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
▪️ Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
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▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to third place in season player rankings.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd, Byron Buxton of the Twins, Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani and Jackson Merrill of the Padres.
Player of the Day
Crochet pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout, striking out nine and walking none, in the 1-0 win over the Rays.
Crochet earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 13.1 for the season, rising from eighth to third place overall, behind Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (18.1 points) and Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (14.4 points). Crochet ranks second among AL pitchers, 1.3 points behind Skubal.
National League Player of the Day
Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd struck out six over eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 5-2 win over the Yankees.
Boyd earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 for the season, 14th among all players and seventh among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day
Byron Buxton of the Twins homered, tripled, doubled and went 5-for-5, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 12-4 win over the Pirates.
Buxton earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 11th among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Jackson Merrill of the Padres hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 5-4 win over the Phillies.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, July 12.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 18.1 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 14.4 |
| 3 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 13.1 |
| 4 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 13.0 |
| 5 | Hunter Brown | pi sp | Astros | 12.4 |
| 6 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 12.0 |
| 7 | Carlos Rodón | pi sp | Yankees | 11.7 |
| 8 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 11.4 |
| 9 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 11.0 |
| 10 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 10.7 |
Notable
Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers on Saturday earned his first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor as a pitcher in nearly two years.
Ohtani (3IP H 0R BB 4K ND in the 2-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.5 for the season. While Ohtani earned Player of the Game honors as a pitcher, he does not currently qualify to rank among pitchers since only one of his four Player of the Game honors this season has come as a pitcher. To qualify to rank at a position, a player must have more than 25 percent of their Player of the Game honors at that position. As a result, Ohtani only ranks as a designated hitter. So his 4.5 points ranks 15th among NL batters and seventh among NL designated hitters, even though his point total includes 1.0 as a pitcher.
Ohtani last earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game as a pitcher Aug. 9, 2023, when he was with the Angels. Ohtani underwent elbow surgery at the end of the 2023 season, did not pitch in 2024 after joining the Dodgers that season and did not make his first mound appearance in 2025 until June 16. Saturday was his fifth appearance as a pitcher in 2025.
In the meantime, Ohtani continued to bat and earned 15.5 total Box-Toppers points as a designated hitter from Aug. 26, 2023, to June 27, 2025, including leading NL batters with 11.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024.
At the time of his last Player of the Game honor as a pitcher in August 2023, Ohtani had earned 28.2 of his 73.7 career points as a batter (38.3 percent). When he won his most recent Player of the Game honor as a designated hitter on June 27, Ohtani had increased his share of points earned as a batter to nearly 50 percent—43.7 of his his 89.2 career points (49.0 percent). Ohtani now has 90.2 career Box-Toppers points since 2018—43.7 as a batter (48.4 percent) and 46.5 as a pitcher (51.6 percent).
Ohtani ranked among Box-Toppers’ top three AL pitchers for three straight seasons with the Angels:
Scoring
Crochet earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Boyd earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Buxton and Merrill each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Saturday’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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Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.Top pitching matchup
Result—CHC 5, NYY 2A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’s pitching matchups Notable—CHC at NYY Matthew Boyd #Cubs 8.0 B-T points in 2025, 24th* Max Fried #Yankees 9.7 B-T points in 2025, 12th* *Overall rank 2025 All Saturday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 12, 2025 at 11:26 AM
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Matthew Boyd, Cubs, was Player of the Game with +10.0 B-T game score (8IP 4H 0R 0BB 6K W).
Max Fried, Yankees, had -11.0 B-T game score in loss (3IP 6H 4R 3ER 3BB 2K L).
Boyd earns 1.7 B-T points as NL Player of the Day, giving him 9.7 in 2025, rising to 14th among all players.
High scores, no points
Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:▪️+8.2—Trevor Rogers, Orioles (6.2IP 2H R 2BB 8K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. MIA.
Player of the Game—Janson Junk, Marlins (7IP 5H 0R 0BB 2K W) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Jacob deGrom, Rangers (6IP 4H 2R BB 8K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. HOU
Player of the Game—Framber Valdez, Astros (6IP 4H R 0BB 10K ND) with +11.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Brady House, Nationals (2HR 3-4 2R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. WSH.
Player of the Game—Teammate Brandon Woodruff (4.1IP 5H 2R 0BB 10K ND) with +5.1 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 445 total players Saturday, 133 pitchers-17.9—Mike Burrows, Pirates (1.1IP 5H 6R 3BB K L vs. MIN).
-14.0—Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks
-13.0—Tommy Kahnle, Tigers
-12.0—Casey Mize, Tigers
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 312 total batters Saturday-5.0—James Wood, Nationals 0-5 4K
-5.0—Jonah Heim, Rangers 0-5 3K
-5.0—George Springer, Blue Jays 0-5 2K
-5.0—Masyn Winn, Cardinals 0-5 K
-5.0—Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks 0-5
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).| 7/13 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +15.0 | BOS 1, TB 0 | Garrett Crochet (W, 10‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| +11.0 | `HOU 5, TEX 4 (F/11) | Framber Valdez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| NL | +10.0 | CHC 5, NYY 2 | Matthew Boyd (W, 10‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| +8.0 | `ATL 7, STL 6 | Joey Wentz | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +5.1 | `MIL 6, WSH 5 | Brandon Woodruff | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | MIN 12, PIT 4 | Byron Buxton CF | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | `LAD 2, SF 1 | Shohei Ohtani | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | SEA 15, DET 7 | Randy Arozarena LF | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | ATH 4, TOR 3 | Brent Rooker DH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | MIA 6, BAL 0 | Janson Junk (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +4.0 | NYM 3, KC 1 | Frankie Montas (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +3.0 | LAA 10, ARI 5 | Mike Trout DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | SD 5, PHI 4 | Jackson Merrill CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +1.1 | `CIN 4, COL 3 | Brady Singer | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| +1.0 | CLE 6, CHW 2 | Carlos Santana 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crochet, Garrett 4434 | pi sp | bos al | 13.1 | 23.8 | 24.8 | 24.8 | +2.4 |
| Valdez, Framber 4048 | pi sp | hou al | 9.7 | 25.1 | 60.8 | 66.5 | -5.7 |
| Boyd, Matthew 3550 | pi sp | chi nl | 9.7 | 12.7 | 16.7 | 41.5 | +6.7 |
| Buxton, Byron 3604 | cf | min al | 5.0 | 10.0 | 19.0 | 31.7 | 0.0 |
| Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | dh | lad nl | 4.5 | 15.5 | 75.7 | 90.2 | -6.5 |
| Singer, Brady 4337 | pi sp | cin nl | 4.0 | 14.0 | 37.7 | 37.7 | -6.0 |
| Arozarena, Randy 4331 | lf | sea al | 4.0 | 6.5 | 24.0 | 24.0 | +1.5 |
| Trout, Mike 2949 | dh cf | ana al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 16.5 | 87.2 | +3.0 |
| Junk, Janson 4697 | pi sp mr | fla nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | +3.0 |
| Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 53.9 | 63.6 | +2.0 |
| Merrill, Jackson 4977 | cf | sd nl | 1.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -3.5 |
| Rooker, Brent 4795 | dh | oak al | 1.0 | 7.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | -5.5 |
| Montas, Frankie 3803 | pi sp | nym nl | 1.0 | 7.0 | 30.1 | 42.5 | -5.0 |
| Santana, Carlos 2757 | 1b | cle al | 1.0 | 6.0 | 15.7 | 47.4 | -4.0 |
| Wentz, Joey 4639 | pi mr sp | atl nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Sunday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 4.0 | 24.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 |
| NYY | Warren, Will 5143 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| MIA | Perez, Eury 4814 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| BAL | Young, Brandon* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TB | Pepiot, Ryan 4714 | 7.0 | 16.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 |
| BOS | Bello, Brayan 4727 | 5.4 | 13.1 | 16.1 | 16.1 |
| COL | Gomber, Austin 3985 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 20.0 | 24.7 |
| CIN | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 3.7 | 13.4 | 25.8 | 32.5 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 5.7 | 18.7 | 53.2 | 53.2 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 3.0 | 15.0 | 30.7 | 60.3 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CHW | Civale, Aaron 4173 | 0.0 | 7.1 | 32.5 | 35.5 |
| NYM | Holmes, Clay 4022 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 16.0 | 17.0 |
| KC | Cameron, Noah 5167 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 4.7 | 16.4 | 35.4 | 36.4 |
| MIN | Woods Richardson, Simeon 4974 | 4.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 7.7 | 20.7 | 54.5 | 90.0 |
| HOU | Brown, Hunter 4729 | 12.4 | 24.4 | 35.5 | 35.5 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 7.7 | 17.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 7.0 | 20.4 | 60.2 | 76.9 |
| ATL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| STL | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 10.0 | 22.4 | 56.0 | 120.3 |
| LAD | Yamamoto, Yoshinobu 4964 | 11.0 | 17.4 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| SF | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 7.4 | 11.1 | 44.2 | 87.3 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 8.7 | 18.4 | 50.2 | 87.7 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 5.0 | 10.0 | 27.4 | 27.4 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 8.7 | 10.7 | 41.7 | 49.7 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 6.7 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 6.0 | 17.4 | 21.4 | 21.4 |
| SD | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 13.0 | 22.7 | 45.4 | 67.1 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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