Both National League Division Series begin Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers face the San Diego Padres in one best-of-five game series and the Atlanta Braves face the Philadelphia Phillies in the other. The top two NL seeds, the Dodgers (first) and the Braves (second) received byes from the first round of playoffs and face the winners of the best-of-three Wild Card series played over the weekend.
NL Division Series, Game 1: Padres at Dodgers
The Dodgers rank first in Box-Toppers team rankings, first among NL teams (133.1 Box-Toppers points), while the Padres rank eighth (114.7 points).
The Dodgers rose to lead NL teams in Box-Toppers rankings in early July, rising to the overall lead in mid-August, holding the lead for the final nine weeks. Their margin of lead slipped until the end of the season, when they finished just 1.7 point ahead of the second-place team and top-ranked AL team, the Houston Astros (131.4 points).
The Padres briefly led all NL teams for two weeks in late June, before the Dodgers asserted their lead. Otherwise the Padres have steadily remained in an Wild Card playoff spot through the season, where they finished.
Neither team finished very strong the final week of the season—the Dodgers gained 2.7 points in the final week, while the Padres picked up 3.0 points.
The Padres, the fifth-seeded NL postseason team, defeated the fourth-seeded New York Mets in the NL Wild Card round, two games to one. The Mets were also ranked higher than the Padres in Box-Toppers rankings—fifth with 125.8 points.
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Padres—Mike Clevinger, 6.4 Box-Toppers points in 2022, 118th overall, 43rd among NL pitchers.
Dodgers—Julio Urias, 19.4 Box-Toppers points, seventh among all players, fourth among NL pitchers.
A look at all four of Tuesday’s Division Series pitching matchups.
Other notable Padres pitchers include:
Joe Musgrove, 17.4 points, ninth overall, sixth among NL pitchers. Musgrove was Player of the Game in the NL Wild Card series Game 3 win over the Mets.
Yu Darvish, 16.8 points, 10th among all players, seventh among NL pitchers.
Blake Snell, 13.1 points, 29th overall, 14th among NL pitchers.
Padres key batters include:
Third baseman Manny Machado, 5.5 points, 150th overall, 23rd among NL batters.
Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, 5.0 points, 176th overall, 28th among NL batters.
Second baseman Jake Cronenworth, 4.5 points, 206th overall, 32nd among NL batters.
Jurickson Profar, 1.5 points, 532nd overall, 126th among NL batters. Profar was Player of the Game in the NL Wild Card series Game 1 win over the Mets.
Other notable Dodgers pitchers include:
Tyler Anderson, 12.7 points, 32nd overall, 15th among NL pitchers.
Tony Gonsolin, 11.4 points, 39th overall, 17th among NL pitchers.
Clayton Kershaw, 10.7 points, 46th overall, 21st among NL pitchers.
Andrew Heaney, 8.0 points, 78th overall, 35th among NL pitchers.
Dodgers top batters include:
Right fielder Mookie Betts, 11.7 points, 38th overall, second among NL batters.
First baseman Freddie Freeman, 8.5 points, 73rd overall, fourth among NL batters.
Third baseman Max Muncy, 7.2 points, 92nd overall, eighth among NL batters.
The Box-Toppers point totals of all players on the teams’ active rosters at season’s end are below. Players who did not earn Box-Toppers points in 2022 are not listed. Players who earned points in 2022 are listed even if they are not on the roster for the upcoming postseason series due to injury or for other reasons.
Padres vs. Dodgers
Here are players for both teams in the NL Divisional Series beginning Tuesday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2022. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters. Players not listed earned no Box-Toppers points in 2022.| San Diego Padres | Los Angeles Dodgers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | 17.4 | Urias, Julio 3652 | pi sp | 19.4 | |
| Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | 16.8 | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | pi sp | 12.7 | |
| Snell, Blake 3688 | pi sp | 13.1 | Betts, Mookie 3404 | rf | 11.7 | |
| Clevinger, Mike 3707 | pi sp | 6.4 | Gonsolin, Tony 4211 | pi sp | 11.4 | |
| Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi sp | 6.0 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | 10.7 | |
| Hader, Josh 3881 | pi cp | 6.0 | Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | 8.5 | |
| Machado, Manny 3087 | 3b | 5.5 | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | pi sp | 8.0 | |
| Kim, Ha-Seong 4373 | ss | 5.0 | Muncy, Max 3969 | 3b | 7.2 | |
| Martinez, Nick 3430 | pi sp | 5.0 | Turner, Justin 2865 | 3b | 6.5 | |
| Cronenworth, Jake 4380 | 2b | 4.5 | Thompson, Trayce 4567 | lf | 5.0 | |
| Bell, Josh E. 3682 | 1b | 4.5 | Buehler, Walker 3943 | pi sp | 4.0 | |
| Drury, Brandon 3744 | dh | 4.5 | Lux, Gavin 4247 | 2b | 3.5 | |
| Crismatt, Nabil 4449 | pi mr | 4.0 | Smith, Will 4175 | ca dh | 3.0 | |
| Soto, Juan 3994 | rf | 2.5 | May, Dustin 4214 | pi sp | 3.0 | |
| Morejon, Adrian 4298 | pi mr sp | 2.0 | Gallo, Joey 3485 | rf lf ph | 2.0 | |
| Azocar, Jose 4624 | dh pr | 2.0 | Taylor, Chris 3684 | lf ss ph | 2.0 | |
| Wilson, Steven 4600 | pi mr | 2.0 | Robles, Hansel 3580 | pi cp mr | 2.0 | |
| Grisham, Trent 4246 | cf | 1.5 | Bellinger, Cody 3781 | cf | 2.0 | |
| Profar, Jurickson 3665 | lf 2b | 1.5 | Vesia, Alex 4504 | pi mr | 2.0 | |
| Abrams, CJ 4688 | ss 2b | 1.5 | Pepiot, Ryan 4714 | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Myers, Wil 3228 | 1b rf | 1.0 | Outman, James 4699 | rf lf | 1.5 | |
| Alfaro, Jorge 3920 | ca | 1.0 | Kimbrel, Craig 2825 | pi cp | 1.0 | |
| Suarez, Robert 4750 | pi mr | 1.0 | Price, David 2593 | pi mr cp | 1.0 | |
| Bickford, Phil 4436 | pi mr cp | 1.0 | ||||
| Jackson, Andre 4748 | pi cp | 1.0 | ||||
| Rios, Edwin 4632 | dh | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 114.7 | Totals | 133.1 | |||
NL Division Series, Game 1: Phillies at Braves
The Braves rank third in Box-Toppers team rankings, second among NL teams (129.0 Box-Toppers points), while the Phillies rank 13th (105.3 points).
The Braves, winners of the 2021 World Series, were not on pace to qualify for the postseason in Box-Toppers rankings until about June, when they took a Wild Card position behind the NL East division-leading New York Mets. The Braves caught fire after that and eventually led NL East teams in Box-Toppers rankings for the final eight weeks of the season, from Aug. 18 on, even though they didn’t pass the Mets in the actual standings until the final weekend of the regular season.
The Phillies were an NL Wild Card-caliber team in Box-Toppers rankings from early July through mid-September. And though they did qualify as a Wild Card team, Box-Toppers rankings had them finishing below the Milwaukee Brewers (107.7 points, 10th overall), who did not qualify as an NL Wild Card. The Phillies also finished behind another team that missed the postseason, the Minnesota Twins of the AL (105.6 points, 11th overall).
Though the Phillies are far outranked by the Dodgers in season Box-Toppers points, they did finish the season stronger. The Dodgers only picked up 2.7 points in the final week of the season, while the Phillies picked up 5.7 and then swept the Wild Card series in two games.
The Phillies were the sixth-seeded NL postseason team and upset the third-seeded St. Louis Cardinals in a two-game sweep on the road in the Wild Card series to advance to the NL Division Series. The Cardinals, winners of the NL Central division, were sixth in Box-Toppers team rankings with 118.3 points.
The pitching matchup Tuesday:
Phillies—Ranger Suarez, 5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2022, 162nd overall, 56th among NL pitchers.
Braves—Max Fried, 16.0 Box-Toppers points in 2022, 12th overall, eighth among NL pitchers.
A look at all four of Tuesday’s Division Series pitching matchups
Other Phillies pitchers include:
Aaron Nola, 16.0 points, 13th overall, ninth among NL pitchers. Nola was Player of the Game in the NL Wild Card series Game 2 win over the Cardinals.
Zack Wheeler, 14.4 points 2022, 22nd among all players, 11th among NL pitchers. Wheeler was Player of the Game in the NL Wild Card series Game 1 win over the Cardinals.
Kyle Gibson, 9.0 points, 65th overall, 32nd among NL pitchers.
Phillies key batters include:
First baseman Rhys Hoskins, 6.5 points, 112th overall, 12th among NL batters.
Designated hitter Bryce Harper, 6.0 points, 126th overall, 17th among NL batters.
Catcher J.T. Realmuto, 5.5 points, 145th overall, 20th among NL batters.
Other Braves pitchers include:
Kyle Wright, 14.4 points, 24th overall, 12th among NL pitchers.
Spencer Strider, 13.4 points, 27th overall, 13th among NL pitchers.
Charlie Morton, 10.4 points, 51st overall, 23rd among NL pitchers.
Jake Odorizzi, 9.4 points, 62nd overall, 31st among NL pitchers.
Braves key batters include:
Third baseman Austin Riley, 8.0 points, 76th overall, sixth among NL batters.
Shortstop Dansby Swanson, 5.7 points, 139th overall, 19th among NL batters.
Catcher Travis d'Arnaud, 4.5 points, 213th overall, 36th among NL batters.
The Box-Toppers point totals of all players on the teams’ active rosters at season’s end are below. Players who did not earn Box-Toppers points in 2022 are not listed. Players who earned points in 2022 are listed even if they are not on the roster for the upcoming postseason series due to injury or for other reasons.
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.
Related
Box-Toppers 2022 player rankings leaders
Box-Toppers 2022 final team rankings
Box-Toppers’ AL Division Series previews: Guardians vs. Yankees, Mariners vs. Astros
Phillies vs. Braves
Here are players for both teams in the NL Divisional Series beginning Tuesday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2022. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters. Players not listed earned no Box-Toppers points in 2022.| Philadelphia Phillies | Atlanta Braves | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | 16.0 | Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | 16.0 | |
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | 14.4 | Wright, Kyle 4349 | pi sp | 14.4 | |
| Gibson, Kyle 3312 | pi sp | 9.0 | Strider, Spencer 4626 | pi sp | 13.4 | |
| Hoskins, Rhys 3909 | 1b | 6.5 | Morton, Charlie 2503 | pi sp | 10.4 | |
| Harper, Bryce 3011 | dh | 6.0 | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | pi sp | 9.4 | |
| Realmuto, J.T. 3491 | ca | 5.5 | Riley, Austin 4144 | 3b | 8.0 | |
| Suarez, Ranger 4228 | pi sp | 5.0 | Swanson, Dansby 3751 | ss | 5.7 | |
| Falter, Bailey 4473 | pi sp | 4.0 | Anderson, Ian 4312 | pi sp | 5.0 | |
| Eflin, Zach 3679 | pi sp | 3.7 | Elder, Bryce 4709 | pi sp | 4.7 | |
| Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | 3.0 | d’Arnaud, Travis 3384 | ca | 4.5 | |
| Dominguez, Seranthony 3968 | pi cp mr | 3.0 | Jansen, Kenley 2871 | pi cp | 4.0 | |
| Vierling, Matt 4652 | cf lf rf ph | 3.0 | Duvall, Adam 3573 | lf | 3.5 | |
| Marsh, Brandon 4670 | lf cf | 2.5 | Acuna, Ronald Jr. 3947 | rf | 3.5 | |
| Stott, Bryson 4607 | ss | 2.5 | Harris, Michael 4682 | cf | 3.5 | |
| Schwarber, Kyle 3536 | lf | 2.0 | Olson, Matt 3836 | 1b | 3.0 | |
| Sosa, Edmundo 4495 | ss ph | 2.0 | Chavez, Jesse 2780 | pi mr | 3.0 | |
| Bohm, Alec 4309 | 3b dh | 2.0 | Ozuna, Marcell 3190 | lf dh | 2.5 | |
| Hand, Brad 2907 | pi cp | 2.0 | Contreras, William 4717 | dh | 2.5 | |
| Knebel, Corey 3757 | pi cp | 2.0 | McHugh, Collin 3316 | pi mr cp sp | 2.0 | |
| Robertson, David 2774 | pi mr cp | 2.0 | Albies, Ozzie 3953 | 2b | 1.5 | |
| Hall, Darick 4674 | dh | 2.0 | Grossman, Robbie 3267 | lf | 1.5 | |
| Maton, Nick 4644 | 2b | 2.0 | Iglesias, Raisel 3467 | pi cp | 1.0 | |
| Nelson, Nick 4279 | pi mr | 1.7 | Arcia, Orlando 3717 | dh ss | 1.0 | |
| Camargo, Johan 3829 | ss 3b | 1.5 | Matzek, Tyler 3351 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Devenski, Chris 3702 | pi mr | 1.0 | Minter, A.J. 3946 | pi mr cp | 1.0 | |
| Coonrod, Sam 4716 | pi mr | 1.0 | Stephens, Jackson 4009 | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Lee, Dylan 4753 | pi mr | 1.0 | ||||
| Tromp, Chadwick 4707 | ca | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 105.3 | Totals | 129.0 | |||
A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’s Division Series round pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day’s probable pitching matchups. Teams are paired below with visiting teams on top and home teams on the bottom. Each team’s starting pitcher is shown with their Box-Toppers point total from 2022 (’22), over a two-year period (’21-22), over a six-year period (’17-22) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 5.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| ATL | Fried, Max 4011 | 16.0 | 27.8 | 44.5 | 44.5 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4493 | 14.1 | 21.1 | 21.1 | 21.1 |
| HOU | Verlander, Justin 2112 | 26.0 | 26.0 | 93.3 | 232.6 |
| CLE | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 6.0 | 11.7 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 15.4 | 37.8 | 102.4 | 138.3 |
| SD | Clevinger, Mike 3707 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 50.9 | 53.9 |
| LAD | Urias, Julio 3625 | 19.4 | 38.5 | 46.5 | 52.2 |
What are those numbers after players' names?
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