Diamondbacks pitcher Robbie Ray is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fifth in season player rankings.
Also Tuesday, Albert Pujols of the Angels extends his streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points to 17—only six players in Box-Toppers tracking history (since 1995) have longer streaks.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2017 season as of May 30:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.7 |
| 2 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 9.4 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 8.4 |
| 4 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.0 |
| 5 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.0 |
| 6 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 7.0 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 6.7 |
| 8 | Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf | nyy al | 6.5 |
| 9 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 6.4 |
| 10 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 6.4 |
Player of the Day—Ray pitched a complete-game, four-hit shutout, striking out 10 and walking none, in the 3-0 win over the Pirates.
Ray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, rising to fifth among all players and third among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, one walk and striking out five, in the 1-0 win over the Tigers.
This was Skoglund’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Skoglund was also making his Major League debut. He is the 3,811th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Box-Toppers season streaks
Here are the players who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. Carlos Beltran has tied Jason Giambi for the longest streak—19 straight seasons. Beltran has earned points each season from 1999 to 2017; Giambi earned points each season from 1995 to 2013. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.) Players are listed by length of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.Streak |
Player |
Pos |
Duration |
Career BTP |
|
| 1 | 19 | Jason Giambi | 1b | 1995-2013 | 133.4 |
| 1 | 19 | Carlos Beltran* | rf | 1999-2017 | 107.6 |
| 3 | 18 | Jim Thome | 1b dh | 1995-2012 | 146.7 |
| 3 | 18 | Chipper Jones | 3b | 1995-2012 | 149.0 |
| 3 | 18 | Johnny Damon | lf | 1995-2012 | 63.0 |
| 3 | 18 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b | 1996-2013 | 187.0 |
| 7 | 17 | Mariano Rivera | pi cp | 1995-2011 | 126.4 |
| 7 | 17 | Derek Jeter | ss | 1996-2012 | 76.4 |
| 7 | 17 | Paul Konerko | 1b | 1998-2014 | 100.7 |
| 7 | 17 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | 1999-2015 | 157.0 |
| 7 | 17 | Torii Hunter | cf | 1999-2015 | 115.9 |
| 7 | 17 | David Ortiz | dh | 2000-2016 | 145.9 |
| 7 | 17 | CC Sabathia* | pi sp | 2001-2017 | 188.0 |
| 7 | 17 | Albert Pujols* | dh 1b | 2001-2017 | 183.3 |
| 15 | 16 | Manny Ramirez | lf | 1995-2010 | 167.2 |
| 15 | 16 | Andy Pettitte | pi sp | 1995-2010 | 138.5 |
| 15 | 16 | Jamie Moyer | pi sp | 1995-2010 | 104.0 |
| 15 | 16 | Scott Rolen | 3b | 1996-2011 | 97.6 |
| 15 | 16 | Kevin Millwood | pi sp | 1997-2012 | 108.3 |
| 15 | 16 | Derek Lowe | pi sp | 1998-2013 | 91.5 |
| 15 | 16 | Aramis Ramirez | 3b | 2000-2015 | 105.8 |
| 15 | 16 | Mark Buehrle | pi sp | 2000-2015 | 116.7 |
| 15 | 16 | Ichiro Suzuki* | rf | 2001-2016 | 53.7 |
| 24 | 15 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | 1995-2009 | 278.8 |
| 24 | 15 | Garret Anderson | lf | 1995-2009 | 86.5 |
| 24 | 15 | Ivan Rodriguez | ca | 1995-2009 | 79.0 |
| 24 | 15 | Tony Clark | 1b | 1995-2009 | 63.8 |
| 24 | 15 | Gary Sheffield | lf | 1995-2009 | 124.1 |
| 24 | 15 | Jason Kendall | ca | 1996-2010 | 40.9 |
| 24 | 15 | Vladimir Guerrero | rf | 1997-2011 | 128.3 |
| 24 | 15 | Bobby Abreu | rf | 1997-2011 | 95.5 |
| 24 | 15 | Mike Cameron | cf | 1997-2011 | 70.3 |
| 24 | 15 | Miguel Tejada | ss | 1997-2011 | 102.3 |
| 24 | 15 | Jorge Posada | ca | 1997-2011 | 79.5 |
| 24 | 15 | Livan Hernandez | pi sp | 1997-2011 | 76.7 |
| 24 | 15 | Kyle Lohse | pi sp | 2001-2015 | 89.0 |
| 24 | 15 | Jake Peavy | pi sp | 2002-2016 | 141.8 |
| 24 | 15 | Miguel Cabrera* | 1b | 2003-2017 | 145.9 |
* Active streak of a player active in 2017
Updated Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Details
American League Batter of the Day—Elvis Andrus of the Rangers hit a three-run homer and doubled in the 9-5 win over the Rays. Andrus went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five total runs.
National League Batter of the Day—Austin Hedges of the Padres homered, doubled and went 2-for-4, driving in four runs, in the 6-2 win over the Cubs.
Streak—Albert Pujols of the Angels has now earned Box-Toppers points for 17 straight seasons—tied for the seventh-longest streak in Box-Toppers tracking history—after earning his first Player of the Game honors of the season Tuesday. He also hit his 599th career home run.
Pujols (HR 2-4 R 3BI in the 9-3 win over the Braves) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2001 with the Cardinals and now has 183.3 career points, seventh among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails sixth-ranked player Alex Rodriguez (187.0).
In career Box-Toppers points Pujols is second among all batters (behind Rodriguez), third among all active players (behind Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s 194.3 and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia’s 188.0) and first among all active batters (ahead of second-place Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, who has 145.9).
Pujols’ best season was 2009 with the Cardinals when he had 16.7 Box-Toppers points, leading all NL batters and ranking eighth among all players that season. Pujols has led NL batters in Box-Toppers points five times—leading the league in season Box-Toppers points more than any other batter—all with the Cardinals:
- In 2003, he had 16.5 points.
- In 2004—15.9.
- 2008—15.2.
- 2009—16.7.
- 2010—15.4.
In 2016, Pujols had 8.0 Box-Toppers points with the Angels, fourth among AL designated hitters.
Pujols’ 17 consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points is tied for the second-longest currently active streak. Only Carlos Beltran of the Astros (19 seasons) has a longer streak among active players (his streak is tied for the longest since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995). Pujols streak is tied with Sabathia’s 17-season streak.
Pujols’ 17-season streak is tied with seven other players. (See Box-Toppers season streaks chart for details.)
Scoring—Ray earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Skoglund earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Andrus and Hedges each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score| 5/30 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 15.0 | ARI 3, PIT 0 | Robbie Ray (W,5-3) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| AL | 8.1 | KC 1, DET 0 | Eric Skoglund (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 7.0 | CLE 9, OAK 4 | Trevor Bauer (W,5-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 14 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | TEX 9, TB 5 | Elvis Andrus, SS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | SEA 10, COL 4 | Kyle Seager, 3B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | BOS 13, CHW 7 | Jackie Bradley Jr., CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.1 | NYY 8, BAL 3 | Luis Severino (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 4.0 | NYM 5, MIL 4 (F/12) | Josh Smoker (W,1-2) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | `MIA 7, PHI 2 | Justin Nicolino | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | SD 6, CHC 2 | Austin Hedges, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | HOU 7, MIN 2 | Alex Bregman, 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | `TOR 6, CIN 4 | Danny Barnes | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2.0 | LAD 9, STL 4 | Chase Utley, 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | LAA 9, ATL 3 | Albert Pujols, DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | WSH 6, SF 3 | Michael Taylor, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box-Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL 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.
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (’17). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’16-17), the period 2012-2017 (’12-17) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2017 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2016 total (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.0 | 13.7 | 17.7 | 17.7 | 0.3 |
| Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | nyy al | 5.7 | 7.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 3.7 |
| Andrus, Elvis 2582 | ss | tex al | 3.5 | 12.7 | 17.7 | 23.2 | -5.7 |
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cle al | 3.0 | 14.4 | 32.5 | 32.5 | -8.4 |
| Smoker, Josh 3725 | pi mr cp | nym nl | 2.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 0.7 |
| Hedges, Austin 3790 | ca | sd nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Bradley, Jackie Jr. 3293 | cf | bos al | 2.0 | 7.5 | 18.0 | 18.0 | -3.5 |
| Utley, Chase 1861 | 2b 1b | lad nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 14.0 | 75.1 | 1.0 |
| Barnes, Danny 3807 | pi mr | tor al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Skoglund, Eric 3811 | pi sp | kc al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Seager, Kyle 3031 | 3b | sea al | 1.0 | 10.5 | 29.5 | 29.5 | -8.5 |
| Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 1.0 | 9.0 | 33.5 | 183.3 | -7.0 |
| Nicolino, Justin 3576 | pi sp | fla nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -1.0 |
| Bregman, Alex 3721 | 3b | hou al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Taylor, Michael 3447 | cf | dc nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 |