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
▪️ Friday’s Sidelights Sidebar
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Marlins pitcher Edward Cabrera is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Ryan Jeffers of the Twins and Trea Turner of the Phillies.
Player of the Day
Cabrera struck out 11 over eight innings, allowing one run, two hits and one walk, in the 5-1 win over the Braves.
Cabrera earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, most among Friday’s Player of the Game winners, 33rd among all players and 14th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day
Ryan Jeffers of the Twins went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 9-4 win over the Royals.
Jeffers earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, 72nd among all players and eighth among AL batters.
National League Batter of the Day
Trea Turner of the Phillies hit a three-run home run, doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 9-1 win over the Rangers.
Turner earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.5 for the season, 17th among NL batters.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Friday, Aug. 8.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 19.1 |
| 2 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | Tigers | 17.4 |
| 3 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 16.1 |
| 4 | Nick Pivetta | pi sp | Padres | 15.7 |
| 5 | Garrett Crochet | pi sp | Red Sox | 14.1 |
| 6 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | Dodgers | 14.0 |
| 7 | Sonny Gray | pi sp | Cardinals | 13.0 |
| 8 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.0 |
| 9 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 12.7 |
| 10 | Nathan Eovaldi | pi sp | Rangers | 12.4 |
American League Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Ryan Jeffers.
Notable
Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal had a chance to rise into first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings in his start Friday, but did not win Player of the Game honors and remains in second place.
Skubal (4.2IP 6H 4R 2BB 6K ND in the 6-5 win over the Angels) had a -5.8 Box-Toppers game score Friday. Teammate Matt Vierling (HR 1-1 R 3BI) won Player of the Game honors with a +4.0 Box-Toppers game score.
Skubal has 17.4 Box-Toppers points in 2025, second overall and first among AL pitchers, and trails overall leader Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (19.1 points). Skubal had a chance to pass Wheeler by winning overall Player of the Day honors (worth 2.0 points), but earned no points and remains 1.7 points behind.
Debut
Giants pitcher Kai-Wei Teng made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Teng (5IP 3H 0R BB 4K W in the 5-0 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut March 31, 2024, and was playing in his sixth career game.
Scoring
Cabrera earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Jeffers earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Turner earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day.
All of Friday’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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Friday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.Top pitching matchup
Result—PHI 9, TEX 1A Box-Toppers look at Friday’s pitching matchups Notable—PHI at TEX Cristopher Sánchez #Phillies 10.0 B-T points in 2025, 18th* Merrill Kelly #Rangers 10.7 B-T points in 2025, 15th* *Overall rank 2025 All Friday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 8, 2025 at 4:57 PM
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Neither starter was Player of the Game.
Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies, had +3.0 B-T game score (6IP 6H R BB 6K W).
Merrill Kelly, Rangers, had -9.9 B-T game score in loss (4.1IP 5H 4R 5BB 4K L).
Player of the Game—Trea Turner, Phillies (HR 2B 2-4 R BI) with +4.0 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:▪️+10.0—Chase Burns, Reds (6IP 3H R BB 10K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. PIT
Player of the Game—Dauri Moreta, Pirates (1.1IP H 0R 0BB 3K ND) with +3.1 game score.
▪️+6.0—Drew Rasmussen, Rays (6IP 4H 0R 0BB 4K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. SEA.
Player of the Game—Matt Brash, Mariners (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K Sv) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+5.0—Dylan Dodd, Braves (3IP 2H 0R 0BB 4K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. MIA.
Player of the Game—Edward Cabrera, Marlins (8IP 2H R BB 11K W) with +14.0 game score.
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores
Out of 416 total players Friday, 111 pitchers-20.0—Seth Lugo, Royals (4IP 9H 7R BB 2K L vs. MIN)
-18.9—Aaron Civale, White Sox
-16.8—Sean Reynolds, Padres
-12.0—Luis Curvelo, Rangers
-11.0—Austin Gomber, Rockies
Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters
Out of 305 total batters Friday-5.0—Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres 0-5 3K
-5.0—Steven Kwan, Guardians 0-5 2K
-5.0—Christian Walker, Astros 0-5 2K
-5.0—Trent Grisham, Yankees 0-5 K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.
Mookie Betts #Dodgers was Box-Toppers Player of Friday’s TOR-LAD Game (HR 2-4 2R 3BI) with +3.0 B-T game score. Starters: Max Scherzer #BlueJays (6IP 6H 2R 3BB 5K L) with -2.0 game score. Clayton Kershaw #Dodgers (6IP 7H R BB 4K W) with 0.0 game score. www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 9, 2025 at 11:49 AM
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Alex Wood, 34, announces retirement. He earned 63.1 career Box-Toppers points from 2013-23. Best season—2017 with #Dodgers, 15.7 B-T points, 8th among NL pitchers. He had 3.0 B-T points in 2023 with #SFGiants. He started 9 games in 2024 with #Athletics, but had 0.0 B-T points.
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Aug 9, 2025 at 8:46 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).| 8/8 | BTG | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +14.0 | MIA 5, ATL 1 | Edward Cabrera (W, 6‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| +6.0 | MIL 3, NYM 2 | Brandon Woodruff (W, 4‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| +5.0 | SF 5, WSH 0 | Kai‑Wei Teng (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| AL | +4.0 | MIN 9, KC 4 | Ryan Jeffers C | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +4.0 | PHI 9, TEX 1 | Trea Turner SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | ARI 6, COL 1 | Blaze Alexander 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | DET 6, LAA 5 | Matt Vierling PH‑RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | BOS 10, SD 2 | Walker Buehler (W, 7‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | SEA 3, TB 2 | Matt Brash (S, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.1 | `PIT 3, CIN 2 | Dauri Moreta | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | CLE 9, CHW 5 | Carlos Santana 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | LAD 5, TOR 1 | Mookie Betts SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | STL 5, CHC 0 | Jordan Walker RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | HOU 5, NYY 3 (F/10) | Jose Altuve DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BAL 3, ATH 2 | Adley Rutschman C | 2 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabrera, Edward 4641 | pi sp | fla nl | 8.7 | 10.7 | 20.8 | 20.8 | +6.7 |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | lf 2b dh | hou al | 8.0 | 12.0 | 30.0 | 67.5 | +4.0 |
| Jeffers, Ryan 4432 | ca dh | min al | 6.7 | 9.2 | 16.9 | 16.9 | +4.2 |
| Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | pi sp | mil nl | 6.7 | 6.7 | 58.6 | 68.3 | +6.7 |
| Turner, Trea 3730 | ss | phi nl | 5.5 | 9.7 | 20.2 | 31.4 | +1.3 |
| Betts, Mookie 3404 | ss | lad nl | 5.2 | 8.7 | 34.4 | 71.2 | +1.7 |
| Buehler, Walker 3943 | pi sp | bos al | 5.0 | 6.7 | 33.1 | 64.6 | +3.3 |
| Santana, Carlos 2757 | 1b | cle al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 16.7 | 48.4 | -3.0 |
| Rutschman, Adley 4659 | dh ca | bal al | 2.0 | 6.5 | 15.5 | 15.5 | -2.5 |
| Vierling, Matt 4652 | rf 3b ph | det al | 1.0 | 4.5 | 14.0 | 14.0 | -2.5 |
| Alexander, Blaze 4971 | ss dh | ari nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Walker, Jordan 4918 | rf dh | stl nl | 1.0 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -0.5 |
| Brash, Matt 4786 | pi cp mr | sea al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +1.0 |
| Moreta, Dauri 4952 | pi mr | pit nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Teng, Kai-Wei 5247 | pi mr | sf nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Saturday’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 | Gusto, Ryan 5156 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| ATL | Waldrep, Hurston* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| HOU | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 9.7 | 25.1 | 60.8 | 66.5 |
| NYY | Gil, Luis 4498 | 0.0 | 17.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| WSH | Lord, Brad 5234 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SF | Whisenhunt, Carson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAA | Kikuchi, Yusei 4136 | 6.7 | 17.4 | 40.8 | 44.8 |
| DET | Morton, Charlie 2503 | 5.0 | 14.4 | 49.5 | 118.5 |
| CIN | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 4.7 | 14.4 | 26.8 | 33.5 |
| PIT | Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| ATH | Perkins, Jack 5225 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BAL | Young, Brandon* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| CHW | Burke, Sean 5124 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| KC | Cameron, Noah 5167 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 1.0 | 14.4 | 32.8 | 32.8 |
| NYM | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIL | Myers, Tobias 5026 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 45.8 | 52.2 |
| ATL | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 2.7 | 11.4 | 26.2 | 29.9 |
| CHC | Rea, Colin 3582 | 1.0 | 11.4 | 16.4 | 20.1 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 5.7 | 14.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| PHI | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 12.7 | 14.7 | 48.6 | 48.6 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 52.5 | 149.2 |
| COL | Blalock, Bradley 5232 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 25.7 | 69.9 |
| BOS | Giolito, Lucas 3900 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 35.8 | 56.5 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 4.4 | 17.1 | 31.8 | 31.8 |
| TOR | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 5.0 | 12.7 | 63.9 | 76.6 |
| LAD | Snell, Blake 3688 | 0.0 | 15.7 | 58.6 | 104.8 |
| TB | Boyle, Joe 4948 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| SEA | Evans, Logan 5192 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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