Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to third place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2018 season through the games of Aug. 17:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 21.1 |
| 2 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 19.1 |
| 3 | Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 17.4 |
| 4 | Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | nyy al | 16.7 |
| 5 | Berrios, Jose 3791 | pi sp | min al | 16.1 |
| 6 | Snell, Blake 3688 | pi sp | tb al | 16.1 |
| 7 | Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 16.0 |
| 7 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | hou al | 16.0 |
| 9 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 15.4 |
| 10 | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | pi sp | ari nl | 15.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Also Friday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
In addition, Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks rises to lead National League batters in 2018 Box-Toppers points after earning NL Batter of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Nola struck out 11 over seven innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 4-2 win over the Mets.
Nola earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 17.4 for the season, rising from eighth to third in season player rankings, second among NL pitchers, behind overall leader Scherzer (21.1).
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco struck out six over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 2-1 win over the Orioles.
Carrasco earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 for the season.
American League Batter of the Day—Tim Anderson of the White Sox tripled, doubled and went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 9-3 win over the Royals.
National League Batter of the Day—Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks homered and went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 9-4 win over the Padres.
Goldschmidt earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.5 for the season, rising to first place among NL batters. While Goldschmidt has the same Box-Toppers point total as two other NL batters (Eugenio Suarez of the Reds and Brandon Crawford of the Giants), Goldschmidt ranks ahead because he had the most 2017 Box-Toppers points—7.4. Suarez had 3.5 points in 2017 and Crawford had 1.7.
Suarez reached 7.5 Box-Toppers points on June 22 and had led NL batters with that unchanging total for nearly two months. At the time, he was 19th in season player rankings and now ranks 53rd.
Lowest points to lead category
Nolan Arenado holds the record for lowest Box-Toppers point total to lead category (10.7 to lead National League batters in 2016). Here are the lowest-point totals to win a league category since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995:| Player | Team | BTP | Category | |
| 1 | Nolan Arenado | col nl | 10.7 | 2016 NL bat |
| 2 | Carlos Gonzalez | col nl | 11.5 | 2015 NL bat |
| 3 | Troy Tulowitzki | col nl | 11.6 | 2014 NL bat |
| 4 | Edwin Encarnacion | cle al | 12.1 | 2017 AL bat |
| 5 | Adrian Beltre | tex al | 12.5 | 2015 AL bat |
| 5 | Aubrey Huff | bal al | 12.5 | 2008 AL bat |
| 5 | Ryan Braun | mil nl | 12.5 | 2012 NL bat |
| 8 | Manny Machado | bal al | 12.7 | 2016 AL bat |
| 9 | Adrian Beltre | tex al | 13.0 | 2012 AL bat |
| 10 | Paul Goldschmidt | ari nl | 13.7 | 2013 NL bat |
| 10 | Bret Boone | sea al | 13.7 | 2001 AL bat |
The lack of movement among NL batters for the Box-Toppers points lead could mean the overall NL batting leader for 2018 will shatter the record for lowest Box-Toppers point total to lead a category. That dubious mark was set in 2016 by Nolan Arenado of the Rockies, who led NL batters with 10.7 points. With about six weeks remaining in the season, one of the three NL batters with 7.5 points will need 3.3 more Box-Toppers points to avoid setting a new record.
Rankings—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Scherzer (6IP 5H 0R BB 7K W in the 8-2 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 21.1 for the season, extending his lead over second-place player Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale (19.1).
Scherzer’s lead among NL pitchers actually narrowed Friday. Previously, he was 4.7 points ahead of Nola. With Nola earning Player of the Day honors Friday, Scherzer now holds a 3.7-point lead over Nola’s 17.4 points.
Scherzer also now has 177.8 career Box-Toppers points, ninth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails eighth-ranked player Alex Rodriguez (187.0). Scherzer ranks fifth among active players in career points.
Notable—Cubs pitcher Cole Hamels becomes the 25th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Hamels (7IP 5H 0R 2BB 3K W in the 1-0 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.1 for the season, 25th among all players and ninth among NL pitchers.
It is Hamels’ 12th season with 10 or more points. He’s only had one season with fewer than 10 points—2017 with the Rangers when he fell just short with 9.4. His best year was 2016 with the Rangers when he had 17.8 points, second among AL pitchers and sixth among all players.
Hamels also now has 163.5 career Box-Toppers points, 16th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 15th-ranked player Roger Clemens (164.8). (It should be noted that Clemens would have an estimated 320 Box-Toppers points if his entire career from 1984 were tracked.)
Scoring—Nola earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Carrasco earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Anderson and Goldschmidt 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.
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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (BTG)| 8/17 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | +12.0 | PHI 4, NYM 2 | Aaron Nola (W, 14‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| AL | +9.0 | CLE 2, BAL 1 | Carlos Carrasco (W, 15‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| +7.0 | LAD 11, SEA 1 | Walker Buehler (W, 6‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| +7.0 | STL 5, MIL 2 | Jack Flaherty (W, 7‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | WSH 8, MIA 2 | Max Scherzer (W, 16‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +6.0 | COL 11, ATL 5 | Kyle Freeland (W, 11‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | CHW 9, KC 3 | Tim Anderson SS | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +4.0 | ARI 9, SD 4 | Paul Goldschmidt 1B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | MIN 5, DET 4 | Joe Mauer PH‑1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | TEX 6, LAA 4 | Jose Leclerc (S, 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.2 | `CIN 2, SF 1 (F/11) | Anthony DeSclafani | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +3.0 | CHC 1, PIT 0 | Cole Hamels (W, 8‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | OAK 4, HOU 3 (F/10) | Blake Treinen (W, 6‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | NYY 7, TOR 5 (F/7) | David Robertson (S, 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | BOS 7, TB 3 | Xander Bogaerts SS | 4 | 1 | 3 | 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 Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (’18). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’17-18), the period 2013-2018 (’13-18) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2018 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2017 total (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’18 | ’17‑18 | ’13‑18 | Career | +/‑ |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 21.1 | 46.1 | 133.0 | 177.8 | -3.9 |
| Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 17.4 | 33.2 | 41.9 | 41.9 | +1.6 |
| Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 14.4 | 36.2 | 77.3 | 82.7 | -7.4 |
| Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.1 | 19.5 | 75.5 | 163.5 | +0.7 |
| Freeland, Kyle 3763 | pi sp | col nl | 9.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | +3.4 |
| Flaherty, Jack 3971 | pi sp | stl nl | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | +9.4 |
| Buehler, Walker 3943 | pi sp | lad nl | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.1 | +8.1 |
| Goldschmidt, Paul 2935 | 1b | ari nl | 7.5 | 14.9 | 46.3 | 54.8 | +0.1 |
| Treinen, Blake 3495 | pi cp | oak al | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +6.0 |
| Bogaerts, Xander 3383 | ss | bos al | 4.5 | 10.0 | 16.5 | 16.5 | -1.0 |
| Mauer, Joe 1869 | 1b dh ph | min al | 4.0 | 10.5 | 24.5 | 81.1 | -2.5 |
| DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | pi sp | cin nl | 4.0 | 4.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | +4.0 |
| Anderson, Tim 3659 | ss | chi al | 3.5 | 3.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +3.5 |
| Robertson, David 2774 | pi mr cp | nyy al | 2.0 | 8.0 | 29.0 | 34.0 | -4.0 |
| Leclerc, Jose 3768 | pi mr cp | tex al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Box-Toppers
Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.
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.