Athletics' Chavez tops players for Wednesday, June 17; Mariners' Hernandez extends lead in Box-Toppers player rankings

Athletics pitcher Jesse Chavez is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Wednesday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez extended his lead in season Box-Toppers player rankings and Prince Fielder of the Rangers extended his lead in Box-Toppers points among American League batters.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 17.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 13.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 12.0
3 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 11.0
4 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
6 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 10.1
7 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
8 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
9 Harvey, Matt 3075 pi sp nym nl 9.7
10 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 9.4
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Chavez struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 16-2 win over the Padres.

National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out six, in the 17-0 win over the Indians.

National League Batter of the Day—Todd Frazier of the Reds hit two home runs, including a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 13th inning, in the 8-4 win over the Tigers.

American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros homered and doubled, going 3-for-5, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-4 win over the Rockies. This was Correa’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Correa made his Major League debut June 8 and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,506th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Rankings—Two Box-Toppers category leaders earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday:

  • Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, overall Box-Toppers points leader, was Player of the Game in the 2-0 win over the Giants (8IP 0R 4H 5K W). Hernandez earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He has led all players in Box-Toppers points all but six days this season. Hernandez now has 156.7 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 12th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 11th-place player John Smoltz (160.9).
  • Prince Fielder of the Rangers, leader in Box-Toppers points among AL batters, was Player of the Game in the 5-3 win over the Dodgers (HR 2B 2-4 2R BI). Fielder earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.5 for the season. Fielder is baseball’s top-ranked batter and ranks 14th among all players.

Notable—Tigers pitcher David Price, sixth in season player rankings, started on Wednesday but did not earn Player of the Game honors. Price (5IP 4H 2R 6K ND in the 8-4 loss to the Reds) had a Box-Toppers game score of 2. Todd Frazier of the Reds was Player of the Game (and NL Batter of the Day) with a Box-Toppers game score of 3. Price has 10.1 Box-Toppers points this season.

Debut—Rays pitcher Matt Andriese also made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Andriese (4IP 0R 2H W in the 5-0 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut April 10 and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,505th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Chavez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Wada earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Frazier and Correa each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/17 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 12.0 Athletics Jesse Chavez (W, 3-6) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 1 11
10.2 Yankees Michael Pineda (W, 8-3) - - - - - - 6.2 1 1 1 2 9
7.0 Mariners Felix Hernandez (W, 10-3) - - - - - - 8.0 4 0 0 2 5
NL 7.0 Cubs Tsuyoshi Wada (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 2 6
5.2 Blue Jays Drew Hutchison (W, 6-1) - - - - - - 5.2 4 0 0 1 5
5.0 Twins Tommy Milone (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 0 5
5.0 Pirates Jeff Locke (W, 4-3) - - - - - - 6.0 3 2 2 2 8
BAT 3.0 Reds Todd Frazier 3B 6 2 2 5 1 2 - - - - - -
3.0 `Braves Alex Wood - - - - - - 6.0 5 2 1 2 7
3.0 Rays Matt Andriese (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 4.0 2 0 0 1 2
BAT 2.0 Astros Carlos Correa SS 5 1 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Royals Alcides Escobar SS 5 1 2 4 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Rangers Prince Fielder 1B 4 2 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Orioles Chris Parmelee RF 3 2 1 1 1 0 - - - - - -
0.0 Dbacks Yasmany Tomas RF 4 0 3 1 0 1 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Mets' Matt Harvey tops players for Tuesday, June 16, rises to 9th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Mets pitcher Matt Harvey is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to ninth in player rankings.

Harvey pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing four hits, in the 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. Harvey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 16.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 12.0
3 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 11.0
4 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
6 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 10.1
7 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
8 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
9 Harvey, Matt 3075 pi sp nym nl 9.7
10 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 9.4
What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing four hits, in the 6-0 win over the Cubs.

American League Batter of the Day—Manny Machado of the Orioles hit two home runs and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 19-3 win over the Phillies.

National League Batter of the Day—Clint Robinson of the Nationals homered and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 16-4 win over the Rays.

Debut—Matt Duffy of the Giants made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Duffy (HR 3-4 2R 3BI in the 6-2 win over the Mariners) made his Major League debut Aug. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 87th career game. He is the 3,504th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Harvey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bauer earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Machado and Robinson each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/16 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 Mets Matt Harvey (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 0 6
AL 7.0 Indians Trevor Bauer (W, 6-3) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 3 7
BAT 5.0 Orioles Manny Machado 3B 4 3 3 3 1 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Astros Luis Valbuena 3B 3 2 2 4 1 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Pirates Charlie Morton (W, 5-0) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 1 3
5.0 Royals Chris Young (W, 6-2) - - - - - - 7.0 5 0 0 0 3
BAT 4.0 Nationals Clint Robinson 1B, RF 5 3 4 2 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Giants Matt Duffy 3B 4 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Athletics Tyler Clippard (S, 10) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.1 Red Sox Wade Miley (W, 6-6) - - - - - - 6.1 5 2 2 2 8
3.1 Cardinals Michael Wacha (W, 9-2) - - - - - - 6.1 3 2 2 1 5
3.0 Marlins Giancarlo Stanton RF 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Angels Garrett Richards (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 0 3 4
3.0 Reds Aroldis Chapman (S, 14) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 3
0.0 Rangers Robinson Chirinos C 4 1 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -

Pirates' Francisco Liriano, Tigers' Anibal Sanchez top players for Monday, June 15

Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Monday, Cardinals pitcher John Lackey now has 102.8 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 57th among all players since 1995.

Player of the Day—Liriano pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 12 and allowing two hits, in the 11-0 win over the White Sox.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 15.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 12.0
3 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 11.0
4 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
6 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 10.1
7 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
8 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
9 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 9.4
10 Heston, Chris 3437 pi sp sf nl 8.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Liriano is the season’s highest-ranked among the 14 who earned Player of the Game honors Monday. Liriano earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.4 for the season. He ranks 19th among all players and 10th among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez pitched a complete game shutout, striking out seven and allowing two hits, in the 6-0 win over the Reds.

American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Vogt of the Athletics hit a grand slam and went 3-for-5, driving in five total runs, in the 9-1 win over the Padres.

This was Vogt’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut April 6, 2012, and was playing in his 211th career game. He is the 3,503rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—There was no NL Batter of the Day for Monday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.

Notable—Cardinals pitcher John Lackey rose to 57th place among all players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Lackey (8IP 5H 2R 6K W in the 3-2 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 102.8 for his career. With his point Monday, Lackey passes three players on Box-Toppers “all-time” list: Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2), Miguel Tejada (102.3) and Aramis Ramirez (102.3). He trails 56th-place player Jamie Moyer (104.0). Lackey has 4.7 Box-Toppers points on the season and ranks 20th among NL pitchers.

Debut—Diamondbacks pitcher Robbie Ray also made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Ray (7IP 2H 0R 3K W in the 7-3 win over the Angels) made his Major League debut May 6, 2014, and was playing in his 13th career game. He is the 3,502nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Liriano earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Sanchez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Vogt earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/15 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 17.0 Pirates Francisco Liriano (W, 4-5) - - - - - - 8.0 2 0 0 1 12
AL 14.0 Tigers Anibal Sanchez (W, 5-7) - - - - - - 9.0 2 0 0 0 7
12.0 Orioles Wei-Yin Chen (W, 3-4) - - - - - - 8.0 4 0 0 1 9
11.0 `Mets Noah Syndergaard - - - - - - 6.0 2 1 1 2 11
6.0 Dbacks Robbie Ray (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 2 3
5.0 Marlins Tom Koehler (W, 5-4) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 2 5
BAT 4.0 Athletics Stephen Vogt C 5 1 3 5 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Astros George Springer RF 4 3 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Cardinals John Lackey (W, 5-4) - - - - - - 8.0 5 2 2 1 6
4.0 Mariners Taijuan Walker (W, 4-6) - - - - - - 7.0 7 1 1 0 6
4.0 Rangers Yovani Gallardo (W, 6-6) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 3 4
2.0 Royals Mike Moustakas 3B 2 2 1 1 3 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Rays Evan Longoria 3B 1 1 1 1 1 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Braves Williams Perez (W, 3-0) - - - - - - 6.0 5 0 0 2 2
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Nationals' Scherzer tops players for Sunday, June 14, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Also Sunday, Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rises to ninth in player rankings. Plus, Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett now has 125.8 career Box-Toppers points.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 14.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 12.0
3 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 11.0
4 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
5 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
6 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 10.1
7 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
8 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
9 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 9.4
10 Heston, Chris 3437 pi sp sf nl 8.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Scherzer pitched a complete game, one-hit shutout, striking out 16, in the 4-0 win over the Brewers. Scherzer allowed only two base runners, giving up one walk and one hit. He had a Box-Toppers game score of 23, the second-highest of the season. (Indians pitcher Corey Kluber had a higher Box-Toppers game score of 25 when he was Player of the Day on May 13.)

Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season and moving him to third in season Box-Toppers player rankings. He ranks second among American League pitchers, behind overall leader Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (12.4). Scherzer is the sixth player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray struck out nine over 7 2/3 innings, allowing one run, in the 8-1 win over the Angels.

Gray rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 9.4 for the season. He ranks fifth among AL pitchers.

American League Batter of the Day—Ryan Goins of the Blue Jays homered, doubled and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 13-5 win over the Red Sox.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day for Sunday because no NL batters earned Player of the Game honors. In fact, in all 14 games completed Sunday, only one batter earned Player of the Game honors.

Notable—Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett now has 125.8 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Burnett (9IP 5H 0R 4K ND in the 1-0, 11-inning win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. His 125.8 career Box-Toppers points ranks 32nd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 31st-place player Mariano Rivera (126.4). Burnett has 4.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.

Rankings—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale, ranked in Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings, started Sunday but did not earn Player of the Game honors. Sale (6.2IP 3H 2R 12K L) had a Box-Toppers game score of 8.2, but the White Sox lost to the Rays, 2-1. Rays pitcher Nathan Karns (6IP 7H R 8K ND, Box-Toppers game score of 4) was Player of the Game.

Sale has 10.4 Box-Toppers points for the season and fell from fourth to fifth in Box-Toppers player rankings Sunday.

Debut—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

  • Mets pitcher Sean Gilmartin (2IP 0H 0R 3K W in the 10-8 win over the Braves) made his Major League debut April 10, and was playing in his 24th career game. He is the 3,500th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
  • Dodgers pitcher Josh Ravin (2IP H 0R 3K W in the 4-2 win over the Padres) made his Major League debut June 2, and was playing in his fourth career game. He is the 3,501st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Scherzer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gray earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Goins earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/14 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 23.0 Nationals Max Scherzer (W, 7-5) - - - - - - 9.0 1 0 0 1 16
AL 10.2 Athletics Sonny Gray (W, 8-3) - - - - - - 7.2 5 1 0 0 9
7.0 `Pirates A.J. Burnett - - - - - - 9.0 5 0 0 1 4
6.0 Tigers Alfredo Simon (W, 7-3) - - - - - - 5.0 3 0 0 1 5
5.0 Astros Lance McCullers (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 5.0 0 0 0 4 4
5.0 `Yankees Justin Wilson (H, 9) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 4.0 Blue Jays Ryan Goins 2B 5 2 2 5 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Dbacks Rubby De La Rosa (W, 5-3) - - - - - - 8.0 8 0 0 2 6
4.0 `Cubs Jon Lester - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 0 4
4.0 `Rays Nathan Karns - - - - - - 6.0 7 1 1 1 8
4.0 Twins Casey Fien (W, 2-2) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 1 3
4.0 Mets Sean Gilmartin (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 1 3
4.0 Dodgers Josh Ravin (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 3
3.0 Rockies John Axford (S, 12) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 1 3
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Marlins' Latos tops players for Saturday, June 13, Pirates' Cole rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Marlins pitcher Mat Latos is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Player of the Day—Latos struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 4-1 win over the Rockies.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 13.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 12.0
3 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
4 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
5 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 10.1
6 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
7 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
8 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
9 Heston, Chris 3437 pi sp sf nl 8.7
10 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 8.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Latos had a Box-Toppers game score of 10, the same as Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson (Player of the Game in the 1-0 win over the Athletics), but Latos won overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker—he had more strikeouts than Wilson—11 vs. 8.

American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson pitched seven scoreless innings, struck out eight and allowed two hits, in the 1-0 win over the Athletics.

American League Batter of the Day—Manny Machado of the Orioles hit a two-run homer and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Yankees.

National League Batter of the Day—David Peralta of the Diamondbacks went 2-for-4, scoring once, driving in a run and stealing a base, in the 4-2 win over the Giants.

Rankings—Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Cole (6IP 5H 2R 7K W in the 4-3 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.0 for the season. Cole extends his lead among NL pitchers (second place is Jacob deGrom of the Mets with 9.7 Box-Toppers points). Cole trails overall leader Felix Hernandez of the Mariners, who has 12.4 Box-Toppers points.

Notable—Rays pitcher Chris Archer fell from second to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings. Though he pitched in his team’s 5-4 win Saturday over the White Sox, he did not earn Player of the Game honors—that honor went to Kevin Kiermaier (3B 2-3 2R), who had a Box-Toppers game score of 1. Archer (7IP 5H 3R 5K ND) had a Box-Toppers game score of 0. Archer has 11.0 Box-Toppers points this season.

Debut—Nationals pitcher Joe Ross made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Ross (8IP 7H 2R 8K W in the 7-2 win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut June 6 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,499th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Latos earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Wilson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Machado and Peralta each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/13 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 10.0 Marlins Mat Latos (W, 2-4) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 2 11
AL 10.0 Angels C.J. Wilson (W, 4-5) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 3 8
6.0 `Cubs Kyle Hendricks - - - - - - 5.0 4 1 1 0 7
5.0 Pirates Gerrit Cole (W, 10-2) - - - - - - 6.0 5 2 1 0 7
BAT 4.0 Orioles Manny Machado 3B 5 2 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Mariners Logan Morrison 1B 5 2 2 5 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Nationals Joe Ross (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 8.0 7 2 2 1 8
4.0 `Padres Ian Kennedy - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 1 4
3.0 Rangers Shin-Soo Choo RF 4 1 3 3 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Cardinals Tyler Lyons (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 5.0 3 2 2 1 6
2.1 `Blue Jays Steve Delabar - - - - - - 1.1 0 0 0 0 1
2.0 Indians David Murphy DH 3 2 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Braves Jason Grilli (W, 2-2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Rays Kevin Kiermaier CF 3 2 2 0 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 0.0 Dbacks David Peralta LF 4 1 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Tigers' Price tops players for Friday, June 12, rises to 5th in player rankings; Kershaw debuts in top 10

Tigers pitcher David Price is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fifth place in player rankings.

Also Friday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rose to 10th place in player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 12.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
3 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 11.0
4 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
5 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 10.1
6 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
7 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
8 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
9 Heston, Chris 3437 pi sp sf nl 8.7
10 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 8.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Price pitched a complete game shutout, striking out eight and allowing seven hits, in the 4-0 win over the Indians.

Price earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.1 points for the season and rises to fifth place in season player rankings, fourth among American League pitchers. He is the fifth player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Price had a Box-Toppers game score of 10, tied with Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia (Player of the Game in the win over the Royals), but Price won overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker because he had more innings pitched—nine vs. eight.

National League Player of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 4-0 win over the Royals.

National League Batter of the Day—Aramis Ramirez of the Brewers drove in five runs on three doubles in the 8-4 win over the Nationals.

Ramirez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day and rises to 57th place among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Ramirez now has 102.3 career Box-Toppers points and with his points Friday, passes six players on Box-Toppers “all-time” list:

  • Jason Schmidt 101.2
  • Tim Wakefield 101.4
  • Adam Wainwright 101.8
  • John Lackey 101.8
  • Ken Griffey Jr. 102.2
  • Miguel Tejada 102.3

Ramirez, who has 2.5 Box-Toppers points on the season, now trails 56th-place player Jamie Moyer (104.0 Box-Toppers points).

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit a three-run home run and went 3-for-5, driving in four total runs, in the 11-3 win over the Yankees.

Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Kershaw (6.2IP 4H R 11K ND in the 4-3 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.

Kershaw led all players in Box-Toppers points with 31.5, the fourth-highest single-season total since record keeping began in 1995. While Kershaw is just now making his debut in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings, he is actually just ahead of his pace for 2014. At this point in 2014, Kershaw had 7.7 Box-Toppers points.

With his point Friday, Kershaw now has 141.6 career Box-Toppers points and remains in 20th place among all players since record keeping began in 1995. He ranks 14th among all pitchers on that list.

Notable—Box-Toppers points leader for 2015 Felix Hernandez had a very un-Box-Toppers points leader kind of day Friday.

Hernandez allowed eight runs and five hits in only one-third of an inning in the 10-0 loss to the Astros. Astros pitcher Brett Oberholtzer (8IP 3H 0R 5K W) was Player of the Game.

Hernandez leads players in Box-Toppers points this season with 12.4.

Debut—Pirates pitcher Arquimedes Caminero made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Caminero (1IP 0H 0R 2K ND in the 1-0 win over the Phillies) made his Major League debut Aug. 16, 2013, and was playing in his 60th career game. He is the 3,498th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Price earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Garcia earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Ramirez and Davis each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/12 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 10.0 Tigers David Price (W, 6-2) - - - - - - 9.0 7 0 0 0 8
NL 10.0 Cardinals Jaime Garcia (W, 2-3) - - - - - - 8.0 4 0 0 0 6
8.2 `Dodgers Clayton Kershaw - - - - - - 6.2 4 1 1 3 11
8.0 Astros Brett Oberholtzer (W, 1-1) - - - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 2 5
7.0 Dbacks Chase Anderson (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 7.0 1 0 0 1 2
4.2 `Rangers Wandy Rodriguez - - - - - - 6.2 3 1 1 3 6
BAT 4.0 Brewers Aramis Ramirez 3B 4 0 3 5 0 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Mets John Mayberry Jr. LF 2 2 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Orioles Chris Davis 1B 5 1 3 4 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Blue Jays Justin Smoak 1B 5 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Angels Mike Trout CF 3 2 3 1 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rays Jake McGee (S, 2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 `Pirates Arquimedes Caminero - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Reds Todd Frazier 3B 5 3 2 2 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Marlins J.T. Realmuto C 4 1 1 3 0 0 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

St. Louis Cardinals top Box-Toppers team rankings for second week in a row

Redbirds perch atop team rankings for 2nd week. Royals regain AL team lead. Blue Jays are week's hottest team.

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Athletics' Scott Kazmir (8IP 0R H 6K) tops players for Thursday, June 11

Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Kazmir pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out six, in the 7-0 win over the Rangers.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 11.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
3 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 11.0
4 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
5 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
6 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
7 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
8 Heston, Chris 3437 pi sp sf nl 8.7
9 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 8.1
10 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Kazmir is the top-ranked player among the nine who earned Player of the Game honors Thursday. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season and ranks 23rd among all players, eighth among American League pitchers.

National League Player of the Day—Marlins pitcher David Phelps pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 6-0 win over the Rockies.

National League Batter of the Day—Miguel Montero of the Cubs hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3 in the 6-3 win over the Reds.

American League Batter of the Day—Adam Jones of the Orioles homered, doubled and scored twice in the 6-5 win over the Red Sox.

Scoring—Kazmir earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Phelps earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Montero and Jones each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/11 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 11.0 Athletics Scott Kazmir (W, 3-4) - - - - - - 8.0 1 0 0 2 6
10.0 Indians Shaun Marcum (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 0 5
NL 9.0 Marlins David Phelps (W, 3-3) - - - - - - 8.0 4 0 0 1 6
5.0 Angels Garrett Richards (W, 6-4) - - - - - - 7.0 4 2 2 1 7
BAT 3.0 Cubs Miguel Montero C 3 1 2 3 1 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Padres Craig Kimbrel (S, 15) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
BAT 2.0 Orioles Adam Jones CF 3 2 2 1 1 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Brewers Gerardo Parra CF 4 2 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Mets Curtis Granderson RF 4 2 2 1 0 2 - - - - - -

Pirates' Charlie Morton (7.1IP 0R 6K) tops players for Wednesday, June 10

Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Morton pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out six in the 2-0 win over the Brewers.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 10.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
3 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 11.0
4 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
5 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
6 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
7 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
8 Heston, Chris 3437 pi sp sf nl 8.7
9 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 8.1
10 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Orioles closing pitcher Darren O’Day pitched two scoreless innings and struck out four, picking up the save, in the 5-2 win over the Red Sox.

National League Batter of the Day—Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers homered, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 7-6 win over the Diamondbacks. It is only the fourth time in three seasons that Puig has earned Player of the Game honors and the  first time he has earned Player of the Game twice in one season (he also earned Player of the Game honors April 18). He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 2.5 points for the season and 5.0 points for his career. Since the start of 2013, Puig’s 5.0 Box-Toppers points ranks him 42nd among active NL outfielders.

American League Batter of the Day—Kyle Seager of the Mariners hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five total runs, in the 9-3 win over the Indians.

Notable—Joe Panik of the Giants has the highest season Box-Toppers point total of any of Wednesday’s 15 Players of the Games. Panik (HR 3-5 2R 2BI in the 8-5 win over the Mets) has 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 and ranks 74th among all players, 10th among NL batters.

Debuts—Three players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

  • Nationals pitcher Blake Treinen (2IP H 0R 3K W in the 5-4 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut April 12, 2014, and was playing in his 38th career game. He is the 3,495th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
  • Athletics pitcher Pat Venditte (2.1IP 0H 0R 3K ND in the 5-4 win over the Rangers) made his Major League debut June 5, and was playing in his fourth career game. He is the 3,496th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
  • Blue Jays pitcher Scott Copeland (7IP 6H R 4K W in the 7-2 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut May 2, and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,497th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Morton earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and O’Day earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Puig and Seager each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/10 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 7.1 Pirates Charlie Morton (W, 4-0) - - - - - - 7.1 3 0 0 3 6
AL 6.0 Orioles Darren O`Day (S, 2) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 4
5.2 `Cardinals Kevin Siegrist (H, 11) - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 0 4
BAT 5.0 Dodgers Yasiel Puig RF 4 2 4 3 1 0 - - - - - -
BAT 5.0 Mariners Kyle Seager 3B 4 2 2 5 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Braves Williams Perez (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 0 2 5
4.0 Nationals Blake Treinen (W, 2-2) - - - - - - 2.0 1 0 0 0 3
3.1 `Athletics Pat Venditte - - - - - - 2.1 0 0 0 2 3
3.0 Cubs Miguel Montero C 5 2 3 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Reds Brayan Pena C 4 1 4 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Blue Jays Scott Copeland (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 1 0 4
3.0 `Rays Steve Geltz (H, 6) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.0 Giants Joe Panik 2B 5 2 3 2 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Royals Alex Gordon LF 3 1 1 3 1 2 - - - - - -
1.0 White Sox Jose Abreu 1B 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.

Giants' Chris Heston pitches no-hitter, tops players for Tuesday, June 9, rises to 8th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Giants pitcher Chris Heston, pitching a no-hitter, is Tuesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to eighth in season player rankings.

Heston struck out 11 over nine innings, allowing no hits, runs or walks, in the 5-0 win over the Mets. Heston allowed three base runners—he hit three batters with pitches.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 9.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
3 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 11.0
4 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
5 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
6 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
7 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
8 Heston, Chris 3437 pi sp sf nl 8.7
9 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 8.1
10 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Heston earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, rising to eighth in player rankings and fifth among NL pitchers.

Heston had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of 20, the second-highest score of the season. On May 13, Corey Kluber of the Indians had the season’s highest Box-Toppers game score so far—25 (8IP H 0R 0BB 18K).

American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out seven in the 6-0 win over the Cubs.

National League Batter of the Day—Joey Votto of the Reds hit three home runs, going 3-for-4, scoring four times and driving in four runs, in the 11-2 win over the Phillies.

American League Batter of the Day—Kole Calhoun of the Angels doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 8-2 win over the Rays.

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

  • Brewers pitcher Taylor Jungman (7IP 3H R 5K W in the 4-1 win over the Pirates) was also making his Major League debut Tuesday. He is the 3,493rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
  • White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon (6IP 4H 0R 5K W in the 4-2 win over the Astros) made his Major League debut April 21 and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,494th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Heston earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Sanchez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Votto and Calhoun each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/9 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 20.0 Giants Chris Heston (W, 6-4) - - - - - - 9.0 0 0 0 0 11
BAT 7.0 Reds Joey Votto 1B 4 4 3 4 1 0 - - - - - -
AL 6.2 Tigers Anibal Sanchez (W, 4-7) - - - - - - 7.2 6 0 0 2 7
6.0 Rockies Jorge De La Rosa (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 7.0 3 2 2 2 8
6.0 Yankees Masahiro Tanaka (W, 4-1) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 0 6
6.0 Brewers Taylor Jungmann (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 1 5
5.0 White Sox Carlos Rodon (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 2 5
5.0 Rangers Nick Martinez (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 6.0 1 0 0 3 3
4.1 Royals Chris Young (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 6.1 1 0 0 3 2
BAT 3.0 Angels Kole Calhoun RF 5 1 3 4 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Dodgers Kenley Jansen (S, 7) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
2.2 Orioles Zach Britton (S, 16) - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 1 2
2.0 Braves Andrelton Simmons SS 4 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Blue Jays Edwin Encarnacion DH 3 1 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Mariners Dustin Ackley PH, LF 0 1 0 0 2 0 - - - - - -

White Sox' Chris Sale tops players for Monday, June 8, rises to 4th in Box-Toppers player rankings

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth in player rankings.

Sale struck out 14 over eight innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 3-1 win over the Astros. Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.4 for the season, rising from seventh to fourth among players this season. He ranks third among AL pitchers.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 8.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
3 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 11.0
4 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 10.4
5 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
6 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
7 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
8 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 8.1
9 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
10 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 7.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Sale is the fourth player with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points this season and has now earned 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points for four straight seasons.

National League Player of the Day—Dodgers pitcher Mike Bolsinger struck out eight over seven innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

National League Batter of the Day—Zack Cozart of the Reds homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Phillies.

American League Batter of the Day—Kevin Pillar of the Blue Jays went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 11-3 win over the Marlins.

Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bolsinger earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Cozart and Pillar each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/8 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 14.0 White Sox Chris Sale (W, 6-2) - - - - - - 8.0 5 1 1 1 14
NL 6.0 Dodgers Mike Bolsinger (W, 4-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 2 2 2 8
6.0 Brewers Jimmy Nelson (W, 3-6) - - - - - - 6.0 4 0 0 3 7
BAT 3.0 Reds Zack Cozart SS 4 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rockies Troy Tulowitzki SS 4 2 2 3 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Royals Jason Vargas (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 6.0 5 0 0 0 2
BAT 2.0 Blue Jays Kevin Pillar CF 3 1 2 2 2 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Padres Brandon Maurer (W, 3-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1

Rays' Archer tops players for Sunday, June 7, rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Rays pitcher Chris Archer is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to second in player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 7.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 11.0
3 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 11.0
4 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 9.7
5 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
6 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
7 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.4
8 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 8.1
9 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
10 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 7.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Sunday, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole maintains his lead among National League pitchers, but falls from second to third in overall player rankings, despite earning Player of the Game honors. In addition, Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom rises to fourth place in player rankings. Plus, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia now has 175.3 career Box-Toppers points, the most of any active pitcher.

Player of the Day—Archer struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one unearned run and six hits, in the 3-1 win over the Mariners. 

Archer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season, rising to second among all players, behind overall leader, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (12.4 Box-Toppers points). Archer also ranks second among AL pitchers behind Hernandez. Archer is the third player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

National League Player of the Day—Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 4-0 win over the Padres.

American League Batter of the Day—Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays hit two home runs and went 3-for-4, scoring three times, in the 7-6 win over the Astros.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day for Sunday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.

Rankings—Two other players in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings earned Player of the Game honors Sunday:

  • Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole maintained his lead among NL pitchers after earning Player of the Game honors. Cole (7IP 6H 0R 7K W in the 3-0 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season. 

While Cole maintains his lead among NL pitchers, he actually falls from second to third in overall player rankings because he was passed by Sunday’s overall Player of the Day Chris Archer. Cole and Archer both have 11.0 Box-Toppers points for the season but Archer holds the tiebreaker because he has more Box-Toppers points in 2014—12.4 vs. 5.7.

  • Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom rose to fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings. deGrom (7IP 10K W in the 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.7 for the season. He ranks second among NL pitchers, behind Cole.

Notable—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia now has 175.3 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Sabathia (6IP 2R 7K W in the 6-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point and now has 2.0 for the season. His 175.3 career Box-Toppers points ranks fifth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He ranks fourth among pitchers, behind Curt Schilling (194.1) and second among active players, behind Alex Rodriguez (183.8). He is the top-ranked active pitcher in Box-Toppers points.

Debut—Marlins pitcher Jose Urena made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Urena (6IP R 4K ND in the 3-2 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut April 14 and was playing in his fifth career game. He is the 3,492nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Archer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Cueto earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Bautista earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for AL Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/7 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 11.0 Rays Chris Archer (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 0 0 11
NL 10.0 Reds Johnny Cueto (W, 4-4) - - - - - - 7.0 4 0 0 2 9
6.0 Twins Mike Pelfrey (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 8.0 8 0 0 1 7
5.0 Pirates Gerrit Cole (W, 9-2) - - - - - - 7.0 6 0 0 3 7
4.0 Mets Jacob deGrom (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 7.0 5 3 2 3 10
BAT 4.0 Blue Jays Jose Bautista RF 4 3 3 2 1 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Orioles Bud Norris (W, 2-4) - - - - - - 5.0 4 1 1 2 7
4.0 Cardinals Kevin Siegrist (W, 3-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.2 Phillies Ken Giles (W, 2-1) - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 1 3
3.1 Red Sox Steven Wright (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 3.1 1 0 0 1 2
3.0 Tigers Tyler Collins LF 3 2 3 1 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Yankees CC Sabathia (W, 3-7) - - - - - - 6.0 5 2 2 1 7
3.0 `Marlins Jose Urena - - - - - - 6.0 3 1 1 2 4
2.1 `Royals Jeremy Guthrie - - - - - - 6.1 3 2 2 2 5
2.1 `Cubs Justin Grimm (H, 4) - - - - - - 1.1 1 0 0 0 2
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Dodgers' Kershaw tops players for Saturday, June 6, Mariners' Hernandez rises to 12th on Box-Toppers 'all-time' list

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez extended his lead in season Box-Toppers player rankings and rose to 12th place among all players since 1995. In addition, Tigers pitcher David Price rose to eighth in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 6.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 12.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 10.0
3 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
4 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
5 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 9.0
6 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 8.7
7 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.4
8 Price, David 2593 pi sp det al 8.1
9 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
10 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 7.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Kershaw pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out 11, in the 2-0 win over the Cardinals.

Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 140.6 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 20th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He ranks 14th among all pitchers.

Kershaw also now has 7.0 Box-Toppers points for the season and ranks 12th among all players in season player rankings, sixth among NL pitchers. Last year, he led all players with 31.5 Box-Toppers points, the fourth-highest single-season total since 1995. And although he still is not in the top 10 player rankings, he is actually ahead of his pace from 2014—on June 7, 2014, Kershaw had 6.7 Box-Toppers points.

American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher David Price pitched a complete game, allowing one run and striking out 11, in the 7-1 win over the White Sox. Price earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 8.1 for the season and rising to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He ranks fourth among AL pitchers.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Kemp of the Padres homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 9-7 win over the Reds.

American League Batter of the Day—Brett Gardner of the Yankees went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs in the 8-2 win over the Angels.

Rankings—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez extended his lead in season Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Hernandez (7IP 2H R 6K W in the 2-1 win over the Rays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.4 for the season. Hernandez has led Box-Toppers player rankings all but six days this season.

With the point earned Saturday, Hernandez now rises to 12th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995 when record keeping began. Hernandez now has 155.7 career Box-Toppers points and passes two players on the “all-time” list Saturday—Tim Hudson (155.0) and Mike Mussina (155.6).  Hernandez trails the 11th-place player on the list, John Smoltz (160.9). Hernandez also rises to ninth place among all pitchers since 1995.

Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Price earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Kemp and Gardner each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/6 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 16.0 Dodgers Clayton Kershaw (W, 5-3) - - - - - - 8.0 1 0 0 2 11
AL 11.0 Tigers David Price (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 9.0 5 1 1 2 11
8.0 Indians Danny Salazar (W, 6-1) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 1 1 10
BAT 6.0 Padres Matt Kemp RF 4 2 3 5 1 0 - - - - - -
6.0 Mariners Felix Hernandez (W, 9-2) - - - - - - 7.0 2 1 1 3 6
4.0 Rockies Wilin Rosario 1B 5 3 3 3 0 1 - - - - - -
4.0 Cubs Jason Hammel (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 8.0 5 2 2 2 7
4.0 Red Sox Joe Kelly (W, 2-4) - - - - - - 6.0 4 1 1 2 6
3.0 Brewers Carlos Gomez CF 4 0 4 3 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Braves Christian Bethancourt C 4 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Giants Norichika Aoki LF 3 1 3 2 1 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Rangers Wandy Rodriguez (W, 3-2) - - - - - - 7.0 6 1 1 0 4
2.1 Blue Jays Drew Hutchison (W, 5-1) - - - - - - 6.1 6 1 1 1 5
2.0 Dbacks Welington Castillo C 2 1 1 2 1 0 - - - - - -
BAT 1.0 Yankees Brett Gardner CF 4 1 2 2 1 0 - - - - - -

Cardinals' Carlos Martinez tops players for Friday, June 5, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 5.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 11.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 10.0
3 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 9.7
4 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
5 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 9.0
6 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 8.7
7 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.4
8 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
9 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 7.7
10 Harvey, Matt 3075 pi sp nym nl 7.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Martinez struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 2-1 win over the Dodgers. Martinez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, rising from ninth to third in Box-Toppers player rankings. He ranks second among NL pitchers, behind Gerrit Cole of the Pirates (10.0).

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Chi Chi Gonzalez pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout in the 4-0 win over the Royals. This was Gonzalez’ Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut May 30 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,490th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—Adam Lind of the Brewers hit a three-run homer and drove in six total runs in the 10-5 win over the Twins. Lind also doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice.

American League Batter of the Day—Stephen Drew of the Yankees hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, driving in three runs, in the 8-7 win over the Angels.

Debut—J.T. Realmuto of the Marlins made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Realmuto (3B 4-4 R BI in the 6-2 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut June 5, 2014, and was playing in his 53rd career game. He is the 3,491st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Martinez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gonzalez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Lind and Drew each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/5 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 Cardinals Carlos Martinez (W, 6-2) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 4 11
BAT 6.0 Brewers Adam Lind DH 5 2 3 6 0 0 - - - - - -
AL 6.0 Rangers Chi Chi Gonzalez (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 9.0 3 0 0 2 2
5.0 Pirates Starling Marte LF 3 3 2 3 2 0 - - - - - -
5.0 `White Sox David Robertson - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 3
3.1 `Rays Jake Odorizzi - - - - - - 4.1 4 0 0 1 4
3.0 Dbacks A.J. Pollock CF 4 2 3 2 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 3.0 Yankees Stephen Drew 2B, 3B 4 2 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Nationals Danny Espinosa 2B 4 2 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.1 Red Sox Wade Miley (W, 5-5) - - - - - - 7.1 6 2 2 1 6
2.0 Marlins J.T. Realmuto C 4 1 4 1 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Orioles Adam Jones CF 4 2 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Blue Jays Aaron Sanchez (W, 5-4) - - - - - - 8.0 6 2 1 0 3
2.0 Giants Santiago Casilla (S, 16) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
1.0 Padres Will Middlebrooks 3B 3 1 1 2 0 1 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Cubs' Arrieta tops players for Thursday, June 4; Mets' Harvey rises to 10th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Thursday, Mets pitcher Matt Harvey rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. Plus, Torii Hunter of the Twins rose to 46th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 4.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 11.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 10.0
3 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
4 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 9.0
5 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 8.7
6 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.4
7 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
8 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 7.7
9 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 7.7
10 Harvey, Matt 3075 pi sp nym nl 7.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Arrieta struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run, in the 2-1 win over the Nationals.

American League Player of the Day—Orioles pitcher Zach Britton struck out three over 1 2/3 scoreless innings and picked up the save in the 3-2 win over the Astros.

American League Batter of the Day—Torii Hunter of the Twins hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-5 with two runs in the 8-4 win over the Red Sox.

Hunter earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 112.9 career Box-Toppers points. He rises to 46th place among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began, passing Kevin Brown (112.8 Box-Toppers points). Hunter’s 112.9 career Box-Toppers points ranks fifth among active batters currently in the AL. Hunter also has 5.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, third-most among AL batters, behind Prince Fielder (6.5) and Josh Donaldson (5.2).

National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day because no NL batters earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors.

Rankings—Mets pitcher Matt Harvey rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Harvey (7IP 6H R 8K W in the 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season. He ranks fifth among NL pitchers.

Notable—Rays pitcher Kevin Jepsen received a Box-Toppers point for the first time in more than five years after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Jepsen (1IP 0R 2K Sv in the 2-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The only other time in his career he received Box-Toppers points was July 31, 2009 with the Angels, when he was AL Player of the Day.

Scoring—Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Britton earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Hunter earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/4 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 6.0 Cubs Jake Arrieta (W, 5-4) - - - - - - 6.0 6 1 1 0 8
5.0 Mets Matt Harvey (W, 6-3) - - - - - - 7.0 6 2 2 1 9
AL 4.2 Orioles Zach Britton (S, 14) - - - - - - 1.2 0 0 0 0 3
4.0 Athletics Jesse Hahn (W, 3-5) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 1 5
4.0 `Rangers Yovani Gallardo - - - - - - 6.0 3 1 0 2 4
4.0 Reds Aroldis Chapman (S, 10) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 3
BAT 3.0 Twins Torii Hunter DH 5 2 3 3 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Cardinals Michael Wacha (W, 8-1) - - - - - - 7.0 7 1 1 0 5
2.0 Rays Kevin Jepsen (S, 2) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 1 2
1.0 Indians Brandon Moss RF 3 1 1 2 1 1 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

White Sox' Sale tops players for Wednesday, June 3, rises to 6th in Box-Toppers player rankings

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to sixth in season player rankings.

Also Wednesday, Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray and Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings. Plus, Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle earned a Box-Toppers point in his 16th straight season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 3.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 11.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 10.0
3 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
4 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 9.0
5 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 8.7
6 Sale, Chris 2806 pi sp chi al 8.4
7 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
8 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 7.7
9 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 7.7
10 Hamels, Cole 2135 pi sp phi nl 7.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Sale pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 13, allowing three hits, in the 9-2 win over the Rangers. Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season. He rises to sixth among players in Box-Toppers player rankings, third among American League pitchers.

National League Player of the Day—Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano allowed one run over seven innings, striking out six, in the 5-2 win over the Giants.

National League Batter of the Day—Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs, going 2-for-3, in the 7-6 win over the Dodgers. Tulowitzki led all NL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2014 with 11.6 (despite playing just over half the season). Tulowitzki earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day Wednesday, his first points of the season.

American League Batter of the Day—Steven Souza Jr. of the Rays hit a three-run homer in the 6-5 win over the Angels.

Rankings—Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings for the season:

  • Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray (8IP 2H 0R 7K W in the 6-1 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, rising to eighth in player rankings. Gray ranks fifth among AL pitchers.
  • Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels (7IP 2R 8K ND in the 5-4 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season, rising to 10th in player rankings. Cole ranks fifth among NL pitchers. Hamels also rises to 37th place among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his point earned Wednesday, Hamels now has 117.8 career Box-Toppers points and passes two players on Box-Toppers “all-time” list—Barry Zito (117.4 Box-Toppers points) and Carlos Delgado (117.7 Box-Toppers points). Hamels now trails 36th-place player on the list, Justin Verlander (118.2 Box-Toppers points).

Streak—Blue Jays pitcher Mark Buehrle has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 16 straight seasons.

Buehrle was Player of the Game in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over the Nationals (CG 0R 6H 2K W) and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Buehrle earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2000 with the White Sox. His best season was 2005 with the White Sox when he had 17.7 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers. In 2014, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points with the Blue Jays, 28th among AL pitchers.

Buehrle has 115.7 career Box-Toppers points, 41st among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his point Wednesday, he passes Tim Lincecum (115.0 Box-Toppers points) on that list. He trails 40th-place player Todd Helton (116.4 Box-Toppers points).

Buehrle’s 115.7 career Box-Toppers points ranks seventh among active pitchers currently in the AL.

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

  • Astros pitcher Lance McCullers (CG 4H R 11K W in the 3-1 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut May 18 and was playing in his fourth career game. He is the 3,488th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
  • Yasmany Tomas of the Diamondbacks (3-5 2R RBI in the 9-8 win over the Braves) made his Major League debut April 15 and was playing in his 38th career game. He is the 3,489th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Liriano earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Tulowitzki and Souza each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/3 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 15.0 White Sox Chris Sale (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 7.0 3 0 0 2 13
14.0 Astros Lance McCullers (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 9.0 4 1 1 0 11
14.0 Twins Trevor May (W, 4-3) - - - - - - 7.0 2 0 0 0 9
12.0 Athletics Sonny Gray (W, 7-2) - - - - - - 8.0 2 0 0 1 7
11.0 Yankees Masahiro Tanaka (W, 3-1) - - - - - - 7.0 3 1 1 0 9
8.0 Red Sox Eduardo Rodriguez (W, 2-0) - - - - - - 7.0 2 1 1 2 7
NL 6.0 Pirates Francisco Liriano (W, 3-4) - - - - - - 7.0 4 1 1 1 6
BAT 5.0 Rockies Troy Tulowitzki SS 3 1 2 5 2 0 - - - - - -
4.0 Blue Jays Mark Buehrle (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 9.0 6 0 0 1 2
2.0 Royals Greg Holland (S, 8) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
2.0 `Phillies Cole Hamels - - - - - - 7.0 6 2 2 3 8
1.0 Dbacks Yasmany Tomas 3B 5 2 3 1 0 2 - - - - - -
1.0 Cardinals Matt Carpenter 3B 4 1 2 2 0 0 - - - - - -
1.0 Marlins Adeiny Hechavarria SS 4 2 2 1 0 0 - - - - - -
BAT 1.0 Rays Steven Souza Jr. RF 4 1 1 3 0 1 - - - - - -
1.0 Padres Justin Upton LF 3 2 2 0 1 0 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Rays' Archer tops players for Tuesday, June 2, rises to 4th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Rays pitcher Chris Archer is Tuesday’s Player of the Day and rises to fourth in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of June 2.  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Hernandez, Felix 2064 pi sp sea al 11.4
2 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp pit nl 10.0
3 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 9.0
4 Archer, Chris 3194 pi sp tb al 9.0
5 deGrom, Jacob 3343 pi sp nym nl 8.7
6 Keuchel, Dallas 3050 pi sp hou al 7.7
7 Martinez, Carlos 3371 pi sp stl nl 7.7
8 Miller, Shelby 3134 pi sp atl nl 7.0
9 Gray, Sonny 3259 pi sp oak al 6.7
10 Harvey, Matt 3075 pi sp nym nl 6.7
What are those numbers after players' names?

Archer struck out 15 over eight innings, allowing one run on six hits, in the 6-1 win over the Angels. Archer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, moving up to fourth among all players this season and second among AL pitchers, behind Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (11.4 Box-Toppers points).

National League Player of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and struck out five in the 1-0 win over the Brewers.

American League Batter of the Day—Joey Gallo of the Rangers homered, doubled and went 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs in the 15-2 win over the White Sox. This was Gallo’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. It was also his Major League debut. He is the 3,485th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—Alex Guerrero of the Dodgers hit a ninth-inning, go-ahead grand slam in the 9-8 win over the Dodgers.

Debuts—In addition to Gallo, two other players also made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

  • Kevin Pillar of the Blue Jays (2HR 3-4 2R 4BI in the 7-3 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut Aug. 14, 2013, and was playing in his 142nd career game. He is the 3,486th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
  • Cory Spangenberg of the Padres (3B 3-3 R BI in the 7-2 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2014, and was playing in his 66th career game. He is the 3,487th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Archer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lynn earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Gallo and Guerrero each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

6/2 Score Team Player AB R H BI BB K IP H R ER BB K
MLB 15.0 Rays Chris Archer (W, 6-4) - - - - - - 8.0 6 1 1 0 15
11.0 Red Sox Clay Buchholz (W, 3-6) - - - - - - 8.0 3 0 0 2 8
NL 6.2 Cardinals Lance Lynn (W, 4-4) - - - - - - 7.2 5 0 0 1 5
BAT 6.0 Rangers Joey Gallo 3B 4 3 3 4 1 1 - - - - - -
6.0 Indians Carlos Carrasco (W, 7-4) - - - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 2 8
5.0 Blue Jays Kevin Pillar CF 4 2 3 4 0 1 - - - - - -
BAT 5.0 Dodgers Alex Guerrero LF 1 1 1 4 0 0 - - - - - -
5.0 Nationals Jordan Zimmermann (W, 5-2) - - - - - - 8.0 6 0 0 1 4
4.0 `Athletics Evan Scribner (H, 6) - - - - - - 2.0 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 Pirates Andrew McCutchen CF 5 2 4 2 0 0 - - - - - -
3.0 Yankees Garrett Jones PH, LF, RF 3 1 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
3.0 Phillies Jonathan Papelbon (W, 1-0) - - - - - - 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
3.0 Astros Luke Gregerson (S, 15) - - - - - - 1.0 1 0 0 0 3
2.0 Rockies Michael McKenry C 4 1 2 3 0 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Marlins Marcell Ozuna CF 4 1 2 3 0 1 - - - - - -
2.0 Padres Cory Spangenberg 2B 3 1 3 1 1 0 - - - - - -
2.0 Dbacks Ender Inciarte LF 3 2 1 2 2 0 - - - - - -
`Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.