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
▪️ Thursday’s Sidelights Sidebar
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Thursday include Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs, Orioles pitcher Grant Wolfram, Marcus Semien of the Rangers and Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees.
Player of the Day
Mikolas struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 8-1 win over the Nationals.
Mikolas earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 43rd among all players and 18th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Orioles pitcher Grant Wolfram struck out four over two innings of scoreless middle relief, allowing one hit, no walks and earning the win, in the 3-1 win over the Mets.
Wolfram earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 100th among AL pitchers.
This was Wolfram’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Wolfram made his Major League debut April 26 and was playing in his third career game.
National League Batter of the Day
Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs hit two home runs, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 8-1 win over the Twins.
Crow-Armstrong earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, 27th among all players and third among NL batters behind Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs (8.5 points) and Christian Yelich of the Brewers (8.2 points).
American League Batter of the Day
Marcus Semien of the Rangers went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 11-4 win over the Angels.
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 | Giancarlo Stanton | dh rf ph | Yankees | 2010‑2025 | 79.9 |
| 16 | Aroldis Chapman | pi mr cp | Red Sox | 2010‑2025 | 70.1 |
| 15 | Craig Kimbrel | pi cp | Rangers | 2010‑2024 | 94.1 |
| 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 | 118.5 |
| 13 | Kevin Gausman | pi sp | Blue Jays | 2013‑2025 | 103.1 |
Streak
Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees has now earned Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons after earning his first Player of the Game honor of 2025 Thursday.
Stanton (HR 1-1 R 2BI in the 6-5, 10-inning win over the Mariners) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2010 with the Marlins and now has 79.9 career points, third among active AL batters behind Paul Goldschmidt of the Yankees (88.0) and Mike Trout of the Angels (86.2). His best season was 2017 with the Marlins when he had 14.2 points, second among NL batters. In 2024, he had 3.0 Box-Toppers points with the Yankees.
Stanton’s 16-season streak is now tied for the fourth-longest currently active streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points.
This was Stanton’s 19th game of the season since returning June 16. He missed the first 70 games of the season with tendonitis in both elbows.
Debut
In addition to Wolfram, Athletics pitcher Justin Sterner also made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Sterner (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 5-4, 11-inning win over the Braves) made his Major League debut May 31, 2024, and was playing in his 35th career game.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Thursday, July 10.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 18.1 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 14.4 |
| 3 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 13.0 |
| 4 | Hunter Brown | pi sp | Astros | 12.4 |
| 5 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 12.0 |
| 6 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 11.4 |
| 7 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 11.1 |
| 8 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 11.0 |
| 9 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 10.7 |
| 10 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 10.0 |
Player & Team Rankings
Box-Toppers usually posts player and team rankings on Fridays. However, as the All-Star break approaches, the schedule shifts slightly. Here are the planned dates for the next two player and team rankings reports:
Monday, July 14
Friday, July 25
The next reports will be posted after games conclude on Sunday, July 13, before the All-Star break. Since there are no regular-season games from Monday to Thursday next week, there will be no updated rankings on Friday, July 18. The usual Friday schedule will resume on July 25.
Here are last Friday’s Box-Toppers team and player rankings reports.
Scoring
2025 Box-Toppers points—NL batters 1—Seiya Suzuki #Cubs 8.5 2—Christian Yelich #Brewers 8.2 3—Pete Crow-Armstrong #Cubs 8.0* 4—James Wood #Nationals 7.7 5—Pete Alonso #Mets 7.2 6—Max Muncy #Dodgers 6.0 *Earns 1.5 B-T points as Thursday’s NL Batter of the Day www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 11, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Career Box-Toppers points—Active AL batters 1—Paul Goldschmidt #Yankees 88.0 2—Mike Trout #Angels 86.2 3—Giancarlo Stanton #Yankees 79.9* 4—Aaron Judge #Yankees 73.4 5—José Ramírez #Guardians 71.8 6—Jose Altuve #Astros 65.0 *Earns 1.0 B-T pt as Player of Game FR www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 11, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Mikolas earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Wolfram earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Crow-Armstrong and Semien 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) 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.
For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Bluesky or Twitter (X).
Thursday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.Top pitching matchup
(Post above should have read "Thursday," not "Wednesday.")Most 2024-25 Box-Toppers points among Thursday’s probable starters: 23.7—Bryan Woo #Mariners 4th* vs. NYY 17.1—Taj Bradley #Rays 19th* vs. BOS 14.4—Charlie Morton #Orioles 28th* vs. NYM *Rank among AL pitchers, 2024-25 All Wednesday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 10, 2025 at 10:12 AM
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None of Thursday’s three top starters (listed above) earned Player of the Game honors:
▪️Bryan Woo, Mariners, had +4.1 B-T game score in loss vs. NYY (7.1IP 2H 2R 2BB 5K ND).
Player of the Game—Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (HR 1-1 R 2BI) with +3.0 game score.
▪️Taj Bradley, Rays, had +4.0 B-T game score in loss vs. BOS (6IP 2H R 3BB 5K ND).
Player of the Game—Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox (2-3 R 2BI) with +2.0 game score.
▪️ Charlie Morton, Orioles, had +1.0 B-T game score in win vs. NYM (6IP 4H R 3BB 4K ND).
Player of the Game—Teammate Grant Wolfram (2IP H 0R 0BB 4K W) with +5.0 game score.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+6.0—David Peterson, Mets (7IP 5H R 0BB 6K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. BAL.
Player of the Game—Grant Wolfram, Orioles (2IP H 0R 0BB 4K W) with +5.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Colin Rea, Cubs (7IP 3H R 2BB 5K W)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. MIN
Player of the Game—Teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong (2HR 2B 3-4 3R 3BI) with +5.0 game score. (In cases of game score ties, batters outrank pitchers.)
▪️+4.1—️Bryan Woo, Mariners (7.1IP 2H 2R 2BB 5K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. NYY.
Player of the Game—Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees (HR 1-1 R 2BI) with +3.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 281 total players Thursday, 79 pitchers-21.8—Jack Kochanowicz, Angels (2.2IP 8H 8R 3BB 3K L vs. TEX).
-17.0—Chris Paddack, Twins
-14.9—Mason Thompson, Nationals
-11.0—Eduardo Rodríguez, Diamondbacks
-9.0—Cal Quantrill, Marlins
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 202 total batters Thursday-5.0—Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves 0-5 3K
-5.0—Ronny Mauricio, Mets 0-5 2K
-5.0—Luis Torrens, Mets 0-5 1K
-5.0—Ian Happ, Cubs 0-5 1K
-5.0—Julio Rodríguez, Mariners 0-5 1K
-5.0—Jackson Holliday, Orioles 0-5 1K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
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).| 7/10 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.2 | STL 8, WSH 1 | Miles Mikolas (W, 5‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| +7.0 | CIN 6, MIA 0 | Nick Lodolo (W, 6‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | CHC 8, MIN 1 | Pete Crow‑Armstrong CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| AL | +5.0 | BAL 3, NYM 1 | Grant Wolfram (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| +4.0 | ATH 5, ATL 4 (F/11) | Justin Sterner (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | TEX 11, LAA 4 | Marcus Semien 2B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | NYY 6, SEA 5 (F/10) | Giancarlo Stanton PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BOS 4, TB 3 | Ceddanne Rafaela CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | SD 4, ARI 3 | Robert Suarez (S, 27) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +1.0 | BAL 7, NYM 3 | Jordan Westburg 2B | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crow-Armstrong, Pete 5073 | cf | chi nl | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +7.0 |
| Mikolas, Miles 3034 | pi sp | stl nl | 7.0 | 11.0 | 29.8 | 47.2 | +3.0 |
| Suarez, Robert 4750 | pi cp | sd nl | 5.0 | 11.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | -1.0 |
| Lodolo, Nick 4586 | pi sp | cin nl | 4.7 | 13.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | -4.3 |
| Rafaela, Ceddane 4988 | cf | bos al | 3.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +2.0 |
| Semien, Marcus 3302 | 2b | tex al | 3.0 | 5.0 | 26.9 | 50.1 | +1.0 |
| Westburg, Jordan 4969 | 2b 3b | bal al | 2.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -2.5 |
| Wolfram, Grant 5222 | pi mr | bal al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | dh rf ph | nyy al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 19.0 | 79.9 | -2.0 |
| Sterner, Justin 5223 | pi cp | oak al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| CHW | Smith, Shane 5158 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CHC | Flexen, Chris 4368 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 9.7 | 22.4 | 54.9 | 80.0 |
| MIA | Cabrera, Edward 4641 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 16.8 | 16.8 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 2.0 | 10.7 | 31.8 | 31.8 |
| COL | Marquez, German 3788 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 25.1 | 52.2 |
| CIN | Burns, Chase* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| SEA | Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | 7.7 | 18.4 | 58.5 | 89.3 |
| DET | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 14.4 | 35.5 | 65.6 | 65.6 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 29.2 | 29.2 |
| BOS | Dobbins, Hunter 5203 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 3.0 | 6.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| CHW | Cannon, Jonathan 5036 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| NYM | Senga, Kodai 4762 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 21.7 | 21.7 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 5.4 | 15.8 | 42.3 | 77.0 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 11.4 | 24.4 | 24.4 | 24.4 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 8.7 | 18.4 | 44.5 | 44.5 |
| TEX | Leiter, Jack 5132 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| HOU | McCullers, Lance 3488 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 18.8 | 51.7 |
| WSH | Parker, Mitchell 4982 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| MIL | Priester, Quinn 5059 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| ATL | Holmes, Grant 5127 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| STL | Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| ARI | Nelson, Ryne 4728 | 6.7 | 15.1 | 23.5 | 23.5 |
| LAA | Anderson, Tyler 3656 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 36.4 | 49.4 |
| PHI | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 8.1 | 18.5 | 36.2 | 37.2 |
| SD | Berget, Ryan 5198 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TOR | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 57.5 | 254.7 |
| ATH | Severino, Luis 3567 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 20.1 | 65.9 |
| LAD | May, Dustin 4214 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 14.4 | 16.4 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 54.6 | 56.3 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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