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
Blue Jays pitcher Eric Lauer is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Thursday include Willson Contreras of the Cardinals and Randy Arozarena of the Mariners.
Player of the Day
Lauer struck out six over eight innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 11-4 win over the Tigers.
Lauer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.0 for the season, 35th among all players and 16th among American League pitchers.
Lauer recorded a +7.0 Box-Toppers game score, same as another Thursday Player of the Game winner, Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (7IP 4H 2R 0BB 8K W in the 5-2 win over the Astros). But Lauer beat Severino for Player of the Day honors on a tiebreaker because he had more innings pitched in his game—eight vs. seven.
National League Player of the Day
Willson Contreras of the Cardinals hit a three-run home run, doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in four runs, in the 9-7 win over the Padres.
Contreras earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season, 20th among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day
Randy Arozarena of the Mariners homered and went 1-for-4, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 4-2 win over the Angels.
Arozarena earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.5 for the season, seventh among AL batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Thursday, July 24.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 19.1 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 16.4 |
| 3 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 14.7 |
| 4 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 13.1 |
| 5 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 12.4 |
| 6 | Hunter Brown | pi sp | Astros | 12.4 |
| 7 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 12.0 |
| 8 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 12.0 |
| 9 | Carlos Rodón | pi sp | Yankees | 11.7 |
| 10 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 11.0 |
National League Batter of the Day
There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Thursday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter Willson Contreras.
Scoring
Lauer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Contreras earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day.
Arozarena earns 1.5 points for being AL 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.
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Thursday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.Top pitching matchup
None of Thursday’s three starters with the most career Box-Toppers points earned Player of the Game honors:Most career Box-Toppers points among Thursday’s probable starters: 139.7—Yu Darvish #Padres 7th* vs. STL 121.3—Sonny Gray #STLCards 9th* vs. SD 118.5—Charlie Morton #Orioles 10th* vs. CLE *Rank, active players, career pts All Thursday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM
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▪️Yu Darvish, Padres (3.1IP 8H 8R 2BB 3K L)
Recorded -19.9 B-T game score in loss to STL, lowest among all players Thursday.
Player of the Game—Willson Contreras, Cardinals (HR 2B 2-3 R 4BI) with +4.0 game score.
▪️Sonny Gray, Cardinals (5IP 11H 7R 6ER 0BB 5K W)
Recorded -14.0 B-T game score in win vs. SD, 2nd-lowest among all players Thursday.
Player of the Game—Teammate Willson Contreras (HR 2B 2-3 R 4BI) with +4.0 game score.
▪️Charlie Morton, Orioles (6.2IP 5H 3R 4BB 7K W)
Recorded -1.8 B-T game score in win vs. CLE.
Player of the Game—Teammate Gregory Soto (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv) with +3.0 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:▪️+3.0—Brendan Donovan, Cardinals (HR 3-5 2R 3BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. SD.
Player of the Game—Teammate Willson Contreras (HR 2B 2-3 R 4BI) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Iván Herrera, Cardinals (HR 3-4 2R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. SD.
Player of the Game—Teammate Willson Contreras (HR 2B 2-3 R 4BI) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Ernie Clement, Blue Jays (HR 2-4 R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. DET
Player of the Game—Teammate Eric Lauer (8IP 5H R 0BB 6K W) with +7.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 152 total players Thursday, 43 pitchers-19.9—Yu Darvish, Padres (3.1IP 8H 8R 2BB 3K L vs. STL)
-14.0—Sonny Gray, Cardinals
-14.0—Jason Alexander, Astros
-9.9—Dietrich Enns, Tigers
-8.8—Reese Olson, Tigers
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 109 total batters Thursday-5.0—Jackson Holliday, Orioles 0-5 K
-4.0—Brayan Rocchio, Guardinas 0-4 3K
-4.0—Jo Adell, Angels 0-4 2K
-4.0—Jake Cronenworth, Padres 0-4 2K
-4.0—Bryce Johnson, Padres 0-4 2K
-4.0—Pedro Pagés, Cardinals 0-4 2K
-4.0—LaMonte Wade Jr., Angels 0-4 2K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Josh Naylor, 28, traded from #Dbacks to #Mariners. He's earned 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2025, which is now 26th among AL batters & 6th among AL DHs. He earned 9.0 B-T points in 2024 with #Guardians, 4th among AL batters.
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 25, 2025 at 7:06 AM
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Jesse Chavez, 41, announces retirement. Chavez earned 33.8 career Box-Toppers points from 2010-24. Best season—2015 with #Athletics, 26th among AL pitchers. Last B-T point—9/10/24 with #Braves. Last #MLB game—7/13/25 with #Braves (he pitched in 4 games in 2025).
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 25, 2025 at 7:17 AM
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Nick Ahmed, 35, announces retirement. He earned 19.2 career Box-Toppers points from 2015-24. Best season—2019 with #Dbacks, 2nd among NL shortstops. Last B-T point—4/10/24 with #SFGiants. Last #MLB game—5/1/25 with #Rangers (played 5 games in 2025).
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 25, 2025 at 7:12 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).| 7/24 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +7.0 | TOR 11, DET 4 | Eric Lauer (W, 6‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| +7.0 | ATH 5, HOU 2 | Luis Severino (W, 4‑11) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| NL | +4.0 | STL 9, SD 7 | Willson Contreras 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | BAL 4, CLE 3 | Gregory Soto (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 0.0 | SEA 4, LAA 2 | Randy Arozarena LF | 4 | 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 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp mr | tor al | 8.0 | 8.0 | 25.4 | 38.8 | +8.0 |
| Arozarena, Randy 4331 | lf | sea al | 5.5 | 8.0 | 25.5 | 25.5 | +3.0 |
| Contreras, Willson 3776 | 1b | stl nl | 4.7 | 8.2 | 23.7 | 36.2 | +1.2 |
| Severino, Luis 3567 | pi sp | oak al | 2.0 | 8.7 | 21.1 | 66.9 | -4.7 |
| Soto, Gregory 4371 | pi mr cp | bal al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | +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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 4.7 | 9.7 | 25.4 | 27.4 |
| MIL | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 8.0 | 21.4 | 61.2 | 77.9 |
| ARI | Nelson, Ryne 4728 | 6.7 | 15.1 | 23.5 | 23.5 |
| PIT | Burrows, Mike 5196 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 22.7 | 42.1 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 3.0 | 11.7 | 32.8 | 32.8 |
| PHI | Walker, Taijuan 3453 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 34.8 | 61.2 |
| NYY | Warren, Will 5143 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| LAD | Sheehan, Emmet 4886 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| BOS | Bello, Brayan 4727 | 5.4 | 13.1 | 16.1 | 16.1 |
| TB | Littell, Zack 4533 | 4.0 | 12.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| CIN | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 3.7 | 13.4 | 25.8 | 32.5 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 8.7 | 18.4 | 50.2 | 87.7 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| SD | Pivetta, Nick 3825 | 14.7 | 24.4 | 47.1 | 68.8 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 29.8 | 47.2 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 6.0 | 26.7 | 26.7 | 26.7 |
| CHW | Houser, Adrian 4162 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 19.1 | 21.1 |
| ATL | Wentz, Joey 4639 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 9.4 | 22.4 | 56.2 | 91.7 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 4.0 | 7.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 5.4 | 15.8 | 42.3 | 77.0 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 28.4 | 28.4 |
| HOU | Gusto, Ryan 5156 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| WSH | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 6.7 | 14.7 | 26.4 | 26.4 |
| MIN | Matthews, Zebby 5186 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 12.0 | 23.7 | 32.4 | 32.4 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 6.7 | 9.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| NYM | Holmes, Clay 4022 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 16.0 | 17.0 |
| 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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