Box-Toppers Toppers Box
Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2025
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Monday’s Sidelights Sidebar
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(This post has been edited to list the correct Player of the Game winner in the Athletics’ 6-4 win over the Rays and the correct AL Player of the Day winner for Monday.)
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, extending his lead in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Monday, June 30.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 16.1 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 12.7 |
| 3 | Hunter Brown | pi sp | Astros | 11.4 |
| 4 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 11.1 |
| 5 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 11.0 |
| 6 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 11.0 |
| 7 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 10.4 |
| 8 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 10.0 |
| 9 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 10.0 |
| 10 | Max Fried | pi sp | Yankees | 9.7 |
Also Monday, Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer has now earned Box-Toppers points in 17 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2025. Other Player of the Game winners Monday include Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn and Wilyer Abreu of the Red Sox.
Player of the Day
Wheeler struck out 10 over eight scoreless innings, allowing six hits sand no walks, in the 4-0 win over the Padres.
Wheeler earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 16.1 for the season, extending his lead over second-place player, Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (12.7) by 3.4 points.
Wheeler leads National League pitchers ahead of second-place Nick Pivetta of the Padres (11.0 points), a commanding 5.1-point lead.
Wheeler also now has 121.1 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 50th place among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 2.0 points Monday, he passes Cardinals pitcher Sonny Gray (120.3) on the “all-time” career points list and now trails 49th-ranked player Gary Sheffield (124.1). (It should be noted that Sheffield began his career before the 1995 advent of Box-Toppers. If his entire career from 1988 were tracked, Box-Toppers estimates his career total at 155.)
Passing Gray, Wheeler now ranks eighth among active, signed players in career points, fifth among active NL pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Athletics pitcher J.T. Ginn struck out five over 3 2/3 hitless and scoreless innings of middle relief, walking none, in the 6-4 win over the Rays.
Ginn did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was tied when he exited.
Ginn earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, 50th among AL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Wilyer Abreu of the Red Sox hit two home runs—an inside-the-park solo home run and a grand slam—in the 13-6 win over the Reds. Abreu went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs.
Abreu earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 7.5 for the season, 26th among all players and second among AL batters, behind Riley Greene of the Tigers (7.5). Though they both have 7.5 points in 2025, Greene ranks ahead of Abreu because he has more 2024 points—5.2 vs. 4.5.
National League Batter of the Day
There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Monday because no NL batter won Player of the Game honors in the eight games completed.
Active season streaks
Here are the 12 players who have active streaks of earning Box-Toppers points for 13 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* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 2008‑2025 | 276.1 |
| 17 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Blue Jays | 2009‑2025 | 254.7 |
| 17 | Andrew McCutchen | dh lf | Pirates | 2009‑2025 | 82.9 |
| 16 | Aroldis Chapman | pi mr cp | Red Sox | 2010‑2025 | 70.1 |
| 15 | Craig Kimbrel | pi cp | Rangers | 2010‑2024 | 94.1 |
| 15 | Giancarlo Stanton | dh rf | Yankees | 2010‑2024 | 78.9 |
| 15 | Freddie Freeman | 1b | Dodgers | 2011‑2025 | 93.4 |
| 14 | Kenley Jansen | pi cp | Angels | 2011‑2024 | 69.4 |
| 13 | Starling Marte | rf | Mets | 2012‑2024 | 30.0 |
| 13 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 2013‑2025 | 120.3 |
| 13 | Charlie Morton | pi sp | Orioles | 2013‑2025 | 117.5 |
| 13 | Kevin Gausman | pi sp | Blue Jays | 2013‑2025 | 103.1 |
Streak
Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer has now earned Box-Toppers points in 17 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2025 Monday.
Box-Toppers season streaks
Here are the players who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. Albert Pujols holds the record for the longest such streak at 22 seasons. Players are listed by length of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.)| Streak | Player | Pos | Duration | Career BTP |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Albert Pujols | 1b | 2001‑2022 | 207.8 |
| 2 | 20 | Miguel Cabrera | dh 1b | 2003‑2022 | 159.4 |
| 3 | 19 | Jason Giambi | 1b | 1995‑2013 | 133.4 |
| 3 | 19 | Carlos Beltran | rf | 1999‑2017 | 108.6 |
| 3 | 19 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | 2001‑2019 | 203.4 |
| 6 | 18 | Jim Thome | 1b dh | 1995‑2012 | 146.7 |
| 6 | 18 | Chipper Jones | 3b | 1995‑2012 | 149.0 |
| 6 | 18 | Johnny Damon | lf | 1995‑2012 | 63.0 |
| 6 | 18 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b | 1996‑2013 | 187.0 |
| 6 | 18 | Nelson Cruz | dh | 2006‑2023 | 89.9 |
| 6 | 18 | Clayton Kershaw* | pi sp | 2008‑2025 | 276.1 |
| 12 | 17 | Mariano Rivera | pi cp | 1995‑2011 | 126.4 |
| 12 | 17 | Derek Jeter | ss | 1996‑2012 | 76.4 |
| 12 | 17 | Paul Konerko | 1b | 1998‑2014 | 100.7 |
| 12 | 17 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | 1999‑2015 | 157.0 |
| 12 | 17 | Torii Hunter | cf | 1999‑2015 | 115.9 |
| 12 | 17 | David Ortiz | dh | 2000‑2016 | 145.9 |
| 12 | 17 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | 2007‑2023 | 224.5 |
| 12 | 17 | Max Scherzer* | pi sp | 2009‑2025 | 254.7 |
| 12 | 17 | Andrew McCutchen* | dh lf | 2009‑2025 | 82.9 |
* Active streak.
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | Retired | 282.5 |
| 2 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | Dodgers | 276.1 |
| 3 | Max Scherzer | pi sp | Rangers | 254.7 |
| 4 | Justin Verlander | pi sp | Astros | 247.0 |
| 5 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | Retired | 244.8 |
| 6 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | Free agent | 224.5 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b | Retired | 207.8 |
| 8 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | Retired | 203.4 |
| 9 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | Retired | 194.1 |
| 10 | Alex Rodriguez | 3b | Retired | 187.0 |
| 11 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 179.8 |
| 12 | Jon Lester | pi sp | Retired | 179.3 |
| 13 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | Retired | 175.1 |
| 14 | Cole Hamels | pi sp | Retired | 174.2 |
| 15 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | Retired | 170.7 |
| 16 | Johan Santana | pi sp | Retired | 166.6 |
| 17 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | Retired | 166.2 |
| 18 | Gerrit Cole | pi sp | Yankees | 165.0 |
| 19 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | Retired | 164.8 |
| 20 | John Smoltz | pi sp | Retired | 160.9 |
Scherzer (5IP 3H 2R 0BB 7K ND in the 5-4 win over the Yankees) earned his first points in 2009 with the Diamondbacks and now has 254.7 career Box-Toppers points, third among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails second-ranked player, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (276.1) by 21.4 points. Scherzer also ranks second among active players, behind Kershaw. He leads active AL players ahead of Gerrit Cole of the Yankees (165.0).
Scherzer’s best season was 2016 with the Nationals when he had 25.7 Box-Toppers points to lead all players. In 2021, Scherzer led all players for the second time with 25.1 Box-Toppers points with the Nationals and Dodgers. He’s had four seasons with 25 or more points and six seasons with 20 or more points. In 2024, he had 2.0 Box-Toppers points with the Rangers, his lowest single-season total in his career to that date.
Scherzer’s 17-season streak earning Box-Toppers points is tied for the second-longest active streak, behind the 18-season streak by Clayton Kershaw. Scherzer’s 17-season streak is tied for the 12th-longest such streak since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
This was Scherzer’s third start of the season and the first in which the Blue Jays won the game. While Scherzer, 40, won Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors three times in 2025 spring training games, he was sidelined nearly three months with a right thumb injury during the regular season.
Scoring
Wheeler earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Ginn earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Abreu earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day.
All of Monday’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.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
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Monday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.Top pitching matchup
Result—SEA 6, KC 2A Box-Toppers look at Monday’s pitching matchups Notable—KC at SEA Michael Wacha #Royals 15.8 B-T points over 2024-25, 24th* George Kirby #Mariners 17.4 B-T points over 2024-25, 15th* *Rank among AL pitchers, 2024-25 All Monday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/6/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jun 30, 2025 at 5:19 PM
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George Kirby, Mariners, was Player of the Game (6IP 3H R 0BB 5K W) with +6.0 B-T game score.
Michael Wacha, Royals, had -14.0 B-T game score in loss (5IP 8H 5R 2BB K L), third-lowest among all players Monday.
Kirby earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 18.4 over 2024-25, rising to 9th among AL pitchers over that span.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+4.0—Randy Arozarena, Mariners (2HR 2-4 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. KC.
Player of the Game—Teammate George Kirby (6IP 3H R 0BB 5K W) with +6.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Marcus Semien, Rangers (HR 3-3 2R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. BAL.
Player of the Game—Gunnar Henderson, Orioles (HR 2B 3-5 2R 4BI) with +3.0 game score.
▪️+3.1—Shelby Miller, Diamondbacks (1.1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. SF.
Player of the Game—Teammate Ryne Nelson (6.2IP 5H 2R 0BB 7K ND) with +4.2 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 233 total players Monday, 66 pitchers-22.0—Erick Fedde, Cardinals (5IP 10H 7R 3BB 0K L vs. PIT)
-18.9—Chase Burns, Reds
-14.0—Michael Wacha, Royals
-12.8—Matt Waldron, Padres
-11.0—Hoby Milner, Rangers
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 167 total batters Monday-5.0—Jonah Heim, Rangers 0-5 3K
-5.0—Josh Jung, Rangers 0-5 2K
-4.0—Rafael Devers, Giants 0-4 4K
-4.0—Jackson Merrill, Padres 0-4 3K
-4.0—Heliot Ramos, Giants 0-4 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Career Box-Toppers points—Active NL pitchers 1—Clayton Kershaw #Dodgers 276.1 2—Justin Verlander #SFGiants 247.0 3—Chris Sale #Braves 179.8 4—Yu Darvish #Padres 139.7 5—Zack Wheeler #Phillies 121.1* 6—Sonny Gray #STLCards 120.3 *Earns 2.0 B-T points Monday www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 1, 2025 at 7:37 AM
2025 Box-Toppers points—AL batters 1—Riley Greene #Tigers 7.5 2—Wilyer Abreu #RedSox 7.5* 3—George Springer #BlueJays 5.5 4—Aaron Judge #Yankees 5.0 5—Brandon Lowe #Rays 5.0 6—Javier Báez #Tigers 5.0 *Earns 1.5 B-T points as Monday’s AL Batter of the Day www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 1, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Catcher Tucker Barnhart, 34, announces retirement. He earned 7.5 career Box-Toppers points from 2015-22 for #Reds & #Tigers. Also played for #Cubs, #Dodgers, #Dbacks & #Rangers. He played 8 games for TEX in 2025.
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 1, 2025 at 8:44 AM
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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).| 6/30 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +12.0 | PHI 4, SD 0 | Zack Wheeler (W, 8‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| +9.2 | PIT 7, STL 0 | Andrew Heaney (W, 4‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| AL | +8.2 | `ATH 6, TB 4 | J.T. Ginn | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| +6.0 | SEA 6, KC 2 | George Kirby (W, 2‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | `TOR 5, NYY 4 | Max Scherzer | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| +4.2 | `ARI 4, SF 2 | Ryne Nelson | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | BOS 13, CIN 6 | Wilyer Abreu RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | BAL 10, TEX 6 (F/11) | Gunnar Henderson SS | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 2025 (’25). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’24-’25), the period 2020-2025 (’20-25) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2025 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2024 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’25 | ’24‑25 | ’20‑25 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 16.1 | 37.5 | 88.7 | 121.1 | -5.3 |
| Abreu, Wilyer 4911 | rf | bos al | 7.5 | 12.0 | 13.5 | 13.5 | +3.0 |
| Heaney, Andrew 3515 | pi sp | pit nl | 7.0 | 16.0 | 43.8 | 63.5 | -2.0 |
| Nelson, Ryne 4728 | pi sp | ari nl | 5.7 | 14.1 | 22.5 | 22.5 | -2.7 |
| Ginn, J.T. 5142 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | +3.7 |
| Kirby, George 4595 | pi sp | sea al | 3.0 | 18.4 | 43.5 | 43.5 | -12.4 |
| Henderson, Gunnar 4739 | ss | bal al | 2.0 | 8.0 | 18.7 | 18.7 | -4.0 |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | tor al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 57.5 | 254.7 | -1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’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 2025 (’25), this year and last year (’24-25), over a six-year period (’20-25) and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’25 | ’24‑25 | ’20‑25 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYY | Fried, Max 4011 | 9.7 | 23.1 | 65.6 | 76.6 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 61.1 | 103.1 |
| SD | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 11.0 | 20.7 | 43.4 | 65.1 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 5.0 | 16.4 | 20.4 | 20.4 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 8.7 | 18.4 | 44.5 | 44.5 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 2.7 | 4.7 | 14.8 | 14.8 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 3.7 | 12.4 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 10.4 | 23.4 | 23.4 | 23.4 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 3.0 | 15.0 | 30.7 | 60.3 |
| WSH | Williams, Trevor 3792 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 21.4 | 36.4 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 27.4 | 27.4 |
| TB | Baz, Shane 4560 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 3.0 | 13.0 | 36.7 | 36.7 |
| BOS | Fitts, Richard* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 5.0 | 18.4 | 58.2 | 74.9 |
| NYM | Holmes, Clay 4022 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 16.0 | 17.0 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 35.4 | 48.4 |
| ATL | Fuentes, Didier* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| BAL | Young, Brandon* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 51.5 | 148.2 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 3.0 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 14.0 | 38.8 |
| HOU | Gordon, Colton 5210 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| COL | Dollander, Chase 5169 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| KC | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 22.7 | 31.2 |
| SEA | Hancock, Emerson 4985 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| SF | Birdsong, Hayden 5063 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 5.0 | 17.4 | 62.8 | 68.5 |
| CHW | Smith, Shane 5158 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 10.0 | 16.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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Box-Toppers
Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.
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. Players earn Box-Toppers points 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.