Astros' Dallas Keuchel tops players for Sunday, July 19, rises to 6th in player rankings; Greinke rises to 7th

Shawn Plank July 20, 2015

Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to sixth place in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 19.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	15.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	13.4
4	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
6	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	12.7
7	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	12.0
8	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
9	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
10	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Sunday, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and now has 137.7 career Box-Toppers points. Plus, CC Sabathia of the Yankees, who leads active pitchers in career Box-Toppers points, earned Player of the Game honors.

Player of the Day—Keuchel pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 13 and allowing two hits, in the 10-0 win over the Rangers.

Keuchel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 12.7 for the season and rises to sixth place in player rankings. He ranks fourth among American League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Jesse Chavez pitched six scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing three hits, in the 14-1 win over the Twins.

National League Batter of the Day—Jeff Francoeur of the Phillies hit a walk-off, two-run homer in the 8-7 win over the Marlins. Francoeur went 2-for-2 and scored twice.

American League Batter of the Day—Jonathan Schoop of the Orioles hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4 in the 9-3 win over the Tigers.

Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rose to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Greinke (8IP 3H 0R 11K W in the 5-0 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.0 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers, behind Max Scherzer of the Nationals (15.0) and Jacob deGrom of the Mets (13.4).

Greinke now has 137.7 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 22nd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 21st-place player Andy Pettitte (138.5 Box-Toppers points). Greinke ranks fifth among active pitchers in career Box-Toppers points.

Notable—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, the Box-Toppers career points leader among active pitchers, earned Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Sabathia (6IP 6H R 7K ND in the 2-1 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 176.3 for his career. Sabathia ranks fifth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails fourth-place player Alex Rodriguez (185.3 Box-Toppers points). Sabathia has 3.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.

Scoring—Keuchel earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Chavez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Francoeur and Schoop each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/19
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    18.0
    Astros
    Dallas Keuchel (W,12-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    13
  

    
    15.0
    Dodgers
    Zack Greinke (W,9-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    11
  

    
    11.0
    Cubs
    Jake Arrieta (W,11-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    3
    10
  

    AL
    11.0
    Athletics
    Jesse Chavez (W,5-9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    9
  

    
    10.0
    Blue Jays
    Marco Estrada (W,7-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    5
  

    
    5.0
    `Indians
    Carlos Carrasco
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    
    4.2
    `Mets
    Jonathon Niese
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    5
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Phillies
    Jeff Francoeur, LF
    2
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    `Yankees
    CC Sabathia
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Royals
    Danny Duffy (W,4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    6
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Orioles
    Jonathan Schoop, 2B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Brewers
    Taylor Jungmann (W,5-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    1.0
    Giants
    Madison Bumgarner (W,10-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    3
  

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

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw tops players for Saturday, July 18, rises to 10th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank July 19, 2015

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to 10th in season player rankings.

Also Saturday, Robinson Cano of the Mariners earned a Box-Toppers point in his 11th straight season and three players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points—Kershaw, Aramis Ramirez and Jon Lester—earned Player of the Game honors.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2015 season as of July 18.


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	15.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	13.4
4	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
6	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7
9	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	hou al	11.1
10	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	11.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Kershaw pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 14 and allowing three hits, in the 4-2 win over the Nationals.

Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season and rises to 10th place in season Box-Toppers player rankings. Kershaw led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2014 with 31.5. He also led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2011 and 2013.

Kershaw is the 15th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points. It is the seventh straight season Kershaw has had 10.0 or more points.

Kershaw has 144.6 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 20th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 19th-place player Jim Thome (146.7).

American League Player of the Day—Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing one hit, in the 3-0 win over the Tigers.

National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals hit two home runs, going 3-for-3 and driving in six runs, in the 12-2 win over the Mets.

American League Batter of the Day—Robinson Cano of the Mariners hit a pair of two-run homers and went 3-for-4 in the 4-3 win over the Yankees.

Cano has now earned Box-Toppers points for 11 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor for 2015. He earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2005 with the Yankees. His best season was 2013 with the Yankees, when he had 12.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked fourth among AL batters. In 2014, he had 6.5 Box-Toppers points with the Mariners.

Cano has 62.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks sixth among all second baseman since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. He ranks second in career points among active second basemen, behind Chase Utley of the Phillies (72.1).

Notables—In addition to Kershaw, two other players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Saturday:

Cubs pitcher Jon Lester (7.1IP 2H 0R 7K W in the 4-0 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 115.1 career Box-Toppers points. He rises to 42nd place among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his point Saturday, he passes three players on the “all-time” list—Torii Hunter (114.4), Josh Beckett (114.9) and Tim Lincecum (115.0). He trails 41st-place player Todd Helton (116.4).
Aramis Ramirez of the Brewers (HR 3-3 2R 2BI in the 8-5 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 103.3 career Box-Toppers points. He ranks 58th place among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 57th-place player John Lackey (103.8).

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

Matt den Dekker of the Nationals (2-R HR in the 5-3 win over the Dodgers) made his Major League debut Aug. 29, 2013, and was playing in his 98th career game. He is the 3,534th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Royals pitcher Brandon Finnegan (2IP H 0R 2K W in the 7-6, 13-inning win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut Sept. 6, 2014, and was playing in his 21st career game. He is the 3,535th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Tillman earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Grichuk and Cano 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/18
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    19.0
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W,7-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    14
  

    AL
    14.0
    Orioles
    Chris Tillman (W,7-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    
    12.0
    Angels
    Garrett Richards (W,10-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    11.1
    Cubs
    Jon Lester (W,5-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    2
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    8.0
    Cardinals
    Randal Grichuk, CF-LF-RF
    3
    2
    3
    6
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.1
    Rangers
    Colby Lewis (W,9-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    4
    2
    2
    0
    7
  

    
    5.1
    `Athletics
    Scott Kazmir
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.1
    5
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Mariners
    Robinson Cano, 2B
    4
    2
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Giants
    Buster Posey, 1B-C
    4
    1
    3
    4
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Brewers
    Aramis Ramirez, 3B
    3
    2
    3
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Padres
    Craig Kimbrel (S,25)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Nationals
    Matt den Dekker PH LF
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Royals
    Brandon Finnegan (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.2
    `Rays
    Erasmo Ramirez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.2
    4
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    2.0
    Indians
    Carlos Santana, 1B
    3
    2
    2
    1
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Phillies
    Chad Billingsley (W,2-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    2
  

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

Cardinals' Lance Lynn (7IP R 3H 9K) tops players for Friday, July 17

Shawn Plank July 18, 2015

Cardinals pitcher Lance Lynn is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson became the 14th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.

Player of the Day—Lynn struck out nine over seven innings, allowing one run on three hits, in the 3-2 win over the Mets.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	15.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	13.4
4	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
6	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7
9	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	hou al	11.1
10	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	11.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out four, in the 1-0 win over the Red Sox.

Wilson earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 10.1 for the season. He ranks 13th among all players and seventh among AL pitchers. He is the 14th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.

National League Batter of the Day—Jeff Francoeur of the Phillies hit a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the 6-3 win over the Marlins.

American League Batter of the Day—Justin Smoak of the Blue Jays hit a three-run homer, doubled and scored two runs in the 6-2 win over the Rays.

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

Jose Iglesias of the Tigers (HR 1-3 2R 3BI in the 7-3 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut May 8, 2011, and was playing in his 222nd career game. He is the 3,532nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Braves pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (1IP 0R 0H K W in the 4-2 win over the Cubs) made his Major League debut Aug. 10, 2011, and was playing in his 27th career game. He is the 3,533rd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Lynn 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. Francoeur and Smoak 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/17
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    Cardinals
    Lance Lynn (W,7-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    9
  

    
    8.0
    Brewers
    Mike Fiers (W,5-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Phillies
    Jeff Francoeur, PH
    1
    1
    1
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    AL
    4.0
    Angels
    C.J. Wilson
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    0
    0
    3
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Reds
    Marlon Byrd, LF
    4
    2
    4
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Justin Smoak, 1B
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Twins
    Trevor Plouffe, 3B
    4
    1
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Tigers
    Jose Iglesias, SS
    3
    2
    1
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    White Sox
    David Robertson (S,20)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    `Padres
    Joaquin Benoit (H,12)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Braves
    Arodys Vizcaino (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Giants
    Hunter Pence, RF
    6
    2
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Yankees
    Chris Young, RF
    4
    2
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Astros
    Luke Gregerson (S,19)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    0.0
    Royals
    Alex Rios, RF
    3
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

A look at Box-Toppers 'all-time' top 100 player list, led by Hall inductee Randy Johnson

Shawn Plank July 17, 2015

The Big Unit leads the list of the top 100 players in Box-Toppers points since record keeping began in 1995. A look at all 100 ...

David Price is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in 2015 All-Star Game

Shawn Plank July 15, 2015

Rays pitcher David Price is Box-Toppers All-Star Player of the Game.

Price pitched the fourth inning and was the pitcher of record as the American League took the lead, picking up the win in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the National League.

Price allowed no runs or hits in his single inning, picking up a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0, highest among all players on the winning American League team.

Had he not earned the win or the save, he would not have had the required three innings to otherwise earn Player of the Game honors. In that case, Player of the Game would have gone to Prince Fielder of the Rangers (1-1 2BI), who had a Box-Toppers game score of 2.0.

Mike Trout of the Angels was named All-Star Most Valuable Player (HR 1-3 R BI). Trout had a Box-Toppers game score of 1.0, sixth-highest among AL players. Trout leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points so far this season (9.0).

Price has 13.1 Box-Toppers points this season, ranked fifth among all players, third among AL pitchers. His best season was 2014 with the Tigers, when he had 19.1 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all players and fourth among AL pitchers. He has earned 85.8 career Box-Toppers points over seven seasons and ranks 103rd among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began.

Overall Box-Toppers points leader, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (15.0), did not pitch in the All-Star Game Tuesday because he started Sunday. Overall AL Box-Toppers points leader, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (14.4), had a Box-Toppers game score Tuesday of 2.0 (1IP 0H 0R K ND). Todd Frazier of the Reds, leader in Box-Toppers points among NL batters (7.2), had a Box-Toppers game score of −3.0 for the losing NL team (0-3).

Scoring—Just as All-Star Game statistics don’t count in a player’s regular season statistics, no Box-Toppers points are awarded for the All-Star Game.

Box-Toppers game scores of AL All-Star players

Here are all the players who played for the winning American League team in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score. David Price had the highest game score and is Box-Toppers All-Star Player of the Game (POG)

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/14
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    POG
    3.0
    AL
    David Price (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    AL
    Prince Fielder, DH
    1
    0
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    AL
    Brian Dozier, 2B
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    AL
    Felix Hernandez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    AL
    Wade Davis
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    1.0
    AL
    Mike Trout, CF
    3
    2
    1
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    AL
    Manny Machado, 3B
    2
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    AL
    Dellin Betances
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    1
  

    
    0.2
    AL
    Zach Britton
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    0.2
    1
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    0.0
    AL
    Lorenzo Cain, RF
    3
    0
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    AL
    Brock Holt, LF
    1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    AL
    Josh Donaldson, 3B
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    AL
    Dallas Keuchel
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    2
    1
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    -1.0
    AL
    Alcides Escobar, SS
    2
    0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    AL
    Albert Pujols, 1B
    2
    1
    0
    0
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    AL
    Mike Moustakas, 3B
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    AL
    Stephen Vogt, C
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    AL
    Russell Martin, C
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    AL
    Jason Kipnis, 2B
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.0
    AL
    J.D. Martinez, RF
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -1.9
    AL
    Chris Archer
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    1
    1
    1
    1
    1
  

    
    -2.0
    AL
    Nelson Cruz, DH
    2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    AL
    Adam Jones, LF
    2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    AL
    Brett Gardner, CF
    2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    AL
    Salvador Perez, C
    2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    AL
    Jose Altuve, 2B
    2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    AL
    Jose Iglesias, SS
    2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    AL
    Mark Teixeira, 1B
    2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    -2.0
    AL
    Glen Perkins
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
  

Last year's All-Star Game: Mike Trout is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in 2014 All-Star Game

Detroit Tigers have most players (six) in Box-Toppers top 100 of 2015 at All-Star break

Shawn Plank July 14, 2015

Max Scherzer leads top 100 players at midseason.

Nationals' Max Scherzer tops Box-Toppers player rankings at the All-Star break

Shawn Plank July 13, 2015

Scherzer leads players in Box-Toppers points. Hernandez leads AL pitchers. Trout rises to lead AL batters. Frazier continues to lead NL batters.

St. Louis Cardinals maintain team Box-Toppers points lead at All-Star break

Shawn Plank July 13, 2015

Redbirds remain top team six times in a row. Royals reclaim AL top spot. Mets were hottest team of recent days.

Cubs' Arrieta tops players for Sunday, July 12; Nationals' Scherzer regains Box-Toppers points lead

Shawn Plank July 13, 2015

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and becomes the 12th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.

Also Sunday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer regained the Box-Toppers season points lead and also earned his 100th career Box-Toppers point. Plus, Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray rose to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	15.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	13.4
4	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
6	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7
9	Gray, Sonny 3259	pi sp	hou al	11.1
10	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	11.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Arrieta pitched a two-hit complete game, allowing one run and striking out nine, in the 3-1 win over the White Sox.

Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 points for the season. He is the 12th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and ranks 13th among all players, seventh among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout, striking out six, in the 2-0 win over the Indians.

Gray earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 11.1 for the season. He is the 13th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points and rises to ninth in season player rankings, fifth among AL pitchers.

National League Batter of the Day—Kirk Nieuwenhuis of the Mets hit three homers and drove in four runs in the 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

American League Batter of the Day—Omar Infante of the Royals doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 11-10 win over the Blue Jays.

Rankings—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer regained the top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings Sunday after earning Player of the Game honors.

Scherzer (8.2IP 4H 2R 7K W in the 3-2 win over the Orioles) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.0 for the season. He passes Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (14.4 Box-Toppers points) for first place in Box-Toppers rankings. Scherzer previously led players in Box-Toppers points this season from June 26 to July 8, when he both took the lead from and lost the lead to Hernandez.

Scherzer also now has 100.0 career Box-Toppers points, becoming the 67th player with 100 since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Scherzer ranks 67th among all players and trails 66th-place player Larry Walker (100.1).

Scoring—Arrieta 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. Nieuwenhuis and Infante each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/12
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    14.0
    Cubs
    Jake Arrieta (W,10-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    2
    1
    1
    0
    9
  

    AL
    12.0
    Athletics
    Sonny Gray (W,10-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    7.2
    Nationals
    Max Scherzer (W,10-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.2
    4
    2
    2
    0
    7
  

    
    7.2
    Padres
    Tyson Ross (W,6-7)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    3
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    7.0
    Angels
    Andrew Heaney (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Mets
    Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF
    4
    3
    3
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    Twins
    Kyle Gibson (W,8-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    4.2
    Giants
    Chris Heston (W,9-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    7
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Rockies
    Charlie Blackmon, CF
    5
    1
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Marlins
    Justin Bour, 1B
    4
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Dodgers
    Kenley Jansen (S,16)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Royals
    Omar Infante, 2B
    4
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Pirates
    Gregory Polanco, RF
    4
    1
    3
    2
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Yankees
    Brian McCann, C
    4
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Rays
    David DeJesus, LF
    3
    2
    2
    1
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Brewers' Jungmann tops players for Saturday, July 11; White Sox' Sale rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank July 12, 2015

Brewers pitcher Taylor Jungmann is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, A.J. Burnett of the Pirates became the fifth pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting and rose to 30th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	13.4
4	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
6	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7
9	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	11.0
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Jungmann pitched a complete game, allowing one run on three hits and striking out seven, in the 7-1 win over the Dodgers.

American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out six, in the 5-0 win over the Angels.

Jungmann and Iwakuma both had Box-Toppers game scores of 9.0 Saturday, but Jungmann earned overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker—he pitched nine innings, while Iwakuma pitched eight.

National League Batter of the Day—J.T. Realmuto of the Marlins homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 14-3 win over the Reds.

Realmuto had a Box-Toppers game score of 4.0, tied with Yangervis Solarte of the Padres, Player of the Game in the 6-5 win over the Rangers, but Solarte earned NL Batter of the Day honors on a tiebreaker—he had more at bats (five vs. three).

American League Batter of the Day—Josh Reddick of the Athletics doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 5-4 win over the Indians.

Reddick had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0, tied with Danny Valencia of the Blue Jays, who was Player of the Game in the 6-2 win over the Royals, but Reddick earned AL Batter of the Day honors on a tiebreaker—he had more hits (two vs. one).

Rankings—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Sale (7IP 6H R 10K W in the 5-1 win over the Cubs) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind overall leader Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (14.4 Box-Toppers points).

Notable—A.J. Burnett of the Pirates became the fifth pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors for batting. Burnett (HR 1-1 R BI in the 6-5, 14-inning win over the Cardinals) also rose to 30th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his 1.0 Box-Toppers point earned Saturday, Burnett has 127.8 career points and passes Roy Oswalt (127.2 Box-Toppers points) on the “all-time” list. He trails 29th-place player, Vladimir Guerrero (128.3). Burnett has 6.0 Box-Toppers points this season and ranks 22nd among NL pitchers.

Saturday was the first time in Burnett’s career he earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for batting. He made his Box-Toppers debut in 1999 and pitched for NL teams (where he was more likely to bat) all but six seasons.

Also notable—Mets pitcher Matt Harvey became the 11th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors. Harvey (7IP 5H 2R 9K W in the 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.7 for the season. He ranks 11th among all players, sixth among NL pitchers. (Harvey also hit his first career home run in the win Saturday.)

Scoring—Jungmann earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Iwakuma earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Realmuto and Reddick 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/11
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.0
    Brewers
    Taylor Jungmann (W,4-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    3
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    AL
    9.0
    Mariners
    Hisashi Iwakuma (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    8.0
    White Sox
    Chris Sale (W,8-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    1
    1
    10
  

    
    5.2
    Rays
    Jake Odorizzi (W,5-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    2
    0
    0
    3
    5
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Marlins
    J.T. Realmuto, C
    5
    2
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Padres
    Yangervis Solarte, 3B
    3
    3
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Nationals
    Danny Espinosa, 2B
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Athletics
    Josh Reddick, RF
    2
    2
    2
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Danny Valencia, 3B
    2
    1
    1
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mets
    Matt Harvey (W,8-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    2
    2
    4
    9
  

    
    3.0
    `Rockies
    Jorge De La Rosa
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    2
    2
    2
    7
  

    
    2.0
    Giants
    Brandon Crawford, SS
    4
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Twins
    Aaron Hicks, CF
    3
    1
    2
    2
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Pirates
    A.J. Burnett, P
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Red Sox
    Koji Uehara (S,22)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

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

Reds' Leake tops players for Friday, July 10; Angels' Trout regains Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters

Shawn Plank July 11, 2015

Reds pitcher Mike Leake is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Friday, Mike Trout of the Angels earned American League Batter of the Day honors and regained the top spot among AL batters in season Box-Toppers points.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
3	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
5	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	12.4
6	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7
9	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	11.0
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Leake pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10, in the 1-0 win over the Marlins.

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Danny Salazar allowed one unearned run over 8 2/3 innings, striking out eight, in the 5-1 win over the Athletics.

National League Batter of the Day—Justin Maxwell of the Giants hit two doubles and a triple, going 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 15-2 win over the Phillies.

American League Batter of the Day—Mike Trout of the Angels hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, driving in four runs, in the 7-3 win over the Mariners.

Trout earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season and regains the Box-Toppers points lead among AL batters, passing previous leader Lorenzo Cain of the Royals (8.2 Box-Toppers points). Trout’s 9.0 Box-Toppers points ranks 15th among all players this season.

Friday was the third straight day there was a change in Box-Toppers points leaders among AL batters. On Wednesday, Trout took the lead among AL batters with 7.5 Box-Toppers points, passing Prince Fielder of the Rangers (7.5 points). But on Thursday, Trout lost the lead when he was passed by Cain. Friday, Trout regained the lead as AL Batter of the Day.

Debut—Twins pitcher J.R. Graham made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Graham (3IP 2H 0R 4K ND in the 8-6 win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut April 6 and was playing in his 24th career game. He is the 3,530th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Leake earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Salazar earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Maxwell and Trout 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/10
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    14.0
    Reds
    Mike Leake (W,6-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    10
  

    
    13.0
    Mets
    Noah Syndergaard (W,4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    13
  

    AL
    9.2
    Indians
    Danny Salazar (W,8-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.2
    5
    1
    0
    1
    8
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Giants
    Justin Maxwell, LF
    4
    3
    4
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    `Twins
    J.R. Graham
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Angels
    Mike Trout, CF
    5
    2
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Rays
    Erasmo Ramirez (W,8-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    
    4.0
    `White Sox
    Carlos Rodon
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    0
    0
    6
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Royals
    Greg Holland (S,18)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.2
    Yankees
    Michael Pineda (W,9-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    7
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    
    3.1
    Rangers
    Wandy Rodriguez (W,6-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.1
    3
    1
    1
    2
    5
  

    
    3.0
    Pirates
    Neil Walker, 2B
    4
    2
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Dodgers
    Andre Ethier, PH
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    `Rockies
    Gonzalez Germen
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Orioles
    Chris Parmelee, PH-1B
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Dodgers' Greinke tops players for Thursday, July 9; Mariners' Hernandez regains Box-Toppers points lead

Shawn Plank July 10, 2015

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to ninth in player rankings.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	14.4
2	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
3	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	13.1
5	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	12.4
6	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
8	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	11.7
9	Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	lad nl	11.0
10	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Thursday, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rose to the top of Box-Toppers player rankings and two other players—David Price and Carlos Martinez—rose in the top 10 players list. Plus, Lorenzo Cain of the Royals earned American League Batter of the Day honors for the second straight day and now leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points for the season.

Player of the Day—Greinke pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out eight, in the 6-0 win over the Phillies.

Greinke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season and rises to ninth in Box-Toppers player rankings, fifth among National League pitchers. He is the 10th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.

Greinke also rose to 22nd place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. With his 2.0 points Thursday, Greinke now has 136.7 career Box-Toppers points and passes Bartolo Colon (136.4) on the “all-time” list. He now trails 21st-ranked player Andy Pettitte (138.5). Greinke ranks 16th among all pitchers since 1995 and fifth among active pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Jeff Samardzija pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out five, in the 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.

American League Batter of the Day—Lorenzo Cain of the Royals hit a two-run homer and scored twice in the 8-3 win over the Rays.

Cain earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.2 for the season and moving him to first place among AL batters. He passes Mike Trout of the Angels (7.5 Box-Toppers points) who only rose to the top spot Wednesday. Cain ranks 20th among all players.

This was the second straight day Cain earned AL Batter of the Day honors—he was also the league’s top batter in the Royals win Wednesday over the Rays.

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

Rankings—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez regained the top spot in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.

Hernandez (7IP 5H 0R 6K W in the 7-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 14.4 for the season. He passes previous leader, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (14.0 Box-Toppers points).

Hernandez led in Box-Toppers points for more than two months when Scherzer passed him on June 26 with 14.0 points.

Hernandez now has 157.7 career Box-Toppers points, maintaining his rank of 12th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 11th-place player John Smoltz (160.9). Hernandez ranks ninth among pitchers since 1995 and second among active pitchers, behind CC Sabathia (175.3).

Also, two other players rose in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday:

Tigers pitcher David Price rose to fourth place. Price (8IP 5H 2R 8K W in the 4-2 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.1 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Hernandez.
Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez rose to eighth place. Martinez (7.1IP 4H 0R 8K W in the 4-1 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.7 for the season. He ranks fourth among NL pitchers.

Notable—Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez earned his first Player of the Game honor in more than a year after his return from Tommy John surgery. Fernandez (7IP 6H 0R 9K W in the 2-0 win over the Reds) last earned Player of the Game honors April 29, 2014, when he was Box-Toppers Player of the Day. At that point in the 2014 season, Fernandez had 7.0 Box-Toppers points to lead all players. But injury and the surgery cut his season short. Fernandez had 19.0 Box-Toppers points in 2013, ranked fourth among all players and fourth among NL pitchers.

Scoring—Greinke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Samardzija earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Cain 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.

(Note: Our usual Friday weekly team and player rankings reports will be postponed until Monday because of the All-Star break.)

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/9
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    15.0
    Dodgers
    Zack Greinke (W,8-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    8
  

    
    10.0
    Marlins
    Jose Fernandez (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    0
    9
  

    
    9.1
    Cardinals
    Carlos Martinez (W,10-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    4
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    AL
    9.0
    White Sox
    Jeff Samardzija (W,6-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    5
  

    
    7.2
    Yankees
    Masahiro Tanaka (W,5-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    2
    2
    1
    1
    6
  

    
    6.0
    Tigers
    David Price (W,9-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    2
    0
    3
    8
  

    
    6.0
    Mariners
    Felix Hernandez (W,11-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    3.0
    Rockies
    John Axford (S,15)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Royals
    Lorenzo Cain, CF
    3
    2
    1
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Indians
    Ryan Raburn, DH
    3
    1
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Mets' deGrom tops players for Wednesday, July 8, rises to 3rd in player rankings; Trout rises to top AL batters in Box-Toppers points

Shawn Plank July 9, 2015

Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
3	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	13.4
4	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	12.4
5	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	12.1
6	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
7	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7
9	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
10	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	9.8

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Wednesday, Mike Trout of the Angels earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day and now leads American League batters in Box-Toppers points for the season. Plus, two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors—Clayton Kershaw and David Ortiz.

Player of the Day—deGrom pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out 10, in the 4-1 win over the Giants.

deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.4 for the season, rising to third place in player rankings. He ranks second among National League pitchers behind overall leader Max Scherzer of the Nationals (14.0 Box-Toppers points).

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer struck out nine over eight innings, allowing two runs on six hits, in the 4-2 win over the Astros.

National League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gomez of the Brewers hit two home runs and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 6-5 win over the Braves.

American League Batter of the Day—Lorenzo Cain of the Royals homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 9-7 win over the Rays.

Rankings—Mike Trout of the Angels rose to top AL batters in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Wednesday.

Trout (2HR 2-3 2R 2BI in the 3-2 win over the Rockies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.5 for the season, rising to first place among AL batters. He passes previous leader Prince Fielder of the Rangers, who also has 7.5 Box-Toppers points, but Trout beats Fielder on a tiebreaker because he had more Box-Toppers points in 2014 (8.5 vs. 1.0). Trout ranks 27th among all players.

Trout was also Player of the Game in Tuesday’s win over the Rockies.

Streak—David Ortiz of the Red Sox has now earned Box-Toppers points for 16 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Ortiz (2-R HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 6-3 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Ortiz earned his first Box-Toppers point in 1997 with the Twins, but earned no points in 1999. His 16-year streak started in 2000 with the Twins. Ortiz has led American League batters in Box-Toppers points in two seasons, both with the Red Sox. In 2005, he had 14.7 Box-Toppers points and in 2006, his best season, he had 16.7 Box-Toppers points. In 2014, he had 7.0 Box-Toppers points with the Red Sox.

Ortiz has 134.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 24th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He trails 23rd-place player Zack Greinke (134.7). Ortiz ranks seventh among all batters since 1995 and ranks third among active batters, behind Alex Rodriguez (185.3 Box-Toppers points) and Albert Pujols (171.3).

Notable—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw now has 142.6 career Box-Toppers points, 20th-most among players since 1995, after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Kershaw (CG 0R 8H 13K W in the 5-0 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.0 for the season, ranking seventh among NL pitchers this season.

Kershaw trails 19th-place player on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” list, Jim Thome (146.7 Box-Toppers points). Kershaw’s 142.6 career Box-Toppers points ranks 14th among pitchers since 1995 and fourth among active pitchers.

Debut—Jefry Marte of the Tigers made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Marte (HR 2B 2-4 2R 2BI in the 5-4 win over the Mariners) made his Major League debut July 5 and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,529th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—deGrom 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. Gomez and Cain 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/8
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    15.0
    Mets
    Jacob deGrom (W,9-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    10
  

    
    14.0
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W,6-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    8
    0
    0
    0
    13
  

    AL
    7.0
    Indians
    Trevor Bauer (W,8-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    9
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Brewers
    Carlos Gomez, CF
    3
    2
    2
    4
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Royals
    Lorenzo Cain, CF
    4
    2
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Pirates
    Deolis Guerra (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    Dbacks
    A.J. Pollock, CF
    4
    2
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Yankees
    Mark Teixeira, 1B
    3
    2
    2
    2
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Angels
    Mike Trout, CF
    3
    2
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Twins
    Tommy Milone (W,5-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    2
    5
  

    
    2.0
    Red Sox
    David Ortiz, 1B
    4
    2
    2
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Tigers
    Jefry Marte, 1B
    4
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    White Sox
    Adam Eaton, CF
    4
    2
    2
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Cardinals
    Pete Kozma, PR-2B
    0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Reds' Johnny Cueto (CG 0R 2H 11K) tops players for Tuesday, July 7, rises to 10th in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank July 8, 2015

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to 10th in player rankings.

Also Tuesday, Giants pitcher Matt Cain, who earned his first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor of the season, has now earned Box-Toppers points for 11 straight seasons.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	12.4
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	12.1
5	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
6	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
7	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7
9	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
10	Cueto, Johnny 2400	pi sp	cin nl	9.8

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Cueto pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out 11 and walking one, in the 5-0 win over the Nationals.

Cueto earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.8 for the season, rising to 10th in Box-Toppers player rankings. He ranks fifth among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Corey Kluber pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits and striking out seven, in the 2-0 win over the Astros.

American League Batter of the Day—Alex Gordon of the Royals doubled and went 4-for-4, driving in four runs, in the 7-1 win over the Rays.

National League Batter of the Day—Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Cardinals.

Streak—Giants pitcher Matt Cain has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 11 straight seasons.

Cain was Player of the Game in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over the Mets (6IP 2H 0R 7K W) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Cain earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2005 with the Giants. His best season was 2010 with the Giants, when he had 16.1 Box-Toppers points, seventh among NL pitchers. In 2014, he had 1.0 Box-Toppers point with the Giants.

Cain has 96.0 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 45th among all pitchers since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. His 96.0 career points ranks 15th among active NL pitchers.

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

Paulo Orlando of the Royals (HR 2-5 2R 4BI in the 9-5 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut April 19 and was playing in his 33rd career game. He is the 3,526th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Miguel Sano of the Twins (HR 2-3 R 3BI in the 8-3 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut July 2 and was playing in his sixth career game. He is the 3,527th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Cubs pitcher Dallas Beeler (5IP 4H 2R 6K ND in the 5-3 win over the Cardinals) made his Major League debut July 28, 2014, and was playing in his third career game. He is the 3,528th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Cueto earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Kluber earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Gordon and Rizzo 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/7
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    17.0
    Reds
    Johnny Cueto (W,6-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    11
  

    
    9.0
    Giants
    Matt Cain (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    0
    0
    2
    7
  

    AL
    6.2
    Indians
    Corey Kluber (W,4-9)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    5
    0
    0
    2
    7
  

    
    4.2
    Dbacks
    Robbie Ray (W,3-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    4
    2
    0
    1
    4
  

    
    4.0
    Braves
    Jason Grilli (S,24)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.2
    Blue Jays
    Felix Doubront (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    6
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Royals
    Alex Gordon, LF
    5
    0
    4
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Royals
    Paulo Orlando, CF
    5
    2
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Angels
    Mike Trout, CF
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mariners
    Austin Jackson, CF
    4
    2
    1
    4
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Twins
    Miguel Sano, DH
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Cubs
    Anthony Rizzo, 1B
    3
    2
    2
    2
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Red Sox
    Koji Uehara (S,20)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    `Pirates
    Francisco Liriano
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    2
    2
    1
    6
  

    
    2.0
    Phillies
    Jeff Francoeur, LF
    5
    2
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Athletics
    Drew Pomeranz (W,3-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    0
  

    
    1.0
    `Cubs
    Dallas Beeler
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    2
    2
    2
    6
  

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

Mets' Niese tops players for Monday, July 6; White Sox' Sale rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank July 7, 2015

Mets pitcher Jonathon Niese is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Monday, White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to third place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, two players with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game Monday—Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett and Cardinals pitcher John Lackey.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
3	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	12.4
4	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	12.1
5	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
6	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
7	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7
9	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
10	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Niese pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out four, in the 3-0 win over the Giants.

American League Player of the Day—Nick Castellanos of the Tigers homered and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 12-5 win over the Mariners.

National League Batter of the Day—Howie Kendrick of the Dodgers tripled, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 10-7 win over the Phillies.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day Monday since the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter (Nick Castellanos).

Rankings—White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Sale (CG 6H 2R 6K W in the 4-2 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.4 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (13.4).

Notable—Two pitchers with more than 100 career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors Monday:

A.J. Burnett of the Pirates rose to 31st place among players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. Burnett (7.2IP 5H R 4K ND in the 2-1 win over the Padres) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 126.8 for his career. With his point, he passes Mariano Rivera (126.4) on the “all-time” list and now trails 30th-place player Roy Oswalt (127.2). Burnett has 5.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, 27th among NL pitchers.
John Lackey of the Cardinals (7IP 6H 0R 4K in the 6-0 win over the Cubs) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 103.8 for his career. He maintains his spot in 57th place among players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began. He trails 56th-place player Jamie Moyer (104.0). Lackey has 5.7 Box-Toppers points on the season, ranking 21st among NL pitchers.

Debut—Preston Tucker of the Astros made his Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Tucker (HR 2B 4-5 2R 2BI in the 9-4 win over the Indians) made his Major League debut May 7 and was playing in his 48th career game. He is the 3,525th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/6
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    7.0
    Mets
    Jonathon Niese (W, 4-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    AL
    5.0
    Tigers
    Nick Castellanos 3B
    5
    2
    4
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    White Sox
    Chris Sale (W, 7-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Cardinals
    John Lackey (W, 7-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Astros
    Preston Tucker RF
    5
    2
    4
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `Twins
    Glen Perkins
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Dodgers
    Howie Kendrick 2B
    5
    2
    4
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Reds
    Eugenio Suarez SS
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Braves
    Kelly Johnson 1B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.2
    `Pirates
    A.J. Burnett
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    5
    1
    1
    3
    4
  

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

Mets' Steven Matz (6IP 0R 8K) tops players for Sunday, July 5

Shawn Plank July 6, 2015

Mets pitcher Steven Matz is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Sunday, Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose to 36th place among all players in Box-Toppers points since 1995, when record keeping began.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
3	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	12.1
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
5	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	11.4
7	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7
9	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
10	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Matz pitched six scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing two hits, in the 8-0 win over the Dodgers.

American League Player of the Day—Kole Calhoun of the Angels hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 12-6 win over the Rangers.

National League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies homered and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Sunday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter (Kole Calhoun).

Notable—Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels rose to 36th place in Box-Toppers points among players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.

Hamels (7IP 0R 6H 6K ND in the 4-0, 10-inning win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 118.8 for his career. With his point Sunday, he passes Justin Verlander (118.2) on the “all-time” list and now trails 34th-place player Cliff Lee (119.1). Hamels ranks 25th among all pitchers since 1995 and 12th among active pitchers.

Hamels also has the highest Box-Toppers season player ranking of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday. Hamels has 8.0 Box-Toppers points on the season and ranks 18th among all players, 10th among NL pitchers.

Debut—Curt Casali of the Rays made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Casali (2B 1-2 R BI in the 8-1 win over the Yankees) made his Major League debut July 18, 2014, and was playing in his 40th career game. He is the 3,524th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

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

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/5
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    Mets
    Steven Matz (W, 2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    
    9.0
    Nationals
    Jordan Zimmermann (W, 7-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    8
  

    
    8.0
    Cardinals
    Lance Lynn (W, 6-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    0
    3
    8
  

    
    7.1
    Cubs
    Kyle Hendricks (W, 4-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    
    7.0
    `Phillies
    Cole Hamels
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Brewers
    Taylor Jungmann (W, 3-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    4
  

    AL
    3.0
    Angels
    Kole Calhoun RF
    5
    2
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Rockies
    Carlos Gonzalez RF
    4
    2
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Blue Jays
    Devon Travis 2B
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    `Red Sox
    Eduardo Rodriguez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    6
    1
    1
    2
    8
  

    
    2.0
    Orioles
    Steve Pearce 1B RF
    4
    2
    3
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Rays
    Curt Casali C
    2
    1
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Pirates
    Mark Melancon (S, 27)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Royals
    Alex Gordon LF
    2
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Mariners
    Seth Smith RF
    2
    0
    1
    2
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

Pirates' Locke tops players for Saturday, July 4; Tigers' Price rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank July 5, 2015

Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Saturday, Tigers pitcher David Price rose to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings and Joe Mauer of the Twins earned a Box-Toppers point for his 12th straight season.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
3	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	12.1
4	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
5	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	11.4
7	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7
9	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
10	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Locke pitched eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six, in the 1-0 win over the Indians.

American League Player of the Day—Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 10, in the 3-2 win over the Rays. Pineda did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because after he exited, the Rays tied the game 2-2.

American League Batter of the Day—C.J. Cron of the Angels homered and went 3-for-4, driving in six runs, in the 13-0 win over the Rangers.

National League Batter of the Day—Kris Bryant of the Cubs hit two home runs, including a grand slam and drove in six total runs, in the 7-2 win over the Marlins.

Rankings—Tigers pitcher David Price rose to third place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Price (7IP 8H R 7K W in the 8-3 win over the Blue Jays) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.1 for the season. He ranks second among AL pitchers, behind Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (13.4).

Streak—Joe Mauer of the Twins has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 12 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Mauer (HR 4-5 2R 2BI in the 5-3 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.

Mauer earned his first Box-Toppers point in 2004 with the Twins. His best season was 2008 with the Twins, when he had 9.5 Box-Toppers points, eighth among AL batters. In 2014, he had 5.0 Box-Toppers points.

Mauer has 67.6 career Box-Toppers points, fourth-most among active AL first basemen. Mauer spent most of his career as a regular catcher and if he were considered a catcher in ranking his career points, he would finish ahead of the current active AL catcher in career points, Brian McCann of the Yankees (50.7 Box-Toppers points).

Notable—Dodgers pitcher Zack Grienke now has 134.7 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Grienke (7IP 4H 0R 4K W in the 4-3 win over the Mets) maintains his spot in 23rd place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers record keeping began. He now has 9.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, sixth among NL pitchers.

Also notable—Cliff Pennington of the Diamondbacks earned Player of the Game honors Saturday for the second straight day. Pennington (PH 1-1 R BI in the 7-3 win over the Rockies) was also Player of the Game in the Diamondback’s win Friday.

Scoring—Locke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Pineda earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Cron and Bryant 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/4
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    12.0
    Pirates
    Jeff Locke (W, 5-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    AL
    11.0
    `Yankees
    Michael Pineda
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    10
  

    
    9.2
    `White Sox
    Jeff Samardzija
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    3
    1
    1
    2
    9
  

    
    9.0
    Red Sox
    Clay Buchholz (W, 7-6)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    6
    1
    1
    0
    8
  

    
    7.0
    Dodgers
    Zack Greinke (W, 7-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Angels
    C.J. Cron DH
    4
    1
    3
    6
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Cubs
    Kris Bryant 3B
    4
    2
    2
    6
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.2
    `Nationals
    Stephen Strasburg
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.2
    1
    0
    0
    2
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Twins
    Joe Mauer 1B
    5
    2
    4
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Braves
    Cameron Maybin CF
    5
    3
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Tigers
    David Price (W, 8-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    8
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    2.0
    Brewers
    Adam Lind 1B
    3
    2
    2
    1
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Dbacks
    Cliff Pennington PH
    1
    1
    1
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Athletics
    Kendall Graveman (W, 6-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Cardinals
    Seth Maness (W, 3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    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.
  

Nationals' Gio Gonzalez (7IP R 2H 6K) tops players for Friday, July 3

Shawn Plank July 4, 2015

Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Gonzalez struck out six over seven innings, allowing one run on two hits, in the 2-1 win over the Giants.

American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher John Danks pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out five, in the 1-0 win over the Orioles.

Top 10 players

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


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Scherzer, Max 2588	pi sp	dc nl	14.0
2	Hernandez, Felix 2064	pi sp	sea al	13.4
3	Archer, Chris 3194	pi sp	tb al	12.0
4	Cole, Gerrit 3232	pi sp	pit nl	12.0
5	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	11.4
6	deGrom, Jacob 3343	pi sp	nym nl	11.4
7	Price, David 2593	pi sp	det al	11.1
8	Keuchel, Dallas 3050	pi sp	hou al	10.7
9	Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	10.7
10	Harvey, Matt 3075	pi sp	nym nl	9.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

National League Batter of the Day—Carlos Gomez of the Brewers hit a grand slam and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 12-1 win over the Reds.

American League Batter of the Day—Mark Teixeira of the Yankees hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 7-5 win over the Rays.

Notable—Angels pitcher Garrett Richards has the highest Box-Toppers player ranking of any of the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Friday. Richards (7.2IP 6H R 6K W in the 8-2 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.0 for the season. He ranks 26th among all players and 11th among AL pitchers.

Scoring—Gonzalez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Danks earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Gomez and Teixeira 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.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    7/3
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    6.0
    Nationals
    Gio Gonzalez (W, 6-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    
    6.0
    `Mets
    Noah Syndergaard
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    1
    1
    2
    6
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Brewers
    Carlos Gomez CF
    5
    2
    3
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    AL
    5.0
    White Sox
    John Danks (W, 4-8)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    5
  

    
    4.2
    Angels
    Garrett Richards (W, 9-5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    6
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Yankees
    Mark Teixeira 1B
    5
    2
    2
    4
    1
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Jose Altuve 2B
    5
    2
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Lorenzo Cain CF
    4
    2
    3
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Indians
    Michael Bourn CF
    3
    0
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Marlins
    Tom Koehler (W, 7-4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    2.0
    Padres
    Joaquin Benoit (W, 5-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Tigers
    Joakim Soria (S, 18)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    1.0
    Mariners
    Brad Miller SS
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Dbacks
    Cliff Pennington SS-3B
    4
    0
    2
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Braves
    Jonny Gomes LF
    3
    1
    1
    1
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

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

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Looking at Box-Toppers points leaders over three time spans (2015, 2014-15 and 2010-15) and selecting AL & NL All-Star teams.

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Box-Toppers game scores of AL All-Star players

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Box-Toppers

Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.