Oakland Athletics, top AL team 6 straight weeks, reclaims Box-Toppers team rankings lead

The Oakland Athletics have regained the top spot in Box-Toppers team rankings.

Athletics players have accumulated 35.9 Box-Toppers points this season, including 5.5 points this past week, rising from third place last week. They pass last week’s top team, the San Francisco Giants, which fell to fourth place overall.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, May 22. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated so far this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams have accumulated during the past week.

522	Teams	BTP	BTP /wk	Last  week  rank
1	Athletics	35.9	5.5	3
2	Marlins	34.9	5.0	4
3	Rockies	34.5	3.7	2
4	Giants	33.7	2.7	1
5	Blue Jays	32.9	8.0	15
6	Angels	32.8	5.4	6
7	Braves	31.3	5.2	9
8	Brewers	31.2	3.0	5
9	White Sox	31.0	6.0	13
10	Cardinals	30.0	6.0	17

BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Athletics have led all American League teams for six straight weeks and previously led all teams the week of May 1. They are led by pitchers Scott Kazmir and Jesse Chavez, both of whom have 5.7 Box-Toppers points each. Kazmir is ranked 13th and Chavez 14th among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

The Athletics also have baseball’s best winning percentage (.638).

The Miami Marlins are the top National League team with 34.9 Box-Toppers points. They are in second place overall, rising from fourth place a week ago.

The Marlins top players are pitcher Jose Fernandez (7.0 Box-Toppers points, but out for the season) and pitcher Henderson Alvarez (5.0 Box-Toppers points). Fernandez is ranked third among NL pitchers and Alvarez is 10th.

The Toronto Blue Jays are the hottest team of the past week, picking up 8.0 Box-Toppers points. They rose from 15th to fifth place in team rankings, with 32.9 Box-Toppers points for the season.

The Blue Jays rose into the top 10 teams along with the White Sox and the Cardinals. The Dodgers, Tigers and Yankees all fell out of the top 10 this week.

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.

White Sox' Chris Sale (6IP 1H 10K) tops players for Thursday, May 22

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Sale struck out 10 and allowed just one hit over six innings in the 3-2 win over the Yankees.

Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season. He rises to 17th place in Box-Toppers player rankings and ranks sixth among American League pitchers.

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is National League Player of the Day. Arrieta allowed one run and struck out seven over six innings in the 5-1 win over the Padres.

Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Bautista homered and went 3-for-5 in the 7-2 win over the Red Sox.

There is no NL Batter of the Day Thursday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.

Notable: Cardinals middle relief pitcher Pat Neshek earned Player of the Game honors Thursday for the first time in more than six years. Neshek (2IP 0R 2K W in the 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game. He last earned Player of the Game honors on April 4, 2008, when he was with the Twins. Neshek has 9.0 career Box-Toppers points.

Sale receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Arrieta receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Bautista receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

522	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	15.0	White Sox	Chris Sale (W, 4-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	1	0	0	0	10
	7.2	`Rays	Alex Cobb	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	3	0	0	2	6
NL	6.0	Cubs	Jake Arrieta (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	1	7
	4.0	`Marlins	Henderson Alvarez	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	2	3
	4.0	Braves	Craig Kimbrel (S, 12)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	3.0	Pirates	Edinson Volquez (W, 2-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	2	4
	3.0	Cardinals	Pat Neshek (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.2	Mariners	Dominic Leone (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	1	0	0	0	2
BAT	2.0	Blue Jays	Jose Bautista RF	5	2	3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Indians	Lonnie Chisenhall PH, DH	3	2	2	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rangers	Shin-Soo Choo LF	3	2	1	2	2	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Mets	Jenrry Mejia (S, 2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Brewers' Kyle Lohse (8IP 8K) tops players for Wednesday, May 21

Brewers pitcher Kyle Lohse is Wednesday’s Player of the Day. Lohse struck out eight over eight innings, allowing just one run, in the 6-1 win over the Braves.

Lohse earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season. He rises to 25th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season and ranks 10th among National League pitchers.

Angels pitcher Jered Weaver is American League Player of the Day. Weaver pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout in the 2-1 win over the Astros.

Marcell Ozuna of the Marlins is NL Batter of the Day. Ozuna hit a grand slam, went 2-for-4 and drove in five runs in the 14-5 win over the Phillies.

Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Encarnacion hit two home runs and drove in three in the 6-4 win over the Red Sox.

Lohse receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Weaver receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Ozuna and Encarnacion each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

521	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	10.0	Brewers	Kyle Lohse (W, 6-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	1	1	0	8
AL	9.0	Angels	Jered Weaver (W, 5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	2	1	1	1	5
	7.0	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 5-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	0	0	0	7
	6.0	`Giants	Matt Cain	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	5.0	Marlins	Marcell Ozuna CF	4	2	2	5	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Reds	Alfredo Simon (W, 6-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	6
	5.0	`Cardinals	Michael Wacha	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	2	0	0	3	4
	4.2	`Yankees	Dellin Betances	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	0	0	0	0	3
	4.1	`Pirates	Vin Mazzaro	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.1	0	0	0	2	3
	4.0	Indians	Josh Tomlin (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	2	1	1	1	6
	3.0	Royals	Wade Davis (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	2.0	Blue Jays	Edwin Encarnacion 1B	5	2	2	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rangers	Shin-Soo Choo DH	3	2	2	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Athletics	Sean Doolittle (S, 4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	1.0	Dodgers	Hanley Ramirez SS	3	1	1	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Cards' Adam Wainwright, with a one-hit shutout, tops players for Tuesday, May 20, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, Tuesday’s Player of the Day, rises to second place among all players in Box-Toppers points this season and takes the lead among National League pitchers.

Wainwright pitched a complete game, one-hit shutout, striking out nine—allowing just the one baserunner in the fourth inning—in the 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Wainwright earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season. He moves from fifth to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page). He passes previous NL pitching leader, Johnny Cueto of the Reds (7.7). He trails only Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (9.1) in Box-Toppers points this season.

Chris Davis of the Orioles is American League Player of the Day. Davis hit three homers, went 4-for-5 and drove in five runs in the 9-2 win over the Pirates.

Denard Span of the Nationals is NL Batter of the Day. Span went 5-for-5, scored twice and drove in two runs in the 9-4 win over the Reds.

Notable: Braves pitcher Julio Teheran rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Teheran (CG 0R 8K W in the 5-0 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 6.7 for the season. He is in seventh among all players in Box-Toppers points and fourth among NL pitchers. (See the updated top 10 player rankings on the home page.)

Wainwright receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Davis receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Span receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.

All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

520	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	17.0	Cardinals	Adam Wainwright (W, 7-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	1	0	0	0	9
	9.0	Braves	Julio Teheran (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	6	0	0	2	8
AL	8.0	Orioles	Chris Davis 1B	5	4	4	5	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Angels	Tyler Skaggs (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	1	6
	4.2	Cubs	Jason Hammel (W, 5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.2	4	1	1	1	6
BAT	4.0	Nationals	Denard Span CF	5	2	5	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Blue Jays	Melky Cabrera LF	5	3	4	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	White Sox	Andre Rienzo (W, 4-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	2	2	2	8
	3.0	Athletics	Drew Pomeranz (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	3	0	0	2	3
	2.0	Dodgers	Adrian Gonzalez 1B	4	1	3	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rockies	Wilin Rosario C	4	1	2	3	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Phillies	Jimmy Rollins SS	4	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Twins	Glen Perkins (S, 13)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Indians	Asdrubal Cabrera SS	3	1	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Mariners	Nick Franklin DH	3	1	2	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-

Astros' Dallas Keuchel (8.2IP 8K) tops players for Monday, May 19

Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel is Monday’s Player of the Day. Keuchel struck out eight over 8 2/3 innings in the 5-2 win over the Angels.

Keuchel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season. He ranks 22nd in Box-Toppers player rankings and ninth among American League pitchers.

Justin Upton of the Braves is National League Player of the Day. Upton hit a two-run homer in the 9-3 win over the Brewers.

Alexei Ramirez is AL Batter of the Day. Ramirez hit a three-run home run and drove in four runs in the 7-6 win over the Royals.

Keuchel receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Upton receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Ramirez receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

519	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	6.2	Astros	Dallas Keuchel (W, 5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.2	5	2	2	1	8
BAT	2.0	White Sox	Alexei Ramirez SS	5	1	2	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
NL	2.0	Braves	Justin Upton LF	2	1	1	2	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Reds	Todd Frazier 3B	6	2	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Indians	Yan Gomes C	4	2	3	0	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

Royals' Alex Gordon (2 3-R HR) tops players for Sunday, May 18; Braves' Freeman rises to 8th in player rankings

Alex Gordon of the Royals is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Gordon hit two three-run home runs, went 4-for-4 and drove in six runs in the 8-6 win over the Orioles.

Giants pitcher Ryan Vogelsong is National League Player of the Day. Vogelsong pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out six, in the 4-1 win over the Marlins.

Freddie Freeman of the Braves rose to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Sunday’s NL Batter of the Day honors. Freeman homered, went 3-for-3 and drove in three runs in the 6-5 win over the Cardinals. Freeman earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.2 for the season, moving him up to eighth place overall. He is second place among NL batters, behind overall leader Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (9.1). (See the updated top 10 player rankings on the home page.)

Notable: It was a batter-heavy day Sunday for Players of the Game. Normally, pitchers earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors more frequently than batters. But on Sunday, batters earned Player of the Game honors in 12 of the 16 games. One notable batter who was top player in his game was Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (3-for-4, 2RBI in the 6-2 win over the Red Sox), last year’s AL batting leader. He earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point Sunday, giving him 4.5 for the season, in 26th place overall, fourth among AL batters.

Gordon receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Vogelsong receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Freeman receives 1.5 for being NL Batter of the Day.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

518	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	9.0	Royals	Alex Gordon LF	4	3	4	6	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	7.0	Athletics	Brandon Moss LF	3	4	3	3	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
NL	7.0	Giants	Ryan Vogelsong (W, 2-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	0	0	1	6
BAT	5.0	Braves	Freddie Freeman 1B	3	2	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Cubs	Travis Wood (W, 4-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	2	2	3	7
	5.0	Angels	Matt Shoemaker (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	2	1	1	3	6
	4.1	Yankees	David Robertson (S, 8)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	3
	4.0	Astros	Matt Dominguez 3B	4	2	2	4	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Nationals	Wilson Ramos C	3	1	2	4	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Mariners	Robinson Cano 2B	5	2	4	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Tigers	Miguel Cabrera 1B	4	1	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Phillies	Cody Asche 3B	4	1	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rockies	Charlie Blackmon RF	3	1	2	2	2	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Rangers	Shin-Soo Choo DH	3	2	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Dbacks	Cody Ross LF	3	2	2	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Pirates	Starling Marte LF	3	2	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

Cubs' Edwin Jackson tops players for Saturday, May 17; Dbacks' Goldschmidt tops NL batters

Cubs pitcher Edwin Jackson is Saturday’s Player of the Day. Jackson pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 11, in the 3-0 win over the Brewers.

Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson is American League Player of the Day. Wilson pitched a complete game shutout, striking out seven, in the 6-0 win over the Rays.

Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks is National League Batter of the Day. Goldschmidt homered twice, doubled twice, went 4-for-5, scored five times and drove in six runs in the 18-7 win over the Dodgers. This is the first time this season Goldschmidt has earned Player of the Game honors and he now has 1.5 Box-Toppers points. In 2013, he led NL batters in Box-Toppers points with 13.7.

Josh Donaldson of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Donaldson tripled, went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs in the 6-2 win over the Indians. Donaldson earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points, giving him 5.0 for the season, moving him into 15th place among all players and second among AL batters, trailing Chris Colabello of the Twins (5.2).

Jackson receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Wilson receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Goldschmidt and Donaldson each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

517	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	13.0	Cubs	Edwin Jackson (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	1	11
BAT	10.0	Dbacks	Paul Goldschmidt 1B	5	5	4	6	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	10.0	Phillies	Cole Hamels (W, 1-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	1	1	2	10
AL	9.0	Angels	C.J. Wilson (W, 5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	5	0	0	2	7
	8.0	Marlins	Tom Koehler (W, 4-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	2	7
	7.0	Royals	Danny Duffy (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	0	0	0	2
	6.0	Cardinals	Shelby Miller (W, 6-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	0	2	7
	4.1	Blue Jays	Steve Delabar (W, 3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	4.0	Athletics	Josh Donaldson 3B	4	2	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Twins	Brian Dozier 2B	3	2	2	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Astros	Dexter Fowler CF	4	2	3	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Padres	Carlos Quentin PH	1	1	1	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Mets	Bartolo Colon (W, 3-5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	2	2	1	5
	3.0	Tigers	Rick Porcello (W, 7-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	6	1	1	1	4
	2.0	Yankees	David Phelps (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	5	0	0	3	5

Blue Jays' Drew Hutchison tops players for Friday, May 16; Tigers' Scherzer rises to lead AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points

Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison is Friday’s Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer takes the Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers.

Hutchison pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout, striking out six, in the 2-0 win over the Rangers.

Scherzer took the Box-Toppers points lead among AL pitchers and also rose to second place overall after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.

Scherzer (6IP 0R 7K W in the 1-0 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 7.7 for the season. He passes previous AL pitching leader, Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees (7.7). He trails only Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (9.1 Box-Toppers points). While Scherzer and Tanaka both have 7.7 Box-Toppers points, Scherzer wins the tie-breaker because he has more points over 2013-14—25.8 vs. 7.7. (See the updated top 10 player rankings on the home page.)

Rockies pitcher Jorge De La Rosa is National League Player of the Day. De La Rosa pitched seven scoreless innings—and had a no-hitter through six innings before giving up a hit in the seventh—in the 3-1 win over the Padres.

Christian Yelich of the Marlins is NL Batter of the Day. Yelich homered, went 2-for-4 and scored four runs in the 7-5 win over the Giants. This was Yelich’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,334th player to debut on Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He made his Major League debut on July 23, 2013 and was playing in his 102nd game.

Adam Dunn of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Dunn hit a three-run home run and went 2-for-4 in the 7-2 win over the Astros.

Notable: Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rises to seventh in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Greinke (8IP 0R 6K W in 7-0 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 6.4 for the season. (See the updated top 10 player rankings on the home page.)

Hutchison receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. De La Rosa receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Yelich and Dunn each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Friday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

516	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	11.0	Blue Jays	Drew Hutchison (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	0	0	1	6
NL	10.0	Rockies	Jorge De La Rosa (W, 5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	1	0	0	1	5
	9.2	Reds	Alfredo Simon (W, 5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	5	0	0	1	8
	8.0	Athletics	Sonny Gray (W, 5-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	2	1	1	3	9
	7.0	Dodgers	Zack Greinke (W, 7-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	0	0	2	6
	6.0	Orioles	Chris Tillman (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	5	0	0	1	3
	6.0	Tigers	Max Scherzer (W, 6-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	0	0	4	7
	3.2	Rays	Chris Archer (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.2	2	0	0	5	5
BAT	3.0	Marlins	Christian Yelich CF, LF	4	4	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Cardinals	Trevor Rosenthal (S, 12)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	2.0	White Sox	Adam Dunn 1B	4	1	2	3	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Brewers	Jean Segura SS	5	1	3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Twins	Brian Dozier 2B	5	2	2	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Nationals	Scott Hairston LF	3	1	2	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki remains atop Box-Toppers player rankings

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki remains atop Box-Toppers player rankings for the second straight week.

Tulowitzki, with 9.1 Box-Toppers points, has held the overall lead since May 2.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, in second place with 7.7 Box-Toppers points, is the leader among National League pitchers. He passes Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (7.0 Box-Toppers points), who was leader among NL pitchers last week.

Top players

Through Thursday, May 15

	OVERALL LEADERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Tulowitzki, Troy 2308	ss	col nl	9.1
2	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	7.7
3	Tanaka, Masahiro 3305	pi sp	nyy al	7.7
4	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	7.0
5	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	7.0
6	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	det al	6.7
7	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	atl nl	6.0
8	Darvish, Yu 3003	pi sp	tex al	5.7
9	Teheran, Julio 3176	pi sp	atl nl	5.7
10	Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	oak al	5.7
	AL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Tanaka, Masahiro 3305	pi sp	nyy al	7.7
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	det al	6.7
3	Darvish, Yu 3003	pi sp	tex al	5.7
4	Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	oak al	5.7
5	Chavez, Jesse 2780	pi sp	oak al	5.7
6	Price, David 2593	pi sp	tb al	5.0
7	Lackey, John 1640	pi sp	bos al	5.0
8	Perez, Martin 3213	pi sp	tex al	5.0
9	Buehrle, Mark 1407	pi sp	tor al	4.7
10	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	4.4
	AL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Colabello, Chris 3235	1b dh rf	min al	5.2
2	Abreu, Jose 3308	1b dh	chi al	5.0
3	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	1b	det al	3.5
4	Donaldson, Josh 3144	3b	oak al	3.5
5	Hunter, Torii 1190	rf	det al	3.5
6	Rodriguez, Sean 2729	lf 1b 2b ph	tb al	3.5
7	Rasmus, Colby 2608	cf	tor al	3.2
8	Murphy, David 2348	rf	cle al	3.0
9	Ramirez, Alexei 2537	ss	chi al	3.0
10	Encarnacion, Edwin 2098	1b dh	tor al	2.5
	NL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	7.7
2	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	7.0
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	7.0
4	Santana, Ervin 2005	pi sp	atl nl	6.0
5	Teheran, Julio 3176	pi sp	atl nl	5.7
6	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	5.5
7	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	5.4
8	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	5.0
9	Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	5.0
10	Gonzalez, Gio 2626	pi sp	dc nl	4.0
	NL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Tulowitzki, Troy 2308	ss	col nl	9.1
2	Freeman, Freddie 2887	1b	atl nl	4.7
3	Stanton, Giancarlo 2737	rf	fla nl	4.7
4	Braun, Ryan J. 2300	rf	mil nl	4.5
5	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	4.0
6	Morse, Michael 2020	lf	sf nl	4.0
7	Duda, Lucas 2818	1b lf	nym nl	3.5
8	Murphy, Daniel 2589	2b	nym nl	3.0
9	Ruiz, Carlos 2282	ca	phi nl	3.0
10	LeMahieu, DJ 3091	2b	col nl	3.0

BTP: Box-Toppers points

Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, in third place with 7.7 Box-Toppers points, is the leader among American League pitchers. He passes Max Scherzer of the Tigers (6.7 points), who was the leader among AL pitcher last week.

Chris Colabello of the Twins remains the leader among AL batters with 5.2 Box-Toppers points. However, Colabello fell from eighth to 14th among all players.

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.

What are those numbers after players' names?

San Francisco Giants, hottest team of the week, rise to top Box-Toppers team rankings

The San Francisco Giants, the hottest team of the past week, have risen to the top of Box-Toppers team power rankings.

Giants players have accumulated 31.0 Box-Toppers points this season, including 7.0 this past week—more than any other team. They rise from fifth place to first, edging past last week’s top team, the Colorado Rockies (30.8 Box-Toppers points).

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, May 15. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated so far this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams have accumulated during the past week.

515	Team	BTP	BTP /wk	Last  week  rank
1	Giants	31.0	7.0	5
2	Rockies	30.8	1.5	1
3	Athletics	30.4	5.7	3
4	Marlins	29.9	1.0	2
5	Brewers	28.2	4.0	4
6	Angels	27.4	6.5	15
7	Dodgers	26.9	3.0	6
8	Tigers	26.7	4.0	7
9	Braves	26.1	6.4	16
10	Yankees	26.0	4.7	12

BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Giants are led by pitcher Madison Bumgarner (5.5 Box-Toppers points—ranked 6th among NL pitchers) and left fielder Michael Morse (4.0 Box-Toppers points—ranked 6th among NL batters).

The Giants also have the best winning percentage of any NL team (.643).

The Rockies fell to second overall after a lackluster week in which they picked up only 1.5 Box-Toppers points.

The top American League team for the fifth straight week is the Oakland Athletics. With 30.4 Box-Toppers points, they are ranked third overall, the same spot as last week.

The Athletics are led by pitchers Scott Kazmir and Jesse Chavez, both of whom have 5.7 Box-Toppers points each. Kazmir is ranked fourth and Chavez fifth among AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

The Detroit Tigers have the overall best winning percentage in baseball, .667. They rank eighth in Box-Toppers points with 26.7, down from seventh place a week ago.

Last week’s hottest team, the Miami Marlins, was this week’s coldest team. Last week, they picked up 8.5 Box-Toppers points but this week they picked up the fewest points of any team—1.0. With 29.9 Box-Toppers points for the season, they fell from second to fourth overall. Their bad week was compounded by the news that pitcher Jose Fernandez would be lost for the season, recovering from Tommy John surgery. Fernandez has more Box-Toppers points than any Marlins player, 7.0—nearly one-fourth of the team’s total—and ranks fifth among all players this 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.

Reds' Johnny Cueto tops players for Thursday, May 15 with shutout, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, Thursday’s Player of the Day, rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and is now the top-ranked National League pitcher.

Cueto pitched a complete game shutout, allowing three hits and striking out eight, in the 5-0 win over the Padres. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season. He passes Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals (7.0 Box-Toppers points) to lead NL pitchers in player rankings. He trails only Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (9.1 Box-Toppers points), the overall leader. (See the updated top 10 player rankings for the season on the home page.)

(Cueto and Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka both have 7.7 Box-Toppers points but Cueto is ranked higher because of the tie-breaker: He has more points than Tanaka over 2013-2014—11.7 vs. 7.7.)

Yankees pitcher Dellin Betances is American League Player of the Day. Betances pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless middle relief, striking out six, in the 1-0 win over the Mets. This was Betances’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,333rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record-keeping began in 1995. He made his Major League debut on Sept. 22, 2011, and was pitching in his 23rd game.

Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays is AL Batter of the Day. Encarnacion homered twice and doubled, going 3-for-4 and driving in three runs, in the 4-2 win over the Indians.

Michael Morse of the Giants is National League Batter of the Day. Morse homered, went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs, in the 6-4 win over the Marlins.

Notables: Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha earned Player of the Game honors for batting. He had a two-run RBI in the 5-3 win over the Cubs. He is the third pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting.

Mike Trout of the Angels, currently ranked seventh among all players in Wins Above Replacement at 2.4, according to Baseball-Reference.com, earned his first Box-Toppers point of the season Thursday. Trout hit a walk-off, three-run home run—his only hit in four at-bats—in the 6-5 win over the Rays. With 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season, Trout currently ranks 257th in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Cueto receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Betances receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Encarnacion and Morse each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

515	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	12.0	Reds	Johnny Cueto (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	3	0	0	2	8
AL	8.1	Yankees	Dellin Betances (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.1	0	0	0	0	6
	7.0	Twins	Phil Hughes	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	1	0	8
	5.0	Padres	Tyson Ross (W, 5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	1	1	5	8
BAT	4.0	Blue Jays	Edwin Encarnacion DH	4	2	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Giants	Michael Morse 1B	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.2	`Orioles	Darren O`Day (H, 5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.2	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	Cardinals	Michael Wacha P	2	1	1	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Brewers	Rickie Weeks 2B	4	1	3	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Angels	Mike Trout CF	4	1	1	3	0	2		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka (CG 0R 8K) tops players for Wednesday, May 14, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, Wednesday’s Player of the Day, rises to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and is now the top-ranked American League pitcher.

Tanaka pitched a complete game shutout, allowing four hits and striking out eight, in the 4-0 win over the Mets. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season. He passes Max Scherzer of the Tigers (6.7 Box-Toppers points) to lead AL pitchers in player rankings. He trails only Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (9.1 Box-Toppers points), the overall leader. (See the updated top 10 player rankings for the season on the home page.)

Nationals pitcher Doug Fister is National League Player of the Day. Fister struck out six over seven innings, allowing only one run, in the 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

Hunter Pence of the Giants is NL Batter of the Day. Pence homered and went 4-for-5, driving in three runs, in the 10-4 win over the Braves.

David Ortiz of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Ortiz homered twice and went 3-for-5 in the 9-4 win over the Twins.

Tanaka receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Fister receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Pence and Ortiz each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

514	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	13.0	Yankees	Masahiro Tanaka (W, 6-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	4	0	0	0	8
	10.0	Angels	Garrett Richards (W, 4-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	0	0	0	8
	10.0	Rays	Jake Odorizzi (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	1	0	0	2	7
	7.0	Indians	Corey Kluber (W, 4-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	2	2	1	9
NL	6.0	`Nationals	Doug Fister	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	0	6
	6.0	`Pirates	Francisco Liriano	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	1	7
	4.2	Royals	Jason Vargas (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	5	2	2	1	8
BAT	4.0	Giants	Hunter Pence RF	5	2	4	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz DH	5	3	3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Marlins	Jeff Mathis C	4	2	2	3	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.1	White Sox	Ronald Belisario (W, 2-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	Astros	Dexter Fowler CF	3	2	3	0	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Tigers	Bryan Holaday C	4	2	2	1	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Rays' David Price (CG 1R 12K) tops players for Tuesday, May 13

Rays pitcher David Price is Tuesday’s Player of the Day. Price pitched a complete game, giving up one run and striking out 12, in the 2-1 win over the Mariners.

Price earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 points for the season and is in 16th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for 2014.

Braves pitcher Mike Minor is National League Player of the Day. Minor pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out six in the 5-0 win over the Giants.

Curtis Granderson of the Mets is National League Batter of the Day. Granderson hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3 in the 12-7 win over the Yankees.

Chris Parmelee of the Twins is AL Batter of the Day. Parmelee hit a walk-off, two-run homer in the 8-6 win over the Red Sox. Parmelee went 3-for-4 in the game.

Notable: Greg Garcia of the Cardinals earned Player of the Game honors with an extra-inning, walk-off, pinch-hit hit-by-pitch in his only plate appearance. The Cardinals beat the Cubs 4-3 in 12 innings. Garcia was hit on a 1-2 pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run, giving him a Box-Toppers game score of +1.0, enough to be the top player on the winning team.

Price receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Minor receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Granderson and Parmelee each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

513	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	13.0	Rays	David Price (W, 4-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	6	1	1	0	12
	9.0	Astros	Dallas Keuchel (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	7	0	0	0	7
	8.0	Royals	James Shields (W, 5-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	1	1	0	8
	8.0	Athletics	Drew Pomeranz (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.0	3	0	0	2	8
NL	7.2	Braves	Mike Minor (W, 1-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	3	0	0	2	6
	6.0	Dbacks	Bronson Arroyo (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		9.0	7	1	1	1	7
	4.1	Dodgers	Josh Beckett (W, 1-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.1	4	1	0	3	6
BAT	4.0	Mets	Curtis Granderson RF	3	2	2	3	2	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Brewers	Marco Estrada (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	1	1	2	8
	4.0	`Tigers	Drew Smyly	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	1	2	7
BAT	3.0	Twins	Chris Parmelee RF	4	2	3	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Padres	Huston Street (S, 12)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Blue Jays	Juan Francisco 3B	3	1	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	`Angels	Joe Smith (H, 5)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Cardinals	Greg Garcia PH	0	0	0	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Giants' Tim Lincecum (7.2IP 11K) tops players for Monday, May 12

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Monday’s Player of the Day. Lincecum gave up one run and two hits over 7 2/3 innings, striking out 11, in the 4-2 win over the Braves.

Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is American League Player of the Day. Lewis struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the 4-0 win over the Astros.

Junior Lake of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. Lake  homered, drove in six runs and went 3-for-6 in the 17-5 win over the Cardinals.

Stefen Romero of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Romero doubled, homered and drove in three runs in the 12-5 win over the Rays. This was Romero’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,330th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Notables: Athletics pitcher Jesse Chavez rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Chavez (8IP 7K W in 5-4 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.7 for the season. (See the updated Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings on the home page.)

Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers earned Player of the Game honors for the first time this season Monday and only the second time in his career (he was NL Batter of the Day on June 4, 2013). Puig went 1-for-3, hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs in the 6-5 win over the Marlins. He has 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season and 2.5 for his career.

Lincecum receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lewis receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Lake and Romero 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.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

512	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	10.2	Giants	Tim Lincecum (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	2	1	1	4	11
BAT	5.0	Cubs	Junior Lake LF	6	2	3	6	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
AL	4.2	Rangers	Colby Lewis (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.2	7	0	0	2	8
BAT	4.0	Mariners	Stefen Romero RF	5	3	3	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Athletics	Jesse Chavez (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	2	2	2	7
	3.0	Blue Jays	Jose Bautista RF, CF	4	1	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Tigers	Ian Kinsler 2B	3	2	2	2	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Dodgers	Yasiel Puig RF	3	1	1	4	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Nationals	Tyler Clippard (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Mets	Eric Young LF	5	2	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

Padres' Robbie Erlin (6.1IP 0R 7K) tops players for Sunday, May 11

Padres pitcher Robbie Erlin is Sunday’s Player of the Day. Erlin pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 5-4 win over the Marlins.

Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir is American League Player of the Day. Kazmir pitched seven scoreless innings in the 9-1 win over the Nationals. Kazmir rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. (See the top 10 players for the season on the home page.) He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 points for the season.

Hank Conger of the Angels is AL Batter of the Day. Conger homered, doubled and drove in five runs in the 9-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Daniel Murphy of the Mets is National League Batter of the Day. Murphy homered, double and drove in two runs in the 5-4, 11-inning win over the Phillies.

Erlin receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kazmir receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Conger and Murphy each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

511	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	8.1	Padres	Robbie Erlin (W, 2-4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.1	5	0	0	0	7
AL	7.0	Athletics	Scott Kazmir (W, 5-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	0	4
	6.1	Dbacks	Chase Anderson (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		5.1	2	1	1	1	6
	5.1	Reds	Homer Bailey (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.1	4	1	1	2	6
BAT	5.0	Angels	Hank Conger C	4	1	3	5	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Red Sox	John Lackey (W, 5-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	7	2	2	0	9
	4.0	Indians	Nyjer Morgan LF	4	3	3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Royals	Alcides Escobar SS	4	1	2	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Braves	Aaron Harang (W, 4-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	2	2	2	9
BAT	2.0	Mets	Daniel Murphy 2B	4	1	3	2	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Giants	Angel Pagan CF	3	3	2	0	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Brewers	Jonathan Lucroy PH	1	1	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Twins	Jared Burton (W, 1-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Astros	Marc Krauss 1B	4	1	2	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Cardinals	Peter Bourjos CF	1	0	1	1	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-

Braves' Ervin Santana (7IP 7K) tops players for Saturday, May 10, rises to 5th place in Box-Toppers player rankings

Braves pitcher Ervin Santana, Saturday’s Player of the Day, rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Santana pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 2-0 win over the Cubs. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season, moving him up to fifth place in season rankings. (See the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points for the season on the home page.)

Mariners pitcher Chris Young is American League Player of the Day. Young gave up one run over eight innings in the 3-1 win over the Royals.

Corey Dickerson of the Rockies is National League Batter of the Day. Dickerson homered twice, doubled twice and drove in four runs in the 11-2 win over the Reds.

Shane Victorino of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Victorino went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs in the 8-3 win over the Rangers.

Santana receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Young receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Dickerson and Victorino each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

510	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	8.0	Braves	Ervin Santana (W, 4-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	0	0	1	7
BAT	6.0	Rockies	Corey Dickerson CF, LF	5	3	4	4	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
AL	6.0	Mariners	Chris Young (W, 3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	3	1	1	0	3
	6.0	Rays	Erik Bedard (W, 2-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	1	0	0	3	4
	5.0	Padres	Seth Smith LF	4	2	3	4	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	5.0	Dbacks	Wade Miley (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	2	2	0	6
	5.0	Athletics	Sean Doolittle (W, 1-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	3
BAT	4.0	Red Sox	Shane Victorino RF	4	1	3	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Phillies	Jimmy Rollins SS	4	4	3	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Tigers	Miguel Cabrera 1B	3	2	1	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Angels	Tyler Skaggs (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	3	2	0	4
	2.0	Brewers	Jonathan Lucroy C	4	2	2	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Dodgers	Dee Gordon 2B	3	2	2	1	1	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	2.0	Orioles	Ryan Webb (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Pirates	Mark Melancon (S, 4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	2

Rangers' Yu Darvish, with a near no-hitter, tops players for Friday, May 9

Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is Friday’s Player of the Day. Darvish gave up his only hit in the ninth inning, pitching 8 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 12, in the 8-0 win over the Red Sox.

Darvish rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers player standings. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season. (See the updated top 10 list on the home page.)

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran is National League Player of the Day. Teheran gave up one run and one hit over eight innings, striking out nine, in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Cubs. Teheran did not earn a win, picking up a no-decision, because he left the game with the score tied 2-2.

Teheran rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player standings. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season. (See the updated top 10 list on the home page.)

Jedd Gyorko of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Gyorko hit two home runs and went 3-for-6 and drove in six runs in the 4-3 win over the Rockies.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Abreu homered and went 3-for-4, driving in two runs, in the 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

Notables: Three others who earned Player of the Game honors Friday are in the top 10 of Box-Toppers season player rankings:

• Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to seventh place. Cueto (8IP 2R 8K ND in the 4-3 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.7 for the season.

• Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka rose to eighth place. Tanaka (6.1IP 2R 7K W in 5-3 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.7 for the season.

• Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner rose to ninth place. Bumgarner (8IP 1R 8K W in 3-1 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.5 for the season.

Four players each reached 5.7 Box-Toppers points Friday. The tie among them was broken based on their total Box-Toppers points over 2013-14. (Darvish 21.7, Teheran 19.4, Cueto 9.7 and Tanaka 5.7.)

Darvish receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Teheran receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Gyorko and Abreu each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

509	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	17.2	Rangers	Yu Darvish (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.2	1	0	0	2	12
NL	12.0	`Braves	Julio Teheran	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	1	1	1	2	9
	10.0	Athletics	Tommy Milone (W, 1-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	2	0	0	3	7
	10.0	Royals	Jason Vargas (W, 3-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	0	6
	9.0	Giants	Madison Bumgarner (W, 4-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	1	1	1	8
BAT	7.0	Padres	Jedd Gyorko 2B	4	2	3	6	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	6.0	`Reds	Johnny Cueto	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	5	2	2	1	8
	5.0	Pirates	Neil Walker 2B	4	2	3	4	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
BAT	3.0	White Sox	Jose Abreu DH	4	2	3	2	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
	3.0	Angels	Ernesto Frieri (S, 4)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.2	Indians	Corey Kluber (W, 3-3)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.2	9	2	2	0	9
	2.0	Twins	Phil Hughes (W, 4-1)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	8	0	0	0	3
	2.0	Phillies	Jonathan Papelbon (S, 10)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.1	Yankees	Masahiro Tanaka (W, 5-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		6.1	7	2	2	1	7
	1.0	Orioles	Wei-Yin Chen (W, 4-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	2	2	1	4

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki leads players in season Box-Toppers points

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is on top of Box-Toppers player rankings this week.

Tulowitzki has 9.1 Box-Toppers points, rising from third to first place, picking up 3.2 points in the past week.

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright, in second place with 7.0 Box-Toppers points, is the leader among National League pitchers. 

Top players

Through Thursday, May 8

	OVERALL LEADERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Tulowitzki, Troy 2308	ss	col nl	9.1
2	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	7.0
3	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	7.0
4	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	det al	6.7
5	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	5.4
6	Colabello, Chris 3235	1b dh rf	min al	5.2
7	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	5.0
8	Perez, Martin 3213	pi sp	tex al	5.0
9	Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	5.0
10	Freeman, Freddie 2887	1b	atl nl	4.7
	AL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	det al	6.7
2	Perez, Martin 3213	pi sp	tex al	5.0
3	Buehrle, Mark 1407	pi sp	tor al	4.7
4	Chavez, Jesse 2780	pi sp	oak al	4.7
5	Tanaka, Masahiro 3305	pi sp	nyy al	4.7
6	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	4.4
7	Kazmir, Scott 1947	pi sp	oak al	4.0
8	Lackey, John 1640	pi sp	bos al	4.0
9	Darvish, Yu 3003	pi sp	tex al	3.7
10	Ventura, Yordano 3294	pi sp	kc al	3.7
	AL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Colabello, Chris 3235	1b dh rf	min al	5.2
2	Donaldson, Josh 3144	3b	oak al	3.5
3	Hunter, Torii 1190	rf	det al	3.5
4	Rodriguez, Sean 2729	lf 1b 2b ph	tb al	3.5
5	Abreu, Jose 3308	1b dh	chi al	3.5
6	Rasmus, Colby 2608	cf	tor al	3.2
7	Murphy, David 2348	rf	cle al	3.0
8	Ramirez, Alexei 2537	ss	chi al	3.0
9	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	3b	det al	2.5
10	Aybar, Erick 2416	ss	ana al	2.5
	NL PITCHERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Wainwright, Adam 2150	pi sp	stl nl	7.0
2	Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	7.0
3	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	5.4
4	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	5.0
5	Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	5.0
6	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	4.7
7	Bumgarner, Madison 2753	pi sp	sf nl	4.5
8	Teheran, Julio 3176	pi sp	atl nl	4.0
9	Gonzalez, Gio 2626	pi sp	dc nl	4.0
10	Burnett, A.J. 1300	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
	NL BATTERS	POS	TEAM	BTP
1	Tulowitzki, Troy 2308	ss	col nl	9.1
2	Freeman, Freddie 2887	1b	atl nl	4.7
3	Stanton, Giancarlo	rf	fla nl	4.7
4	Braun, Ryan J. 2300	rf	mil nl	4.5
5	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	4.0
6	Duda, Lucas 2818	1b lf	nym nl	3.5
7	Ruiz, Carlos 2282	ca	phi nl	3.0
8	LeMahieu, DJ 3091	2b	col nl	3.0
9	Alvarez, Pedro 2817	3b	pit nl	2.5
10	Morse, Mike 2020	lf	sf nl	2.5

BTP: Box-Toppers points

Last week’s overall leader, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, with 7.0 Box-Toppers points, is now in third place overall. (Both Wainwright and Fernandez have 7.0 Box-Toppers points for 2014, but Wainwright wins the tie-breaker because he has more total points over 2013-14—27.2 vs. 26.0.)

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, in fourth place with 6.7 Box-Toppers points, leads all American League pitchers.

And Chris Colabello of the Twins, in eighth place with 5.2 Box-Toppers points, leads all AL batters.

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.

What are those numbers after players' names?

Colorado Rockies climb to top of Box-Toppers team power rankings

The Colorado Rockies have moved to the top of Box-Toppers team power rankings this week.

Rockies players have accumulated 29.3 Box-Toppers points this season, picking up 7.2 points in the past week to rise from third place a week ago.

The Rockies are led by overall top-ranked player, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (9.1 Box-Toppers points) and second baseman DJ LeMahieu (3.0 points).

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, May 8. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players on the team have accumulated so far this season. The column BTP/wk shows have many points teams have accumulated during the past week.

508	Teams	BTP	BTP/ wk	Last  week  rank
1	Rockies	29.3	7.2	3
2	Marlins	28.9	8.5	5
3	Athletics	24.7	2.0	1
4	Brewers	24.2	2.0	2
5	Giants	24.0	6.0	9
6	Dodgers	23.9	2.5	4
7	Tigers	22.7	7.5	21
8	White Sox	22.5	4.0	8
9	Nationals	22.5	3.0	7
10	Mariners	21.9	7.0	24

BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Rockies are in second place in the National League West, a game behind the San Francisco Giants, with a .595 winning percentage. The Giants are ranked fifth in Box-Toppers rankings, with 24.0 Box-Toppers points.

Last week’s top team, the Oakland Athletics, fall to third place with 24.7 Box-Toppers points after picking up only 2.0 points during the past week. However, the Athletics remain the top American League team in Box-Toppers rankings for the fourth straight week.

The Athletics are led by pitchers Jesse Chavez (4.7 Box-Toppers points) and Scott Kazmir (4.0 points).

The Miami Marlins were the hottest team in the past week, picking up 8.5 Box-Toppers points. They rose to second place overall, from fifth a week ago, with 28.9 Box-Toppers points. 

Last week’s top National League team, the Milwaukee Brewers, fell to fourth place overall, picking up only 2.0 Box-Toppers points during the week. The Brewers have 24.2 Box-Toppers points.

The Detroit Tigers have the best record in baseball with a .667 winning percentage. Tigers players have 22.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among all teams.

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.

Mariners' Hisashi Iwakuma (8IP 0R 7K) tops players for Thursday, May 8

Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Iwakuma pitched eight shutout innings and struck out seven in the 1-0 win over the Royals.

Marlins pitcher A.J. Ramos is National League Player of the Day. Ramos pitched two innings of middle relief, striking out three and picking up the win, in the 3-1, 11-inning win over the Padres.

Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians is American League Batter of the Day. Cabrera homered, went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs in the 9-4 win over the Twins.

Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs is NL Batter of the Day. Rizzo doubled, homered and went 3-for-5 in the 12-5 win over the White Sox.

Iwakuma receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Ramos receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Cabrera and Rizzo each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

508	Score	Team	Player	AB	R	H	BI	BB	K		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	11.0	Mariners	Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 2-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		8.0	4	0	0	0	7
	4.2	Astros	Dallas Keuchel (W, 3-2)	-	-	-	-	-	-		7.2	6	2	2	0	7
BAT	4.0	Indians	Asdrubal Cabrera SS	5	2	4	3	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	4.0	Blue Jays	Edwin Encarnacion 1B	4	2	3	3	0	0		-	-	-	-	-	-
NL	4.0	Marlins	A.J. Ramos (W, 3-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	1	3
	3.1	Giants	Santiago Casilla (W, 1-0)	-	-	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	3.0	Cubs	Anthony Rizzo 1B	5	3	3	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Orioles	Steve Pearce 1B	4	1	2	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-	-
	1.0	Rangers	Alex Rios RF	2	1	2	0	2	0		-	-	-	-	-	-