Padres’ Snell tops players for Wednesday, Sept. 13; Strider takes player rankings lead

Padres pitcher Blake Snell is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

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▪️ Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
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▪️ Top 10 players in 2023 Box-Toppers points.
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Padres pitcher Blake Snell is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Wednesday, Braves pitcher Spencer Strider rises to lead Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Strider passes Shohei Ohtani of the Angels, who has led rankings every day but one for the past three months.

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, Sept. 13.

Player Pos Team BTP
1 Strider, Spencer 4626 pi sp atl nl 20.1
2 Ohtani, Shohei 3933 pi sp dh ana al 19.4
3 Peralta, Freddy 3965 pi sp mil nl 17.7
4 Bassitt, Chris 3413 pi sp tor al 17.1
5 Gausman, Kevin 3191 pi sp tor al 16.7
6 Luzardo, Jesus 4282 pi sp fla nl 16.1
7 Gallen, Zac 4171 pi sp ari nl 15.7
8 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp tex al 15.4
9 Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 pi sp sea al 15.1
10 Cole, Gerrit 3232 pi sp nyy al 14.0
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In addition, Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo maintains ninth place in season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Player of the Day

Snell struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, in the 6-1 win over the Dodgers.

Snell earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, 15th among all players and sixth among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day

Astros pitcher Hunter Brown struck out seven over five scoreless, hitless innings, allowing two walks, in the 6-2 win over the Athletics.

Brown and three Astros relievers held the Athletics hitless for eight innings, until Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly gave up two hits in the ninth inning. Brown exited after 78 pitches.

Brown earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 10.1 for the season, 35th among all players and 16th among American League pitchers.

Brown becomes the 41st player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points in 2023. It is his first season with 10 or more points. In his only previous season earning points, 2022 with the Astros, he earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Astros pitcher Hunter Brown is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers American League Player of the Day.

American League Batter of the Day

Nick Loftin of the Royals doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-1 win over the White Sox.

This was Loftin’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Loftin made his Major League debut Sept. 1 and was playing in his ninth career game.

American League Batter of the Day is Nick Loftin of the Royals.

National League Batter of the Day

Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates homered and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-6 win over the Nationals.

Reynolds earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.7 for the season, sixth among NL batters.

National League Batter of the Day is Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates.

2023 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
3/30 Dylan Cease chi al 2.0
4/4 Luis Castillo sea al 2.7
4/5 Jesus Luzardo fla nl 3.7
4/7 Bryan Reynolds pit nl 3.7
4/8 Jeffrey Springs tb al 3.7
4/9 Drew Rasmussen tb al 4.0
4/12 Kevin Gausman tor al 4.0
4/16 Gerrit Cole nyy al 4.0
4/17 Jacob deGrom tex al 5.0
4/19 Drew Rasmussen tb al 5.0
4/22 Gerrit Cole nyy al 5.0
4/23 Kevin Gausman tor al 6.0
4/26 Zac Gallen ari nl 6.7
4/28 Jacob deGrom tex al 7.7
5/8 Zac Gallen ari nl  7.7
5/21 Shohei Ohtani ana al 8.4
5/24 Shane McClanahan tb al 8.7
5/30 Zac Gallen ari nl 8.7
5/31 Shohei Ohtani ana al 9.4
6/1 Kevin Gausman tor al 10.0
6/13 Shohei Ohtani ana al 12.9
8/25 Spencer Strider atl nl 19.1
8/26 Shohei Ohtani ana al 19.4
9/13 Spencer Strider atl nl 20.1
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New Box-Toppers points leader

Braves pitcher Spencer Strider rises from second to first in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Strider (7IP 4H R 2BB 9K W in the 4-1 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 20.1 for the season, passing previous leader, Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani (19.4), who has led since Aug. 26. Further, Ohtani had led all but one day since taking the lead June 13, a span of three months. The only day Ohtani did not lead was Aug. 25, when Strider took the lead for one day before Ohtani passed him the next day.

Ohtani has earned exactly half his points as a pitcher (9.7) and half as a batter (9.7). His pitching season was shut down when it was learned in late August he had a ligament tear in his pitching elbow. Ohtani missed his 10th straight game as a batter Wednesday—his longest absence at the plate this season—due to a strained right oblique. However, he is not on the injured list and is theoretically eligible to return at any time.

Strider extends his lead among NL pitchers ahead of second-place Freddy Peralta of the Braves (17.7 points).

Strider becomes the first player this season to reach 20 Box-Toppers points. There were five players with more than 20 points in 2022. In his only previous season earning points, Strider had 13.4 points in 2022 with the Braves, 13th among NL pitchers.

Braves pitcher Spencer Strider is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Wednesday’s win over the Phillies.

Rankings

Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo maintains ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Castillo (6IP 3H 2R 3BB 8K W in the 3-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.1 for the season. He ranks fifth among AL pitchers.

Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Wednesday’s win over the Angels.

Notable

Marlins pitcher Braxton Garrett now has 11.7 Box-Toppers points in 2023—19th overall and eighth among NL pitchers—after earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point as Player of the Game Wednesday (6IP 4H 0R 2BB 7K W in the 2-0 win over the Brewers).

Marlins pitcher Braxton Garrett is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Wednesday’s win over the Brewers.

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Also notable

Kris Bryant of the Rockies earns Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Wednesday.

Bryant (HR 1-3 3R BI in the 7-3 win over the Cubs) was also Player of the Game in Tuesday’s 6-4 win over the Cubs (HR 2-4 2R 3BI). He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for each Player of the Game honor and has those 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.

Debut

In addition to Loftin, two other players also made their Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:

  • Cardinals pitcher Drew Rom (5.1IP 2H 0R 3BB 7K W in the 1-0 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut Aug. 21 and was playing in his fifth career game.

  • Brett Baty of the Mets (2-3 2R 0BI in the 7-1 win over the Diamondbacks) made his Major League debut Aug. 17, 2022, and was playing in his 108th career game.

Scoring

  • Snell earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.

  • Brown earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.

  • Loftin and Reynolds 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) 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).

9/13 BTG Game Player AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB +12.0 SD 6, LAD 1 Blake Snell (W, 14‑9) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 6.0 1 0 0 1 8
AL +10.0 HOU 6, OAK 2 Hunter Brown (W, 11‑11) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 5.0 0 0 0 2 7
+8.0 ATL 4, PHI 1 Spencer Strider (W, 17‑5) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 7.0 4 1 1 2 9
+7.1 STL 1, BAL 0 Drew Rom (W, 1‑2) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 5.1 2 0 0 3 7
+7.0 MIA 2, MIL 0 Braxton Garrett (W, 9‑6) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 6.0 4 0 0 2 7
+5.0 TEX 10, TOR 0 Jordan Montgomery (W, 9‑11) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 7.0 4 0 0 1 3
BAT +4.0 KC 7, CHW 1 Nick Loftin PH‑1B 2 2 2 2 ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
+4.0 SEA 3, LAA 2 Luis Castillo (W, 13‑7) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 6.0 3 2 2 3 8
BAT +3.0 PIT 7, WSH 6 Bryan Reynolds LF 4 2 3 2 ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
+3.0 TB 5, MIN 4 Kevin Kelly (W, 5‑2) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 2.0 0 0 0 0 1
+2.1 SF 6, CLE 5 (F/10) Camilo Doval (W, 6‑4) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 1.1 0 0 0 0 1
+2.0 COL 7, CHC 3 Kris Bryant 1B 3 3 1 1 ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
+2.0 CIN 4, DET 3 Alexis Díaz (S, 36) ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ 1.0 0 0 0 1 2
+1.0 NYM 7, ARI 1 Brett Baty 3B 3 2 2 0 ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑ ‑
MLB—Overall Box‑Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box‑Toppers points.
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.
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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 (+/-).
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Player of the Game Pos Team ’23 ’22‑23 ’18‑23 Career +/‑
Strider, Spencer 4626 pi sp atl nl 20.1 33.5 33.5 33.5 +6.7
Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 pi sp sea al 15.1 25.1 61.5 69.9 +5.1
Snell, Blake 3688 pi sp sd nl 12.7 25.8 78.1 87.1 -0.4
Garrett, Braxton 4341 pi sp fla nl 11.7 17.4 19.4 19.4 +6.0
Brown, Hunter 4729 pi sp hou al 10.1 11.1 11.1 11.1 +9.1
Montgomery, Jordan 3814 pi sp tex al 9.4 18.8 29.5 35.5 0.0
Reynolds, Bryan 4169 lf cf pit nl 7.7 11.7 25.7 25.7 +3.7
Diaz, Alexis 4613 pi cp cin nl 6.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 +3.0
Doval, Camilo 4658 pi cp sf nl 5.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 0.0
Bryant, Kris 3465 dh 1b lf 3b col nl 2.0 3.0 14.5 39.5 +1.0
Kelly, Kevin 4932 pi mr tb al 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 +2.0
Loftin, Nick 4936 1b ph kc al 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 +1.5
Baty, Brett 4937 3b nym nl 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 +1.0
Rom, Drew 4935 pi sp stl nl 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 +1.0
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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.
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Game Starter ’23 ’22‑23 ’18‑23 Career
WSH Gray, Josiah 4503 5.7 10.4 11.4 11.4
PIT Keller, Mitch 4230 11.0 13.0 18.0 18.0
CIN Law, Derek 3657 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0
DET Olson, Reese 4861 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4
NYY King, Michael 4549 8.0 12.7 13.7 13.7
BOS Houck, Tanner 4342 0.0 3.0 11.7 11.7
MIA Perez, Eury 4814 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0
MIL Houser, Adrian 4162 1.7 3.4 14.4 14.4
ARI Kelly, Merrill 4143 12.0 23.0 38.0 38.0
NYM Senga, Kodai 4762 11.7 11.7 11.7 11.7
TEX Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 9.7 15.7 43.5 69.3
TOR Gausman, Kevin 3191 16.7 29.4 50.8 86.1
NYY Schmidt, Clarke 4581 2.0 6.4 6.4 6.4
BOS Undecided 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
TB Civale, Aaron 4173 6.0 11.0 28.4 28.4
BAL Bradish, Kyle 4597 13.0 19.0 19.0 19.0
MIN Maeda, Kenta 3609 7.7 7.7 41.2 61.2
CHW Urena, Jose 3492 0.0 1.0 13.7 23.4
SF Webb, Logan 4258 10.7 20.4 38.6 38.6
COL Anderson, Chase 3328 0.0 2.0 16.4 42.8
Starters subject to change.
* Player has yet to earn Box-Toppers points.
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