Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw adds to lead in overall Box-Toppers player rankings

Three of the four leaders in Box-Toppers player categories added to their point totals during the past week. 

The only one who didn’t (Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies) had a good reason—he underwent surgery and is out for the season.

Top players

Through Thursday, Aug. 21


 OVERALL LEADERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 23.8
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 21.1
3 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 18.9
4 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 17.4
5 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 17.4
6 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 16.1
7 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 15.8
8 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 15.7
9 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
10 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 14.7
AL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 21.1
2 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 17.4
3 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 16.1
4 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 15.8
5 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 15.7
6 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 14.7
7 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 14.1
8 Hughes, Phil 2272 pi sp min al 13.1
9 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
10 Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp tex al 12.4
AL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Abreu, Jose 3308 1b chi al 14.5
2 Jones, Adam 2347 cf bal al 9.5
3 Donaldson, Josh 3144 3b oak al 9.0
4 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 8.5
5 Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 1b dh lf tor al 8.0
6 Carter, Chris 2828 dh hou al 8.0
7 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf bos al 8.0
8 Trout, Mike 2949 cf ana al 7.5
9 Murphy, David 2348 rf cle al 6.5
10 Colabello, Chris 3235 1b dh rf min al 6.2
NL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 23.8
2 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 18.9
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 17.4
4 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
5 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
6 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 12.7
7 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 12.4
8 Fister, Doug 2688 pi sp dc nl 11.4
9 Kimbrel, Craig 2825 pi cp atl nl 11.0
10 Santana, Ervin 2005 pi sp atl nl 11.0
NL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 11.6
2 Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 7.7
3 Murphy, Daniel 2589 2b nym nl 7.0
4 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 6.7
5 Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 ca mil nl 6.7
6 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 6.5
7 Morse, Michael 2020 lf 1b sf nl 6.5
8 Yelich, Christian 3334 lf fla nl 6.5
9 Upton, Justin 2411 lf atl nl 6.2
10 Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 6.2
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw added 1.7 Box-Toppers points during the past week and now has 23.8 to lead all players and all National League pitchers.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer added 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the past week and now has 21.1 to lead all American League pitchers.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox added 1.5 Box-Toppers points during the past week and now has 14.5 to lead all AL batters.

Tulowitzki, on the disabled list and out for the season, was unable to add to point total—he leads NL batters with 11.6 Box-Toppers points.

These four players have led these categories since the July 3 player rankings report. In that week, Kershaw (then with 14.4 Box-Toppers points) passed Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwight, who had 14.0 Box-Toppers points. Wainwright now has 15.0 points and ranks ninth among all players and fourth among NL pitchers. Scherzer (then with 14.4 Box-Toppers points) passed Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who had 12.7 Box-Toppers points. Tanaka, who went on the disabled list in early July, still has 12.7 points and ranks ninth among AL pitchers.

Notable: Angels pitcher Garrett Richards, ranked eighth overall with 15.7 Box-Toppers points, tore his knee tendon this week and is out for the season. He ranks fifth among AL pitchers and has the most Box-Toppers points among all Angels 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?

Oakland Athletics have bad week, still top Box-Toppers team rankings, but lead narrows

The Oakland Athletics remain the top team in Box-Toppers team rankings even though no team had fewer Box-Toppers points during the past week.

Athletics players have accumulated  99.5 Box-Toppers points this season, but picked up only 1.0 point during the past week—tied with three other teams for the least points scored during the week.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, Aug. 21. 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 in the past week.

821 Teams BTP BTP
/wk		 Last
wk
rank
1 Athletics 99.5 1.0 1
2 Angels 98.5 7.5 3
3 Dodgers 95.6 3.2 2
4 Cardinals 92.1 5.7 4
5 Tigers 89.4 4.0 5
6 Nationals 87.3 8.0 7
7 Giants 84.4 4.0 6
8 Brewers 81.5 5.2 10
9 Orioles 81.5 5.0 9
10 Royals 80.6 5.0 11
BTP: Box-Toppers points

While the Athletics have led Box-Toppers team rankings since the July 13 report, their lead has never been so narrow. The second-place Los Angeles Angels are only 1.0 Box-Toppers point behind with 98.5. And the National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers are now just 3.9 points behind, with 95.6.

The Athletics are led by pitchers Scott Kazmir (14.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among American League pitchers) and Jon Lester (12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 12th among AL pitchers). Kazmir scored the Athletics’ lone Box-Toppers point this week.

The Athletics have the second-best record in baseball and the second-best in the American League, behind the Angels. The Athletics have a .587 winning percentage, two games behind the Angels, with .603.

The Angels are led by pitcher Garrett Richards (15.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked eighth among all players). However, Richards suffered a season-ending injury this week (torn knee tendon). Pitcher Matt Shoemaker now has the most points among active Angels players (8.0, ranked 27th among AL pitchers).

The Dodgers continue to lead all NL teams, as they have since the July 3 team rankings report. The Dodgers, who fell from second to third in overall rankings, are led by pitchers Clayton Kershaw (23.8 Box-Toppers points, overall leader) and Zack Greinke (13.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among NL pitchers).

The Dodgers have the third-best winning percentage in the NL (.558), behind the Washington Nationals (.579) and the Milwaukee Brewers (.559). The Nationals have 87.3 Box-Toppers points, in sixth place overall—they had the best week of all teams, picking up 8.0 Box-Toppers points and rising from seventh to sixth place in team rankings. The Brewers have 81.5 Box-Toppers points and are in eighth place in team rankings.

The Kansas City Royals rose into the top 10 team rankings list, picking up 5.0 Box-Toppers points in the past week, giving him 80.6 for the season, rising from 11th to 10th place. The Toronto Blue Jays fell out of the top 10, falling from eighth to 11th place, picking up only 2.0 Box-Toppers points in the past week, giving them 80.0 for the season.

The Boston Red Sox remain the lowest-ranked team with 50.0 Box-Toppers points.

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.

Angels' Shoemaker tops players for Thursday, Aug. 21; Kershaw, Bumgarner bolster spots among Box-Toppers top 3 players

Angels pitcher Matt Shoemaker is Thursday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner bolstered their spots in the top three in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Shoemaker pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out nine, in the 2-0 win over the Red Sox.

Kershaw, Thursday’s National League Player of the Day, extends his lead among all players in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw struck out 10 over eight innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1 win over the Padres. Kershaw earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 23.8 for the season. He is now only 2.3 points behind his season high of 26.1 Box-Toppers points he scored in 2010.

Bumgarner maintained his third-place spot in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Bumgarner (7IP 12K W in the 5-3 win over the Cubs) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 18.9 for the season. He ranks second among NL pitchers, behind Kershaw.

No batters earned Box-Toppers points Thursday because no batters earned Player of the Game honors—in all nine games, pitchers beat batters as top player of the game.

Notables: Twins pitcher Phil Hughes rose to 14th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Hughes (7IP R 8K W in the 4-1 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.1 for the season. He ranks eighth among American League pitchers.

Braves pitcher Julio Teheran rose to 18th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Teheran (6IP 0R W in the 8-0 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.4 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.

Rays pitcher Alex Cobb becomes the 33rd player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Cobb (7IP 0R 6K W in the 1-0 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 29th among all players and 15th among AL pitchers.

Cubs pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada is Player of the Game in the completion Thursday of a rain-shortened game against the Giants started Tuesday. Wada (5IP 0R 3K W in the 2-1 win) actually did all his work Tuesday, though earns the Box-Toppers point for Thursday. Initially, the game was ruled a rain-shortened, 4 1/2-inning final and a Cubs win Tuesday. At the time, Anthony Rizzo was deemed Player of the Game. He went 2-for-2 with a run and two RBIs, giving him a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0. However, after the Giants protested and baseball ordered the game be resumed Thursday, the Cubs win was taken away, as was Rizzo’s Box-Toppers point for Player of the Game. After the game resumed, Rizzo went 0-for-2, reducing his Box-Toppers game score to 1.0. Wada’s Box-Toppers game score of 2.0 was enough to beat out Rizzo for Player of the Game.

Shoemaker receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kershaw receives 1.7 for NL Player 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

821 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.2 Angels Matt Shoemaker (W, 12-4) - - - - - - 7.2 1 0 0 1 9
13.0 Yankees Brandon McCarthy (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 9.0 4 0 0 0 8
NL 11.0 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw (W, 15-3) - - - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 2 10
9.0 Rays Alex Cobb (W, 9-6) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 2 6
8.0 Twins Phil Hughes (W, 14-8) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 0 8
6.0 `Nationals Gio Gonzalez - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 3 6
5.0 Giants Madison Bumgarner (W, 14-9) - - - - - - 7.0 7 3 3 1 12
5.0 Braves Julio Teheran (W, 12-9) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 0 3
2.0 Cubs Tsuyoshi Wada (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 5.0 6 0 0 0 3

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

 

Tigers' Rick Porcello (CG 0R) tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 20

Tigers pitcher Rick Porcello is Wednesday’s Player of the Day. Porcello pitched a complete game shutout, allowing three hits, in the 6-0 win over the Rays.

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn is National League Player of the Day. Lynn pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out five in the 7-3 win over the Reds. Lynn earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He becomes the 32nd player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 27th among all players and 11th among NL pitchers.

Matt McBride of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. McBride hit a grand slam and went 2-for-3 in the 5-2 win over the Royals. This was McBride’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,400th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. He made his Major League debut Aug. 4, 2012 and was playing in his 32nd career game.

Josh Hamilton of the Angels is AL Batter of the Day. Hamilton doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring a run and driving in three more, in the 8-3 win over the Red Sox.

Porcello receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lynn receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. McBride and Hamilton 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

820 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 10.0 Tigers Rick Porcello (W, 14-8) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 0 4
NL 6.0 Cardinals Lance Lynn (W, 14-8) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 2 5
BAT 4.0 Rockies Matt McBride 1B 3 1 2 4 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 `Phillies Jake Diekman (H, 14) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 1 4
3.1 Indians T.J. House (W, 2-3) - - - - - - 5.1 4 0 0 3 5
3.0 Mets Lucas Duda 1B 4 2 2 3 1 1 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Angels Josh Hamilton CF 3 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 `Nationals Tanner Roark - - - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 1 2
3.0 Padres Eric Stults (W, 6-13) - - - - - - 5.0 4 1 1 1 5
2.0 Giants Travis Ishikawa 1B, LF 5 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Orioles Adam Jones CF 4 2 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Pirates Mark Melancon (W, 2-3) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Blue Jays Jose Reyes SS 5 2 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Rangers Alex Rios RF 4 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
0.0 Astros Robbie Grossman RF 5 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Mariners' Iwakuma tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 19; Tigers' Scherzer extends Box-Toppers points lead among AL pitchers

Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma is Tuesday’s Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer extends his Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers.

Iwakuma pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 11 in the 5-2 win over the Phillies. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season. He is the 31st player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He ranks 23rd among all players and 13th among AL pitchers.

Scherzer bolstered his top spot among AL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Scherzer (7IP 9K ND in the 8-6 win over the Rays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 21.1 for the season. He ranks second among all players, behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has 22.1 Box-Toppers points. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Scherzer ranks first among AL pitchers, ahead of the current second-place AL pitcher, Corey Kluber of the Indians (17.4 Box-Toppers points).

Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers is National League Player of the Day. Fiers struck out six over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.

Carl Crawford of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. Crawford homered and went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 8-6 win over the Padres.

Omar Infante of the Royals is AL Batter of the Day. Infante hit three doubles, going 4-for-5, scoring a run and driving in four more, in the 7-4 win over the Rockies.

Notables: Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir rose to 12th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Kazmir (6IP R 6K W in the 6-2 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.1 for the season. He ranks seventh among AL pitchers.

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg rose to 14th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Strasburg (8IP R W in the 8-1 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.

Iwakuma receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Fiers receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Crawford and Infante 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

819 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 15.0 Mariners Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 12-6) - - - - - - 8.0 4 0 0 0 11
11.0 Orioles Chris Tillman (W, 10-5) - - - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 1 9
NL 8.0 Brewers Mike Fiers (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 7.0 2 1 1 1 6
BAT 6.0 Dodgers Carl Crawford LF 3 3 3 3 1 0 - - - - - -
6.0 Nationals Stephen Strasburg (W, 10-10) - - - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 1 4
BAT 4.0 Royals Omar Infante 2B 5 1 4 4 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Braves Justin Upton LF 4 1 2 5 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Marlins Sam Dyson (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.0 Indians Yan Gomes C 4 3 3 1 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 *Cubs Anthony Rizzo 1B 2 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Athletics Scott Kazmir (W, 14-5) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 3 6
2.2 `Astros Tony Sipp - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 0 1
2.0 Cardinals Jon Jay CF 3 2 2 1 1 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Angels Chris Iannetta C 3 1 2 1 1 0 - - - - - -
1.0 `Tigers Max Scherzer - - - - - - 7.0 4 4 4 3 9

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

* UPDATE: Thursday, August 21, 2014: Rizzo was named Player of the Game in the game that was initially ruled a final, rain-shortened game. However, the Giants protested the game and Major League Baseball upheld the protest. The now-suspended game is to resume in the bottom of the fifth inning on Aug. 21. Rizzo's 1.0 Box-Toppers point earned Aug. 19 will be removed and the game's top player will now be included among Aug. 21's games. Rizzo has 5.5 Box-Toppers points for the season and ranks 15th among NL batters. Before the point was removed, his 6.5 Box-Toppers points put him at seventh place among NL batters. 

 

Orioles' Bud Norris, Phillies' Jerome Williams top players for Monday, Aug. 18

Orioles pitcher Bud Norris is Monday’s Player of the Day. Norris struck out five over seven innings in the 8-2 win over the White Sox.

Of all eight players earning Player of the Game honors Monday, Norris has the highest Box-Toppers points total for the season. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season and ranks 101st among all players.

Phillies pitcher Jerome Williams is National League Player of the Day. Williams gave up one run over seven innings in the 4-1 win over the Mariners.

Erik Kratz of the Royals is American League Batter of the Day. Kratz hit two solo home runs in the 6-4 win over the Twins.

Jason Heyward of the Braves is NL Batter of the Day. Heyward homered and went 3-for-4, driving in two runs, in the 7-3 win over the Pirates.

Norris receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Williams receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Kratz and Heyward 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

818 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 5.0 Orioles Bud Norris (W, 11-7) - - - - - - 7.0 3 2 2 0 5
BAT 4.0 Royals Erik Kratz PH, C 2 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
NL 3.0 Phillies Jerome Williams (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 3 4
3.0 Cubs Kyle Hendricks (W, 5-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 2 3
BAT 2.0 Braves Jason Heyward RF 4 1 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Angels Kole Calhoun RF 2 2 2 0 2 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Cardinals Jhonny Peralta SS 5 1 3 2 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Nationals Wilson Ramos C 4 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -

Cubs' Arrieta tops players for Sunday, Aug. 17; Cuddyer earns NL Batter of Day with cycle

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta, Sunday’s Player of the Day, becomes the 30th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 2-1 win over the Mets. Arrieta picked up a no-decision because after he left the game with the lead, the Mets tied the game at 1-1, before the Cubs scored the go-ahead run in the ninth. Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 27th among all players and 12th among National League pitchers.

Mariners pitcher Chris Young is American League Player of the Day. Young pitched six scoreless innings in the 8-1 win over the Tigers. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 12.1 for the season. He ranks 17th among all players and 11th among AL pitchers.

Michael Cuddyer of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Cuddyer hit for the cycle, going 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-5 win over the Reds.

Jose Altuve of the Astros is AL Batter of the Day. Altuve hit a grand slam and went 4-for-5 in the 8-1 win over the Red Sox.

Notable: Nationals pitcher Doug Fister rose to 22nd place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Fister (7IP 5K ND in the 6-5 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.4 for the season. He ranks eighth among NL pitchers.

Arrieta receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Young receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Cuddyer and Altuve 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

817 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 12.0 `Cubs Jake Arrieta - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 2 9
BAT 5.0 Rockies Michael Cuddyer RF, 1B 5 3 4 3 0 1 - - - - - -
AL 5.0 Mariners Chris Young (W, 12-6) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 1 4
BAT 4.0 Astros Jose Altuve 2B 5 1 4 4 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Cardinals Matt Carpenter 3B 4 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Marlins Giancarlo Stanton RF 4 2 2 4 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 White Sox Conor Gillaspie 3B 3 2 1 4 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Braves Mike Minor (W, 5-8) - - - - - - 7.0 4 2 2 2 7
4.0 `Nationals Doug Fister - - - - - - 7.0 5 2 0 1 5
3.2 `Giants Javier Lopez (H, 8) - - - - - - 1.2 1 0 0 0 3
3.0 Brewers Jonathan Lucroy C 5 1 2 5 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Alex Gordon LF 4 3 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Rockies Drew Stubbs CF 6 2 3 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 `Yankees Dellin Betances (H, 18) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2
1.0 Rangers Neftali Feliz (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
0.0 Orioles Steve Pearce 1B, LF 5 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.

 

Indians' Carrasco tops players for Saturday, Aug. 16; Tigers' Price rises to 6th in Box-Toppers rankings

Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is Saturday’s Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher David Price rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Carrasco pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out five in the 6-0 win over the Orioles.

Price rose from eighth to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Price (8IP R 7K W in the 4-2 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.1 for the season. He ranks third among American League pitchers.

Jedd Gyorko of the Padres is National League Player of the Day. Gyorko hit a grand slam and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 9-5 win over the Cardinals.

David Ortiz of the Red Sox is American League Batter of the Day. Ortiz hit a pair of two-run homers and went 3-for-5, driving in six runs, in the 10-7 win over the Astros.

Notables: Twins pitcher Phil Hughes rose to 16th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Hughes (7.1IP R 6K W in the 4-1 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.1 for the season. He ranks 10th among AL pitchers.

Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez becomes the 29th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after he earned Player of the Game honors. Alvarez (7IP R 6K W in the 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 25th among all players and 11th among NL pitchers.

Carrasco receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Gyorko receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Ortiz receives 1.5 for being AL Batter of the Day.

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

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

816 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 Indians Carlos Carrasco (W, 5-4) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 0 5
7.0 Tigers David Price (W, 12-8) - - - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 3 7
BAT 6.0 Red Sox David Ortiz DH 5 2 3 6 0 1 - - - - - -
NL 6.0 Padres Jedd Gyorko 2B 3 2 2 5 2 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Marlins Henderson Alvarez (W, 9-5) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 1 6
4.1 Twins Phil Hughes (W, 13-8) - - - - - - 7.1 7 1 1 0 6
4.0 `Yankees Shane Greene - - - - - - 6.0 7 2 2 1 10
4.0 `Nationals Craig Stammen - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 2
2.2 Angels Matt Shoemaker (W, 11-4) - - - - - - 5.2 4 2 2 1 6
2.0 Giants Michael Morse LF, 1B 3 1 3 1 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Brewers Yovani Gallardo (W, 8-6) - - - - - - 8.0 6 1 1 1 3
2.0 Blue Jays Casey Janssen (S, 19) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Braves Chris Johnson 3B 4 0 3 2 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Mets Juan Lagares CF 3 1 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Indians' Kluber tops players for Friday, Aug. 15; White Sox' Abreu adds to AL batting Box-Toppers points lead

Indians pitcher Corey Kluber, Friday’s Player of the Day, rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Meanwhile Friday, two other pitchers earning Player of the Game honors rose in Box-Toppers top 10 list and Jose Abreu of the White Sox extended his already large lead in Box-Toppers points among American League batters.

Kluber struck out 10 over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1, 11-inning win over the Orioles. Kluber earned a no-decision because the Orioles tied the game in the eighth inning after he left. Kluber earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 17.4 for the season. He rises from sixth to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Tigers (20.1 Box-Toppers points).

Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler is National League Player of the Day. Wheeler struck out 10 over 6 2/3 innings in the 3-2 win over the Cubs.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Abreu went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in three runs, in the 11-5 win over the Blue Jays. Abreu earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 14.5 for the season. He ranks 11th among all players and extends his lead among AL batters—second-place Josh Donaldson of the Athletics has 9.0 Box-Toppers points.

Lyle Overbay of the Brewers is NL Batter of the Day. Overbay hit a pinch-hit, three-run double in the 6-3 win over the Dodgers.

Notables: Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Cueto (8IP 6K W in the 3-2 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.4 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers.

Angels pitcher Garrett Richards rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Richards (7.1IP 7K W in the 5-4 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among AL pitchers. 

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

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

Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

815 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 8.2 `Indians Corey Kluber - - - - - - 7.2 5 1 1 2 10
8.1 Rays Alex Cobb (W, 8-6) - - - - - - 7.1 6 0 0 1 8
NL 4.2 Mets Zack Wheeler (W, 8-8) - - - - - - 6.2 4 2 2 4 10
3.1 Angels Garrett Richards (W, 13-4) - - - - - - 7.1 7 2 2 0 7
BAT 3.0 White Sox Jose Abreu 1B 5 2 3 3 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Brewers Lyle Overbay PH 1 0 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Cardinals Lance Lynn (W, 13-8) - - - - - - 6.0 6 1 1 1 6
2.2 `Astros Jose Veras - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 1 2
2.0 Phillies Cody Asche 3B 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Braves Philip Gosselin SS 4 2 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Reds Johnny Cueto (W, 15-6) - - - - - - 8.0 6 2 2 2 6
1.0 Royals Alcides Escobar SS 4 0 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Nationals Adam LaRoche 1B 4 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Mariners Robinson Cano 2B 4 2 2 1 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Dbacks Addison Reed (S, 29) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 0

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

 

Despite playing only 91 games, injured Tulowitzki may end season as top NL batter—but won’t win MVP

Top players

Through Thursday, Aug. 14


 OVERALL LEADERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 22.1
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 20.1
3 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 17.9
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 16.4
5 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 15.8
6 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 15.4
7 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 15.1
8 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
9 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 14.7
10 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 14.7
AL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 20.1
2 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 15.8
3 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 15.4
4 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 15.1
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 14.7
6 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 14.7
7 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 13.1
8 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
9 Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp tex al 12.4
10 Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp oak al 12.0
AL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Abreu, Jose 3308 1b chi al 13.0
2 Donaldson, Josh 3144 3b oak al 9.0
3 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 8.5
4 Jones, Adam 2347 cf bal al 8.5
5 Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 1b dh lf tor al 8.0
6 Carter, Chris 2828 dh hou al 8.0
7 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf bos al 8.0
8 Trout, Mike 2949 cf ana al 7.5
9 Murphy, David 2348 rf cle al 6.5
10 Colabello, Chris 3235 1b dh rf min al 6.2
NL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 22.1
2 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 17.9
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 16.4
4 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
5 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
6 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 11.7
7 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 11.4
8 Kimbrel, Craig 2825 pi cp atl nl 11.0
9 Santana, Ervin 2005 pi sp atl nl 11.0
10 Colon, Bartolo pi sp nym nl 10.7
NL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 11.6
2 Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 7.7
3 Murphy, Daniel 2589 2b nym nl 7.0
4 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 6.5
5 Yelich, Christian 3334 lf fla nl 6.5
6 Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 6.2
7 Snider, Travis 2532 rf lf ph pit nl 6.2
8 Smith, Seth 2489 lf rf sd nl 6.0
9 Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 rf fla nl 5.7
10 Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 ca mil nl 5.7
BTP: Box-Toppers points

With six weeks to go in the season, the players atop Box-Toppers four main categories have such commanding leads, they may have already wrapped up Box-Toppers Players of the Season honors.

And that includes a player—Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies, who leads National League batters in Box-Toppers points—who is now out for the season and who, in the end, will have played only slightly more than half the season.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw continues to lead all players with 22.1 Box-Toppers points. His nearest rival among NL pitchers, Madison Bumgarner of the Giants, has 17.9 Box-Toppers points, 4.2 points behind.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer continues to lead American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 20.1. His nearest rival, Felix Hernandez of the Mariners, has 15.8 Box-Toppers points, 4.3 points behind.

Jose Abreu of the White Sox continues to lead AL batters in Box-Toppers points, with 13.0. His nearest rival, Josh Donaldson of the Athletics, has 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 4.0 points behind.

And most notably, Tulowitzki continues to lead NL batters with 11.6 Box-Toppers points. His nearest rival, Freddie Freeman of the Braves, has 7.7 Box-Toppers points, 3.9 points behind.

If any of these four players were to stop playing now, there would be a good chance that no player in their category would catch up to them in Box-Toppers points.

In other words, now, in mid-August, the picture seems pretty clear on who the favorites should be for Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards.

But naming Tulowitzki NL MVP may be problematic because he has not played since July 19 and now will not play the rest of the year because he is having season-ending hip surgery today. He has played in only 91 games this season. The fact that he is playing for a team with the worst winning percentage in the NL (.388) probably could be forgiven when it came time for MVP voting. But his limited playing time probably can not and will not.

And yet, it’s not just Box-Toppers that says Tulowitzki was and is the most dominant player among NL batters this year. Baseball-Reference.com lists him as the top NL batter in the Wins Above Replacement statistic, with 5.7.

Can some NL batter equal or surpass his Box-Toppers point total for the season. It’s possible. But if Freeman, his closest rival, earns Box-Toppers points at the same rate he’s earned them this season, he will only have earned about 10.3 by the end of the season—still more than a point behind Tulowitzki.

Given Tulowitzki’s absence at the end of the season and the fact that no other NL batters have pulled away from the pack and given the fact that Kershaw is so dominating NL pitchers, 2014 may be the year voters decide to give both the Cy Young and MVP award to a pitcher—Kershaw.

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?

Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers continue to lead Box-Toppers team rankings

The Oakland Athletics continue to lead Box-Toppers team rankings, while the Los Angeles Dodgers remain the top National League team.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, Aug. 14. 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.

814 Teams BTP BTP
/wk		 Last
wk
rank
1 Athletics 98.5 4.0 1
2 Dodgers 92.4 4.5 3
3 Angels 91.0 3.0 2
4 Cardinals 86.4 3.7 4
5 Tigers 85.4 4.5 5
6 Giants 80.4 1.0 6
7 Nationals 79.3 4.7 8
8 Blue Jays 78.0 2.0 7
9 Orioles 76.5 5.2 9
10 Brewers 76.3 5.2 10
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Athletics players have accumulated 98.5 points this season. They are led by pitchers Scott Kazmir (13.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh among American League pitchers) and Jon Lester (12.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 10th among AL pitchers).

The Athletics also have baseball’s best win-loss percentage, .603.

The Dodgers moved from third place in team rankings to second place this week, passing the Los Angeles Angels. Dodgers players have accumulated 92.4 Box-Toppers points. They are led by pitchers Clayton Kershaw (22.1 Box-Toppers points, overall leader) and Zack Greinke (13.8 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth among NL pitchers).

The Dodgers also have the NL’s best win-loss percentage, .569.

The Tampa Bay Rays were the hottest team of the week, picking up 8.0 Box-Toppers points. They now have 68.1 and move from 22nd to 19th in team rankings. 

The Boston Red Sox remain the lowest-ranked team with 48.5 Box-Toppers points.

 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.

Tigers' Max Scherzer, top player for Thursday, Aug. 14, becomes 2nd player with 20.0 Box-Toppers points in '14

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer, Thursday’s Player of the Day, strengthens his second-place spot in Box-Toppers player rankings and becomes the second player this season with 20.0 or more Box-Toppers points. 

Scherzer pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 14 in the 5-2 win over the Pirates. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 20.1 for the season, maintaining his second-place spot in Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) He trails only Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22.1 Box-Toppers points).

Scherzer holds a dominant lead among all American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points—second-place Felix Hernandez of the Mariners has 15.8 Box-Toppers points.

This is Scherzer’s highest point total of any season, beating 2013, when he led all American League players with 18.1 Box-Toppers points.

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg is National League Player of the Day. Strasburg struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 4-1 win over the Mets. Strasburg earns 1.7 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. He ranks 17th among all players and sixth among NL pitchers.

Dee Gordon of the Dodgers is NL Batter of the Day. Gordon went 3-for-4 and scored four runs in the 6-4 win over the Braves.

Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Pedroia doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 9-4 win over the Astros.

Scherzer receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Strasburg receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Gordon and Pedroia 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Thursday, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

814 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 17.0 Tigers Max Scherzer (W, 14-4) - - - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 2 14
16.0 Brewers Mike Fiers (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 1 14
NL 9.0 Nationals Stephen Strasburg (W, 9-10) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 0 2 8
5.0 Rays Jake Odorizzi (W, 9-9) - - - - - - 7.0 4 2 2 1 7
5.0 Marlins Mike Dunn (W, 10-5) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Dodgers Dee Gordon 2B 4 4 3 0 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rockies Charlie Culberson SS 4 2 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 2.0 Red Sox Dustin Pedroia 2B 5 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Cardinals Jon Jay PH, CF 1 0 1 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 `Royals Wade Davis - - - - - - 1.0 2 0 0 0 3

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

 

Rays' Chris Archer (7IP 12K) tops players for Wednesday, Aug. 13

Rays pitcher Chris Archer is Wednesday’s Player of the Day. Archer struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 10-1 win over the Rangers.

Cardinals pitcher Justin Masterson is National League Player of the Day. Masterson pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 5-2 win over the Marlins.

Victor Martinez of the Tigers is American League Batter of the Day. Martinez went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-4 win over the Pirates.

Jedd Gyorko of the Padres is NL Batter of the Day. Gyorko doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring a run, in the 5-3 win over the Rockies.

Notables: Braves pitcher Ervin Santana rose to 21st place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Santana (6IP 9K W in the 3-2 win over the Dodgers) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks eighth among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points.

Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann became the 28th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Zimmermann (6.1IP R W in the 3-2 win over the Mets) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season. He is in 27th place in Box-Toppers player rankings and ranks 12th among NL pitchers.

Archer receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Masterson receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Martinez and Gyorko 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Wednesday, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

813 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 11.0 Rays Chris Archer (W, 8-6) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 2 12
10.0 Royals Jason Vargas (W, 9-5) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 0 4
NL 7.0 Cardinals Justin Masterson (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 0 3
7.0 `Indians Trevor Bauer - - - - - - 8.0 4 2 2 2 9
5.2 Mariners Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 11-6) - - - - - - 6.2 5 0 0 1 5
4.1 Nationals Jordan Zimmermann (W, 8-5) - - - - - - 6.1 5 1 0 0 4
BAT 3.0 Tigers Victor Martinez DH 4 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 `Dbacks Andrew Chafin - - - - - - 5.0 3 0 0 2 3
2.0 Twins Glen Perkins (S, 30) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.2 Cubs Tsuyoshi Wada (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 6.2 5 2 2 1 5
BAT 1.0 Padres Jedd Gyorko 2B 4 1 4 0 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Orioles Adam Jones CF 4 1 1 3 0 2 - - - - - -
1.0 Red Sox Mike Napoli 1B 4 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Giants Joaquin Arias PH 0 1 0 0 1 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Braves Ervin Santana (W, 12-6) - - - - - - 6.0 8 2 2 2 9
1.0 Angels Huston Street (S, 7) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 0

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

 

White Sox' Chris Sale, top player for Tuesday, Aug. 12, rises to 9th in Box-Toppers player rankings

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, Tuesday’s Player of the Day, rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Sale pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 12 in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Giants. (Sale did not earn the win because the Giants tied the game after he exited and the White Sox won the game in the 10th inning.) He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.7 for the season, moving into ninth place in season Box-Toppers player rankings. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Sale ranks fifth among all American League pitchers.

Padres pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne is National League Player of the Day. Despaigne pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 4-1 win over the Rockies.

Josh Donaldson of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Donaldson hit two home runs and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-3 win over the Royals.

Gaby Sanchez of the Pirates is NL Batter of the Day. Sanchez doubled, going 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI, in the 4-2 win over the Tigers.

Notables: Nationals pitcher Doug Fister became the 26th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors. Fister (7IP 0R W in the 7-1 win over the Mets) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. He is in 24th place among all players and ranks 10th among NL pitchers.

Mariners pitcher Chris Young became the 27th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors. Young (6IP R W in the 9-3 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season. He ranks 25th among all players and 13th among AL pitchers.

Sale receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Despaigne receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Donaldson and Sanchez 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Tuesday, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

812 Score Team Pitcher AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.0 `White Sox Chris Sale - - - - - - 8.0 4 0 0 2 12
NL 8.0 Padres Odrisamer Despaigne (W, 3-3) - - - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 2 8
BAT 6.0 Athletics Josh Donaldson 3B 4 3 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
6.0 Marlins Jarred Cosart (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 1 3
5.1 Cubs Kyle Hendricks (W, 4-1) - - - - - - 7.1 6 0 0 1 5
5.0 Astros Chris Carter DH 4 2 2 5 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 `Rangers Nick Tepesch - - - - - - 7.0 4 2 2 0 4
3.0 Nationals Doug Fister (W, 12-3) - - - - - - 7.0 7 0 0 0 3
3.0 Mariners Chris Young (W, 11-6) - - - - - - 6.0 2 1 1 2 3
3.0 Dodgers Kenley Jansen (S, 33) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Angels Kole Calhoun RF 4 1 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 1.0 Pirates Gaby Sanchez 1B 2 1 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Red Sox Tommy Layne (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 0

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

 

Miguel Cabrera rises into top 10 list for Box-Toppers 'all-time' batters

Miguel Cabrera has moved into Box-Toppers ‘all-time’ top 10 batters list, passing Gary Sheffield.

Top 10 batters 'all-time'

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 'all-time' batters (record keeping began in 1995). The list includes four players who are currently active in the Majors. One, Manny Ramirez, who plays and coaches in the Minor Leagues. Another player, Alex Rodriguez, who is serving a drug suspension in 2014. And four retired players.


 Player Pos Team BTP
1 Rodriguez, Alex 3b dh sus 179.3
2 Ramirez, Manny lf dh chi nl 167.2
3 Pujols, Albert 1438 dh 1b ana al 164.3
4 Bonds, Barry lf ret 153.2
5 Jones, Chipper 3b ret 149.0
6 Thome, Jim 1b dh ret 146.7
7 Giambi, Jason dh ph cle al 133.4
8 Ortiz, David dh bos al 130.4
9 Guerrero, Vladimir rf dh ret 128.3
10 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 124.2

sus-Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees has been suspended for the 2014 season.
ret-Retired
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Cabrera, who has 8.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, now has 124.2 for his career (2003-present) and passes Sheffield, who accumulated 124.1 Box-Toppers points from 1995-2009. (Sheffield’s career, however, began in 1988, before Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995 and so he would likely have more total career points.)

Cabrera led all batters in Box-Toppers points in 2013 with 16.9. It was one of three seasons in which Cabrera has scored 15 or more Box-Toppers points. He has scored 10 or more points in a season five times.

Cabrera ranks 30th among all players in Box-Toppers points since record keeping began in 1995, just behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the current season’s overall points leader (22.1), who also has 124.2 career Box-Toppers points. (Though Kershaw and Cabrera are tied in points, Kershaw is ranked higher because he has more points this season—22.1 vs. 8.5.)

Cabrera actually joined the ‘all-time’ top 10 batters list in July. It was the first change in membership in the list since May 2013, when David Ortiz of the Red Sox, then with 117.7 Box-Toppers points, supplanted Carlos Delgado, to rise into 10th place. Ortiz is now in eighth place with 130.4 Box-Toppers points.

Cabrera is one of four players currently active in the Major Leagues on the list, joining Albert Pujols, Jason Giambi and Ortiz. Alex Rodriguez, who leads the list, is suspended for 2014 for violating MLB’s performance enhancing drugs policy. Manny Ramirez is currently in the minor leagues as a coach and player with the Chicago Cubs/Iowa Cubs.

What are those numbers after players' names?

Rays' Smyly tops players for Monday, Aug. 11; Mariners' Hernandez rises to 5th in Box-Toppers rankings

Rays pitcher Drew Smyly is Monday’s Player of the Day, while Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Smyly pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 7-0 win over the Rangers.

Hernandez rose from eighth to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Hernandez (7IP R 8K W in the 11-1 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.8 for the season. He ranks second among American League pitchers, behind only Max Scherzer of the Tigers (18.1 Box-Toppers points).

Travis Snider of the Pirates is National League Player of the Day. Snider hit two home runs and doubled, going 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 11-6 win over the Tigers.

Nelson Cruz of the Orioles is AL Batter of the Day. Cruz homered and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 11-3 win over the Yankees.

Smyly receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Snider receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Cruz 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Monday, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

811 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 10.2 Rays Drew Smyly (W, 7-10) - - - - - - 7.2 3 0 0 3 9
10.0 Mariners Felix Hernandez (W, 13-3) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 0 8
NL 5.0 Pirates Travis Snider LF 5 3 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Brewers Yovani Gallardo (W, 7-6) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 1 0 6
5.0 Padres Nick Vincent (W, 1-2) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Marlins Giancarlo Stanton RF 3 2 2 3 1 1 - - - - - -
BAT 4.0 Orioles Nelson Cruz LF 2 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Dodgers Kevin Correia (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 1 5
3.0 Royals Kelvin Herrera (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.1 `Twins Ryan Pressly - - - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Mets Anthony Recker C 4 1 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -

Kershaw, Scherzer, Abreu, Tulowitzki remain top Box-Toppers leaderboards

There was little change atop Box-Toppers leaderboards for the week  ending Aug. 7.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw remained the overall leader in Box-Toppers points with 21.1.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer remained the overall American League leader with 18.1 Box-Toppers points.

Top players

Through Thursday, Aug. 7


 OVERALL LEADERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 21.1
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 18.1
3 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 17.9
4 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 16.4
5 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 15.1
6 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
7 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 14.8
8 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 14.7
9 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 14.4
10 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
AL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp det al 18.1
2 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 15.1
3 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 14.8
4 Richards, Garrett 3042 pi sp ana al 14.7
5 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 14.4
6 Kazmir, Scott 1947 pi sp oak al 13.1
7 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 12.7
8 Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 pi sp nyy al 12.7
9 Darvish, Yu 3003 pi sp tex al 12.4
10 Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp oak al 12.0
AL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Abreu, Jose 3308 1b chi al 13.0
2 Cabrera, Miguel 1776 1b det al 8.5
3 Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 1b dh lf tor al 8.0
4 Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 lf bos al 8.0
5 Donaldson, Josh 3144 3b oak al 7.5
6 Jones, Adam 2347 cf bal al 7.5
7 Trout, Mike 2949 cf ana al 7.5
8 Carter, Chris 2828 dh hou al 7.0
9 Murphy, David 2348 rf cle al 6.5
10 Colabello, Chris 3235 1b dh rf min al 6.2
NL PITCHERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 21.1
2 Bumgarner, Madison 2753 pi sp sf nl 17.9
3 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp cin nl 16.4
4 Wainwright, Adam 2150 pi sp stl nl 15.0
5 Greinke, Zack 1871 pi sp lad nl 13.8
6 Teheran, Julio 3176 pi sp atl nl 11.4
7 Lincecum, Tim 2288 pi sp sf nl 10.4
8 Kimbrel, Craig 2825 pi cp atl nl 10.0
9 Santana, Ervin 2005 pi sp atl nl 10.0
10 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 10.0
NL BATTERS POS TEAM BTP
1 Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 ss col nl 11.6
2 Freeman, Freddie 2887 1b atl nl 7.7
3 Murphy, Daniel 2589 2b nym nl 7.0
4 McCutchen, Andrew 2637 cf pit nl 6.5
5 Howard, Ryan 2040 1b phi nl 6.2
6 Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 ca mil nl 5.7
7 Rizzo, Anthony 3063 1b chi nl 5.5
8 Morse, Michael 2020 lf sf nl 5.5
9 Yelich, Christian 3334 lf fla nl 5.5
10 Upton, Justin 2411 lf atl nl 5.2
BTP: Box-Toppers points

Jose Abreu of the White Sox remained the leader among AL batters with 13.0. And Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies remained atop the NL batters list, with 11.6 Box-Toppers points.

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?

Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, hottest teams of week, lead leagues in Box-Toppers team rankings

The Oakland Athletics remained top team in Box-Toppers team rankings and were one of the hottest teams of the week ending Aug. 7.

Athletics players had accumulated 94.5 Box-Toppers points, picking up 7.0 points during the previous week.

Top 10 teams

Here are Box-Toppers' Top 10 teams, through the games of Thursday, Aug. 7. 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 since the last team rankings report through July 31.

807 Teams BTP BTP/wk Last
wk
rank
1 Athletics 94.5 7.0 1
2 Angels 88.0 5.5 2
3 Dodgers 87.9 7.0 3
4 Cardinals 82.7 4.5 4
5 Tigers 80.9 5.7 5
6 Giants 79.4 6.4 7
7 Blue Jays 76.0 2.0 6
8 Nationals 74.6 5.7 9
9 Orioles 71.3 5.2 12
10 Brewers 71.1 3.0 10
BTP: Box-Toppers points

The Los Angeles Dodgers remained the top National League team in Box-Toppers rankings, with 87.9 Box-Toppers points. The Dodgers also picked up 7.0 points during the previous week. The Dodgers were in third place overall, behind the second-place Los Angeles Angels (88.0 Box-Toppers points).

The Baltimore Orioles rose into the top 10 list this week, rising to ninth place from No. 12, with 71.3 Box-Toppers points. The Atlanta Braves fell from the top 10, falling from eighth place to 15th place with 68.9 Box-Toppers points—picking up 0.0 points over the previous week.

The Boston Red Sox, last year’s World Series champion, remained in 30th and last place among all teams for the second straight week. Red Sox players have accumulated 43.0 Box-Toppers points, behind the 29th-place Chicago Cubs, with 47.2.

 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.

Braves' Wood tops players for Sunday, Aug. 10; Dodgers' Kershaw extends lead in Box-Toppers rankings

Braves pitcher Alex Wood is Sunday’s Player of the Day, while Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his overall lead in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Wood struck out 12 over 7 1/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 3-1 win over the Nationals.

Kershaw bolstered his spot atop Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kershaw (8IP R 6K W in the 5-1 win over the Brewers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 22.1 for the season. He beats his point total from 2013 of 21.7, when he led all players. This is the second-most points Kershaw has earned in a season—the most was 26.1 in 2011, when he also led all players.

Twins pitcher Phil Hughes is American League Player of the Day. Hughes struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, in the 6-1 win over the Athletics. Hughes became the 25th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.1 for the season and ranks 19th among all players, 11th among AL pitchers.

Devin Mesoraco of the Reds is NL Batter of the Day. Mesoraco hit two homers, including a grand slam, in the 7-2 win over the Marlins.

Austin Jackson of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Jackson went 3-for-4 and drove in all four of his team’s runs in the 4-2 win over the White Sox.

Wood receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Hughes receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Mesoraco and Jackson 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 watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed Sunday, click here.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

810 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.1 Braves Alex Wood (W, 8-9) - - - - - - 7.1 5 1 1 3 12
AL 7.0 Twins Phil Hughes (W, 12-8) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 1 7
7.0 Indians Carlos Carrasco (W, 4-4) - - - - - - 5.0 2 0 0 0 4
BAT 6.0 Reds Devin Mesoraco C 4 2 2 6 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Red Sox Rubby De La Rosa (W, 4-4) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 3 8
5.0 `Blue Jays Aaron Sanchez - - - - - - 3.0 1 0 0 0 3
4.0 Phillies Chase Utley 2B 4 2 3 3 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Cardinals Peter Bourjos PR, CF 1 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw (W, 14-2) - - - - - - 8.0 6 1 1 2 6
4.0 Rockies LaTroy Hawkins (S, 18) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Mariners Austin Jackson CF 4 0 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Padres Seth Smith RF 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Norichika Aoki RF 2 2 2 1 2 0 - - - - - -
3.0 `Cubs Travis Wood - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 0 3 5
1.0 Rangers Alex Rios RF 2 1 1 1 0 0 - - - - - -

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

 

Rays' Odorizzi tops players for Saturday, Aug. 9; Indians' Kluber rises to 5th in Box-Toppers rankings

Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi is Saturday’s Player of the Day, while Indians pitcher Corey Kluber rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Odorizzi pitched six scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 4-0 win over the Cubs.

Kluber rose from ninth to fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. (See the updated top 10 player list on the home page.) Kluber (6IP 0R 10K W in the 3-0 win over the Yankees) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.4 for the season. He ranks second among American League pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Tigers (18.1 Box-Toppers points).

Brewers pitcher Mike Fiers is National League Player of the Day. Fiers allowed one run over eight innings and struck out five in the 4-1 win over the Dodgers.

David Peralta of the Diamondbacks is NL Batter of the Day. Peralta hit a grand slam and doubled, going 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 14-4 win over the Rockies.

Derek Norris of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Norris hit a three-run homer and drove in five total runs in the 9-4 win over the Twins.

Odorizzi receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Fiers receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Peralta and Norris 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

809 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 12.0 Rays Jake Odorizzi (W, 8-9) - - - - - - 6.0 3 0 0 0 9
11.0 Indians Corey Kluber (W, 13-6) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 1 10
9.0 Royals James Shields (W, 11-6) - - - - - - 9.0 4 0 0 1 5
NL 7.0 Brewers Mike Fiers (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 8.0 3 1 1 1 5
7.0 Angels Matt Shoemaker (W, 10-4) - - - - - - 3.0 0 0 0 0 4
BAT 5.0 Dbacks David Peralta RF 5 2 3 5 0 0 - - - - - -
4.1 `White Sox Hector Noesi - - - - - - 7.1 5 1 0 1 4
BAT 4.0 Athletics Derek Norris C 3 1 1 5 2 1 - - - - - -
3.1 Padres Eric Stults (W, 5-13) - - - - - - 6.1 7 1 1 0 6
3.0 Orioles Delmon Young LF 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Astros Jonathan Singleton 1B 3 1 2 3 2 1 - - - - - -
3.0 `Mets Dillon Gee - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 3 4
2.0 `Blue Jays Marcus Stroman - - - - - - 9.0 4 2 2 3 4
2.0 Nationals Rafael Soriano (S, 26) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 2
1.0 Marlins Christian Yelich LF 4 1 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -

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