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
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Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to second in season player rankings.
Also Saturday, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and White Sox pitcher Davis Martin rises to ninth after both won Player of the Game honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Saturday, May 16.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 9.0 |
| 2 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 9.0 |
| 3 | José Soriano | pi sp | Angels | 8.0 |
| 4 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 7.7 |
| 5 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 7.7 |
| 6 | Max Fried | pi sp | Yankees | 7.0 |
| 7 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 6.7 |
| 8 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 6.7 |
| 9 | Davis Martin | pi sp | White Sox | 6.7 |
| 10 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 6.4 |
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Keibert Ruiz of the Nationals and Angel Martínez of the Guardians.
Player of the Day: Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies
Sánchez pitched a complete-game, six-hit shutout, striking out 13 and walking none, in the 6-0 win over the Pirates. Sánchez threw 108 pitches.
Sánchez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, rising from fifth to second place among all players, behind Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes. Though tied at 9.0 points, Skenes holds the tiebreaker advantage based on his higher 2025 point total (21.1 vs. 15.4). Sánchez also ranks second among National League pitchers behind Skenes.
AL Player of the Day: Davis Martin, White Sox
Martin struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run, five hits and no walks, in the 8-3 win over the Cubs.
Martin earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being American League Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, ninth among all players and fifth among AL pitchers.
NL Batter of the Day: Keibert Ruiz, Nationals
Ruiz hit a three-run home run, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 13-3 win over the Orioles.
Ruiz earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as NL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.2 for the season, third among NL batters, behind Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers (6.7) and Michael Harris II of the Braves (4.5).
AL Batter of the Day: Angel Martínez, Guardians
Martínez homered, doubled and went 2-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 7-4 win over the Reds.
Martínez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 3.5 for the season, fifth among AL batters.
Rankings: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Ohtani rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings and also qualifies to rank among batters again after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday as a designated hitter.
Ohtani (3B 2B 2-4 2R 5BI in the 15-2 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.7 for the season.
This is his fifth Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor of 2026 and his second as a batter. Ohtani briefly did not qualify to rank among batters after earning his previous Player of the Game honor as a pitcher on Wednesday. Players must have more than 25 percent of their Player of the Game honors at a position to qualify to rank at that position. Since Ohtani now has 40 percent of his Player of the Game honors as a designated hitter, he again qualifies to rank among batters.
Oddly, this puts Ohtani in first place among NL batters, even though only 2.0 of his 6.7 total Box-Toppers points have come as a batter. Ohtani passes the previous NL batting leader, Michael Harris II of the Braves (4.5 points).
Ohtani also qualifies to rank among pitchers—his 6.7 points is fourth among NL pitchers. (His 4.7 points earned as a pitcher would rank 12th among NL pitchers).
Ohtani now has 97.9 career Box-Toppers points:
52.2 as a pitcher (53.3%).
45.7 as a batter (46.7%).
Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Tigers’ Mize records Saturday’s 2nd-best B‑T game score but fails to win Player of the Game
Debut
Blue Jays relief pitcher Spencer Miles made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Miles (3.2IP 2H 0R 2BB 5K ND in the 2-1, 10-inning win over the Tigers) made his Major League debut March 28 and was playing in his 13th career game.
Scoring
Sánchez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Martin earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Ruiz and Martínez 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.
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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).| 5/16 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +16.0 | PHI 6, PIT 0 | Cristopher Sánchez (W, 5‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 9.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| AL | +6.0 | CHW 8, CHC 3 | Davis Martin (W, 6‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| +6.0 | HOU 4, TEX 1 | Kai‑Wei Teng (W, 2‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | ||
| +6.0 | MIL 2, MIN 1 | Chad Patrick (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +5.0 | WSH 13, BAL 3 | Keibert Ruiz C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +5.0 | LAD 15, LAA 2 | Shohei Ohtani DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.2 | `TOR 2, DET 1 (F/10) | Spencer Miles | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | SF 6, ATH 4 | Casey Schmitt DH | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +4.0 | `MIA 10, TB 5 (F/10) | Sandy Alcantara | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| +3.1 | `NYM 6, NYY 3 | Huascar Brazobán | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | CLE 7, CIN 4 | Angel Martínez RF | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | SD 7, SEA 4 | Nick Castellanos RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | BOS 3, ATL 2 | Payton Tolle (W, 2‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 0.0 | COL 4, ARI 2 | Brenton Doyle CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 0.0 | STL 4, KC 2 | Victor Scott II CF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanchez, Cristopher 4850 | pi sp | phi nl | 9.0 | 24.4 | 39.8 | 39.8 | -6.4 |
| Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | lad nl | 6.7 | 12.2 | 83.4 | 97.9 | +1.2 |
| Martin, Davis 4657 | pi sp | chi al | 6.7 | 9.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 | +3.7 |
| Ruiz, Keibert 4616 | ca | dc nl | 4.2 | 4.2 | 17.9 | 17.9 | +4.2 |
| Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | pi sp | fla nl | 4.0 | 12.0 | 49.8 | 59.2 | -4.0 |
| Castellanos, Nick 3349 | rf dh ph | sd nl | 3.5 | 5.5 | 25.5 | 56.2 | +1.5 |
| Martínez, Angel 5212 | lf cf rf | cle al | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | +1.5 |
| Schmitt, Casey 4807 | dh 3b 2b | sf nl | 3.0 | 6.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | -0.5 |
| Patrick, Chad 5131 | pi mr cp sp | mil nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Brazoban, Huascar 4787 | pi mr sp | nym nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +1.0 |
| Teng, Kai-Wei 5247 | pi mr sp | hou al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
| Tolle, Payton 5348 | pi sp | bos al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Scott, Victor II 5154 | cf | stl nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Doyle, Brenton 4803 | cf | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 14.7 | 14.7 | +1.0 |
| Miles, Spencer 5357 | pi mr | tor 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | Perez, Eury 4814 | 1.7 | 8.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 2.0 | 11.7 | 33.2 | 33.2 |
| BAL | Young, Brandon 5253 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| WSH | Mikolas, Miles 3034 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 29.8 | 47.2 |
| BOS | Bello, Brayan 4727 | 1.7 | 9.1 | 19.8 | 19.8 |
| ATL | Holmes, Grant 5127 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 2.0 | 22.1 | 93.7 | 127.1 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 9.0 | 30.1 | 43.1 | 43.1 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 0.0 | 10.0 | 39.7 | 43.7 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 6.7 | 18.4 | 26.1 | 26.1 |
| NYY | Rodriguez, Elmer* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| NYM | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 0.0 | 14.7 | 65.9 | 84.6 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 2.0 | 16.1 | 71.2 | 114.2 |
| DET | Flaherty, Jack 3971 | 1.0 | 9.4 | 32.4 | 66.7 |
| CHC | Rea, Colin 3582 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 19.4 | 23.1 |
| CHW | Fedde, Erick 4065 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 26.2 | 30.9 |
| MIL | Gasser, Robert 4998 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| MIN | Ober, Bailey 4441 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 36.5 | 36.5 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 4.0 | 18.4 | 61.2 | 100.7 |
| HOU | Lambert, Peter 4155 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 |
| KC | Kolek, Stephen 5046 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| ARI | Soroka, Michael 3956 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 21.4 |
| COL | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 22.7 | 33.2 |
| SF | Houser, Adrian 4162 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 21.1 | 24.1 |
| ATH | Springs, Jeffrey 4372 | 4.0 | 12.7 | 35.1 | 35.1 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAA | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| SD | Giolito, Lucas 3900 | 0.0 | 9.4 | 29.8 | 57.5 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 2.0 | 13.0 | 53.5 | 53.5 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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