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 2023 Box-Toppers points.
▪️ A B-T look at upcoming pitching matchups.
▪️ Subscribe to Box-Toppers Email Newsletter.
Mariners pitcher George Kirby is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Shohei Ohtani of the Angels regains the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Player of the Day—Kirby struck out seven over eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 1-0, 10-inning win over the Yankees. Kirby did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because when he exited, the game was in a scoreless tie.
Kirby earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season, 52nd among all players and 22nd among American League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Diamondbacks pitcher Tommy Henry struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 6-0 win over the Rockies.
Henry earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 69th among NL pitchers.
This is Henry’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Henry made his Major League debut Aug. 3, 2022, and was playing in his 17th career game.
American League Batter of the Day—Josh Naylor of the Guardians homered and hit two doubles, going 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 12-8 win over the Orioles.
National League Batter of the Day—Keibert Ruiz of the Nationals hit two homers and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 10-6 win over the Dodgers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 in Box-Toppers season player rankings for 2023. Players are ranked by Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned this season through Wednesday, May 31.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | ana al | 9.4 |
| 2 | Gallen, Zac 4171 | pi sp | ari nl | 8.7 |
| 3 | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | pi sp | tb al | 8.7 |
| 4 | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 8.0 |
| 5 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | tex al | 7.7 |
| 6 | Judge, Aaron 3767 | rf cf dh | nyy al | 7.5 |
| 7 | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | pi sp | tb al | 6.7 |
| 8 | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | pi sp | tex al | 6.7 |
| 9 | Stroman, Marcus 3327 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.7 |
| 10 | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | sea al | 6.4 |
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Rankings—Shohei Ohtani of the Angels rises from third to first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Ohtani (2HR 2-3 3R 4BI in the 12-5 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.4 for the season, passing previous leader, Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen (8.7), who only took the lead Tuesday. Ohtani also rises to first place among AL pitchers, passing Shane McClanahan of the Rays (8.7). He also extends his lead among AL batters, ahead of Aaron Judge of the Yankees (7.5).
This is Ohtani’s eighth Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor of 2023 and his third as a designated hitter. The other five have come as a starting pitcher. Ohtani qualifies to rank among both batters and pitchers because he has more than 25 percent of his Player of the Game honors at both positions. He now has 37.5 percent of his Player of the Game honors as a batter and 62.5 percent as a pitcher.
During the previous two seasons, there were periods in which Ohtani qualified to rank among both batters and pitchers, but he finished both 2021 and 2022 ranked solely among pitchers because he earned such an overwhelming majority of his Player of the Game honors as a pitcher. This, even though he played far more games at designated hitter than pitcher. In only his 2018 rookie season did Ohtani qualify to rank among both pitchers and batters, winning Player of the Game honors six total times—three as a pitcher and three as a designated hitter. He qualified only as a designated hitter in 2019, as he recovered from Tommy John surgery and did not pitch that season.
This is Ohtani’s second stint atop Box-Toppers season player rankings in 2023. He also led from May 21 until losing the lead on May 24.
Active season streaks
Here are the 10 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* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Miguel Cabrera | dh 1b | Tigers | 2003‑2022 | 159.4 |
| 18 | Nelson Cruz | dh | Padres | 2006‑2023 | 89.9 |
| 17 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Royals | 2007‑2023 | 223.5 |
| 16 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 2008‑2023 | 265.4 |
| 16 | Evan Longoria | 3b | Diamondbacks | 2008‑2023 | 61.0 |
| 15 | Johnny Cueto | pi sp | Marlins | 2008‑2022 | 118.2 |
| 15 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Mets | 2009‑2023 | 240.3 |
| 15 | Andrew McCutchen | dh lf | Pirates | 2009‑2023 | 79.9 |
| 14 | Craig Kimbrel | pi cp | Phillies | 2010‑2023 | 86.1 |
| 14 | Aroldis Chapman | pi cp mr | Royals | 2010‑2023 | 64.1 |
Streak—Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates has now earned Box-Toppers points in 15 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of the season.
McCutchen (2B 3-4 2R BI in the 9-4 win over the Giants) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2009 with the Pirates and has 79.9 career points, fourth among active NL batters. His best season was 2015 with the Pirates when he had 10.5 Box-Toppers points, third among NL batters. In 2022, he had 2.5 points with the Brewers.
McCutchen is now one of eight players who have active streaks of 15 or more consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points.
McCutchen just edged teammate Connor Joe to win Player of the Game Wednesday. Both had identical Box-Toppers game scores (+2.0) and nearly identical linescores, but McCutchen held the tiebreaker because he had one walk while Joe had none.
Scoring—Kirby earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Henry earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Naylor and Ruiz each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’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
| 5/31 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +12.0 | `SEA 1, NYY 0 (F/10) | George Kirby | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| NL | +10.0 | ARI 6, COL 0 | Tommy Henry, (W 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| BAT | +8.0 | CLE 12, BAL 8 | Josh Naylor, 1B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +7.1 | `MIA 2, SD 1 | Braxton Garrett | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| +7.0 | MIN 8, HOU 2 | Louie Varland, (W 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +6.0 | LAA 12, CHW 5 | Shohei Ohtani, DH | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | WSH 10, LAD 6 | Keibert Ruiz, C | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | NYM 4, PHI 1 | Mark Canha, LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.2 | DET 3, TEX 2 | Will Vest, (W 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | PIT 9, SF 4 | Andrew McCutchen, DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ATL 4, OAK 2 | Orlando Arcia, SS | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CIN 5, BOS 4 | Buck Farmer, (S 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | `TB 4, CHC 3 | Jason Adam, (Hld 6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +1.0 | MIL 4, TOR 2 | Abraham Toro, 3B | 4 | 1 | 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 would 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 2023 (’23). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’22-23), the period 2018-2023 (’18-23) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2023 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2022 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’23 | ’22‑23 | ’18‑23 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | ana al | 9.4 | 34.1 | 64.7 | 64.7 | -15.3 |
| Garrett, Braxton 4341 | pi sp | fla nl | 6.0 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 | +0.3 |
| Kirby, George 4595 | pi sp | sea al | 4.0 | 15.4 | 15.4 | 15.4 | -7.4 |
| Adam, Jason 4256 | pi cp mr | tb al | 3.7 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | +0.7 |
| Canha, Mark 3454 | lf | nym nl | 2.0 | 10.7 | 16.7 | 21.2 | -6.7 |
| Arcia, Orlando 3717 | dh ss | atl nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 11.2 | 13.7 | +1.0 |
| Farmer, Buck 3809 | pi mr cp | cin nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.7 | +2.0 |
| Henry, Tommy 4829 | pi sp | ari nl | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Ruiz, Keibert 4616 | ca | dc nl | 1.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -2.5 |
| Naylor, Josh 4154 | 1b | cle al | 1.5 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -2.0 |
| McCutchen, Andrew 2637 | dh lf | pit nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 17.0 | 79.9 | -1.5 |
| Toro, Abraham 4447 | 3b rf 2b | mil nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -1.0 |
| Varland, Louie 4758 | pi sp | min al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Vest, Will 4608 | pi mr cp | det 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 Thursday’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 2023 (’23), over a two-year period (’22-23), over a six-year period (’18-23) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’23 | ’22‑23 | ’18‑23 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 2.7 | 10.1 | 41.5 | 41.5 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 8.0 | 20.7 | 42.1 | 77.4 |
| PHI | Walker, Taijuan 3453 | 2.0 | 9.7 | 25.1 | 51.5 |
| NYM | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 4.0 | 14.0 | 83.6 | 240.3 |
| SD | Musgrove, Joe 3705 | 1.0 | 18.4 | 48.5 | 54.2 |
| MIA | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 5.7 | 9.7 | 21.8 | 21.8 |
| COL | Anderson, Chase 3328 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 16.4 | 42.8 |
| ARI | Davies, Zach 3581 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 14.0 | 29.7 |
| CIN | Greene, Hunter 4651 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| BOS | Sale, Chris 2806 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 38.8 | 150.3 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| MIN | Lopez, Pablo 4028 | 4.0 | 14.7 | 37.8 | 37.8 |
| LAA | Detmers, Reid 4513 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 4.0 | 20.0 | 35.4 | 35.4 |
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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