Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
▪️ Box-Toppers points of the day’s top players.
▪️ Top 10 players in 2022 Box-Toppers points.
▪️ A B-T look at today’s pitching matchups.
Braves pitcher Max Fried is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to second in season player rankings, first among National League pitchers.
Also Saturday, two other player rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 after earning Player of the Game honors—White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease rises to sixth place and Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez rises to 10th.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2022. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Saturday, May 7.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | dh pi sp | ana al | 7.0 |
| 2 | Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 6.0 |
| 3 | Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp | mil nl | 5.7 |
| 4 | Megill, Tylor 4464 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.7 |
| 5 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 5.0 |
| 6 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 5.0 |
| 7 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | tb al | 5.0 |
| 8 | Wright, Kyle 4349 | pi sp | atl nl | 5.0 |
| 9 | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 4.7 |
| 10 | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | pi sp | fla nl | 4.7 |
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Player of the Day—Fried struck out eight over seven innings, allowing one run, four hits and one walk, in the 3-2 win over the Brewers.
Fried earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season, second overall, behind only Shohei Ohtani of the Angels (7.0). Fried rises to first place among NL pitchers, passing previous leader Eric Lauer of the Brewers (5.7), who only took the top NL pitching spot Friday.
American League Player of the Day—Twins pitcher Sonny Gray struck out seven over four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 1-0 win over the Athletics.
Gray did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he did not pitch the required five innings to earn the win. Also, the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
Gray earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and now ranks 34th among AL pitchers.
Gray has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2013 with the Athletics and now has 77.1 career Box-Toppers points, eighth among active AL pitchers. His best season was 2015 with the Athletics when he had 17.8 points, sixth among AL pitchers. He earned 6.4 points in 2021 with the Reds, 46th among NL pitchers.
National League Batter of the Day—Wilmer Flores of the Giants hit a grand slam and went 1-for-3, scoring once and driving in six runs, in the 13-7 win over the Cardinals.
American League Batter of the Day—Brandon Lowe of the Rays hit two home runs and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 8-2 win over the Mariners.
Rankings—Two other players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday:
White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease (5IP 4H R 3BB 8K ND in the 3-1, 10-inning win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to sixth place overall, second among AL pitchers, behind Ohtani (7.0).
Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez (8IP 5H 0R 2BB 5K W in the 8-0 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.7 for the season, rising to 10th place overall, seventh among NL pitchers.
The rise of Fried, Cease and Lopez pushes out the only full-time batters from the Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list. Jose Ramirez of the Guardians (4.2 points) falls from ninth to 12th place and Yordan Alvarez of the Astros (4.2 points) falls from 10th to 13th place. Ohtani is the only batter remaining on the top 10 list (in first place overall), but Ohtani has only earned 3.0 of his 7.0 points as a designated hitter, which would not be enough by themselves to reach the top 10. His 4.0 points as a starting pitcher also would not be enough to reach the top 10. But combined, his 7.0 points leads all players.
The last batter to finish the season among Box-Toppers season player rankings overall top 10 list is Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, whose 16.9 points in 2013 ranked eighth overall. Prior to 2010, batters regularly finished among the overall top 10.
Notable—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw now has 251.6 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Kershaw (7IP 5H 0R BB 2K W in the 7-0 win over the Cubs) ranks second in career points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, trailing only Randy Johnson (282.5) by 30.9 points. (Johnson would have an estimated 380 points if his entire career from 1988 were tracked.) Kershaw leads active players in career points ahead of Mets pitcher Max Scherzer (228.3) by 23.3 points.
Kershaw now has 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2022, 13th among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Fried earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gray earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Flores and Lowe each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s 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.
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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).Back to top
| 5/7 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.0 | ATL 3, MIL 2 | Max Fried, (W 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| AL | +7.0 | `MIN 1, OAK 0 | Sonny Gray | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| +6.0 | MIA 8, SD 0 | Pablo López, (W 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | SF 13, STL 7 | Wilmer Flores, 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | CIN 9, PIT 2 | Tyler Stephenson, C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | TB 8, SEA 2 | Brandon Lowe, 2B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | PIT 8, CIN 5 | David Bednar, (S 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | `COL 4, ARI 1 | Kyle Freeland | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | `CHW 3, BOS 1 (F/10) | Dylan Cease | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
| +3.0 | LAD 6, CHC 2 | Mookie Betts, RF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | CLE 8, TOR 2 | Owen Miller, 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | LAD 7, CHC 0 | Clayton Kershaw, (W 4‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +2.1 | TOR 8, CLE 3 | Kevin Gausman, (W 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +2.0 | WSH 7, LAA 3 | Josh Bell, 1B | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | HOU 3, DET 2 | Ryan Pressly, (S 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.
N/A—Not applicable. No Player of the Game was chosen because the game ended in a tie.
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.
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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 in 2022 (’22). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’21-22), the period 2017-2022 (’17-22) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2022 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2021 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’22 | ’21‑22 | ’17‑22 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 6.0 | 17.8 | 34.5 | 34.5 | -5.8 |
| Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 5.0 | 19.4 | 21.4 | 21.4 | -9.4 |
| Lopez, Pablo 4028 | pi sp | fla nl | 4.7 | 14.1 | 27.8 | 27.8 | -4.7 |
| Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 4.0 | 17.7 | 36.5 | 60.7 | -9.7 |
| Bell, Josh E. 3682 | 1b | dc nl | 3.5 | 4.5 | 20.7 | 22.2 | +2.5 |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.0 | 16.4 | 67.9 | 251.6 | -10.4 |
| Bednar, David 4499 | pi cp | pit nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +1.0 |
| Betts, Mookie 3404 | rf cf | lad nl | 2.5 | 5.5 | 33.6 | 44.8 | -0.5 |
| Freeland, Kyle 3763 | pi sp | col nl | 2.0 | 9.0 | 29.4 | 29.4 | -5.0 |
| Pressly, Ryan 3186 | pi cp | hou al | 2.0 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 15.0 | -1.0 |
| Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | min al | 1.7 | 8.1 | 44.3 | 77.1 | -4.7 |
| Lowe, Brandon 4108 | 2b | tb al | 1.5 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | -9.0 |
| Flores, Wilmer 3345 | 3b 1b | sf nl | 1.5 | 6.0 | 13.5 | 23.0 | -3.0 |
| Stephenson, Tyler 4384 | ca | cin nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Miller, Owen 4558 | 1b 2b | cle al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Sunday’s pitching matchups
A Box-Toppers look at Sunday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 23.8 | 66.6 |
| BOS | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 2.7 | 9.8 | 24.8 | 44.5 |
| NYM | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 3.0 | 16.7 | 31.8 | 35.8 |
| PHI | Eflin, Zach 3679 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 24.8 | 28.8 |
| KC | Greinke, Zack 1871 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 61.7 | 217.8 |
| BAL | Lyles, Jordan 3100 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 20.7 | 28.4 |
| MIL | Ashby, Aaron 4511 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 1.0 | 13.7 | 57.0 | 84.7 |
| TEX | Dunning, Dane 4317 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 2.7 | 25.1 | 89.7 | 125.6 |
| PIT | Thompson, Zach 4437 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CIN | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 1.0 | 12.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 |
| TOR | Manoah, Alek 4424 | 3.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| CLE | Pilkington, Konnor* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| DET | Peralta, Wily 3123 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 28.0 |
| HOU | Odorizzi, Jake 3291 | 2.0 | 6.0 | 36.5 | 62.6 |
| OAK | Jefferies, Daulton 4571 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIN | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 24.8 | 24.8 |
| STL | Hudson, Dakota 4035 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| SF | Junis, Jakob (Jake) 3857 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| NYM | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 2.0 | 27.1 | 96.6 | 228.3 |
| PHI | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 2.0 | 9.7 | 29.5 | 46.5 |
| WSH | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 0.0 | 10.4 | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| LAA | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| COL | Marquez, German 3788 | 1.0 | 18.4 | 48.5 | 48.5 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| MIA | Rogers, Trevor 4311 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| SD | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | 5.0 | 21.1 | 37.1 | 40.8 |
| TB | Yarbrough, Ryan 3962 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 32.1 | 32.1 |
| SEA | Kirby, George* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TEX | Otto, Glenn 4584 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| NYY | Montgomery, Jordan 3814 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 16.7 | 16.7 |
| KC | Lynch, Daniel 4488 | 2.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| BAL | Zimmermann, Bruce 4410 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| LAD | Buehler, Walker 3943 | 3.0 | 19.7 | 56.9 | 56.9 |
| CHC | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | 1.7 | 11.7 | 27.4 | 50.5 |