Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to second place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2020. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Wednesday, Aug. 19.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bieber, Shane 4005 | pi sp | cle al | 6.7 |
| 2 | Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cin nl | 6.0 |
| 3 | Bundy, Dylan 3655 | pi sp | ana al | 6.0 |
| 4 | Lynn, Lance 2992 | pi sp | tex al | 4.7 |
| 5 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | cin nl | 4.7 |
| 6 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | chi nl | 4.7 |
| 7 | Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 4.7 |
| 8 | Voit, Luke 4053 | 1b | nyy al | 4.5 |
| 9 | Montas, Frankie 3803 | pi sp | oak al | 4.0 |
| 10 | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | pi sp | ari nl | 4.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Bauer struck out nine in a scoreless seven-inning complete game, allowing one hit and three walks, in the 5-0, seven-inning win over the Royals.
Bauer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season, rising from eighth to second place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He also rises to lead National League pitchers, passing teammate Sonny Gray (4.7 Box-Toppers points).
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Aaron Civale struck out six over nine innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 6-1 win over the Pirates.
American League Batter of the Day—Kyle Tucker of the Astros homered and hit two triples in the 13-6 win over the Rockies. Tucker went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs.
National League Batter of the Day—Kolten Wong of the Cardinals doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring four runs, in the 9-3, seven-inning win over the Cubs.
Streak—Edwin Encarnacion of the White Sox has now earned Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons with his first Player of the Game honor of 2020, becoming the third-longest active streak.
Active season streaks
Here are the 13 players who have active streaks of earning Box-Toppers points for 14 or more consecutive seasons. Players are listed by the length of their streak and with their current team status. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.| Streak | Player | Pos | Team | Duration | BTP* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Albert Pujols | 1b | Angels | 2001‑2019 | 201.8 |
| 18 | Miguel Cabrera | dh | Tigers | 2003‑2020 | 152.4 |
| 16 | Edwin Encarnacion | dh | White Sox | 2005‑2020 | 88.2 |
| 15 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | Astros | 2006‑2020 | 206.6 |
| 15 | Jon Lester | pi sp | Cubs | 2006‑2020 | 175.3 |
| 15 | Felix Hernandez† | pi sp | Braves | 2005‑2019 | 175.1 |
| 15 | Robinson Cano | 2b | Mets | 2005‑2019 | 85.4 |
| 15 | Nelson Cruz | dh | Twins | 2006‑2020 | 77.2 |
| 14 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Astros | 2007‑2020 | 209.1 |
| 14 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | Braves | 2006‑2019 | 174.2 |
| 14 | Ryan Zimmerman† | 1b | Nationals | 2006‑2019 | 67.2 |
| 14 | Hunter Pence | lf dh | Giants | 2007‑2020 | 64.2 |
| 14 | Asdrubal Cabrera | 1b 3b | Nationals | 2007‑2020 | 61.2 |
† Opted out 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Encarnacion (2HR 2-4 2R 2BI in the 5-3 win over the Tigers) earned his first point in 2005 with the Reds and has 88.2 career points, third among active AL batters, behind Albert Pujols of the Angels (201.8) and Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers (152.4). Encarnacion’s best season was 2017 with the Indians when he had 12.1 Box-Toppers points, first among AL batters. He had 1.5 points in 2019 with the Mariners and Yankees, his lowest single-season point total.
Encarnacion’s 16-season streak is now the third-longest active streak behind Pujols’s 19-season streak (2001-2019) and Cabrera’s 18-season streak (2003-2020). (Pujols could extend his streak to a record 20 seasons if he earns a Box-Toppers point in 2020.)
The 16-season streak is tied for the 16th-longest streak since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. Encarnacion is now tied with nine other players who have had 16-season streaks since 1995—Manny Ramirez, Andy Pettitte, Jamie Moyer, Scott Rolen, Kevin Millwood, Derek Lowe, Aramis Ramirez, Mark Buehrle and Ichiro Suzuki.
Streak—Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto has now earned Box-Toppers points for 13 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor in 2020 Wednesday.
Cueto (5.2IP 4H 2R BB 8K W in the 7-2 win over the Angels) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2008 with the Reds and has 105.8 career points, 70th among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his 1.0 point Wednesday, he passes Scott Kazmir (105.1) and Aramis Ramirez (105.8) on the “all-time” list and now trails 69th-ranked player Frank Thomas (106.2). He ranks 17th among active players in career points, 10th among active NL pitchers.
Cueto’s best season was 2014 with the Reds when he had 22.4 Box-Toppers points, fourth among all players. He’s had five seasons with 10 or more Box-Toppers points, but earned 2.0 or fewer points in each of the three previous seasons, 2017-2019, including a career-low 1.0 point in 2019 with the Giants, after missing more than a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Notable—Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom becomes the 84th player since 1995 to reach 100 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
deGrom (6IP 4H 0R 0BB 7K ND in the 5-3 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 100.4 career points, rising to 82nd place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He passes three players on the “all-time” list—Jim Edmonds (99.8), Larry Walker (100.1) and Jeff Bagwell (100.4) and now trails 81st-ranked Paul Konerko (100.7).
deGrom is the first player to reach the 100-career point milestone in more than two years. The last player to do it was Corey Kluber, then of the Indians, who reached 100 points Aug. 4, 2018. Kluber, now with the Rangers, has 109.1 career points, 61st among all players since 1995.
deGrom now has 3.7 Box-Toppers points for the 2020 season, sixth among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Bauer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Civale earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Tucker and Wong each earn 1.5 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.
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Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (BTG)| 8/19 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +12.0 | CIN 5, KC 0 (F/7) | Trevor Bauer, (W 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
| +9.0 | `NYM 5, MIA 3 | Jacob deGrom | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | ||
| AL | +8.0 | CLE 6, PIT 1 | Aaron Civale, (W 3‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| +7.1 | OAK 4, ARI 1 | Jesus Luzardo, (W 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | `CHC 4, STL 2 (F/7) | Adbert Alzolay | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +6.0 | HOU 13, COL 6 | Kyle Tucker, LF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.2 | KC 4, CIN 0 (F/7) | Brad Keller, (W 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +4.2 | SF 7, LAA 2 | Johnny Cueto, (W 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +4.2 | `TB 4, NYY 2 | Tyler Glasnow | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | STL 9, CHC 3 (F/7) | Kolten Wong, 2B | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | SEA 6, LAD 4 | Taijuan Walker, (W 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +4.0 | MIL 9, MIN 3 | Brett Anderson, (W 1‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +3.2 | `BOS 6, PHI 3 | Matt Barnes, (Hld 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | TOR 5, BAL 2 | Randal Grichuk, CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | `SD 6, TEX 3 (F/10) | Chris Paddack | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +2.0 | CHW 5, DET 3 | Edwin Encarnación, DH | 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 Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (’20). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’19-20), the period 2015-2020 (’15-20) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2020 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2019 total (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’20 | ’19‑20 | ’15‑20 | Career | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bauer, Trevor 3065 | pi sp | cin nl | 6.0 | 20.1 | 64.7 | 73.4 | -8.1 |
| deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.7 | 22.8 | 87.4 | 100.4 | -15.4 |
| Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | pi sp | tb al | 3.0 | 12.7 | 18.7 | 18.7 | -6.7 |
| Keller, Brad 4008 | pi sp | kc al | 3.0 | 8.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -2.0 |
| Walker, Taijuan 3453 | pi sp | sea al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 29.4 | 29.4 | +3.0 |
| Tucker, Kyle 4277 | lf | hou al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Civale, Aaron 4173 | pi sp | cle al | 2.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | -0.3 |
| Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | pi sp | oak al | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | +2.7 |
| Wong, Kolten 3377 | 2b | stl nl | 1.5 | 3.5 | 11.5 | 17.0 | -0.5 |
| Paddack, Chris 4093 | pi sp | sd nl | 1.0 | 16.8 | 16.8 | 16.8 | -14.8 |
| Grichuk, Randal 3474 | cf | tor al | 1.0 | 6.7 | 27.9 | 27.9 | -4.7 |
| Anderson, Brett 2597 | pi sp | mil nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 16.0 | 37.7 | -2.0 |
| Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh | chi al | 1.0 | 2.5 | 39.5 | 88.2 | -0.5 |
| Barnes, Matt 3466 | pi mr cp | bos al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +0.0 |
| Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 35.2 | 105.8 | +0.0 |
| Alzolay, Adbert 4170 | pi sp mr | chi nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +0.0 |
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.