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
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Braves pitcher Spencer Strider is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, May 9.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 7.7 |
| 2 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 7.0 |
| 3 | Max Fried | pi sp | Yankees | 7.0 |
| 4 | José Soriano | pi sp | Angels | 7.0 |
| 5 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 6.7 |
| 6 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 6.0 |
| 7 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 5.7 |
| 8 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 5.7 |
| 9 | Taj Bradley | pi sp | Twins | 5.7 |
| 10 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | Dodgers | 5.7 |
Also Saturday, Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft rises to first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings, passing teammate Paul Skenes for the lead, after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Royals pitcher Michael Wacha, Brandon Valenzuela of the Blue Jays and Alec Bohm of the Phillies.
Player of the Day: Spencer Strider, Braves
Strider struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 7-2 win over the Dodgers.
Strider earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 113th in season player rankings, 37th among National League pitchers.
Strider led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2023 with 21.1. He had just 1.0 point in 2024 before undergoing elbow surgery and came back in 2025 with 5.0 points, 64th among NL pitchers.
AL Player of the Day: Michael Wacha, Royals
Wacha struck out six over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 5-1 win over the Tigers.
Wacha earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 4.7 for the season, 18th among all players and ninth among AL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Brandon Valenzuela, Blue Jays
Valenzuela hit a three-run home run, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 14-1 win over the Angels.
Valenzuela earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season, eighth among AL batters.
NL Batter of the Day: Alec Bohm, Phillies
Bohm hit two home runs, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-3 win over the Rockies.
New leader: Braxton Ashcraft, Pirates
Ashcraft rises from fifth to first place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.
Ashcraft (7IP 6H R 0BB 6K W in the 13-3 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, passing previous leader, teammate Paul Skenes (7.0 points) for both the overall lead and the lead among NL pitchers.
This is the first time in his career that Ashcraft has led Box-Toppers season player rankings.
Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Guardians’ Bibee has Saturday’s 2nd-best game score but fails to win Player of the Game
Scoring
Strider earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Wacha earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Valenzuela and Bohm each earn 1.5 points as their league’s 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 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.
Follow us: Bluesky | X | Facebook | Substack (newsletter)
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).| 5/9 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +11.0 | ATL 7, LAD 2 | Spencer Strider (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| AL | +9.0 | KC 5, DET 1 | Michael Wacha (W, 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| BAT | +6.0 | TOR 14, LAA 1 | Brandon Valenzuela C | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | +5.0 | PHI 9, COL 3 | Alec Bohm 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | ARI 2, NYM 1 | Merrill Kelly (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| +5.0 | PIT 13, SF 3 | Braxton Ashcraft (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +5.0 | `MIL 4, NYY 3 (F/10) | Chad Patrick | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | CHW 6, SEA 1 | Miguel Vargas 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `MIN 2, CLE 1 (F/11) | Joe Ryan | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| +3.1 | SD 4, STL 2 | Mason Miller (S, 12) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| +3.0 | MIA 8, WSH 7 | Kyle Stowers LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | ATH 6, BAL 2 | Shea Langeliers C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | `CIN 3, HOU 1 | Graham Ashcraft (H, 8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +2.2 | `TEX 6, CHC 0 | Jack Leiter | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
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.
Back to top
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | pi sp | pit nl | 7.7 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 12.4 | +3.0 |
| Wacha, Michael 3276 | pi sp | kc al | 4.7 | 14.8 | 51.7 | 86.4 | -5.4 |
| Miller, Mason 4975 | pi cp | sd nl | 4.0 | 11.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | -3.0 |
| Valenzuela, Brandon 5343 | ca | tor al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Vargas, Miguel 5229 | 1b 3b | chi al | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
| Ryan, Joe 4539 | pi sp | min al | 2.0 | 13.7 | 49.5 | 49.5 | -9.7 |
| Langeliers, Shea 4715 | ca | oak al | 2.0 | 8.7 | 18.2 | 18.2 | -4.7 |
| Leiter, Jack 5132 | pi sp | tex al | 2.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | -4.7 |
| Strider, Spencer 4626 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 7.0 | 42.5 | 42.5 | -3.0 |
| Ashcraft, Graham 4645 | pi mr | cin nl | 2.0 | 7.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | -3.0 |
| Bohm, Alec 4309 | 3b 1b | phi nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 14.9 | 16.9 | +0.5 |
| Kelly, Merrill 4143 | pi sp | ari nl | 1.0 | 13.7 | 42.7 | 54.7 | -11.7 |
| Stowers, Kyle 5019 | lf | fla nl | 1.0 | 8.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | -6.0 |
| Patrick, Chad 5131 | pi mr sp | mil nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default view.
Back to top
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | Cavalli, Cade 5244 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 3.0 | 11.0 | 48.8 | 58.2 |
| ATH | Severino, Luis 3567 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 24.1 | 69.9 |
| BAL | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 59.5 | 78.6 |
| COL | Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 | 1.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| PHI | Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | 6.0 | 21.4 | 36.8 | 36.8 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 2.0 | 11.7 | 33.2 | 33.2 |
| BOS | Tolle, Payton 5348 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 7.0 | 19.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 |
| TOR | Miles, Spencer* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| HOU | Teng, Kai-Wei 5247 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 0.0 | 10.7 | 26.7 | 26.7 |
| MIN | Morris, Andrew 5347 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 6.7 | 18.4 | 26.1 | 26.1 |
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 0.0 | 13.7 | 58.9 | 84.0 |
| MIL | Henderson, Logan 5150 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 1.0 | 14.1 | 61.6 | 61.6 |
| CHW | Martin, Davis 4657 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| CHC | Taillon, Jameson 3658 | 1.0 | 11.1 | 44.2 | 70.6 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 3.7 | 14.7 | 49.5 | 154.9 |
| PIT | Chandler, Bubba 5269 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| SF | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 3.4 | 9.1 | 29.5 | 41.5 |
| ATL | Elder, Bryce 4709 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 22.7 | 22.7 |
| LAD | Wrobleski, Justin 5062 | 2.7 | 8.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| NYM | Brazoban, Huascar 4787 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 29.7 | 73.9 |
| STL | Leahy, Kyle 5001 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| SD | Buehler, Walker 3943 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 29.4 | 66.6 |
| DET | Hanifee, Brenan 5137 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| KC | Cameron, Noah 5167 | 0.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
Chart is sortable. Click a column header to re-sort the chart by the values in that column. Refresh page to restore chart to default, game-by-game view.
Back to top