Dansby Swanson of the Braves is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Rockies pitcher German Marquez rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Albert Pujols of the Dodgers extends his record streak of earning Box-Toppers points in consecutive seasons to 21 after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2021 Saturday.
Player of the Day—Swanson hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 8-1 win over the Brewers. Swanson went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in seven runs.
Swanson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.5 for the season, 120th among all players and 14th among National League batters.
This is the sixth time this season that a batter has won overall Player of the Day honors. In the season’s other 112 days so far, pitchers have won overall Player of the Day honors.
American League Player of the Day—Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah struck out four over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 4-0 win over the Royals.
American League Batter of the Day—Jonah Heim of the Rangers hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Mariners.
This was Heim’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Heim made his Major League debut Aug. 25, 2020, and was playing in his 68th career game.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall Player of the Day is NL batter Dansby Swanson.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2021. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Saturday, July 31.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 16.7 |
| 2 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | nyy al | 16.4 |
| 3 | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 15.1 |
| 4 | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 14.4 |
| 5 | Marquez, German 3788 | pi sp | col nl | 13.7 |
| 6 | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | pi sp | tb al | 12.7 |
| 7 | Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi sp | oak al | 12.7 |
| 8 | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | pi sp | oak al | 11.7 |
| 9 | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | pi sp | mil nl | 11.7 |
| 10 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 11.4 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Rankings—Rockies pitcher German Marquez rises to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings Saturday after becoming the third pitcher this season to earn Player of the Game honors as a batter.
Marquez (HR 1-2 R BI in the 5-3 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 13.7 for the season, rising from sixth to fifth place overall and fourth among NL pitchers.
Marquez had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +1.0 for batting and separately, +1.0 for pitching (6IP 4H 2R 4BB 7K W). But in cases of game score ties, batters rank ahead of pitchers, so in this case Marquez the batter beat Marquez the pitcher for Player of the Game honors.
This is the third time this season a pitcher has won Player of the Game honors for his performance as a batter. Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani did it April 26 and Padres pitcher Daniel Camarena did it July 8. In baseball’s last full season played, 2019, pitchers won Player of the Game honors for batting six times. This is the second time in his career Marquez has earned Player of the Game honors for batting. He also did it May 26, 2019.
Active season streaks
Here are the 16 players who have active streaks of earning Box-Toppers points for 13 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.| Player | Pos | Team | Duration | BTP* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Albert Pujols | 1b | Dodgers | 2001‑2021 | 203.8 |
| 19 | Miguel Cabrera | 1b dh | Tigers | 2003‑2021 | 157.4 |
| 16 | Jon Lester | pi sp | Cardinals | 2006‑2021 | 178.3 |
| 16 | Edwin Encarnacion | dh | Free agent | 2005‑2020 | 88.2 |
| 16 | Nelson Cruz | dh | Rays | 2006‑2021 | 78.7 |
| 15 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Astros | 2007‑2021 | 215.8 |
| 15 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | Astros | 2006‑2020 | 206.6 |
| 15 | Asdrubal Cabrera | 3b 1b | Diamondbacks | 2007‑2021 | 63.7 |
| 15 | Kurt Suzuki | ca | Angels | 2007‑2021 | 46.5 |
| 14 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 2008‑2021 | 246.6 |
| 14 | Johnny Cueto | pi sp | Giants | 2008‑2021 | 111.8 |
| 14 | J.A. Happ | pi sp | Cardinals | 2008‑2021 | 88.0 |
| 14 | Evan Longoria | 3b | Giants | 2008‑2021 | 56.0 |
| 13 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Dodgers | 2009‑2021 | 211.9 |
| 13 | Andrew McCutchen | lf | Phillies | 2009‑2021 | 73.4 |
| 13 | Derek Holland | pi mr sp | Tigers | 2009‑2021 | 58.8 |
Streak—Albert Pujols of the Dodgers Saturday extended his record streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points to 21 after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2021.
Pujols (2-2 0R 2BI in the 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2001 with the Cardinals and now has 203.8 career points, rising to seventh place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his 1.0 point Saturday, he passes CC Sabathia (203.4) on the “all-time” list and now trails sixth-ranked player, Astros pitcher Justin Verlander (206.6).
Pujols, 41, has the most career Box-Toppers points among all batters since 1995, ahead of Alex Rodriguez (187.0). He ranks fifth among active players in career points.
The 21-season streak for Pujols is now two seasons longer than the next-longest such streaks in Box-Toppers recording history, going back to 1995. Four players have each earned Box-Toppers points in 19 straight seasons:
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 246.6 |
| 3 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 4 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | hou al | 215.8 |
| 5 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | lad nl | 211.9 |
| 6 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | hou al | 206.6 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | lad nl | 203.8 |
| 8 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | retired | 203.4 |
| 9 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 10 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | retired | 187.0 |
Jason Giambi from 1995 to 2013.
Carlos Beltran from 1999 to 2017.
CC Sabathia from 2001 to 2019.
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers from 2003 to 2021. Cabrera, 38, extended his streak to 19 this season. It is the only 19-season streak still active that could be extended to 20 in 2022.
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.
Pujols had 11.0 Box-Toppers points in 2019 with the Angels, third among AL batters, his best season with the Angels and the most points he had earned in a single season since 2011 with the Cardinals (12.5), when he ranked second among NL batters.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Pujols had the fewest points of any season in his career, 1.0 with the Angels, just keeping the streak alive. In a full season, Pujols has had as few as 3.0 points (2018 with the Angels).
Pujols was released by the Angels earlier this season and was signed by the Dodgers. This was his first Box-Toppers point with the Dodgers.
Debut—In addition to Heim, Twins pitcher Jorge Alcala also made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Alcala (2IP H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 8-1 win over the Cardinals) made his Major League debut Sept. 21, 2019, and was playing in his 60th career game.
Scoring—Swanson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Manoah earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Heim earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Player of the Game winners (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.
Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners
Here is the top player from each of the day’s games listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (BTG).| 7/31 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.0 | ATL 8, MIL 1 | Dansby Swanson, SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| AL | +8.0 | TOR 4, KC 0 | Alek Manoah, (W 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| +5.0 | BAL 5, DET 2 | John Means, (W 5‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +5.0 | NYY 4, MIA 2 | Lucas Luetge, (W 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +4.2 | LAA 1, OAK 0 | Jaime Barria, (W 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | TEX 5, SEA 4 (F/10) | Jonah Heim, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | CLE 12, CHW 11 | Amed Rosario, SS | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | TB 9, BOS 5 | Francisco Mejía, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | CHC 6, WSH 3 | Kyle Hendricks, (W 13‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | MIN 8, STL 1 | Jorge Alcala, (W 3‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.0 | `PIT 3, PHI 2 | JT Brubaker | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| +2.0 | LAD 8, ARI 3 | Albert Pujols, PH‑1B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | SF 8, HOU 6 | Wilmer Flores, 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | NYM 5, CIN 4 (F/10) | Edwin Díaz, (W 4‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | COL 5, SD 3 | German Márquez, P | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 Player of the Game winners
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 (’21). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (’20-21), the period 2016-2021 (’16-21) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2021 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2020 total (+/-).| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’21 | ’20‑21 | ’16‑21 | Career | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquez, German 3788 | pi sp | col nl | 13.7 | 16.7 | 43.8 | 43.8 | +10.7 |
| Means, John 4115 | pi sp | bal al | 7.0 | 9.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | +5.0 |
| Diaz, Edwin 3690 | pi cp | nym nl | 4.7 | 6.7 | 33.7 | 33.7 | +2.7 |
| Manoah, Alek 4424 | pi sp | tor al | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +4.7 |
| Swanson, Dansby 3751 | ss | atl nl | 4.5 | 6.5 | 19.0 | 19.0 | +2.5 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 4.0 | 10.0 | 49.2 | 63.9 | ‑2.0 |
| Brubaker, JT 4382 | pi sp | pit nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Flores, Wilmer 3345 | 3b 2b | sf nl | 2.5 | 4.0 | 14.5 | 19.5 | +1.0 |
| Rosario, Amed 3879 | ss | cle al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +1.5 |
| Mejia, Francisco 4069 | ca | tb al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| Luetge, Lucas 3274 | pi mr | nyy al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | +2.0 |
| Helm, Jonah 4492 | ca | tex al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Pujols, Albert 1438 | 1b ph | lad nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 29.5 | 203.8 | +0.0 |
| Barria, Jaime 3964 | pi sp | ana al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +0.0 |
| Alcala, Jorge 4493 | pi mr | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.