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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Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, taking the lead among American League pitchers in Box-Toppers rankings.
Also Friday, Munetaka Murakami of the White Sox rises to lead AL batters in Box-Toppers rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Marlins pitcher Eury Pérez, Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman, Wade Meckler of the Angels and Chadwick Tromp of the Braves.
Player of the Day: Gavin Williams, Guardians
Williams struck out 11 over eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Phillies.
Williams earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, rising from eighth to fourth place overall. He takes over first place among AL pitchers, passing the Angels’ José Soriano (8.0 points).
NL Player of the Day: Eury Pérez, Marlins
Pérez struck out five over 6 1/3 innings, allowing one run, two hits and no walks, in the 2-1 win over the Mets.
Pérez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 3.4 for the season, 22nd among NL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Wade Meckler, Angels
Meckler hit a three-run home run and went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 9-6 win over the Rangers.
This was Meckler’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. He made his Major League debut Aug. 14, 2023, and was playing in his 21st career game.
NL Batter of the Day: Chadwick Tromp, Braves
Tromp hit a walk-off, 11th-inning RI single in the 5-4 win over the Nationals. Tromp went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in two runs.
Rankings: Munetaka Murakami, White Sox
Murakami rises to first place among AL batters after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Murakami (2B 1-3 2R 3BI in the 9-4 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.5 for the season. He passes Jeremiah Jackson of the Orioles (4.2 points) and ranks 33rd overall.
Career Box-Toppers points—Active AL pitchers 1—Max Scherzer #BlueJays 257.7 2—Justin Verlander #Tigers 250.0 3—Gerrit Cole #Yankees 165.0 4—Jacob deGrom #Rangers 156.9 5—Sonny Gray #RedSox 128.3 6—Kevin Gausman #BlueJays 116.2* *Earns 1.0 B-T point Friday
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 8:52 AM · May 23, 2026
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Friday, May 22.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 9.4 |
| 2 | Paul Skenes | pi sp | Pirates | 9.0 |
| 3 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 9.0 |
| 4 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 8.7 |
| 5 | José Soriano | pi sp | Angels | 8.0 |
| 6 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 7.7 |
| 7 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 7.7 |
| 8 | Max Fried | pi sp | Yankees | 7.0 |
| 9 | Chris Sale | pi sp | Braves | 6.7 |
| 10 | Davis Martin | pi sp | White Sox | 6.7 |
Notable: Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays
Gausman now has 116.2 career Box-Toppers points—61st-most among all players since tracking began in 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Gausman (6.2IP 6H R BB 8K W in the 6-2 win over the Pirates), with his 1.0 point Friday, passes Torii Hunter (115.9) on the “all-time” career points list. He now trails 60th-ranked player, Todd Helton (116.4).
Gausman ranks 10th among active, signed players in career points, sixth among active AL pitchers.
Gausman has 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 16th among AL pitchers.
Debut
Friday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Sánchez falls to Williams in Friday’s top pitching duel—both post day’s top game scores
Twins relief pitcher Travis Adams also made his Box-Toppers debut Friday with his first career Player of the Game honor.
Adams (2IP 0H 0R BB 3K W in the 8-6 win over the Red Sox) made his Major League debut July 5, 2025, and was playing in his 22nd career game.
Scoring
Williams earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Pérez earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Meckler and Tromp each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Friday’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).| 5/22 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +15.0 | CLE 1, PHI 0 | Gavin Williams (W, 7‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| +7.2 | `SEA 2, KC 0 | Logan Gilbert | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| NL | +7.1 | MIA 2, NYM 1 | Eury Pérez (W, 3‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
| +7.0 | MIL 5, LAD 1 | Logan Henderson (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| +5.2 | TOR 6, PIT 2 | Kevin Gausman (W, 4‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| +4.1 | SD 7, ATH 3 | Adrian Morejon (W, 4‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| +4.0 | HOU 4, CHC 2 | Spencer Arrighetti (W, 6‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | MIN 8, BOS 6 | Travis Adams (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | LAA 9, TEX 6 | Wade Meckler LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | BAL 7, DET 4 | Jackson Holliday 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +3.0 | CHW 9, SF 4 | Munetaka Murakami 1B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | ATL 5, WSH 4 (F/11) | Chadwick Tromp C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +1.2 | COL 3, ARI 2 | Antonio Senzatela (W, 4‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| +1.0 | TB 4, NYY 2 | Ryan Vilade PR‑RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams, Gavin 4865 | pi sp | cle al | 8.7 | 20.4 | 28.1 | 28.1 | -3.0 |
| Arrighetti, Spencer 5022 | pi sp | hou al | 5.4 | 6.4 | 13.1 | 13.1 | +4.4 |
| Murakami, Munetaka 5308 | 1b | chi al | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | +4.5 |
| Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | tor al | 4.0 | 18.1 | 73.2 | 116.2 | -10.1 |
| Perez, Eury 4814 | pi sp | fla nl | 3.4 | 10.4 | 16.4 | 16.4 | -3.6 |
| Senzatela, Antonio 3760 | pi cp | col nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 18.0 | +1.0 |
| Vilade, Ryan 5340 | rf pr | tb al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Gilbert, Logan 4439 | pi sp | sea al | 2.0 | 15.1 | 62.6 | 62.6 | -11.1 |
| Tromp, Chadwick 4707 | ca | atl nl | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +1.5 |
| Meckler, Wade 5365 | lf | ana al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | +1.5 |
| Morejon, Adrian 4298 | pi mr | sd nl | 1.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | -5.0 |
| Henderson, Logan 5150 | pi sp | mil nl | 1.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
| Holliday, Jackson 5074 | 2b | bal al | 1.0 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | -1.5 |
| Adams, Travis 5364 | pi mr | min 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 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)†, last year (’25), over five years (’21-25), and their career point total.Back to top
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | Pallante, Andre 4656 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| CIN | Paddack, Chris 4093 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 17.7 | 36.5 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 2.0 | 11.7 | 33.2 | 33.2 |
| NYY | Weathers, Ryan 4388 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| HOU | Teng, Kai-Wei 5247 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CHC | Rea, Colin 3582 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 19.4 | 23.1 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 9.0 | 30.1 | 43.1 | 43.1 |
| TOR | Corbin, Patrick 3027 | 0.0 | 7.0 | 29.8 | 104.4 |
| CLE | Cecconi, Slade 4913 | 1.0 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 4.0 | 24.1 | 95.7 | 129.1 |
| DET | Valdez, Framber 4048 | 3.0 | 14.7 | 61.1 | 71.5 |
| BAL | Young, Brandon 5253 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CHW | Hudson, Bryan 4957 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| SF | Houser, Adrian 4162 | 0.0 | 7.7 | 21.1 | 24.1 |
| MIN | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 5.7 | 11.7 | 28.8 | 28.8 |
| BOS | Moran, Jovani 4859 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| NYM | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 0.0 | 14.7 | 65.9 | 84.6 |
| MIA | Meyer, Max 4965 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 |
| WSH | Irvin, Jake 4805 | 2.0 | 9.7 | 22.7 | 22.7 |
| ATL | Holmes, Grant 5127 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 2.0 | 13.0 | 53.5 | 53.5 |
| KC | Kolek, Stephen 5046 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| STL | Leahy, Kyle 5001 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| CIN | Petty, Chase* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki 5358 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| MIL | Gasser, Robert 4998 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| ATH | Ginn, J.T. 5142 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| SD | Giolito, Lucas 3900 | 0.0 | 9.4 | 29.8 | 57.5 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 5.7 | 20.1 | 62.9 | 102.4 |
| LAA | Ureña, Walbert 5350 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| COL | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 22.7 | 33.2 |
| ARI | Gallen, Zac 4171 | 1.0 | 13.7 | 65.5 | 77.2 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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