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Today’s key Box-Toppers numbers. Click links to jump to charts elsewhere on this page.▪️ Players of the Game
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▪️ Top 10 players in 2026
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Esmerlyn Valdez of the Pirates 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, July 11.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 15.0 |
| 2 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 14.7 |
| 3 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 14.4 |
| 4 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 13.7 |
| 5 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 13.7 |
| 6 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 13.4 |
| 7 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 13.0 |
| 8 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 11.4 |
| 9 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 11.0 |
| 10 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 11.0 |
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Astros pitcher Peter Lambert, Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish and Ryan Vilade of the Rays.
Player of the Day: Esmerlyn Valdez, Pirates
Valdez hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 7-6 win over the Brewers. Valdez went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in six runs.
This was Valdez’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. Valdez made his Major League debut May 22 and was playing in his 26th career game.
He also becomes just the fifth batter to win overall Player of the Day honors in 2026, joining these four:
Matt Olson of the Braves, April 2.
William Contreras of the Brewers, April 30.
Willi Castro of the Rockies, June 14.
Pitchers won have overall Player of the Day honors on the other 104 days of the season.
Valdez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 343rd among all players, 84th among National League batters.
Valdez recorded a +7.0 Box-Toppers game score Saturday, the same as two other Player of the Game winners—Astros pitcher Peter Lambert and Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore. But Valdez beat them for Player of the Day honors because in cases of game score ties, batters rank ahead of pitchers.
AL Player of the Day: Peter Lambert, Astros
Lambert struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run, three hits and one walk, in the 9-3 win over the Rangers.
Lambert earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 5.7 for the season, 27th among AL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Ryan Vilade, Rays
Vilade hit a three-run home run and went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 6-1 win over the Mariners.
Vilade earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 4.5 for the season, 12th among AL batters.
NL Batter of the Day
There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Saturday because the overall Player of the Day is NL batter Esmerlyn Valdez.
Saturday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Preview: Sunday’s top pitching matchup features past 2 Box-Toppers Players of the Year
Notable: Kyle Bradish, Orioles
Bradish has the most 2026 Box-Toppers points among Saturday’s Player of the Game winners.
Bradish (6.2IP 2H R 2BB 5K W in the 6-1 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 6.1 for the season, 47th among all players and 20th among AL pitchers.
Debut
In addition to Valdez, two other players also made their Box-Toppers debut Saturday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rivera (3.2IP H 0R 2BB 3K ND in the 4-0 win over the Mets) made his Major League debut April 22 and was playing in his second career game.
Pirates closing pitcher Mason Montgomery (1IP 0H 0R BB 3K Sv in the 3-2 win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut Sept. 5, 2024, and was playing in his 104th career game.
Scoring
Valdez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Lambert earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Vilade earns 1.5 points as AL 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.
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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).| 7/11 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +7.0 | PIT 7, MIL 6 | Esmerlyn Valdez RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| AL | +7.0 | HOU 9, TEX 3 | Peter Lambert (W, 8‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| +7.0 | STL 4, ATL 1 | Matthew Liberatore (W, 5‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| +5.2 | BAL 6, KC 1 | Kyle Bradish (W, 6‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| +4.0 | ARI 9, LAD 2 | James McCann C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | +4.0 | TB 6, SEA 1 | Ryan Vilade PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +4.0 | CHW 1, ATH 0 | Erick Fedde (W, 5‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| +3.2 | `BOS 4, NYM 0 | Eduardo Rivera | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| +3.0 | SD 8, TOR 7 | Ty France 1B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | MIN 5, LAA 3 | Royce Lewis 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +2.0 | PIT 3, MIL 2 | Mason Montgomery (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +2.0 | `CHC 5, CIN 3 | Caleb Thielbar (H, 7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | NYY 4, WSH 2 | Trent Grisham CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | SF 4, COL 2 | Casey Schmitt 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | CLE 4, MIA 1 | Colin Holderman (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| +1.0 | PHI 4, DET 2 | Jhoan Duran (S, 24) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradish, Kyle 4597 | pi sp | bal al | 6.1 | 7.1 | 32.1 | 32.1 | +5.1 |
| Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | pi sp | stl nl | 6.0 | 12.0 | 19.0 | 19.0 | 0.0 |
| France, Ty 4243 | 1b | sd nl | 6.0 | 7.5 | 25.0 | 27.0 | +4.5 |
| Lambert, Peter 4155 | pi sp | hou al | 5.7 | 5.7 | 10.7 | 12.7 | +5.7 |
| Duran, Jhoan 4622 | pi cp | phi nl | 5.0 | 9.0 | 19.0 | 19.0 | +1.0 |
| Schmitt, Casey 4807 | 3b dh | sf nl | 5.0 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 10.0 | +1.5 |
| Fedde, Erick 4065 | pi sp mr | chi al | 4.7 | 7.4 | 29.9 | 34.6 | +2.0 |
| Vilade, Ryan 5340 | rf | tb al | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | +4.5 |
| Grisham, Trent 4246 | cf ph | nyy al | 3.5 | 10.7 | 18.2 | 25.2 | -3.7 |
| McCann, James 3649 | ca | ari nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.2 | 19.4 | +2.0 |
| Holderman, Colin 4706 | pi mr cp | cle al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| Valdez, Esmerlyn 5406 | rf | pit nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Lewis, Royce 4606 | 1b 3b | min al | 1.0 | 7.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | -5.5 |
| Thielbar, Caleb 3272 | pi mr | chi nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 16.7 | 17.7 | 0.0 |
| Montgomery, Mason 5408 | pi cp | pit nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Rivera, Eduardo 5407 | pi sp | bos al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
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.
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | Gasser, Robert 4998 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 9.0 | 30.1 | 43.1 | 43.1 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 28.5 | 44.5 |
| BAL | Baz, Shane 4560 | 3.0 | 13.7 | 19.4 | 19.4 |
| NYY | Warren, Will 5143 | 3.7 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 13.1 |
| WSH | Cavalli, Cade 5244 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| BOS | Tolle, Payton 5348 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| NYM | Thornton, Zach* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 2.0 | 12.7 | 17.7 | 44.5 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 1.0 | 11.7 | 27.7 | 27.7 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 6.0 | 11.7 | 14.7 | 14.7 |
| MIA | Phillips, Tyler 5064 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 11.0 | 31.1 | 102.7 | 136.1 |
| DET | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 5.7 | 27.8 | 79.0 | 79.0 |
| SEA | Hancock, Emerson 4985 | 5.0 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| TB | Seymour, Ian 5265 | 4.7 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| LAA | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 9.7 | 22.4 | 26.4 | 26.4 |
| MIN | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 10.4 | 16.4 | 33.5 | 33.5 |
| ATH | Ginn, J.T. 5142 | 3.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| CHW | Schultz, Noah 5330 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| ATL | Ritchie, JR | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| STL | May, Dustin 4214 | 5.7 | 11.4 | 19.1 | 23.1 |
| HOU | Javier, Cristian 4290 | 1.7 | 31.4 | 33.4 | |
| TEX | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 5.0 | 13.7 | 33.4 | 33.4 |
| COL | Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 23.7 | 34.2 |
| SF | McDonald, Trevor 5297 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| ARI | Bratt, Mitch* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAD | Sheehan, Emmet 4886 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| TOR | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 4.0 | 18.1 | 73.2 | 116.2 |
| SD | Marquez, German 3788 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 26.5 | 56.6 |
* 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.
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