Top-seeded AL team Rays face Yankees, Box-Toppers’ top-ranked AL team
Both American League Division Series begin Saturday.
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The Chicago White Sox face the Cleveland Guardians in one best-of-five game series while the New York Yankees face the Tampa Bay Rays in the other. The top two AL seeds, the Rays (first) and the Guardians (second) received byes from the first round of playoffs and face the winners of the best-of-three Wild Card series played this week.
AL Division Series: White Sox at Guardians
The Guardians are the second-seeded AL playoff team and their 112.1 Box-Toppers points rank seventh overall, third among AL teams. The White Sox are the sixth-seeded AL playoff team and their 100.9 Box-Toppers points rank 14th overall, seventh among AL teams.
Despite Cleveland’s 11.2-Box-Toppers points advantage, the Guardians finished just one game ahead of the White Sox in the AL Central.
The White Sox advanced to the ALDS by defeating the AL West champion Houston Astros in the Wild Card series in two games, 2-0, while Cleveland enjoyed a first-round bye.
The pitching matchup Saturday
White Sox—Hagen Smith, 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 516th among all players, 136th among AL pitchers.
Guardians—Parker Messick, 11.7 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 28th among all players, 14th among AL pitchers.
A look at all four of Saturday’s Division Series pitching matchups
Key White Sox players
Starting pitcher Sean Burke leads White Sox in 2026 Box-Toppers points with 13.1, 22nd overall and 10th among AL pitchers. His last outing was in Wednesday’s Wild Card Game 2 win over the Astros, pitching four innings of relief.
Other key White Sox players include:
Pitcher Davis Martin, 10.7 Box-Toppers points, 17th among AL pitchers.
Pitcher Erick Fedde, 9.7 points, 21st among AL pitchers.
Top batter is infielder Miguel Vargas, 7.5 points, fourth among AL batters.
Munetaka Murakami, 7.0 points, ninth among AL batters.
Other notable White Sox players include starting pitcher Luis Castillo (5.7), reliever Grant Taylor (4.0) and closing pitcher Sean Newcomb (4.0).
Key Guardians players
Starting pitcher Gavin Williams leads all Guardians with 17.4 Box-Toppers points, ninth overall and fourth among AL pitchers.
Five of the Guardians top players, including Williams, are pitchers; the top four are starters. The others:
Joey Cantillo, 11.7 Box-Toppers points, 13th among AL pitchers.
Parker Messick, 11.7 points, 14th among AL pitchers.
Foster Griffin, 9.4 points, 23rd among AL pitchers.
Closing pitcher Cade Smith, 9.0 points, 24th among AL pitchers, first among AL closing pitchers.
Other notable Guardians players:
Outfielder Angel Martínez, 6.2 points, 14th among AL batters.
Shortstop Brayan Rocchio, 6.0 points, 15th among AL batters.
Outfielder Jo Adell, 5.5 points, 18th among AL batters.
Third baseman José Ramírez, 3.5 points, 46th among AL batters.
The Box-Toppers point totals of all players on the teams’ active rosters at season’s end are here. Players who did not earn Box-Toppers points in 2026 are not listed. Players who earned points in 2026 are listed even if they are not on the roster for the upcoming postseason series due to injury or for other reasons.
White Sox vs. Guardians
Here are players for both teams in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2026. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters. Players not listed earned no Box-Toppers points in 2026.| Chicago White Sox | Cleveland Guardians | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Sean Burke | pi sp | 13.1 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | 17.4 | |
| Davis Martin | pi sp | 10.7 | Joey Cantillo | pi sp | 11.7 | |
| Erick Fedde | pi sp mr | 9.7 | Parker Messick | pi sp | 11.7 | |
| Miguel Vargas | 3b 1b | 7.5 | Foster Griffin | pi sp | 9.4 | |
| Munetaka Murakami | 1b | 7.0 | Cade Smith | pi cp | 9.0 | |
| Luis Miguel Castillo | pi sp | 5.7 | Ángel Martínez | lf rf | 6.2 | |
| Grant Taylor | pi mr | 4.0 | Brayan Rocchio | ss | 6.0 | |
| Sean Newcomb | pi cp | 4.0 | Tanner Bibee | pi sp | 5.7 | |
| Anthony Kay | pi sp | 4.0 | Jo Adell | rf | 5.5 | |
| Colson Montgomery | ss dh | 3.5 | Chase DeLauter | rf | 4.5 | |
| Randal Grichuk | lf dh | 3.0 | José Ramírez | 3b dh | 3.5 | |
| Tristan Peters | lf cf | 3.0 | Travis Bazzana | 2b | 3.5 | |
| Joey Wiemer | rf | 2.7 | Kyle Manzardo | 1b ph | 3.0 | |
| Edgar Quero | ca | 2.5 | Slade Cecconi | pi sp | 2.0 | |
| Huascar Brazobán | pi mr sp | 2.0 | Colin Holderman | pi mr cp | 2.0 | |
| Braden Montgomery | rf | 2.0 | Rhys Hoskins | 1b ph | 1.0 | |
| David Sandlin | pi sp | 2.0 | Steven Kwan | dh cf | 1.0 | |
| Noah Schultz | pi sp | 2.0 | Shawn Armstrong | pi mr sp cp | 1.0 | |
| Tyler Schweitzer | pi cp | 2.0 | Blake Perkins | rf dh | 1.0 | |
| Hagen Smith | pi mr | 2.0 | Tim Herrin | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Drew Romo | ca | 1.5 | Hunter Gaddis | pi cp mr | 1.0 | |
| Andrew Benintendi | dh lf | 1.0 | David Fry | lf dh ca ph | 1.0 | |
| Jordan Hicks | pi mr sp | 1.0 | Austin Hedges | ca | 1.0 | |
| Brenton Doyle | cf | 1.0 | Petey Halpin | cf | 1.0 | |
| Trevor Richards | pi cp mr sp | 1.0 | CJ Kayfus | rf ph | 1.0 | |
| Sam Antonacci | lf | 1.0 | Erik Sabrowski | pi cp | 1.0 | |
| Tyler Davis | pi mr | 1.0 | ||||
| Chase Meidroth | 2b | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 100.9 | Totals | 112.1 | |||
AL Division Series: Yankees at Rays
Although the Tampa Bay Rays won the AL East by 4.5 games over New York to secure the AL's top seed, they rank behind the Yankees in Box-Toppers team standings. The Yankees are Box-Toppers' top-ranked AL team with 120.1 points (third overall), while Tampa Bay ranks fifth overall (115.0 points, second among AL teams).
The Rays, as top seed, received a bye from the Wild Card round. The Yankees advanced to the AL Division Series by defeating the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card round in two games, 2-0.
The pitching matchup Saturday
Yankees—Gerrit Cole, 6.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 319th among all players, 53rd among AL pitchers.
Cole returned from Tommy John surgery in May 2026 after missing all of 2025. He also missed the first half of the 2024 season with nerve irritation and swelling in his right elbow, but still earned 9.7 Box-Toppers points that season, 28th among AL pitchers. Before that, Cole earned more than 10 points in five of six seasons, including leading all players in 2019 with the Astros—his 32.2 points that year are the fourth-highest single-season total since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. His 171.0 career points rank 15th among all players since 1995, fourth among active players.
Rays—Drew Rasmussen, 15.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 18th among all players, eighth among AL pitchers.
A look at all four of Saturday’s Division Series pitching matchups
Key Yankees players
Starting pitcher Cam Schlittler leads all Yankees with 21.7 Box-Toppers points, third among all players and first among AL pitchers. He was Player of the Game in the Yankees AL Wild Card Game 1 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday.
The Yankees’ top four players in 2026 Box-Toppers points are pitchers. The other three are:
Max Fried, 12.0 Box-Toppers points, 24th among AL pitchers. (Fried was Player of the Game in the AL Wild Card Game 2 win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.)
Will Warren, 9.4 points, 46th among AL pitchers.
Ryan Weathers, 8.7 points, 66th among AL pitchers.
Top batter is Jazz Chisholm Jr., 6.5 points, 11th among AL batters.
Other notable Yankees players include starting pitcher Carlos Rodón (6.1 points), outfielder Trent Grisham (5.0) and closer David Bednar (5.0).
Key Rays players
Starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen leads all Rays with 15.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 18th among all players and eighth among AL pitchers.
Four starting pitchers, including Rasmussen, lead Rays players. The others are:
Ian Seymour, 8.7 Box-Toppers points, 65th among AL pitchers.
Nick Martinez, 8.0 points, 74th among AL pitchers.
Griffin Jax, 7.7 points, 81st among AL pitchers.
Other notable Rays players:
Designated hitter Yandy Díaz, 7.5 points, fifth among AL batters.
Third baseman Junior Caminero, 5.0 points, 23rd among AL batters.
The Box-Toppers point totals of all players on the teams’ active rosters at season’s end are here. Players who did not earn Box-Toppers points in 2026 are not listed. Players who earned points in 2026 are listed even if they are not on the roster for the upcoming postseason series due to injury or for other reasons.
Yankees vs. Rays
Here are players for both teams in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday. Players are listed for both teams ranked by Box-Toppers points earned in 2026. All players listed were on active Major or Minor League rosters at the end of the season—not necessarily all of them will be included on postseason rosters. Players not listed earned no Box-Toppers points in 2026.| New York Yankees | Tampa Bay Rays | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Cam Schlittler | pi sp | 21.7 | Drew Rasmussen | pi sp | 15.0 | |
| Max Fried | pi sp | 12.0 | Ian Seymour | pi sp | 8.7 | |
| Will Warren | pi sp | 9.4 | Nick Martínez | pi sp | 8.0 | |
| Ryan Weathers | pi sp | 8.7 | Griffin Jax | pi sp | 7.7 | |
| Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 2b | 6.5 | Yandy Díaz | dh | 7.5 | |
| Carlos Rodón | pi sp | 6.1 | Shane McClanahan | pi sp | 7.0 | |
| Gerrit Cole | pi sp | 6.0 | Freddy Peralta | pi sp | 5.7 | |
| Trent Grisham | cf | 5.0 | Junior Caminero | 3b | 5.0 | |
| David Bednar | pi cp | 5.0 | Steven Matz | pi sp mr | 5.0 | |
| Cody Bellinger | lf cf | 4.0 | Liam Hicks | ca | 4.5 | |
| Ben Rice | dh | 3.5 | Ryan Vilade | rf | 4.5 | |
| Luis García Jr. | 2b 1b | 3.2 | Nick Fortes | ca | 4.0 | |
| Paul Blackburn | pi mr cp sp | 3.0 | Ben Williamson | 2b ss | 3.5 | |
| Aaron Judge | rf dh | 2.5 | Cedric Mullins | cf | 3.0 | |
| Ryan McMahon | 3b | 2.5 | Bryan Baker | pi cp mr | 3.0 | |
| Heliot Ramos | lf | 2.5 | Kevin Kelly | pi mr | 3.0 | |
| Austin Wells | ca ph | 2.0 | Víctor Mesa Jr. | rf lf | 3.0 | |
| Tim Hill | pi mr | 2.0 | Tyler Wells | pi mr cp sp | 2.7 | |
| Brent Headrick | pi mr | 2.0 | Jonathan Aranda | 1b | 2.7 | |
| Spencer Jones | rf lf | 2.0 | Chandler Simpson | lf pr ph | 2.0 | |
| Jasson Domínguez | dh lf | 1.5 | Jonny DeLuca | rf cf ph | 2.0 | |
| Amed Rosario | 2b 3b | 1.5 | Richie Palacios | 2b ph | 2.0 | |
| Paul Goldschmidt | 1b | 1.5 | Carson Williams | ss | 1.5 | |
| Ryan Yarbrough | pi cp sp | 1.0 | Taylor Walls | ss pr | 1.0 | |
| José Caballero | ss rf 3b 2b | 1.0 | Garrett Cleavinger | pi mr cp | 1.0 | |
| Luis Gil | pi sp | 1.0 | Nick Madrigal | dh | 1.0 | |
| Fernando Cruz | pi cp mr | 1.0 | Jesse Scholtens | pi sp | 1.0 | |
| Eli Morgan | pi cp mr | 1.0 | ||||
| George Lombard Jr. | ss | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 120.1 | Totals | 115.0 | |||
About Box-Toppers
Box-Toppers tracks who contributes most to their team’s victory. Using standard box score statistics, we identify the Player of the Game for every MLB contest. In the regular season, winners earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point, with bonus points awarded to the top overall and league-specific players of the day. (No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.) More on how Box-Toppers works.
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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 2026 ('26), this year and last year ('25-26), over six years ('21-26), and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | Smith, Hagen 5466 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CLE | Messick Parker 5266 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| ATL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAD | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 14.7 | 36.8 | 88.0 | 88.0 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 70.5 | 171.0 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 15.0 | 24.7 | 46.2 | 46.2 |
| SD | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 7.4 | 16.8 | 52.6 | 96.7 |
| MIL | Misiorowski, Jacob 5200 | 26.1 | 32.1 | 32.1 | 32.1 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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