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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
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Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, regaining the lead in season player rankings.
Other Player of the Game winners Tuesday include Twins pitcher Bailey Ober, Randy Arozarena of the Mariners, Daylen Lile of the Nationals and Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Tuesday, May 12.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 9.0 |
| 2 | José Soriano | pi sp | Angels | 8.0 |
| 3 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 7.7 |
| 4 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 7.0 |
| 5 | Max Fried | pi sp | Yankees | 7.0 |
| 6 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 6.7 |
| 7 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 5.7 |
| 8 | Jacob deGrom | pi sp | Rangers | 5.7 |
| 9 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 5.7 |
| 10 | Taj Bradley | pi sp | Twins | 5.7 |
Player of the Day: Paul Skenes, Pirates
Skenes struck out 10 over eight scoreless innings, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 3-1 win over the Rockies. Skenes allowed no hits until giving up a single with one out in the seventh inning.
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, rising from third to first in season player rankings, passing previous leader, Angels pitcher José Soriano (8.0 points), who falls to second place. Skenes also rises to first among National League pitchers, passing previous leader, teammate Braxton Ashcraft (7.7 points).
Skenes previously took the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after his last start May 6 and held it until he was passed May 9 by Ashcraft.
AL Player of the Day: Bailey Ober, Twins
Ober pitched a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking none, in the 3-0 win over the Marlins. Ober threw only 89 pitches over nine innings.
Though he pitched a complete game, his +14.0 Box-Toppers game score ranked second among Tuesday’s Player of the Game winners, behind Skenes’ +16.0.
Ober earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being American League Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 46th among AL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Randy Arozarena, Mariners
Arozarena homered, hit two doubles and went 4-for-4, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 10-2 win over the Astros.
NL Batter of the Day: Daylen Lile, Nationals
Lile hit two home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 10-4 win over the Reds. Lile went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in four runs.
This was Lile’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Lile made his Major League debut May 23, 2025, and was playing in his 132nd career game.
Notable: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Wheeler now has 127.1 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 46th place among all players since tracking began in 1995, after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Wheeler (7.1IP 6H R 0BB 4K W in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox), with his 1.0 Box-Toppers point Tuesday, passes two players on the “all-time” career points list—Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray (126.3) and Mariano Rivera (126.4). He now trails 45th-ranked player Roy Oswalt (127.2).
Wheeler ranks seventh among active, signed players in career points and third among active NL pitchers, behind Chris Sale of the Braves (189.5) and Yu Darvish of the Padres (144.4).
Wheeler now has 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 30th among NL pitchers.
Debut
In addition to Lile, two other players also made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Braves pitcher Didier Fuentes (3IP 0H 0R BB 3K W in the 5-2 win over the Cubs) made his Major League debut June 20, 2025, and was playing in his 11th career game.
A.J. Ewing of the Mets (3B 1-2 2R 2BI in the 10-2 win over the Tigers) was also making his Major League debut.
Scoring
Skenes earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Ober earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Arozarena and Lile each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Tuesday’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.
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(CORRECTION: A previous version of this post incorrectly listed Mike Yastrzemski as Player of the Game in the Braves win over the Cubs. Didier Fuentes was Player of the Game.)
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).| 5/12 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +16.0 | PIT 3, COL 1 | Paul Skenes (W, 6‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| AL | +14.0 | MIN 3, MIA 0 | Bailey Ober (W, 4‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| +10.0 | `TB 7, TOR 6 (F/10) | Shane McClanahan | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +7.0 | SEA 10, HOU 2 | Randy Arozarena LF | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +7.0 | TEX 7, ARI 4 | MacKenzie Gore (W, 3‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| +5.0 | ATL 5, CHC 2 | Didier Fuentes (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +5.0 | `CLE 3, LAA 2 | Slade Cecconi | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | WSH 10, CIN 4 | Daylen Lile LF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.1 | PHI 2, BOS 1 | Zack Wheeler (W, 2‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| +3.0 | NYM 10, DET 2 | A.J. Ewing CF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.2 | NYY 6, BAL 2 | Will Warren (W, 5‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +2.1 | SF 6, LAD 2 | Caleb Kilian (S, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| +2.0 | STL 6, ATH 4 | JJ Wetherholt 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | MIL 6, SD 4 | Joey Ortiz SS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | CHW 6, KC 5 | Derek Hill PH‑RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 9.0 | 30.1 | 43.1 | 43.1 | -12.1 |
| Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | pi sp | tex al | 4.0 | 12.7 | 32.4 | 32.4 | -4.7 |
| McClanahan, Shane 4399 | pi sp | tb al | 4.0 | 4.0 | 34.8 | 34.8 | +4.0 |
| Warren, Will 5143 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.7 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 | -5.7 |
| Wetherholt, JJ 5320 | 2b | stl nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Arozarena, Randy 4331 | lf | sea al | 2.5 | 8.0 | 26.5 | 28.0 | -3.0 |
| Wheeler, Zack 3204 | pi sp | phi nl | 2.0 | 22.1 | 93.7 | 127.1 | -18.1 |
| Kilian, Caleb 5329 | pi cp | sf nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Ober, Bailey 4441 | pi sp | min al | 1.7 | 4.7 | 36.5 | 36.5 | -1.3 |
| Lile, Daylen 5353 | lf | dc nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Cecconi, Slade 4913 | pi sp | cle al | 1.0 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | -5.0 |
| Ortiz, Joey 4987 | ss | mil nl | 1.0 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -1.5 |
| Hill, Derek 5077 | rf ph | chi al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| Ewing, A.J. 5354 | cf | nym nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Fuentes, Didier 5352 | pi mr | atl 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 Wednesday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAA | Detmers, Reid 4513 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 23.4 | 23.4 |
| CLE | Messick Parker 5266 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| NYY | Fried, Max 4011 | 7.0 | 21.4 | 71.6 | 88.3 |
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| COL | Quintana, Jose 3040 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 25.4 | 96.1 |
| PIT | Keller, Mitch 4230 | 2.0 | 8.7 | 39.4 | 40.4 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 2.0 | 9.7 | 22.7 | 22.7 |
| CIN | Lodolo, Nick 4586 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 25.7 | 25.7 |
| PHI | Painter, Andrew 5302 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| BOS | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 2.0 | 16.0 | 57.3 | 126.3 |
| TB | Jax, Griffin 4478 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| TOR | Cease, Dylan 4231 | 5.4 | 14.1 | 80.0 | 82.0 |
| DET | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 3.0 | 14.7 | 61.1 | 71.5 |
| NYM | Scott, Christian 5344 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| CHC | Imanaga, Shota 4960 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 32.7 | 32.7 |
| ATL | Ritchie, JR* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 28.5 | 44.5 |
| CHW | Schultz, Noah 5330 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| MIA | Meyer, Max 4965 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| MIN | Woods Richardson, Simeon 4974 | 0.0 | 6.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 2.0 | 6.4 | 33.8 | 33.8 |
| MIL | Misiorowski, Jacob 5200 | 5.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| ARI | Nelson, Ryne 4728 | 1.0 | 9.4 | 26.2 | 26.2 |
| TEX | Rocker, Kumar 5108 | 1.0 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 31.8 | 31.8 |
| HOU | McCullers, Lance 3488 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 17.8 | 53.4 |
| STL | Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| ATH | Ginn, J.T. 5142 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| SF | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 2.7 | 12.1 | 47.9 | 92.0 |
| LAD | Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | 3.7 | 9.2 | 80.4 | 94.9 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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