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 2026
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
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Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Brent Rooker of the Athletics, Padres pitcher Mason Miller, Cubs pitcher Edward Cabrera and Graham Pauley of the Marlins.
Player of the Day: Braxton Ashcraft
Ashcraft struck out eight over six innings, allowing one run, four hits and no walks, in the 8-2 win over the Orioles.
Ashcraft earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 17th in season player rankings. He earned 4.7 points in 2025, 65th among National League pitchers.
AL Player of the Day: Brent Rooker, Athletics
Rooker hit two home runs, including a walk-off, 10th-inning, three-run homer, in the 12-10, 10-inning win over the Astros. Rooker also hit a sacrifice fly and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in six runs.
Rooker earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 27th in season player rankings.
NL Batter of the Day: Graham Pauley, Marlins
Pauley doubled and went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 7-6 win over the Yankees.
This was Pauley’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Pauley made his Major League debut March 20, 2024, and was playing in his 82nd career game.
AL Batter of the Day
There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Sunday because the AL Player of the Day is batter Brent Rooker.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Sunday, April 5.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Fried | pi sp | Yankees | 4.0 |
| 2 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 3.0 |
| 3 | Sandy Alcantara | pi sp | Marlins | 3.0 |
| 4 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 2.7 |
| 5 | Taj Bradley | pi cp | Twins | 2.7 |
| 6 | Joey Wiemer | rf | Nationals | 2.7 |
| 7 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 2.0 |
| 8 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 2.0 |
| 9 | Kevin Gausman | pi sp | Blue Jays | 2.0 |
| 10 | Jose Soriano | pi sp | Angels | 2.0 |
Notable: Edward Cabrera, Cubs
Cabrera is the highest-ranking player in 2026 Box-Toppers points to earn Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Cabrera (5.2IP H 0R 5BB 4K ND in the 1-0 win over the Guardians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.0 for the season, 11th in season player rankings. Cabrera also earned 1.0 point as Player of the Game on March 30.
There are four Sunday Player of the Game winners with 2.0 points, but Cabrera ranks highest among them based on his 2025 point total—he earned 11.7 points with the Marlins. Cabrera is one of 15 players with 2.0 points; he ranks fifth among them based on his 2025 point total.
Also notable: Mason Miller, Padres
Miller earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors for a second straight day Sunday.
Miller (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K Sv in the 8-6 win over the Red Sox) was also Player of the Game Saturday (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K Sv in the 3-2 win over the Red Sox).
Miller earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point each day, giving him 2.0 for the season, 14th in season player rankings. He earned 7.0 points in 2025 with the Athletics and Padres, finishing the season in second among NL closing pitchers, behind Edwin Díaz of the Mets (8.0).
Debut
CJ Kayfus of the Guardians made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Kayfus (HR 2-2 2R 2BI in the 6-5 win over the Cubs) made his Major League debut Aug. 2, 2025, and was playing in his 49th career game.
Sunday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Guardians’ Cecconi records Sunday’s highest Box-Toppers game score in loss to the Cubs
Scoring
Ashcraft earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.
Rooker earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.
Pauley earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day.
All of Sunday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
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. More on how Box-Toppers works.
Help us stay accurate! Spot a mistake? Contact Box-Toppers here so we can fix it.
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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).| 4/5 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +8.0 | PIT 8, BAL 2 | Braxton Ashcraft (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |
| +7.0 | `CIN 2, TEX 1 | Chase Burns | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | ||
| AL | +6.0 | ATH 12, HOU 10 (F/10) | Brent Rooker DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +6.0 | CHW 3, TOR 0 | Davis Martin (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +6.0 | `TB 4, MIN 1 (F/10) | Nick Martinez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| +4.0 | CLE 6, CHC 5 | CJ Kayfus PH‑RF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | COL 4, PHI 1 | Tomoyuki Sugano (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | SD 8, BOS 6 | Mason Miller (S, 4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +3.2 | `CHC 1, CLE 0 | Edward Cabrera | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | MIA 7, NYY 6 | Graham Pauley PH‑1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.1 | MIL 8, KC 5 | Kyle Harrison (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| +2.0 | ARI 6, ATL 5 (F/10) | Corbin Carroll RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | NYM 5, SF 2 | Luis Torrens PH‑C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | LAD 8, WSH 6 | Edwin Díaz (S, 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | STL 5, DET 3 | Riley O’Brien (S, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +1.0 | LAA 8, SEA 7 (F/11) | Adam Frazier 2B‑LF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 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 2026 (’26). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’25-26), the period 2021-2026 (’21-26) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2026 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2025 total (+/-).Back to top
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabrera, Edward 4641 | pi sp | chi nl | 2.0 | 13.7 | 25.8 | 25.8 | -9.7 |
| Miller, Mason 4975 | pi cp | sd nl | 2.0 | 9.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | -5.0 |
| Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | pi sp | pit nl | 2.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | -2.7 |
| Burns, Chase 5301 | pi sp | cin nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Rooker, Brent 4795 | dh | oak al | 1.7 | 3.7 | 12.2 | 12.2 | -0.3 |
| Pauley, Graham 5312 | 1b ph | fla nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Diaz, Edwin 3690 | pi cp | lad nl | 1.0 | 9.0 | 25.7 | 54.7 | -7.0 |
| Martinez, Nick 3430 | pi sp | tb al | 1.0 | 7.7 | 29.8 | 36.5 | -5.7 |
| Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 | pi sp | col nl | 1.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | -5.7 |
| Carroll, Corbin 4818 | rf | ari nl | 1.0 | 6.2 | 12.7 | 12.7 | -4.2 |
| Martin, Davis 4657 | pi sp | chi al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -2.0 |
| Harrison, Kyle 4914 | pi sp | mil nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -1.0 |
| O’Brien, Riley 5280 | pi cp | stl nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | -1.0 |
| Torrens, Luis 4452 | ca ph | nym nl | 1.0 | 2.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | -0.5 |
| Frazier, Adam 3771 | 2b lf 3b | ana al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 17.0 | 0.0 |
| Kayfus, CJ 5311 | rf ph | cle 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 Monday’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)†, last year (’25), over five years (’21-25), and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 0.0 | 10.1 | 43.2 | 69.6 |
| TB | McClanahan, Shane 4399 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 30.8 | 30.8 |
| KC | Wacha, Michael 3276 | 0.0 | 10.1 | 47.0 | 81.7 |
| CLE | Bibee, Tanner 4792 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 29.7 | 29.7 |
| CIN | Williamson, Brandon 4813 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| MIA | Junk, Janson 4697 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| SD | Marquez, German 3788 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 23.8 | 53.9 |
| PIT | Chandler, Bubba 5269 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| MIL | Woodruff, Brandon 3868 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 54.6 | 71.3 |
| BOS | Bello, Brayan 4727 | 0.0 | 7.4 | 18.1 | 18.1 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 1.0 | 6.7 | 17.4 | 17.4 |
| WSH | Littell, Zack 4533 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 21.1 | 21.1 |
| LAD | Wrobleski, Justin 5062 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| TOR | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 56.5 | 257.7 |
| BAL | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHW | Taylor, Grant 5207 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| DET | Mize, Casey 4377 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| MIN | Ryan, Joe 4539 | 0.0 | 11.7 | 47.5 | 47.5 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 0.0 | 13.1 | 60.6 | 60.6 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 0.0 | 11.0 | 45.8 | 151.2 |
| HOU | Bolton, Cody* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| COL | Feltner, Ryan 4635 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| ATL | Sale, Chris 2806 | 2.7 | 14.1 | 43.9 | 186.5 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 2.0 | 14.7 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| PHI | Painter, Andrew 5302 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| SF | Houser, Adrian 4162 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 21.1 | 24.1 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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