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.
▪️ A B-T look at upcoming pitching matchups.
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▪️ Buy me a coffee & support Box-Toppers.
Rays pitcher Ryan Pepiot is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, two players rise into Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after both earn their second Player of the Game honor of 2024—Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco rises to third place and Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga rises to fifth.
Player of the Day
Pepiot struck out 11 over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 3-2 win over the Rockies.
Pepiot earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 17th among all players.
National League Player of the Day
William Contreras of the Brewers hit a pair of two-run home runs and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 12-4 win over the Mariners.
Contreras earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 32nd in season player rankings.
American League Batter of the Day
Zack Gelof of the Athletics hit a three-run homer, tripled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 7-1 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day
There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Sunday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter William Contreras.
Rankings
Two players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list Sunday with both earning their second Player of the Game honor of 2024:
Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco (6IP H 0R 4BB 4K W in the 3-1 win over the Rangers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season, rising to third place overall, trailing Royals pitcher Brady Singer and Dodgers pitcher Evan Phillips. While all three have 3.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, Brady ranks first because he has the most 2023 Box-Toppers points (5.0), followed by Phillilps (1.0) and Blanco (0.0). Blanco previously was overall Player of the Day April 1, when he pitched a no-hitter.
Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (4IP 2H 0R 0BB 3K ND in the 8-1 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season, fifth overall. Imanaga was previously NL Player of the Day on April 1.
Notable
Braves pitcher Chris Sale now has 154.3 career Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Sale (5.1IP 4H 2R 0BB 6K W in the 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point and ranks 24th in career points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. He trails 23rd-ranked player, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (155.3). Sale ranks fifth among active, signed players and second among active NL pitchers, behind Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (270.4).
Sale earned 8.7 Box-Toppers points in 2023 with the Red Sox, 36th among AL pitchers. His 1.0 point in 2024 is 64th among all players.
Debut
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Sunday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Marlins pithcher Max Meyer (6IP 3H R BB 3K W in the 10-3 win over the Cardinals) made his Major League debut July 16, 2022, and was playing in his fourth career game.
Pirates closing pitcher Jose Hernandez (1.1IP H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 3-2 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut April 1, 2023, and was playing in his 53rd career game.
Scoring
Pepiot earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Contreras earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Gelof earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day.
All of Sunday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
None of Sunday’s 3 starting pitchers with the most 2023 Box-Toppers points were among Player of the Game winners. A look at how Logan Webb @SFGiants, Andrew Abbott @Reds & Dean Kremer @Orioles fared Sunday (thread):https://t.co/eNs39LKhC8
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) April 8, 2024
Sunday’s highest Box-Toppers game scores by players who did not earn B-T points (thread):
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) April 8, 2024
+7.0—Dean Kremer @Orioles 7IP 5H R 0ER 0BB 6K ND
+6.0—Joe Boyle @Athletics 5IP 2H 0R 3BB 6K W
+5.1—Matt Waldron @Padres 5.1IP 3H R 0ER BB 5K ND
SU’s Players of Game—https://t.co/eNs39LKhC8
Sunday’s lowest Box-Toppers game scores:
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) April 8, 2024
-18.9—Emerson Hancock @Mariners 3.1IP 11H 8R BB 6K L vs. MIL
-11.0—Jack Flaherty @Tigers
-11.0—Kyle Gibson @Cardinals
-10.9—José Suarez @Angels
-9.9—Cristopher Sánchez @Phillies
SU’s Player of the Game winners—https://t.co/eNs39LKhC8
Sunday’s lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
— Box-Toppers (@BoxToppers) April 8, 2024
-5.0—Nolan Schanuel @Angels 0-5 3K
-5.0—Yandy Díaz @RaysBaseball, Robbie Grossman @WhiteSox, J.D. Davis @Athletics, all 0-5 1K
-4.0—7 were 0-4 with 3Ks
SU’s B-T Player of the Game winners—https://t.co/eNs39LKhC8
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).| 4/7 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | TB 3, COL 2 | Ryan Pepiot (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| NL | +7.0 | MIL 12, SEA 4 | William Contreras C | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +7.0 | BOS 12, LAA 2 | Tanner Houck (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +6.0 | OAK 7, DET 1 | Zack Gelof 2B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | HOU 3, TEX 1 | Ronel Blanco (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||
| +5.0 | `CHC 8, LAD 1 | Shota Imanaga | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | NYM 3, CIN 1 | Sean Manaea (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +3.2 | NYY 8, TOR 3 | Dennis Santana (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +3.1 | ATL 5, ARI 2 | Chris Sale (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +3.0 | MIA 10, STL 3 | Max Meyer (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | SF 3, SD 2 | Ryan Walker (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.1 | PIT 3, BAL 2 | Jose Hernandez (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | WSH 3, PHI 2 | Lane Thomas RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | KC 5, CHW 3 | Hunter Renfroe RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 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 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 2024 (’24). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’23-24), the period 2019-2024 (’19-24) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2024 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2023 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’24 | ’23‑24 | ’19‑24 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blanco, Ronel 4959 | pi sp | hou al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Imanaga, Shota 4960 | pi sp | chi nl | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | +2.7 |
| Pepiot, Ryan 4714 | pi mr sp | tb al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -3.0 |
| Houck, Tanner 4342 | pi sp | bos al | 2.0 | 4.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 0.0 |
| Contreras, William 4717 | ca dh | mil nl | 1.7 | 3.2 | 5.7 | 5.7 | +0.2 |
| Gelof, Zack 4881 | 2b | oak al | 1.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -1.0 |
| Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | atl nl | 1.0 | 9.7 | 22.7 | 154.3 | -7.7 |
| Manaea, Sean 3637 | pi mr sp | nym nl | 1.0 | 4.7 | 32.1 | 54.9 | -2.7 |
| Thomas, Lane 4623 | rf | dc nl | 1.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | -2.7 |
| Renfroe, Hunter 3749 | rf | kc al | 1.0 | 4.5 | 23.2 | 32.9 | -2.5 |
| Walker, Ryan 4955 | pi mr | sf nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Santana, Dennis 4275 | pi cp mr | nyy al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Hernandez, Jose E. 4966 | pi cp | pit nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Meyer, Max 4965 | pi sp | fla nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Monday’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 2024 (’24), this year and last year (’23-24), over a six-year period (’19-24) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’24 | ’23-24 | ’19‑24 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | McKenzie, Triston 4303 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 32.1 | 32.1 |
| MIA | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 0.0 | 17.8 | 33.9 | 33.9 |
| NYY | Cortes, Nestor 4160 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 24.4 | 24.4 |
| DET | Olson, Reese 4861 | 1.0 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 0.0 | 13.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 |
| MIL | Ashby, Aaron 4511 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| CIN | Ashcraft, Graham 4645 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 0.0 | 16.1 | 54.5 | 70.9 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 0.0 | 10.4 | 42.5 | 69.3 |
| NYM | Teheran, Julio 3176 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 10.7 | 74.9 |
| ATL | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 1.0 | 11.0 | 54.9 | 105.1 |
| LAD | Paxton, James 3280 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 19.1 | 60.9 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 0.0 | 8.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| PHI | Turnbull, Spencer 4086 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 13.7 | 14.7 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 21.8 | 36.2 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 39.4 | 41.4 |
| TEX | Heaney, Andrew 3515 | 0.0 | 11.4 | 32.8 | 47.5 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 1.0 | 17.7 | 52.1 | 52.1 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 0.0 | 5.7 | 20.7 | 39.1 |
| TB | Eflin, Zach 3679 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 31.8 | 44.5 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 25.4 | 38.4 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 58.0 | 132.0 |
| WSH | Williams, Trevor 3792 | 0.0 | 5.7 | 16.4 | 29.4 |
| SF | Snell, Blake 3688 | 0.0 | 14.7 | 52.9 | 89.1 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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