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
Mets pitcher Nolan McLean is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day in his Major League debut.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Myles Straw of the Blue Jays, Andruw Monasterio of the Brewers, Trevor Story of the Red Sox and Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell.
Player of the Day
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, Aug. 16.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 20.1 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 17.4 |
| 3 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 16.7 |
| 4 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 16.1 |
| 5 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 14.1 |
| 6 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 14.0 |
| 7 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 14.0 |
| 8 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.0 |
| 9 | Carlos Rodón | pi sp | Yankees | 12.7 |
| 10 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 12.7 |
McLean struck out eight over 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and four walks, in the 3-1 win over the Mariners.
McLean earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is tied for 396th among all players and tied for 105th among National League pitchers.
This was McLean’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor and was also his Major League debut.
American League Player of the Day
Myles Straw of the Blue Jays hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 14-2 win over the Rangers. Straw went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs.
Straw earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 3.7 for the season, 31st among AL batters.
Straw recorded a +7.0 Box-Toppers game score Saturday, same as another AL batter who won Player of the Game honors—Ben Rice of the Yankees in the 12-8 win over the Cardinals (HR 2B 3-5 2R 7BI). But Straw beat Rice for AL Player of the Day honors on a tiebreaker with more hits (four vs. three).
National League Batter of the Day
Andruw Monasterio of the Brewers hit an 11th-inning, pinch-hit, go-ahead, three-run home run, in the 6-5, 11-inning win over the Reds. Monasterio went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in three runs.
American League Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Myles Straw.
Notable
Trevor Story of the Red Sox has the most 2025 Box-Toppers points among Saturday’s 15 Player of the Game winners.
Story (HR 2-4 2R 3BI in the 7-5 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season, 55th among all players and seventh among AL batters.
Also notable
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell now has 107.8 career Box-Toppers points, 78th-most among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
Snell (6IP 5H 0R 2BB 3K W in the 6-0 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point Saturday and trails 77th-ranked player Lance Berkman (108.1) on the “all-time” career points list.
Snell ranks 13th among active, signed players in career points, eighth among active NL pitchers.
Snell now has 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 66th among NL pitchers.
Debut
In addition to McLean, John Rave of the Royals also made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Rave (HR 2-3 2R BI in the 6-2 win over the White Sox) made his Major League debut May 26 and was playing in his 56th career game.
Scoring
McLean earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Straw earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Monasterio earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
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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—NYY 12, STL 8A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’s pitching matchups Notable—NYY at STL Max Fried #Yankees 10.7 B-T points in 2025, 15th* Sonny Gray #STLCards 14.0 B-T points in 2025, 6th* *Overall rank 2025 All Saturday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 16, 2025 at 12:46 PM
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Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Max Fried, Yankees, had -12.0 B-T game score (5IP 8H 7R BB 6K W), 4th-lowest among all players Saturday.
Sonny Gray, Cardinals, had -11.0 B-T game score in loss (5IP 9H 6R 2BB 7K L).
Player of the Game—Ben Rice, Yankees (HR 2B 3-5 2R 7BI) with +7.0 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:▪️+13.0—Justin Verlander, Giants (7IP 2H 0R 0BB 8K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. TB.
Player of the Game—Adrian Houser, Rays (5IP 4H 0R 0BB 6K ND) with +7.0 game score.
Verlander had the day’s highest B-T game score. He has yet to earn Player of the Game honors in 21 starts (but only five Giants wins).
▪️+5.0—Davis Schneider, Blue Jays (HR 3-4 2R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TEX.
Player of the Game—Teammate Myles Straw (2HR 4-5 3R 5BI) with +7.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays (HR 2B 3-3 3R 2BI)
Was not Player of the Game in win vs. TEX.
Player of the Game—Teammate Myles Straw (2HR 4-5 3R 5BI) with +7.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 443 total players Saturday, 129 pitchers-19.9—Patrick Corbin, Rangers (2.1IP 8H 7R 2BB 2K L vs. TOR)
-18.8—Slade Cecconi, Guardians
-17.8—Cal Quantrill, Marlins
-12.0—Max Fried, Yankees
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 314 total batters Saturday-6.0—Sal Frelick, Brewers 0-6 K
-5.0—Byron Buxton, Twins 0-5 3K
-5.0—Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies 0-5 3K
-5.0—Anthony Volpe, Yankees 0-5 3K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
2025 Box-Toppers points leader Zack Wheeler #Phillies (20.1) goes on injured list with blood clot near right shoulder.
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 16, 2025 at 6:04 PM
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Nathaniel Lowe, 30, released by #Nationals. He earned 5.5 Box-Toppers points in 2025 with WSH, which was 3rd among NL 1Bs. Notably, Lowe has more 2025 B-T points than these players, all with 5.0: Aaron Judge #Yankees Juan Soto #Mets Jackson Chourio #Brewers Byron Buxton #Twins
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 17, 2025 at 9:33 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).| 8/16 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +7.1 | NYM 3, SEA 1 | Nolan McLean (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | |
| AL | +7.0 | TOR 14, TEX 2 | Myles Straw RF‑LF‑CF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +7.0 | NYY 12, STL 8 | Ben Rice 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +7.0 | `TB 2, SF 1 | Adrian Houser | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +6.0 | `CHC 3, PIT 1 | Shota Imanaga | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +5.0 | WSH 2, PHI 0 | Cade Cavalli (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | `HOU 5, BAL 4 (F/12) | Jason Alexander | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | MIL 6, CIN 5 (F/11) | Andruw Monasterio PH‑LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | ATL 10, CLE 1 | Joey Wentz (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +3.1 | DET 8, MIN 5 | Casey Mize (W, 12‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 10 | ||
| +3.0 | BOS 7, MIA 5 | Trevor Story SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | COL 10, ARI 7 | Tyler Freeman PH‑LF‑RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | ATH 7, LAA 2 | Brent Rooker DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | KC 6, CHW 2 | John Rave LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | LAD 6, SD 0 | Blake Snell (W, 3‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story, Trevor 3607 | ss | bos al | 8.0 | 9.0 | 23.7 | 45.7 | +7.0 |
| Imanaga, Shota 4960 | pi sp | chi nl | 7.0 | 27.7 | 27.7 | 27.7 | -13.7 |
| Mize, Casey 4377 | pi sp | det al | 7.0 | 7.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | +7.0 |
| Houser, Adrian 4162 | pi sp | tb al | 5.7 | 6.7 | 20.1 | 22.1 | +4.7 |
| Alexander, Jason 5241 | pi sp | hou al | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | +4.4 |
| Straw, Myles 4152 | lf cf rf | tor al | 3.7 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 7.2 | +3.7 |
| Snell, Blake 3688 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.0 | 18.7 | 61.6 | 107.8 | -12.7 |
| Rice, Ben 5055 | ca dh 1b | nyy al | 2.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| Rooker, Brent 4795 | dh | oak al | 2.0 | 8.5 | 10.5 | 10.5 | -4.5 |
| Wentz, Joey 4639 | pi mr sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +2.0 |
| Cavalli, Cade 5244 | pi sp | dc nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| McLean, Nolan 5255 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Monasterio, Andruw 4837 | lf 3b ph | mil nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
| Freeman, Tyler 5028 | lf rf ph | col nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Rave, John 5256 | lf | kc 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 2.7 | 16.1 | 62.5 | 117.8 |
| WSH | Parker, Mitchell 4982 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| MIA | Junk, Janson 4697 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| BOS | Crochet, Garrett 4434 | 14.1 | 24.8 | 25.8 | 25.8 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 12.4 | 25.4 | 59.2 | 94.7 |
| TOR | Berrios, Jose 3791 | 10.7 | 20.4 | 52.2 | 89.7 |
| ATL | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 2.7 | 11.4 | 26.2 | 29.9 |
| CLE | Allen, Logan T. 4789 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 15.7 | 15.7 |
| MIL | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 2.0 | 12.0 | 24.4 | 95.1 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 8.7 | 13.7 | 24.7 | 24.7 |
| BAL | Kremer, Dean 4330 | 3.0 | 11.7 | 32.8 | 32.8 |
| HOU | Javier, Cristian 4290 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 31.7 | 31.7 |
| CHW | Martin, Davis 4657 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| KC | Bergert, Ryan 5198 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| DET | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 19.7 | 35.5 |
| MIN | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYY | Warren, Will 5143 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| STL | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 29.8 | 47.2 |
| PIT | Mlodzinski, Carmen 4894 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| CHC | Assad, Javier 4899 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| ARI | Crismatt, Nabil 4449 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| COL | Senzatela, Antonio 3760 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 14.0 |
| TB | Pepiot, Ryan 4714 | 7.0 | 16.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 |
| SF | Webb, Logan 4258 | 6.0 | 17.0 | 55.6 | 57.3 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 9.7 | 12.7 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 7.7 | 12.7 | 30.1 | 30.1 |
| SD | Darvish, Yu 3003 | 3.7 | 12.4 | 59.0 | 143.4 |
| LAD | Glasnow, Tyler 3948 | 3.0 | 14.7 | 47.8 | 63.5 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 8.0 | 23.4 | 48.5 | 48.5 |
| NYM | Holmes, Clay 4022 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 16.0 | 17.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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