | Rays | Alex Cobb (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 7.0 | Athletics | Sonny Gray (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 4.0 | Twins | Ricky Nolasco (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| NL | 3.1 | Dodgers | Zack Greinke (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |
| BAT | 3.0 | Indians | David Murphy RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Yankees | Brian McCann C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `Orioles | Bud Norris | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | `Rockies | Brett Anderson | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Phillies | Jimmy Rollins SS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Braves | Justin Upton LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Astros | Robbie Grossman LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Justin Verlander (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | John Lannan (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Daniel Descalso SS, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | `Brewers | Yovani Gallardo | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson is Saturday's Player of the Day. Wilson pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out eight in the 2-0 win over the Athletics.
Wilson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.1 for the season, moving him up to 26th place among players for 2013. (Here is the season top 100 list at the All-Star break.)
Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo is National League Player of the Day. Gallardo pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the 6-0 win over the Marlins.
Alex Rios of the White Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Rios hit a grand slam, drove in five runs and went 3-for-5 in the 10-6 win over the Braves.
Dexter Fowler of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Fowler went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs in the 9-3 win over the Cubs.
Wilson receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Gallardo receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Rios and Fowler 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 720 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.1 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | C.J. Wilson (W, 10-6) | 8.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | White Sox | Alex Rios RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NL | 4.1 | Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yovani Gallardo (W, 8-8) | 6.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 3.2 | Mets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Gonzalez Germen (W, 1-1) | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Rockies | Dexter Fowler CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | `Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | J.J. Hoover (H, 4) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kenley Jansen (S, 11) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Royals | Mike Moustakas 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Giants | Buster Posey 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Yankees | Luis Cruz 3B | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Mariners | Michael Saunders CF, RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Padres | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Huston Street (S, 16) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1.0 | Rays | Desmond Jennings CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kevin Correia (W, 7-6) | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 0.0 | Orioles | Adam Jones CF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 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.
Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma is Monday's Player of the Day. Iwakuma struck out eight over seven innings in the 3-2 win over the Astros.
Iwakuma rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the 2013 season (updated list of top 10 players on the home page). Iwakuma earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season.
Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo is National League Player of the Day. Gallardo threw eight scoreless innings in the 6-1 win over the Marlins.
Adam Dunn of the White Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Dunn hit two homers, drove in five runs and went 4-for-4 in the 10-6 win over the Blue Jays.
Brandon Phillips of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Phillips hit a grand slam and drove in all of his team's six runs in the 6-2 win over the Cubs.
Iwakuma receives 2.0 Box-Toppers
points for being Player of the Day. Gallardo receives 1.7 for AL Player of
the Day. Dunn and Phillips each receive 1.5 for being top
Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Monday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
| 610 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 9.0 | Mariners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 7-1) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 8.0 | White Sox | Adam Dunn DH | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NL | 7.0 | Brewers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yovani Gallardo (W, 5-6) | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Reds | Brandon Phillips 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.0 | Padres | Will Venable RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | `Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Koji Uehara | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 3.0 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Robbie Ross (W, 3-1) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 3.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Greg Holland (S, 13) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Orioles | Adam Jones CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Diamondbacks | Jason Kubel PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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.