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The Houston Astros rocketed to a huge lead in Box-Toppers team rankings this week, mainly due to acquiring Zack Greinke and other players at the July 31 trade deadline.
The Astros lead for the second week, but last week’s narrow lead has exploded to an enormous lead this week, as they gained the most Box-Toppers points of any team in the past week.
Read MoreRoyals pitcher Brad Keller is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Cubs pitcher Jon Lester earned Player of the Game honors for batting and rises to 12th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” career points list.
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Box-Toppers picks the New York Yankees to beat the Chicago Cubs in the 2019 World Series.
In addition, Box-Toppers projects the Yankees will win 111 games in 2019, one of four teams projected to win 100 or more games this season. All 2018 American League playoff teams are projected to return to the postseason, while three different teams are forecast for the National League postseason—the Nationals, Phillies and Mets.
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The New York Yankees are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2019 preseason rankings, rising from second place at the end of the 2018 season.
The 2018 World Series-champion Boston Red Sox fall from first at the end of last season to second place in the 2019 preseason rankings.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Arizona Diamondbacks had the biggest decline.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Walker Buehler is Box-Toppers Player of the Game Saturday as Los Angeles eliminates the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.
Read MoreCubs pitcher Jon Lester is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Lester struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 1-0 win over the Reds.
Read MoreSteve Pearce of the Red Sox is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer extended his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors. Scherzer also became the first player to reach 20 Box-Toppers points this season, the fifth straight season he’s reached that milestone.
Read MoreAstros pitcher Justin Verlander and Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen are Box-Toppers Players of the Game in Saturday’s two League Championship Series games.
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Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, becoming the 38th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points.
Also Saturday, Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale secured Box-Toppers 2017 Player of the Year honors after the only two players who had the chance to pass him both failed to earn Player of the Game honors—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer and Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
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Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to 10th place in season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.1 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 17.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 13.1 |
| 4 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 12.4 |
| 5 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 12.0 |
| 6 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 11.4 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 11.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.4 |
| 9 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
| 10 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 |
deGrom struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk, in the 14-2 win over the Rockies.
deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, rising to 10th place in player rankings, seventh place among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits, one walk and striking out five, in the 5-0 win over the Indians.
National League Batter of the Day—Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers hit two homers, including a ninth-inning, three-run shot, in the 6-4 win over the Marlins. Puig went 2-for-4, driving in four total runs.
Puig earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.5 Box-Toppers points for 2017, which is his highest single-season total of his five-season career. His previous best seasons were 2015 and 2016 when he had 3.5 each season. He had just 1.5 points in 2013 and just 1.0 point in 2014.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, in the 5-3 win over the Royals.
Beltre earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 113.8 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 49th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Friday, he passes four players on the “all-time” list—Kevin Brown (112.8), Sammy Sosa (113.2), Dan Haren (113.2) and Chris Carpenter (113.3). Beltre now trails 48th-ranked player Josh Beckett (114.9).
Passing Sosa, Beltre now ranks 15th among all batters since 1995, trailing 14th-ranked Torii Hunter (115.9). Beltre also ranks 15th among active players in career Box-Toppers points, trailing 14th-ranked player, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (117.5). He ranks third among active batters in career points, behind second-ranked Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (146.9).
Beltre has 2.5 Box-Toppers points on the season.
Scoring—deGrom earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gray earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Puig and Beltre each earn 1.5 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 7/14 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | NYM 14, COL 2 | Jacob deGrom (W, 10-3) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| 8.1 | WSH 5, CIN 0 | Gio Gonzalez (W, 8-4) | - | - | - | - | 8.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| AL | 8.0 | OAK 5, CLE 0 | Sonny Gray (W, 5-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 6.0 | SEA 4, CHW 2 | James Paxton (W, 8-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | LAD 6, MIA 4 | Yasiel Puig (RF) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | PIT 5, STL 2 | Josh Bell (1B) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | `BOS 5, NYY 4 | Matt Barnes | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | TEX 5, KC 3 | Adrian Beltre (3B) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | CHC 9, BAL 8 | Wade Davis (S, 17) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | HOU 10, MIN 5 | Marwin Gonzalez (LF) | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | MIL 9, PHI 6 | Ryan Braun (LF) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 7, DET 2 | Jose Bautista (RF) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | ATL 4, ARI 3 | Jim Johnson (S, 20) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | TB 2, LAA 1 (F/10) | Alex Colome (S, 26) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | SF 5, SD 4 | Gorkys Hernandez (LF) | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 9.7 | 19.4 | 54.8 | 54.8 | 0.0 |
| Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 8.0 | 12.4 | 19.1 | 19.1 | 3.6 |
| Johnson, Jim 2417 | pi cp | atl nl | 6.0 | 10.0 | 21.0 | 27.7 | 2.0 |
| Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 5.7 | 6.7 | 38.5 | 38.5 | 4.7 |
| Colome, Alex 3189 | pi cp | tb al | 5.0 | 14.0 | 22.7 | 22.7 | -4.0 |
| Puig, Yasiel 3193 | rf | lad nl | 4.5 | 8.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 1.0 |
| Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 | 9.0 | 60.1 | 89.5 | -3.0 |
| Barnes, Matt 3466 | pi mr cp | bos al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Beltre, Adrian 1141 | 3b | tex al | 2.5 | 12.0 | 45.9 | 113.8 | -7.0 |
| Bautista, Jose 2169 | rf | tor al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 26.5 | 65.4 | 1.5 |
| Gonzalez, Marwin 3078 | lf | hou al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 1.5 |
| Hernandez, Goryks 3758 | cf lf | sf nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Braun, Ryan J. 2300 | lf | mil nl | 2.0 | 12.5 | 38.0 | 90.2 | -8.5 |
| Davis, Wade 2681 | pi cp | chi nl | 2.0 | 6.0 | 21.0 | 28.0 | -2.0 |
| Bell, Josh E. 3682 | 1b | pit nl | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | -0.5 |
Mets' Syndergaard tops players in first weekly Box-Toppers player rankings report of the season. Royals' Vargas tops AL players.
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Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Puig homered twice and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 10-2 win over the Padres. It is the first time in his career Puig has earned overall Player of the Day honors. He is in his fifth Major League season and has 11.5 Box-Toppers points, including the 2.0 he earned Thursday.
American League Player of the Day—Geovany Soto of the White Sox hit two homers in the 11-2 win over the Tigers. Soto went 2-for-3 and drove in four runs.
Batters of the Day—There are no separate National League or American League Batters of the Day for Thursday since both the overall Player of the Day and AL Player of the Day are batters—Puig and Soto.
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Thursday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
Scoring—Puig earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Soto earns 1.7 points for being AL Player 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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 4/6 | Score | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | LAD 10, SD 2 | Yasiel Puig, RF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | `COL 2, MIL 1 | Antonio Senzatela | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| AL | 5.0 | CHW 11, DET 2 | Geovany Soto, C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.2 | NYM 6, ATL 2 | Matt Harvey (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | MIA 4, WSH 3 (F/10) | J.T. Realmuto, C | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | SEA 4, HOU 2 | Dan Altavilla (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.2 | TOR 5, TB 2 | Jason Grilli (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | CIN 7, PHI 4 | Adam Duvall, LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | ARI 9, SF 3 | David Peralta, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | MIN 5, KC 3 | Brandon Kintzler (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | CHC 6, STL 4 | Kyle Schwarber, LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | OAK 5, LAA 1 | Ryon Healy, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Puig, Yasiel 3193 | rf | lad nl | 2.0 | 5.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | -1.5 |
| Soto, Geovany 2409 | ca | chi al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 6.2 | 26.9 | 1.7 |
| Duvall, Adam 3573 | lf | cin nl | 1.0 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -5.5 |
| Realmuto, J.T. 3491 | ca | fla nl | 1.0 | 6.5 | 11.5 | 11.5 | -4.5 |
| Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 37.4 | 37.4 | -2.0 |
| Healy, Ryon 3685 | 1b 3b | oak al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
| Grilli, Jason 2209 | pi cp | bal al | 1.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | -5.0 |
| Peralta, David 3370 | rf | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 1.0 |
| Schwarber, Kyle 3536 | lf ca | chi nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 |
| Kintzler, Brandon 3150 | pi cp | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Altavilla, Dan 3761 | pi mr | sea al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Senzatela, Antonio 3760 | pi sp | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Indians pitcher Danny Salazar is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 22.7 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 3 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 18.4 |
| 4 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 18.2 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 17.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 14.1 |
| 9 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 14.0 |
| 10 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.7 |
Salazar struck out 11 over 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run, six hits and two walks, in the 6-5 win over the Marlins. Salazar did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he exited the game with the Indians trailing, 1-0.
Salazar earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.5 for the season. He ranks 14th among all players and fourth among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Braves pitcher Julio Teheran pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing five hits and two walks, in the 2-0 win over the Phillies.
American League Batter of the Day—Jose Abreu of the White Sox hit a pair of three-run homers in the 13-11, 12-inning win over the Twins. Abreu went 3-for-7, driving in seven total runs.
Abreu earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, his first points of the 2016 season. Abreu led AL batters in Box-Toppers points in his rookie year of 2014 with 15.5 and had 3.0 points in 2015.
National League Batter of the Day—Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers hit a three-run homer and went 1-for-2, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-4 win over the Padres.
Puig earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day and has 2.5 points for the season. It is his first Player of the Game honor since being called back up after spending a month in the minors. Puig, despite his star status, has only 8.5 career Box-Toppers points over four seasons—1.5 in 2013, 1.0 in 2014, 3.5 in 2015 and 2.5 in 2016.
Notable—Cubs pitcher John Lackey has the most season Box-Toppers points among the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Lackey (5IP H 2R BB 4K ND in the 3-2, 13-inning win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.4 for the season. He ranks 11th among all players and ninth among NL pitchers. He is the third Cubs starting pitcher among Box-Toppers top 10 NL pitchers—Jon Lester (17.1) ranks fourth and Jake Arrieta (13.7) ranks eighth.
Lackey now has 121.1 career Box-Toppers points, 39th-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 38th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1).
Also notable—Albert Pujols of the Angels extends his lead in career Box-Toppers points among active batters after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Pujols (HR 3-4 R 2BI in the 4-2 win over the Mariners) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 182.3 career points. It is the first point Pujols has earned since becoming the active career leader in points after the Yankees released previous leader Alex Rodriguez (187.0) on Aug. 13. Pujols ranks sixth among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began and trails fifth-ranked player, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (183.0) by only 0.7 points. Sabathia is the active career leader in points. (See the updated list of top 20 players in career Box-Toppers points on the home page.)
Pujols has 8.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, his best year since 2011 when he had 12.5 points with the Cardinals. Pujols ranks 11th among AL batters this season.
Debut—Mets pitcher Seth Lugo made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Lugo (7IP 6H R 0BB 4K W in the 5-1 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut July 1 and was playing in his 13th career game. He is the 3,729th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Salazar earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Teheran earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Abreu and Puig each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/4 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.2 | `CLE 6, MIA 5 | Danny Salazar | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | |
| NL | 6.0 | ATL 2, PHI 0 | Julio Teheran (W,5-9) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| 5.1 | `OAK 1, BOS 0 | Kendall Graveman | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | CHW 13, MIN 11 (12) | Jose Abreu, 1B | 7 | 2 | 3 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 5.0 | LAD 7, SD 4 | Yasiel Puig, RF | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | MIL 10, PIT 0 | Jonathan Villar, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | `CHC 3, SF 2 (13) | John Lackey | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.1 | NYY 5, BAL 2 | Dellin Betances (S,8) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 5, WSH 1 | Seth Lugo (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | TOR 5, TB 3 | Joaquin Benoit (W,3-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.2 | HOU 7, TEX 6 | Chris Devenski (W,3-4) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | LAA 4, SEA 2 | Albert Pujols, DH | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | DET 6, KC 5 | Justin Upton, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | STL 5, CIN 2 | Seung Hwan Oh (S,15) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | ARI 8, COL 5 | Jean Segura, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 13.4 | 23.1 | 42.8 | 121.2 | 3.7 |
| Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 12.5 | 25.9 | 35.3 | 35.3 | -0.9 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 8.7 | 16.4 | 44.5 | 44.5 | 1.0 |
| Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 8.0 | 15.0 | 45.0 | 182.3 | 1.0 |
| Upton, Justin 2411 | lf | det al | 6.7 | 15.7 | 42.6 | 51.1 | -2.3 |
| Graveman, Kendall 3444 | pi sp | oak al | 6.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 1.3 |
| Oh, Seung Hwan 3693 | pi cp | stl nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Betances, Dellin 3333 | pi mr cp | nyy al | 4.0 | 8.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 0.0 |
| Segura, Jean 3173 | 2b | ari nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 1.0 |
| Villar, Jonathan 3233 | ss ph | mil nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| Devenski, Chris 3702 | pi sp | hou nl | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Puig, Yasiel 3193 | rf | lad nl | 2.5 | 6.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | -1.0 |
| Abreu, Jose 3308 | 1b | chi al | 1.5 | 4.5 | 20.0 | 20.0 | -1.5 |
| Benoit, Joaquin 1663 | pi mr | tor al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 29.5 | -1.0 |
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | nym nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
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.
| 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 |
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:
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.
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. | ||||||||||||||||
Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is Saturday’s Player of the Day and rises to the top of Box-Toppers player rankings.
Hernandez struck out 12 over seven innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 3-1 win over the Rangers. Hernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, passing previous points leader, Athletics pitcher Scott Kazmir, who has 3.7.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 |
| 2 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 3 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 |
| 4 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 3.0 |
| 5 | Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 3.0 |
| 6 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | det al | 2.7 |
| 7 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.7 |
| 8 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.7 |
| 9 | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | 3b dh | tor al | 2.5 |
| 10 | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 2.5 |
Hernandez had a Box-Toppers game score of +12, tied with Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who was Player of the Game in the 9-0 win over the Rays. However, Hernandez won Player of the Day honors on a tie-breaker—he had more strikeouts than Tanaka Saturday (12 vs. 8).
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in the 5-4 win over the Marlins. deGrom earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season. He rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers player rankings.
American League Batter of the Day—Adam LaRoche of the White Sox homered, doubled and went 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBIs in the 12-3 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—Odubel Herrera of the Phillies went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI, in the 5-3 win over the Nationals. This was Herrera’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He made his Major League debut April 6 and was playing in his 12th career game. He is the 3,449th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Notables—Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays rose to ninth place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Donaldson (HR 3-4 2R BI in the 6-5 win over the Braves) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.5 for the season.
Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers earned just his third Player of the Game honor Saturday in his third season in baseball. While Puig is considered one of the game’s rising stars and an All-Star, he has so far only rarely earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors and now has 3.5 Box-Toppers points since his Box-Toppers debut on June 4, 2013. On Saturday, Puig went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI in the 6-3 win over the Rockies. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point and has that 1.0 point for the season. That equals his 2014 total of 1.0 Box-Toppers point—he was Player of the Game once in 2014, on May 12.
Scoring—Hernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and deGrom earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. LaRoche and Herrera 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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/18 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | |
| 13.0 | Yankees | Masahiro Tanaka (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| NL | 9.0 | Mets | Jacob deGrom (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 8.0 | Pirates | Jeff Locke (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 8.0 | Astros | Dallas Keuchel (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 7.0 | `Cubs | Kyle Hendricks | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 5.2 | Giants | Chris Heston (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 4.2 | Athletics | Jesse Chavez (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | White Sox | Adam LaRoche 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Indians | Danny Salazar (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Carlos Martinez (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Orioles | Zach Britton (S, 4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Phillies | Odubel Herrera CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Josh Donaldson DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Dodgers | Yasiel Puig RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2014, was voted National League Most Valuable Player Thursday.
Center fielder Mike Trout of the Angels was the unanimous choice for American League Most Valuable Player, though Trout ranked seventh among AL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2014.
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BOX-TOPPERS EXTRA
Andrew McCutchen may be selected as National League’s Most Valuable Player, but only ranks 18th among NL batters in Box-Toppers points. Mike Trout may be voted American League MVP but ranks seventh among AL batters in Box-Toppers points.
| Player | Team | BTP | Rank | Honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Jeter | Yankees | 0.0 | 996 | |
| Yasiel Puig | Dodgers | 1.0 | 593 | |
| Andrew McCutchen | Pirates | 6.5 | 137 | |
| Mike Trout | Angels | 8.5 | 78 | |
| Troy Tulowitzki | Rockies | 11.6 | 39 | 1st NL batter |
| Jose Abreu | White Sox | 15.5 | 14 | 1st AL batter |
| Corey Kluber | Indians | 25.8 | 2 | 1st AL pitcher |
| Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 31.5 | 1 | 1st NL pitcher |
Meanwhile, unexpected players—Jose Abreu and Troy Tulowitzki—who may have no chance at even being considered for postseason honors, are among Box-Toppers points leaders.
Why?
Why do some unexpected players excel in Box-Toppers points? And why do some star players seem to lag behind with fewer Box-Toppers points?
This season, Box-Toppers set to demonstrate why by focusing on a limited number of players and their daily performances. These watched players—featured in Box-Toppers Facebook posts and specially hashtagged Box-Toppers Twitter posts—showed when a player was deserving of earning Box-Toppers points or showed how other players in their game beat them out for points.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn 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.
At the end of the season, Box-Toppers was watching eight players—four of them lead key Box-Toppers categories (NL and AL pitching and batting) and four others are players who often do not score well in Box-Toppers points but who are frequently highly touted, considered for postseason honors and are considered to be stars.
Here is a look at the eight players (including the Twitter hashtag (#) used in daily “watched” posts):
Jeter, 40, is surely a future Hall-of-Famer, but in 145 games, he did not earn Player of the Game honors in any of the Yankees wins in his retirement season.
Box-Toppers watched him this season because he announced his retirement prior to the season and we thought it would be interesting to see how he fared in his last year. But Box-Toppers also watched him because he tended not to score as highly in Box-Toppers as his reputation as a star would indicate.
In his career, he scored 76.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 127th among all players. To give some perspective, he trails DH Travis Hafner (in 123rd place with 76.9 points), who is not exactly on the glidepath to Cooperstown that Jeter is.
But to be fair, Jeter ranks second among all shortstops all-time, trailing Miguel Tejada (102.3 Box-Toppers points). The shortstop position is generally not called upon for the offensive numbers required to win Player of the Game honors and earn Box-Toppers points.
Jeter’s Box-Toppers points total have also likely been impacted over the years because of the caliber of the talent on his own team—players like Roger Clemens, CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi, who have been his teammates, have more career Box-Toppers points than Jeter and likely beat him out on occasion for Player of the Game honors.
For example, Jeter did not even earn Player of the Game honors in his final game at Yankee Stadium Sept. 25. While Jeter drove in the winning run on a dramatic, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth (and was 2-for-5 with a run and three RBIs), he was beat out for Player of the Game by pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who struck out nine over eight innings in the win over the Orioles.
Also, Jeter’s star power does not come from putting together performances that frequently make him Player of the Game. It often comes from anecdotal (but real) flashes of brilliance that make the highlight reel, that do contribute to the win, that wows the fans to the point of deserved admiration, but do not translate well to the scorecard, the box score—or to Box-Toppers points.
Box-Toppers watched Puig this year because of the buzz he created. True, he led the NL in on-base percentage and had the NL’s eighth-best batting average—but he only once was Dodger’s top player in a win, on May 12. He has only earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors twice in his career and has only 2.5 career Box-Toppers points in two seasons.
Is Puig overrated and not living up to the hype, at least in terms of helping the Dodgers win games? Or is Puig perhaps overshadowed by other players on his team who contributed more to Dodgers wins, especially pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who were among the overall Box-Toppers points leaders?
A leader in new-fangled baseball statistics, such as Wins Above Replacement and on-base plus slugging, the 2013 NL MVP is touted by many to repeat the feat in 2014.
But in 2013, he finished 22nd among NL batters in Box-Toppers points with 6.0. This year, he is slightly improved, with 6.5 points—18th among NL batters. According to Box-Toppers, he is not the NL batter who most helped his team win the most games. In fact, he is not even the top Pirates batter, an honor that goes to Neil Walker (7.0 Box-Toppers points).
Another sabermetrician favorite and leader in wins above replacement, Trout actually had a decent season Box-Toppers-wise—just not among the top five of AL batters.
Trout was watched this season because he has been touted as an MVP candidate for two seasons, finishing behind Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers both times. With Cabrera ostensibly out of the limelight since he is not having another Triple Crown season, the door has been opened for Trout to finally claim MVP this year. However, it should be noted that Cabrera has 12.5 Box-Toppers points this season, in second among AL batters and ahead of Trout.
But ahead of both Trout and Cabrera in Box-Toppers points is rookie Jose Abreu of the White Sox with 15.5 points.
In 2013, Trout had only 3.5 Box-Toppers points and yet finished second in AL MVP voting. This year is his second-best ever (he had 11.0 points in 2012) and he is the leading batter among Angels players in Box-Toppers points, third-best among all Angels players.
Rookie Jose Abreu has been a Box-Toppers watched player since he assumed the lead among AL batters in June. He hit 36 home runs and led the AL in slugging percentage (.581) and handily won Box-Toppers AL Batter of the Year honors—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers finished second with 12.5 Box-Toppers points.
Abreu should win AL Rookie of the Year honors. But despite his performance, it is unclear whether he is even being taken seriously as a candidate for AL MVP.
Tulowitzki played only 91 games this season—he last played July 19 and was out with injury and hip surgery after that. No one in their right mind would consider that anyone who missed nearly half the season should be considered as NL MVP.
And yet, according to Box-Toppers, no other NL batter playing an entire season even came close the the 11.6 Box-Toppers points Tulowitzki earned in his short time. Second-place Buster Posey of the Giants had 8.5.
Early in the season, Tulowitzki was the rare batter among Box-Toppers top 10 overall players. But even as he fell down to 39th among all players, he never fell from first among NL batters in Box-Toppers points.
It could be argued that NL batters were so lackluster and so overshadowed by NL pitchers in 2014 that no batter should win MVP and the honor should go instead to Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. More on him in a second.
Kluber came on late to take the AL pitching lead from Max Scherzer of the Tigers (22.1 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers).
Kluber became one of only 11 players in Box-Toppers’ 20 years of record keeping to reach 25 Box-Toppers points in a season.
Kershaw’s season was dominant. Despite missing six weeks with injury at the start of the season, Kershaw racked up the fourth-best single-season Box-Toppers point total in 20 years.
It was a year so dominant in a year in an overall down year for NL batters, Kershaw is being touted for the NL MVP.
If Box-Toppers points rather than fan voting were used to determine Major League All-Star teams, you’d have very different teams, very pissed-off fans and one very stunned baseball blogger.
For example, if Box-Toppers points were used to determine All-Stars, there would be no Yasiel Puig, no Mike Trout, no Jose Bautista and no Derek Jeter in the game. And you would have players in the line-up, such as Daniel Murphy, Freddie Freeman and Erick Aybar, among others.
The All-Star Game is July 15. Online fan voting ends July 3, less than a week away.
Box-Toppers may have a different perspective on All-Stars because it tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Players only earn points if they are deemed to be Player of the Game, based on a simple box score formula.
So players such as Puig, Trout and Bautista, while they often put up impressive numbers, have not regularly been top player in games their teams have won recently. So while their fan All-Star vote may be high, their Box-Toppers point totals lately have been lower.
Another example of Box-Toppers not matching baseball’s conventional thinking is Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates. Last year, baseball writers voted him National League Most Valuable Player. But in Box-Toppers, he ranked 22nd among NL batters. However, this year, McCutchen has earned Player of the Game four times and picked up 5.0 Box-Toppers points and ranks fifth among NL batters and second among NL outfielders.
Box-Toppers looks at the All-Star team in two different ways. First, it considers players on their performance during the 2014 season. But since this season is still a small data sample, it looks at last season, too, and considers players on their performance since the start of 2013.
For example, if you look at Box-Toppers points for just this season, Chris Colabello of the Twins is the second-ranked outfielder based on his early season performance. But Colabello slumped and has been in the minors for more than a month—which does not speak well for his All-Star credentials.
But looking at player’s performance since 2013 can be misleading, too. For example, Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees leads AL outfielders since the start of 2013 with 13.9 Box-Toppers points. But 12.9 of those were earned in 2013. Despite his strong 2013, he probably would not be considered an All-Star in 2014.
But then there’s a player like Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks. He actually is leading currently in NL voting for first basemen. And in fact, in 2013, he led all NL batters in Box-Toppers points, with 13.7. But this year, while his numbers are generally good, he is playing for a bad team and has earned only 1.5 Box-Toppers points. Despite his great 2013 in Box-Toppers, he is overshadowed in the NL at first base by Freddie Freeman of the Braves. Freeman leads all NL first basemen in Box-Toppers points for both 2014 and 2013-14.
But enough prelude. Here is a look a the All-Star teams. First, it’s the Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league for 2014. Then, it’s Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league for 2013-14. And finally, a look at current All-Star vote leaders, showing their current Box-Toppers point total and their rank in Box-Toppers by position and league.
Jose Abreu of the White Sox leads AL batters in Box-Toppers points. He is on the AL All-Star ballot as first baseman and not as a designated hitter, but since he has played DH this season, we will break the “rules” and put him at DH and put Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, last year’s Box-Toppers AL batting leader, at first.
In the American League, only four of the nine starters are even among the top vote-getters at their positions.
The National League is a little better—six of the eight Box-Toppers leaders for starting positions are among the All-Star voting leaders.
And though fan voters don’t get to pick pitchers, included here for both leagues are Box-Toppers leaders for starting pitchers (the top four starters) along with the top middle reliever and top closing pitcher.
Box-Toppers pick for All-Star starters based on 2014 stats? Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees for the AL and Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals for the NL.
| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 7.5 | 1 |
| 2B | Rodriguez, Sean 2729 | tb al | 5.0 | - |
| SS | Aybar, Erick 2416 | ana al | 6.0 | - |
| 3B | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | oak al | 6.5 | 1 |
| CA | Perez, Salvador 2972 | kc al | 3.7 | - |
| OF | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | oak al | 5.5 | 4 |
| OF | Colabello, Chris 3235 | min al | 5.2 | - |
| OF | Hunter, Torii 1190 | det al | 4.5 | 10 |
| DH | Abreu, Jose 3308 | chi al | 8.5 | - |
| SP | Tanaka, Masahiro 3305 | nyy al | 12.7 | * |
| SP | Scherzer, Max 2588 | det al | 11.4 | * |
| SP | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | oak al | 9.7 | * |
| SP | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 8.8 | * |
| MR | Duffy, Danny 2915 | kc al | 6.0 | * |
| CP | Uehara, Koji 2802 | bos al | 6.0 | * |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
| 1B | Freeman, Freddie 2887 | atl nl | 6.2 | 3 |
| 2B | Murphy, Daniel 2589 | nym nl | 4.5 | - |
| SS | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | col nl | 10.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Ramirez, Aramis 1364 | mil nl | 3.5 | 1 |
| CA | Lucroy, Jonathan 2744 | mil nl | 3.7 | 2 |
| OF | Morse, Michael 2020 | sf nl | 5.5 | - |
| OF | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | pit nl | 5.0 | 2 |
| OF | Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | fla nl | 4.7 | 4 |
| SP | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | stl nl | 13.0 | * |
| SP | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 12.7 | * |
| SP | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | sf nl | 12.5 | * |
| SP | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | cin nl | 11.7 | * |
| MR | Collmenter, Josh 2863 | ari nl | 4.0 | * |
| CP | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | atl nl | 5.0 | * |
What are those numbers after players' names?
These are Box-Toppers points leaders by position since the start of 2013.
In the American League, the Box-Toppers leaders agree a little better with voters—seven of the nine Box-Toppers leaders are among the leaders in fan voting and three (Cabrera, Robinson Cano of the Mariners and Josh Donaldson of the Athletics) are vote leaders for their positions.
In the National League, five of the Box-Toppers position leaders are also among the vote leaders. However, Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies is the only player who leads his position in both Box-Toppers points and fan voting.
And though fan voters don’t get to pick pitchers, included here for both leagues are Box-Toppers leaders for starting pitchers (the top four starters) along with the top middle reliever and top closing pitcher.
Box-Toppers pick for starters based on 2013-14 stats? Max Scherzer of the Tigers for the AL and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers for the NL.
| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | det al | 24.4 | 1 |
| 2B | Cano, Robinson 2092 | sea al | 15.5 | 1 |
| SS | Aybar, Erick 2416 | ana al | 11.0 | - |
| 3B | Donaldson, Josh 3144 | oak al | 16.0 | 1 |
| CA | McCann, Brian 2179 | nyy al | 9.5 | 3 |
| OF | Soriano, Alfonso 1445 | nyy al | 13.9 | - |
| OF | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | oak al | 12.5 | 4 |
| OF | Choo, Shin-Soo 2267 | tex al | 11.0 | 14 |
| DH | Ortiz, David | bos al | 16.4 | 2 |
| SP | Scherzer, Max 2588 | det al | 29.5 | * |
| SP | Darvish, Yu 3003 | tex al | 24.4 | * |
| SP | Sale, Chris 2806 | chi al | 24.1 | * |
| SP | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | sea al | 23.6 | * |
| MR | Smyly, Drew 3009 | det al | 10.7 | * |
| CP | Holland, Greg 2906 | kc al | 14.0 | * |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | Vote rank |
| 1B | Freeman, Freddie 2887 | atl nl | 17.7 | 3 |
| 2B | Murphy, Daniel 2589 | nym nl | 13.0 | - |
| SS | Tulowitzki, Troy 2308 | col nl | 14.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Alvarez, Pedro 2817 | pit nl | 10.2 | - |
| CA | Posey, Buster 2745 | sf nl | 10.0 | 3 |
| OF | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | col nl | 12.5 | - |
| OF | Cuddyer, Michael 1826 | col nl | 11.5 | 14 |
| OF | McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | pit nl | 11.0 | 2 |
| SP | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | lad nl | 34.4 | * |
| SP | Wainwright, Adam 2150 | stl nl | 33.2 | * |
| SP | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | sf nl | 28.2 | * |
| SP | Greinke, Zack 1871 | lad nl | 26.8 | * |
| MR | Collmenter, Josh 2863 | ari nl | 12.0 | * |
| CP | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | atl nl | 17.7 | * |
What are those numbers after players' names?
A case can be made for any of these players to be on the All-Star team.
Numbers? Performance? Yes, players like Yadier Molina, Yasiel Puig and Mike Trout have that. Though they may not register very highly on Box-Toppers, it’s hard to argue that they’re not All-Star worthy.
And a case can even be made for a player like Derek Jeter of the Yankees—is he an All-Star? Well, technically, there ARE probably better and more deserving AL shortstops based on any metric you put forth for this season and last season. But then, this is Derek Jeter. The Captain. His final season. Even Yankee haters may be forced to put the numbers aside for a moment and vote with their heart on this one.
Here are the leaders as of June 22 and 23 in All-Star voting by position. Also included in the chart are each of the leaders’ Box-Toppers points total for 2014 and their current rank among their position in their league.
Only three players who lead for their position in All-Star voting also lead their position in Box-Toppers points:
• AL 3B Josh Donaldson of the Athletics.
• NL SS Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies.
• NL 3B Aramis Ramirez of the Pirates.
| Pos | AL players | Team | BTP | BTP rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | Miguel Cabrera | det al | 7.5 | 2 |
| 2B | Robinson Cano | sea al | 3.0 | 4 |
| SS | Derek Jeter | nyy al | 0.0 | 22 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson | oak al | 6.5 | 1 |
| CA | Matt Wieters | bal al | 1.5 | 7 |
| OF | Jose Bautista | tor al | 2.5 | 15 |
| OF | Mike Trout | ana al | 2.0 | 23 |
| OF | Melky Cabrera | tor al | 3.0 | 10 |
| DH | Nelson Cruz | bal al | 3.0 | 10 |
| Pos | NL players | Team | BTP | BTP rank |
| 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | ari nl | 1.5 | 13 |
| 2B | Chase Utley | phi nl | 2.0 | 10 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki | col nl | 10.6 | 1 |
| 3B | Aramis Ramirez | mil nl | 3.5 | 1 |
| CA | Yadier Molina | stl nl | 0.0 | 20 |
| OF | Yasiel Puig | lad nl | 1.0 | 44 |
| OF | Andrew McCutchen | pit nl | 5.0 | 2 |
| OF | Carlos Gomez | mil nl | 2.5 | 14 |
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is Monday’s Player of the Day. Lincecum gave up one run and two hits over 7 2/3 innings, striking out 11, in the 4-2 win over the Braves.
Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is American League Player of the Day. Lewis struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the 4-0 win over the Astros.
Junior Lake of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. Lake homered, drove in six runs and went 3-for-6 in the 17-5 win over the Cardinals.
Stefen Romero of the Mariners is AL Batter of the Day. Romero doubled, homered and drove in three runs in the 12-5 win over the Rays. This was Romero’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,330th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Notables: Athletics pitcher Jesse Chavez rose to 10th place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Chavez (8IP 7K W in 5-4 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 5.7 for the season. (See the updated Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings on the home page.)
Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers earned Player of the Game honors for the first time this season Monday and only the second time in his career (he was NL Batter of the Day on June 4, 2013). Puig went 1-for-3, hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs in the 6-5 win over the Marlins. He has 1.0 Box-Toppers point this season and 2.5 for his career.
Lincecum receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Lewis receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Lake and Romero each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 512 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.2 | Giants | Tim Lincecum (W, 3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Cubs | Junior Lake LF | 6 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 4.2 | Rangers | Colby Lewis (W, 3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| BAT | 4.0 | Mariners | Stefen Romero RF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Athletics | Jesse Chavez (W, 3-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Blue Jays | Jose Bautista RF, CF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Tigers | Ian Kinsler 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Yasiel Puig RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Tyler Clippard (W, 3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Eric Young LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez led the way in voting and in Box-Toppers points on the way to earning National League Rookie of the Year Monday.
But the player voted American League Rookie of the Year ranked fourth among AL rookies in Box-Toppers points, behind a teammate. Wil Myers of the Rays, who served as designated hitter and right fielder, was voted top AL rookie, though his teammate, pitcher Chris Archer, had the most Box-Toppers points among AL rookie vote-getters.
Fernandez, who ranked fourth among all players, briefly led in Box-Toppers overall player rankings in September. He finished with 19.0 Box-Toppers points, in fourth place among all NL players and more than any other AL player.
Dodgers rightfielder Yasiel Puig finished second in voting, though he only earned 1.5 Box-Toppers points during the season.
The National League featured strong rookie pitchers among the top vote-getters. Shelby Miller of the Cardinals (third in voting) had the second-most Box-Toppers points among rookies with 15.4. Julio Teheran of the Braves (fifth in voting) had the third-most Box-Toppers points among rookies with 13.7. Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers (fourth in voting) had 9.7 Box-Toppers points.
Archer far outdistanced all other AL rookies in Box-Toppers points, though he was only voted in third place. Archer had 11.7 Box-Toppers points. Myers, who finished first, had 3.5 Box-Toppers points, tied for the most among AL batters in rookie voting.
Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias (who earlier in the season played for the Red Sox) finished in second in voting, though he earned no Box-Toppers points. In fact, two rookie vote-getters, Iglesias and Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, have yet to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors and so neither have any Box-Toppers points.
One other notable rookie, Athletics pitcher Dan Straily finished fourth in AL rookie voting. He had 7.7 Box-Toppers points, the second-most among AL rookie vote-getters.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. The player on the winning team with the highest Box-Toppers game score is Player of the Game and receives 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The Player of the Game with the highest overall Box-Toppers game score for all the games played that day is Player of the Day and earns a total of 2.0 Box-Toppers points. The top player in the opposite league receives a total of 1.7 Box-Toppers points. If both the day’s top overall player and top player in the opposite league are pitchers, then the top American League and top National League batter of the day receive a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points each.
Here is how Fernandez scored his 19.0 Box-Toppers points this season:
April 13: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point
May 4: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
June 1: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
June 14: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.
July 1: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
July 23: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.
July 28: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
Aug. 2: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
Aug. 13: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
Aug. 19: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.
Aug. 24: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
Sept. 6: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.
Here is how Archer scored his 11.7 Box-Toppers points:
June 7: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
July 9: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.
July 14: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
July 27: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
Aug. 18: American League Player of the Day, 1.7 BTP.
Aug. 28: Player of the Day, 1.0 BTP.
Sept. 13: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.
Sept. 18: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP
Here is how Myers scored his 3.5 Box-Toppers points:
July 19: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Aug. 15: American League Batter of the Day, 1.5 BTP.
Sept. 4: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP
Here are the results of Rookie of the Year voting in both leagues. Players are listed in order of their vote total. The far right column shows how many Box-Toppers points (BTP) they earned during the 2013 season. For more: MLB.com’s coverage of the vote.
| Top rookies | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | |||||||
| Player | Pos | Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points | BTP |
| Wil Myers | dh rf | Rays | 23 | 5 | 1 | 131 | 3.5 |
| Jose Iglesias | ss | Tigers* | 5 | 17 | 4 | 80 | 0 |
| Chris Archer | pi sp | Rays | 1 | 5 | 15 | 35 | 11.7 |
| Dan Straily | pi sp | Athletics | 1 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 7.7 |
| J.B. Shuck | lf | Angels | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3.0 | |
| Cody Allen | pi mr | Indians | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | ||
| Martin Perez | pi sp | Rangers | 2 | 2 | 5.0 | ||
| David Lough | rf | Royals | 1 | 1 | 3.5 | ||
| NL | |||||||
| Player | Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points | BTP | |
| Jose Fernandez | pi sp | Marlins | 26 | 4 | 142 | 19.0 | |
| Yasiel Puig | rf | Dodgers | 4 | 25 | 95 | 1.5 | |
| Shelby Miller | pi sp | Cardinals | 1 | 9 | 12 | 15.4 | |
| Hyun-Jin Ryu | pi sp | Dodgers | 10 | 10 | 9.7 | ||
| Julio Teheran | pi sp | Braves | 7 | 7 | 13.7 | ||
| Jedd Gyorko | 2b | Padres | 2 | 2 | 2.0 | ||
| Nolan Arenado | 3b | Rockies | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | ||
| Evan Gattis | ca | Braves | 1 | 1 | 1.0 |
* Jose Iglesias began the season playing for the Red Sox.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.