Why AL MVP favorite Jose Altuve only had 2.5 Box-Toppers points in 2017

How can it be that likely 2017 American League Most Valuable Player Jose Altuve has only 2.5 Box-Toppers points on the season?

Top 25 AL batters in 2017

Here are Box-Toppers top 25-ranked American League batters for 2017. Two of the three AL Most Valuable Player Award finalists are ranked in the top five—Aaron Judge at second and Jose Ramirez at fifth. However, the third finalist, Jose Altuve of the Astros, ranks outside the top 25 in 90th place among AL batters. Three other Astros batters rank in the top 25 ahead of Altuve, the likely AL MVP—Josh Reddick in 11th, Carlos Correa in 20th and Marwin Gonzalez in 23rd. 

 

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Encarnacion, Edwin 2098	dh 1b	cle al	12.1
2	Judge, Aaron 3767	rf	nyy al	11.2
3	Andrus, Elvis 2582	ss	tex al	11.0
4	Bruce, Jay 2453	rf	cle al	10.0
5	Ramirez, Jose 3436	3b 2b	cle al	10.0
6	Healy, Ryon 3685	dh 1b	oak al	9.7
7	Hosmer, Eric 2886	1b	kc al	9.5
8	Odor, Rougned 3336	2b	tex al	8.7
9	Sano, Miguel 3527	3b	min al	8.5
10	Donaldson, Josh 3144	3b	tor al	8.0
11	Reddick, Josh 2936	rf lf cf	hou al	8.0
12	Alonso, Yonder 2945	1b	sea al	8.0
13	Iglesias, Jose 3532	ss	det al	8.0
14	Upton, Justin 2411	lf	ana al	7.5
15	Moss, Brandon 2520	dh	kc al	7.5
16	Perez, Salvador 2972	ca	kc al	7.5
17	Benintendi, Andrew 3815	lf	bos al	7.2
18	Mancini, Trey 3766	lf 1b	bal al	7.2
19	Machado, Manny 3087	3b	bal al	7.0
20	Correa, Carlos 3506	ss	hou al	7.0
21	Garcia, Avisail 3256	rf	chi al	6.7
22	Morrison, Logan 2794	1b	tb al	6.7
23	Gonzalez, Marwin 3078	lf	hou al	6.7
24	Morales, Kendrys 2142	dh	tor al	6.5
25	Smoak, Justin 2731	1b	tor al	6.5
…
90	Altuve, Jose 3007	2b	hou al	2.5

BTP—Box-Toppers points
What are those numbers after players' names?

Or should the question be: How is Jose Altuve even considered a candidate for AL MVP when he has only 2.5 Box-Toppers points?

The Houston Astros second baseman seems the inevitable choice by baseball writers to be named for top AL honor Thursday. But by Box-Toppers measures—and this is no knock on his 5-foot, 6-inch height—Altuve simply didn’t measure up. His 2.5 Box-Toppers points ranks 387th among all players, 90th among AL batters, 21st among all Astros players and 11th among Astros batters.

Writers are touting Altuve for leading the league in hits (204) and batting average (.346). According to BaseballReference.com, his Wins Above Replacement (WAR) number is 8.3, highest among all players in baseball.

But Box-Toppers looks at games one by one. And it seeks the one player who most helped their team win each game. 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.

Altuve’s accumulated numbers at the end of the season are impressive. And he is a great player. But taken game by game, at least in 2017, he only rose to the level of earning Box-Toppers Player of the Game in just two of the Astros’ 101 wins:

• On July 24, he was Player of the Game in the 13-4 win over the Phillies, when he doubled twice and went 4-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs. Altuve had the highest Box-Toppers game score that day among AL batters (+6.0) and also earned 0.5 bonus Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day. He earned a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points that day.
• On Sept. 2, he was Player of the Game in the 12-8 win over the Mets, when he doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in one run. He had a team high Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 to earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for the day.

That was it. In the Astros’ 99 other wins, one of Altuve’s teammates had a higher Box-Toppers game score and beat him out for Player of the Game. Altuve ended the season with just 2.5 Box-Toppers points.

The chart below shows all of the Astros’ 101 wins in 2017 and the Box-Toppers Player of the Game in each. It also shows how Altuve fared in each of those Astros’ wins.

Altuve had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 or more in 38 of the Astros’ wins. (Box-Toppers game score for batters is a very simple formula—Runs plus hits plus runs batted in minus at bats.) Players must have a game score of 0.0 or better to be a candidate for Box-Toppers Player of the Game. In other words, in the Astros’ other 63 wins, Altuve was not in contention to be Player of the Game because he either had a negative Box-Toppers game score or did not play. (Altuve did not play in seven Astros wins.)

Since Altuve earned Player of the Game honors twice, there were 36 times he had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 or better and did not earn Player of the Game honors. Nineteen of those times, an Astros pitcher had a higher Box-Toppers game score and beat him for Player of the Game. Seventeen of those times, another Astros batter had a higher game score and beat him for Player of the Game. Five of those times that batter was teammate, outfielder Josh Reddick.

Reddick in fact, was Box-Toppers top-ranked Astros batter in 2017, earning 8.0 Box-Toppers points, 11th among AL batters and 75th among all players. Reddick earned Player of the Game honors seven times in 2017, compared to Altuve’s two. He also had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 or more in 39 of the Astros’ wins, compared to 38 for Altuve.

The question then becomes: How can Altuve be considered the AL player who helped his team win the most games, when he was not even the Astros batter who helped his team win the most games? That was Josh Reddick, who had more Box-Toppers points, more Player of the Game honors and more instances of Box-Toppers game scores of 0.0 or better in Astros’ wins. 

The only measure in which Altuve bested Reddick was number of total times they each had Box-Toppers game scores of 0.0 or more in all games. Altuve did it 53 times (38 in Astros’ wins and 15 in Astros’ losses). Reddick did it 45 times (39 times in wins, six times in losses).

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Still, looking closely at those 36 games in which Altuve had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 or more and did not earn Player of the Game honors, there were 14 times his game score was within 2.0 of the Player of the Game (for example, on Aug. 31, Altuve had a game score of +1.0 and Player of the Game Ken Giles had a score of +3.0). Of those 14 times, there were eight times his score was within 1.0 of the Player of the Game (for example, on July 9, Altuve had a game score of +6.0 and Player of the Game Carlos Correa had a game score of +7.0). And of those eight times, there were two times in which Altuve tied the game score of the player earning Player of the Game, losing the honor on a tiebreaker:

• On July 4, Altuve and Reddick both had Box-Toppers game scores of +4.0, but Reddick won Player of the Game on a tiebreaker because he had more at bats (six vs. five).
• On Aug. 27, Altuve and designated hitter Brian McCann had Box-Toppers game scores of +2.0, but McCann won Player of the Game on a tiebreaker because he had more runs batted in (four vs. two).

In other words, Altuve’s season would look very different from a Box-Toppers perspective, if he had earned Player of the Game honors in those contests in which he was within a Box-Toppers game score of 1.0 of receiving the honor. Winning Player of the Game in those eight additional games, would give him at least 10.5 points—probably more with bonus points—and put him in contention with Edwin Encarnacion of the Indians, who led AL batters with 12.1 points.

In fact, if Altuve had prevailed in those very close contests, his 2017 Box-Toppers point total would probably look very much like his 2016 total. In 2016, Altuve had similar season statistics, leading the league in hits (216), batting average (.338) and finishing third among AL batters in WAR (7.6), but he also had far more Box-Toppers points—12.5, ranked third among AL batters.

Here’s the thing though: Altuve did not earn Player of the Game in those close contests. Being close shouldn’t cut it. Being second- or third-best player of the day shouldn’t cut it. The award is Most Valuable Player not Second- Or Third-Most Valuable Player. How can a player who was not the MVP in 99 percent of his team’s wins (OK, 98 percent to be accurate—99 of 101 wins), be considered even MVP for his team, no less the entire league?

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Looking at Altuve compared with four of baseball’s top batters in 2017, Altuve and the other batters had Box-Toppers game scores of 0.0 or more in about the same number of games and about the same number of their teams’ wins. But looking at Box-Toppers points and Player of the Game honors, the other four batters left Altuve in the dust.

The batters used for comparison and why:

• Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs, who led all batters (and all National League batters) in Box-Toppers points with 15.5.
• Edwin Encarnacion of the Indians, who led AL batters in Box-Toppers points with 12.1.
• Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who leads the three named finalists for AL MVP with 11.2 Box-Toppers points. The other named AL MVP finalists are Altuve and Jose Ramirez of the Indians, who had 10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2017. (A Box-Toppers look at the three AL MVP finalists—and all postseason award finalists.)
• Josh Reddick, who as previously mentioned, leads all Astros batters with 8.0 Box-Toppers points.

Rizzo leads in Box-Toppers points and also leads in number of Player of the Game honors earned with 13. Encarnacion and Judge both have nine, Reddick has seven and Altuve just two.

Judge had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 or more in 42 of his team’s wins, most of the five players. Reddick has 39, Altuve 38, Rizzo 36 and Encarnacion 32.

Altuve leads the way with most Box-Toppers game scores of 0.0 or better. He did it 53 times (38 wins, 15 losses). Judge did it 52 times (42 wins, 10 losses). Reddick, 45 (39 wins, six losses). Rizzo, 44 (36 wins, eight losses). Encarnacion, 42 (32 wins, 10 losses).

So while Altuve has individual game Box-Toppers game scores that are comparable to the game’s top hitters, he simply didn’t have high enough scores often enough to be among the leaders in Box-Toppers points. On a game by game basis, he simply wasn’t the key Astros player contributing to the team’s many wins.

But he had many opportunities. He played in 153 of the Astros’ games and 94 of the Astros’ wins. In the nine games he didn’t play, the Astros were 7-2, doing OK without him.

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Postseason play is not supposed to enter into MVP discussion. The voting is closed before the playoffs begin. But Altuve did match his regular season total for Player of the Game honors in the postseason, earning it twice in the Astros’ 18 postseason games:

• In World Series Game 5 on Oct. 29, Altuve had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.0 in the 13-12, 10-inning win over the Dodgers. He hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs.
• In the AL Division Series Game 1 on Oct. 5, Altuve had a Box-Toppers game score of +5.0 in the 8-2 win over the Red Sox. He hit three solo home runs and went 3-for-4.

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How Jose Altuve fared in Astros' 2017 wins

The Houston Astros won 101 games in 2017 but Jose Altuve, a favorite for American League Most Valuable Player, was only Box-Toppers Player of the Game in two of those wins. Here's a look at his game-by-game performances in those wins, showing his Box-Toppers game score (BTG) and the game score of the Astros player who earned Player of the Game honors in the win.
Each line shows an Astros win, the date, the game result, the Player of the Game and their Box-Toppers game score and whether or not they earned Bonus Box-Toppers points (BP) by earning overall Player of the Day, AL Player of the Day or AL Batter of the Day (listed under the BP column, respectively, as "MLB," "AL" and "BAT"). Altuve's results for the same game are shown to the right (you may need to scroll to see his stats), showing his Box-Toppers game score in each win and why, in 99 cases out of 101, some other Astros player beat him out for Player of the Game by having a higher Box-Toppers game score.

 

																	Jose Altuve results
Date	BP	BTG	Game	Player of the Game	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K		BTG	AB	R	H	BI	2B	3B	HR	BB	K
Apr 3	AL	7.0	HOU 3, SEA 0	Dallas Keuchel (W,1‑0)	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	0	0	2	4		-3.0	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2
Apr 4		4.0	HOU 2, SEA 1	Lance McCullers Jr. (W,1‑0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	1	2	7		-2.0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Apr 5		10.0	`HOU 5, SEA 3 (F/13)	Chris Devenski	-	-	-	-		4.0	0	0	0	1	7		-6.0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Apr 9		6.0	HOU 5, KC 4 (F/12)	Chris Devenski (W,1‑0)	-	-	-	-		4.0	3	1	1	0	7		-3.0	5	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0
Apr 11		3.0	HOU 7, SEA 5	Evan Gattis, PH	1	0	1	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		-1.0	5	1	2	1	1	0	0	0	1
Apr 12		4.0	HOU 10, SEA 5	Josh Reddick, RF‑LF	3	3	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	3	3	3	0	0	0	0	2	0
Apr 14	AL	6.0	HOU 7, OAK 2	Dallas Keuchel (W,2‑0)	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	2	7		2.0	3	2	3	0	2	0	0	2	0
Apr 15		3.0	HOU 10, OAK 6	Will Harris (W,1‑0)	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2		-1.0	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	1
Apr 17		6.0	`HOU 3, LAA 0	Chris Devenski	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	4		0.0	3	0	1	2	1	0	0	0	1
Apr 19		4.0	HOU 5, LAA 1	Josh Reddick, RF‑LF	4	3	3	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-2.0	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1
Apr 20		8.2	HOU 2, LAA 1	Lance McCullers Jr. (W,2‑0)	-	-	-	-		6.2	3	0	0	3	8		-3.0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Apr 21		3.0	HOU 6, TB 3	Ken Giles (S,4)	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2		-4.0	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Apr 23		4.0	`HOU 6, TB 4 (F/10)	Brad Peacock	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	2	4		1.0	5	2	3	1	0	0	1	0	1
Apr 25		1.0	HOU 4, CLE 2	Norichika Aoki, RF‑LF	4	1	3	1		-	-	-	-	-	-		-3.0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Apr 28		6.0	HOU 9, OAK 4	Charlie Morton (W,2‑2)	-	-	-	-		7.0	5	4	4	0	12		-3.0	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Apr 30		9.2	HOU 7, OAK 2	Dallas Keuchel (W,5‑0)	-	-	-	-		7.2	3	1	1	2	9		-2.0	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	2
May 1		4.1	`HOU 6, TEX 2	Lance McCullers Jr.	-	-	-	-		6.1	6	2	2	2	10		1.0	3	2	1	1	1	0	0	0	0
May 2	BAT	6.0	HOU 8, TEX 7	Marwin Gonzalez, LF	3	2	2	5		-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	3	2	1	2	0	0	1	1	1
May 3		5.0	HOU 10, TEX 1	Charlie Morton (W,3‑2)	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	1	2	8		-5.0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
May 5		3.0	HOU 7, LAA 6 (F/10)	Brian McCann, C	4	1	2	4		-	-	-	-	-	-		-3.0	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
May 7		3.0	HOU 5, LAA 3	Ken Giles (S,8)	-	-	-	-		1.0	0	0	0	0	2		2.0	4	1	2	3	0	0	1	0	0
May 9		1.0	HOU 8, ATL 3	Carlos Beltran, DH	4	2	2	1		-	-	-	-	-	-		-1.0	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
May 10		2.0	HOU 4, ATL 2	Carlos Correa, SS	3	1	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-2.0	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
May 11		8.0	HOU 3, NYY 2	Dallas Keuchel (W,6‑0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	0	1	9		-3.0	4	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
May 12		9.0	HOU 5, NYY 1	Lance McCullers Jr. (W,3‑1)	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	0	0	0	7		-3.0	5	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
May 14 (2)		3.0	HOU 10, NYY 7	George Springer, CF	4	3	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-4.0	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
May 15	AL	3.0	HOU 7, MIA 2	Yuli Gurriel, 1B	4	1	2	4		-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	4	1	2	3	0	0	1	0	0
May 16		5.0	HOU 12, MIA 2	Jake Marisnick, CF	5	3	3	4		-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	0
May 17		4.0	HOU 3, MIA 0	Lance McCullers Jr. (W,4‑1)	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	0	0	2	3		0.0	5	0	4	1	2	2	0	0	1
May 22	AL	9.1	`HOU 1, DET 0	Brad Peacock	-	-	-	-		4.1	1	0	0	2	8		-2.0	4	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	1
May 23		7.0	HOU 6, DET 2	Lance McCullers Jr. (W,5‑1)	-	-	-	-		5.0	1	0	0	2	5		-4.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
May 25	BAT	2.0	HOU 7, DET 6	Carlos Correa, SS	4	1	3	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-1.0	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1
May 26		9.0	HOU 2, BAL 0	Joe Musgrove (W,4‑4)	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	0	0	0	6		-4.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
May 27		6.0	HOU 5, BAL 2	Dallas Keuchel (W,8‑0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	1	1	2	8		2.0	4	2	3	1	2	0	0	0	0
May 28		2.0	HOU 8, BAL 4	Yuli Gurriel, 1B	4	2	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-2.0	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
May 29	BAT	5.0	HOU 16, MIN 8	Carlos Beltran, DH	5	3	4	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	5	2	3	1	1	0	0	0	0
May 30		3.0	HOU 7, MIN 2	Alex Bregman, 3B	3	2	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	5	1	4	2	0	0	0	0	0
May 31	BAT	6.0	HOU 17, MIN 6	George Springer, DH	4	4	4	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-1.0	4	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	0
Jun 2		8.0	HOU 7, TEX 1	Dallas Keuchel (W,9‑0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	0	0	2	7		-1.0	4	1	2	0	1	0	0	1	1
Jun 3		3.2	HOU 6, TEX 5	Chris Devenski (W,4‑3)	-	-	-	-		1.2	1	0	0	0	3		1.0	5	2	3	1	0	0	1	0	0
Jun 4		6.0	HOU 7, TEX 2	Brad Peacock (W,3‑0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	2	2	1	9		-4.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Jun 5		3.0	HOU 7, KC 3	Brian McCann, C	4	3	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-2.0	4	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0
Jun 8	AL	9.0	`HOU 6, KC 1	Lance McCullers Jr.	-	-	-	-		7.0	2	1	1	2	8		0.0	4	1	1	2	0	0	1	0	0
Jun 10	AL	10.1	HOU 3, LAA 1	Mike Fiers (W,4‑2)	-	-	-	-		7.1	2	1	0	2	8		-1.0	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0
Jun 14		5.0	HOU 13, TEX 2	Francis Martes (W,1‑0)	-	-	-	-		5.0	3	1	1	2	7		3.0	3	3	3	0	2	0	0	0	0
Jun 17		4.0	HOU 7, BOS 1	David Paulino (W,1‑0)	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	1	4		2.0	4	2	2	2	1	0	1	0	0
Jun 19		5.2	HOU 4, OAK 1	Brad Peacock (W,4‑1)	-	-	-	-		5.2	4	1	1	2	8		-4.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Jun 20		2.0	HOU 8, OAK 4	Alex Bregman, 3B	3	1	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-3.0	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1
Jun 21		3.0	HOU 5, OAK 1	Mike Fiers (W,5‑2)	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	3	5		-3.0	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jun 22		4.0	HOU 12, OAK 9	Josh Reddick, RF	4	4	3	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	0		DNP
Jun 24	AL	7.0	HOU 5, SEA 2	Lance McCullers Jr. (W,7‑1)	-	-	-	-		5.0	4	1	1	0	8		-4.0	5	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
Jun 25		6.0	HOU 8, SEA 2	Michael Feliz (W,3‑1)	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	4		-1.0	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0
Jun 28	BAT	4.0	HOU 11, OAK 8	Josh Reddick (RF‑LF)	4	2	3	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	3	1	2	1	1	0	0	2	1
Jun 29	BAT	5.0	HOU 6, OAK 1	Carlos Correa (SS)	3	2	2	4		-	-	-	-	-	-		-1.0	4	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0
Jul 1		4.0	HOU 7, NYY 6	Yuli Gurriel (1B)	4	1	3	4		-	-	-	-	-	-		-2.0	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Jul 2		6.0	HOU 8, NYY 1	Chris Devenski (W,5‑3)	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	0	4		-3.0	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Jul 4		4.0	HOU 16, ATL 4	Josh Reddick (RF)	6	3	3	4		-	-	-	-	-	-		4.0	5	2	3	4	1	0	1	1	1
Jul 5		3.0	HOU 10, ATL 4	George Springer (RF‑CF)	5	3	3	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	5	2	3	1	1	0	0	0	0
Jul 7	BAT	9.0	HOU 12, TOR 2	George Springer (CF)	4	4	4	5		-	-	-	-	-	-		-1.0	5	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jul 9	BAT	7.0	HOU 19, TOR 1	Carlos Correa (SS)	5	3	4	5		-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	4	3	3	0	0	1	2	0
Jul 14		2.0	HOU 10, MIN 5	Marwin Gonzalez (LF)	5	2	3	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-1.0	4	1	2	0	1	0	0	1	0
Jul 16	AL	10.0	HOU 5, MIN 3	Mike Fiers (W, 6‑4)	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	2	2	0	11		-1.0	4	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	0
Jul 18	AL	10.0	HOU 6, SEA 2	Brad Peacock (W, 8‑1)	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	1	1	1	9		0.0	4	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	0
Jul 21		7.0	HOU 8, BAL 7	Mike Fiers (W, 7‑4)	-	-	-	-		7.0	6	1	1	1	9		-1.0	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	1
Jul 22	BAT	4.0	HOU 8, BAL 4	Marwin Gonzalez (PH‑3B)	2	1	2	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		-2.0	5	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1
Jul 24	BAT	6.0	HOU 13, PHI 4	Jose Altuve (2B)	4	3	4	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		6.0	4	3	4	3	2	0	0	1	0
Jul 25	MLB	12.0	HOU 5, PHI 0	Charlie Morton (W, 8‑4)	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	1	9		-2.0	4	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
Jul 28	BAT	5.0	HOU 6, DET 5	Josh Reddick CF‑RF	2	1	1	5		-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	4	2	3	0	1	1	0	0	0
Jul 31	AL	8.0	HOU 14, TB 7	Jake Marisnick (CF)	4	4	3	5		-	-	-	-	-	-		0.0	4	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0
Aug 4	AL	7.0	HOU 16, TOR 7	Tyler White (1B)	5	3	4	5		-	-	-	-	-	-		DNP
Aug 6		1.2	HOU 7, TOR 6	Francis Martes (W, 4‑1)	-	-	-	-		1.2	0	0	0	2	2		1.0	5	2	3	1	0	0	0	0	2
Aug 13		3.0	HOU 2, TEX 1	Ken Giles (S, 23)	-	-	-	-		2.0	1	0	0	0	2		0.0	4	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	0
Aug 15		5.1	HOU 9, ARI 4	Francis Martes (W, 5‑2)	-	-	-	-		1.1	0	0	0	0	4		-1.0	4	1	2	0	1	0	0	1	1
Aug 16	AL	6.1	HOU 9, ARI 5	Charlie Morton (W, 10‑5)	-	-	-	-		6.1	3	1	1	4	9		0.0	4	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0
Aug 18		6.0	HOU 3, OAK 1	Dallas Keuchel (W, 11‑2)	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	0	0	1	3		0.0	4	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	0
Aug 19		2.0	HOU 3, OAK 0	Collin McHugh (W, 1‑2)	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	0	0	1	3		0.0	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	0
Aug 23		6.0	HOU 6, WSH 1	Mike Fiers (W, 8‑8)	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	1	6		-2.0	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	0
Aug 25	AL	7.0	HOU 2, LAA 1	Collin McHugh (W, 2‑2)	-	-	-	-		6.0	3	1	1	2	8		DNP
Aug 27		2.0	HOU 7, LAA 5	Brian McCann DH	4	0	2	4		-	-	-	-	-	-		2.0	4	2	2	2	0	0	1	0	0
Aug 31		3.0	HOU 5, TEX 1	Ken Giles (S, 27)	-	-	-	-		2.0	0	0	0	1	2		1.0	4	2	2	1	0	0	1	0	0
Sep 2 (1)		3.0	HOU 12, NYM 8	Jose Altuve 2B	4	3	3	1		-	-	-	-	-	-		3.0	4	3	3	1	1	0	0	0	0
Sep 2 (2)		2.1	HOU 4, NYM 1	Joe Musgrove (W, 7‑8)	-	-	-	-		2.1	2	0	0	0	2		-1.0	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	2
Sep 3		3.0	HOU 8, NYM 6	Josh Reddick RF	3	1	2	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		0.0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Sep 4		2.0	HOU 6, SEA 2	Brian McCann C	2	2	1	1		-	-	-	-	-	-		-4.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Sep 5		4.0	HOU 3, SEA 1	Justin Verlander (W,11‑8)	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	1	1	1	7		-4.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sep 6		2.0	HOU 5, SEA 3	Cameron Maybin PH‑CF	2	1	1	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		DNP
Sep 12	MLB	15.0	HOU 1, LAA 0	Justin Verlander (W,12‑8)	-	-	-	-		8.0	1	0	0	1	9		-4.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Sep 14		1.0	HOU 5, LAA 2	Marwin González LF‑1B	4	1	2	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		-1.0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Sep 15		5.0	HOU 5, SEA 2	Charlie Morton (W,12‑7)	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	1	1	1	7		-1.0	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	1
Sep 16		2.0	HOU 8, SEA 6	Carlos Beltrán DH	4	1	3	2		-	-	-	-	-	-		0.0	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	1	1
Sep 17		11.0	HOU 7, SEA 1	Justin Verlander (W,13‑8)	-	-	-	-		7.0	3	1	1	1	10		DNP
Sep 19		3.0	HOU 3, CHW 1	Ken Giles S (32)	-	-	-	-		1.0	1	0	0	0	3		0.0	4	1	1	2	0	0	1	0	0
Sep 20		5.0	HOU 4, CHW 3	Brad Peacock W (12‑2)	-	-	-	-		6.0	1	2	2	2	6		-1.0	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1
Sep 22		10.0	HOU 3, LAA 0	Justin Verlander W (14‑8)	-	-	-	-		7.0	1	0	0	2	6		-1.0	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
Sep 23		5.0	HOU 6, LAA 2	Charlie Morton W (13‑7)	-	-	-	-		7.0	4	1	1	1	5		DNP
Sep 25	AL	5.0	HOU 11, TEX 2	Marwin González LF‑2B‑SS	5	3	4	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		0.0	3	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0
Sep 26		5.0	HOU 14, TEX 3	Dallas Keuchel W (14‑5)	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	2	1	1	8		DNP
Sep 27		7.0	HOU 12, TEX 2	Justin Verlander W (15‑8)	-	-	-	-		6.0	6	2	2	0	11		-1.0	4	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Sep 28	BAT	6.0	HOU 12, BOS 2	Carlos Correa SS	4	3	4	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		1.0	4	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	0
Sep 29		3.0	HOU 3, BOS 2	Alex Bregman 3B	4	1	3	3		-	-	-	-	-	-		-4.0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 1		2.0	HOU 4, BOS 3	Collin McHugh W (5‑2)	-	-	-	-		6.0	5	3	3	1	8		-2.0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Jose Altuve had a Box-Toppers game score of 0.0 or better in 53 games. He had a game score of 0.0 or better in 38 of the Astros wins listed above. In each game in which he had a score of 0.0 or better, the Box-Toppers game score is listed in bold and underlined. The two games he earned Player of the Game honors are highlighted in green.
BTG—Box-Toppers game score
DNP—Jose Altuve did not play in these Astros wins.
BP—Bonus points. Did the player earn Box-Toppers bonus points as top overall player of the day or top player or batter in the league for the day?
MLB—Overall Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box-Toppers points.
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box-Toppers points.
All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.