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.
▪️ 2022 Box-Toppers points lead changes.
Astros pitcher Justin Verlander is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to first place in season player rankings.
Verlander struck out five over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 6-0 win over the Guardians.
Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 19.0 for the season, rising from second to first place in season player rankings, passing Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17.0 points), who has led player rankings since June 22. Passing Ohtani, Verlander also takes the lead among American League pitchers.
2022 lead changes
Here are the season’s lead changes among players in Box-Toppers points. Chart shows the date and the player’s Box-Toppers point (BTP) total when they took the lead.| Date | Player | Team | BTP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/7 | Framber Valdez | hou al | 2.0 |
| 4/8 | Sean Manaea | sd nl | 2.0 |
| 4/12 | Tylor Megill | nym nl | 3.7 |
| 4/19 | Joe Musgrove | sd nl | 4.0 |
| 4/20 | Shohei Ohtani | ana al | 5.0 |
| 4/29 | Tylor Megill | nym nl | 5.7 |
| 5/5 | Shohei Ohtani | ana al | 7.0 |
| 6/2 | Nestor Cortes | nyy al | 8.4 |
| 6/3 | Joe Musgrove | sd nl | 8.7 |
| 6/4 | Pete Alonso | nym nl | 9.2 |
| 6/9 | Shane McClanahan | tb al | 10.7 |
| 6/16 | Joe Musgrove | sd nl | 11.4 |
| 6/22 | Shohei Ohtani | ana al | 13.0 |
| 8/4 | Justin Verlander | hou al | 19.0 |
This is the first time Verlander has led Box-Toppers season player rankings since Sept. 7, 2019, when he took the lead for one day with 24.8 Box-Toppers points, before being passed by then-teammate Gerrit Cole on Sept. 8, who eventually went on to finish the 2019 season in first place with 32.2 points. Verlander was second with 27.5 points.
After earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2020, Verlander underwent Tommy John surgery, sitting out the 2021 season, before rebounding in 2022.
Verlander also now has 225.6 career Box-Toppers points, fifth-most among all players since 1995, when player tracking began. He trails fourth-ranked player Mets pitcher Max Scherzer (232.3) by 6.7 points. Verlander ranks third among active players in career points, first among active AL pitchers, ahead of Zack Greinke of the Royals (221.5).
National League Player of the Day—Cardinals pitcher Jose Quintana struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run, one hit and two walks, in the 7-2 win over the Cubs. Quintana did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the Cubs tied the game after he exited.
Quintana earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season, 34th among NL pitchers.
Quintana had a Box-Toppers game score of +8.0, same as Verlander, but Verlander held the edge to win overall Player of the Day honors because he earned the win in his game, while Quintana picked up the no-decision.
National League Batter of the Day—Ryan McMahon of the Rockies hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 7-3 win over the Padres.
American League Batter of the Day—Ramon Laureano of the Athletics homered, doubled and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 8-7 win over the Angels.
Notable—Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Thursday.
Reynolds (2B 2-4 R BI in the 5-4, 10-inning win over the Brewers) was also NL Batter of the Day Wednesday (HR 3-4 3R BI in the 8-7 win over the Brewers). Reynolds earned 1.5 Box-Toppers points Wednesday and 1.0 point Thursday and has 4.0 points in 2022, 23rd among NL batters.
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 Thursday, Aug. 4.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 19.0 |
| 2 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | ana al | 17.0 |
| 3 | Cease, Dylan 4231 | pi sp | chi al | 15.7 |
| 4 | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | pi sp | fla nl | 15.4 |
| 5 | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | pi sp | tb al | 14.4 |
| 6 | Fried, Max 4011 | pi sp | atl nl | 13.0 |
| 7 | Urias, Julio 3652 | pi sp | lad nl | 12.7 |
| 8 | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | pi sp | sf nl | 12.7 |
| 9 | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | pi sp | sd nl | 12.4 |
| 10 | Alonso, Pete 4118 | 1b | nym nl | 12.2 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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Scoring—Verlander earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Quintana earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. McMahon and Laureano each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’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
| 8/4 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.0 | HOU 6, CLE 0 | Justin Verlander, (W 15‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| NL | +8.0 | `STL 7, CHC 2 | Jose Quintana | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| +6.0 | TB 6, DET 2 | Jeffrey Springs, (W 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | COL 7, SD 3 | Ryan McMahon, 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | TEX 3, CHW 2 | Brock Burke, (W 6‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | PHI 5, WSH 4 (F/5) | Rhys Hoskins, 1B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | NYM 6, ATL 4 | Edwin Díaz, (S 24) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | OAK 8, LAA 7 | Ramon Laureano, CF‑RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | KC 7, BOS 3 | Salvador Perez, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | `LAD 5, SF 3 | Alex Vesia, (Hld 12) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | TOR 9, MIN 3 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr., LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | STL 4, CHC 3 | Ryan Helsley, (W 6‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 0.0 | PIT 5, MIL 4 (F/10) | Bryan Reynolds, DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verlander, Justin 2112 | pi sp | hou al | 19.0 | 19.0 | 86.3 | 225.6 | +19.0 |
| Gurriel, Lourdes Jr. 4148 | lf | tor al | 6.5 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | +1.3 |
| Diaz, Edwin 3690 | pi cp | nym nl | 6.0 | 11.7 | 33.7 | 40.7 | +0.3 |
| Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | stl nl | 5.7 | 6.7 | 42.2 | 77.4 | +4.7 |
| Hoskins, Rhys 3909 | 1b | phi nl | 5.5 | 10.0 | 17.0 | 17.0 | +1.0 |
| Helsley, Ryan 4589 | pi cp | stl nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +5.0 |
| Reynolds, Bryan 4169 | cf dh | pit nl | 4.0 | 12.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 | -4.0 |
| Perez, Salvador 2972 | ca dh | kc al | 4.0 | 8.5 | 19.0 | 40.7 | -0.5 |
| Burke, Brock 4661 | pi mr | tex al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Laureano, Ramon 4054 | dh cf rf | oak al | 2.5 | 6.5 | 13.2 | 13.2 | -1.5 |
| Vesia, Alex 4504 | pi mr | lad nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| McMahon, Ryan 4004 | 2b 3b | col nl | 1.5 | 5.7 | 16.4 | 16.4 | -2.7 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Friday’s 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Steele, Justin 4415 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| WSH | Gray, Josiah 4503 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| PHI | Gibson, Kyle 3312 | 5.0 | 12.7 | 32.5 | 49.5 |
| ATL | Anderson, Ian 4312 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| NYM | Walker, Taijuan 3453 | 4.0 | 13.4 | 24.4 | 45.8 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 8.0 | 13.0 | 23.4 | 23.4 |
| CLE | Gaddis, Hunter* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TB | Kluber, Corey 3200 | 10.0 | 15.0 | 58.7 | 124.1 |
| DET | Garcia, Bryan 4379 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CHW | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 15.7 | 30.1 | 32.1 | 32.1 |
| TEX | Otto, Glenn 4584 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| BOS | Winckowski, Josh* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Greinke, Zack 1871 | 3.7 | 12.4 | 65.4 | 221.5 |
| CIN | Duggar, Robert* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Lauer, Eric 4017 | 8.4 | 14.4 | 27.8 | 27.8 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 7.0 | 16.4 | 56.9 | 56.9 |
| MIN | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 5.0 | 16.7 | 28.7 | 28.7 |
| NYY | Cortes, Nestor 4160 | 10.4 | 15.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| STL | Hudson, Dakota 4035 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 15.4 | 15.4 |
| COL | Marquez, German 3788 | 2.0 | 19.4 | 49.5 | 49.5 |
| ARI | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | 2.7 | 12.7 | 32.4 | 138.1 |
| LAA | Sandoval, Patrick 4357 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| SEA | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 9.4 | 27.1 | 60.5 | 71.2 |
| SD | Manaea, Sean 3637 | 4.0 | 19.7 | 41.5 | 48.2 |
| LAD | Gonsolin, Tony 4211 | 8.7 | 13.4 | 21.1 | 21.1 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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