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
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White Sox pitcher Luis Castillo is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Wednesday include Alex Bregman of the Cubs, Trent Grisham of the Yankees and Alec Burleson of the Cardinals.
Player of the Day: Luis Castillo, White Sox
Castillo struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 5-0 win over the Reds.
The only hit Castillo allowed was a first-inning single to Sal Stewart. He threw 104 total pitches in his second start with the White Sox since being traded from the Mariners.
Castillo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, bringing his total to 5.7 for the season, 98th among all players and 38th among American League pitchers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Wednesday, Aug. 12 .| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 18.7 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 17.4 |
| 3 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 17.0 |
| 4 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 5 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 15.7 |
| 6 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 14.4 |
| 7 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 13.7 |
| 8 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 13.0 |
| 9 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 12.7 |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 12.4 |
NL Player of the Day: Alex Bregman, Cubs
Bregman hit three home runs, including a three-run homer, in the 12-6 win over the Nationals. Bregman went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in seven runs.
Bregman recorded a +10.0 Box-Toppers game score, fourth-highest among all batters who have won Player of the Game honors in 2026, trailing only:
Ryan O'Hearn of the Pirates, who recorded a +12.0 game score on July 7 (3HR 4-5 3R 10BI in the 12-4 win over the Braves).
Andrés Chaparro of the Nationals, who recorded a +11.0 game score on July 17 (2HR 4-5 4R 8BI in the 23-4 win over the Athletics).
Dansby Swanson of the Cubs, who recorded a +10.0 game score on July 1 (3HR 3-5 4R 8BI in the 23-3 win over the Padres). (Swanson’s +10.0 game score ranks ahead of Bregman’s on a tiebreaker—Swanson had more at-bats in his game (five vs. three).
The highest score for a batter since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, is +15.0 by Anthony Rendon of the Nationals on April 30, 2017, (3HR 2B 6-6 5R 10BI in the 23-5 win over the Mets).
Though Bregman’s +10.0 game score is the fourth-highest among batters of 2026, it is the 126th-highest among all Player of the Game winners; pitchers occupy 122 of the 126 top spots, led by a +23.0 game score by Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers on June 12 (CG H 0R 0BB 15K W in the 6-0 win over the Phillies).
Bregman earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 4.2 for the season, 34th among NL batters.
AL Batter of the Day: Trent Grisham, Yankees
Grisham hit two home runs, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four runs, in the 10-5 win over the Mariners.
He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, 13th among AL batters.
NL Batter of the Day
There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because the overall NL Player of the Day is batter Alex Bregman.
Notable: Alec Burleson, Cardinals
Burleson has the most 2026 Box-Toppers points among Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners.
Burleson (2B 2-3 R 3BI in the 7-1 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, bringing his total to 7.5 for the season, 47th among all players and seventh among NL batters.
One other Wednesday Player of the Game winner also has 7.5 Box-Toppers points on the season: Griffin Conine of the Marlins (HR 2B 2-2 3R BI in the 8-2 win over the Pirates). However, Conine ranks behind Burleson (48th overall and eighth among NL batters) on a tiebreaker because Burleson has more 2025 points than Conine (1.0 vs. 0.0).
Scoring
Castillo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Bregman earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Grisham earns 1.5 points as AL Batter of the Day.
All of Wednesday’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).| 8/12 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 14.0 | CHW 5, CIN 0 | Luis Castillo (W, 4‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| NL | 10.0 | CHC 12, WSH 6 | Alex Bregman DH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 7.0 | ATL 6, NYM 3 | Tyler Mahle (W, 4‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | NYY 10, SEA 5 | Trent Grisham CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 4.0 | MIA 8, PIT 2 | Griffin Conine 1B‑RF | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.1 | LAD 4, KC 2 | Eric Lauer (W, 7‑6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | STL 7, PHI 1 | Alec Burleson 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.2 | `HOU 2, SF 1 | AJ Blubaugh | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.1 | CLE 6, DET 4 | Cade Smith (S, 31) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | TB 8, ATH 4 | Liam Hicks C | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | MIN 7, BAL 5 | Alan Roden RF | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | COL 6, ARI 4 | Willi Castro 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 6, BOS 4 | Kazuma Okamoto DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | LAA 5, TEX 2 | Ben Joyce (S, 1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | SD 4, MIL 3 (F/11) | Fernando Tatis Jr. PH‑RF | 0 | 1 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burleson, Alec 4874 | 1b | stl nl | 7.5 | 8.5 | 17.0 | 17.0 | +6.5 |
| Conine, Griffin 5304 | lf dh rf ph | fla nl | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | +7.5 |
| Mahle, Tyler 3929 | pi sp | atl nl | 6.4 | 12.1 | 32.5 | 44.5 | +0.7 |
| Smith, Cade 5066 | pi cp | cle al | 6.0 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 0.0 |
| Okamoto, Kazuma 5331 | 3b | tor al | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +6.0 |
| Castillo, Luis Miguel 3840 | pi sp | chi al | 5.7 | 21.8 | 67.6 | 103.4 | -10.4 |
| Grisham, Trent 4246 | cf | nyy al | 5.0 | 12.2 | 19.7 | 26.7 | -2.2 |
| Hicks, Liam 5292 | ca | tb al | 4.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +3.0 |
| Bregman, Alex 3721 | 3b | chi nl | 4.2 | 7.9 | 27.6 | 49.8 | +0.5 |
| Lauer, Eric 4017 | pi sp | lad nl | 4.0 | 14.0 | 31.4 | 44.8 | -6.0 |
| Blubaugh, AJ 5243 | pi mr | hou al | 4.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +2.0 |
| Castro, Willi 4334 | 2b ss 3b lf rf | col nl | 3.0 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 9.5 | -0.5 |
| Tatis, Fernando Jr. 4101 | rf ph | sd nl | 2.5 | 3.5 | 21.7 | 27.7 | +1.5 |
| Roden, Alan 5147 | rf | min al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Joyce, Ben 5040 | pi cp mr | ana al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Thursday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | Messick Parker 5266 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| PIT | Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | 14.4 | 19.1 | 19.1 | 19.1 |
| MIA | Phillips, Tyler 5064 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 12.0 | 25.1 | 72.6 | 72.6 |
| NYY | Fried, Max 4011 | 10.0 | 24.4 | 74.6 | 91.3 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 1.0 | 11.7 | 27.7 | 27.7 |
| CHW | Martin, Davis 4657 | 9.7 | 12.7 | 17.7 | 17.7 |
| BOS | Tolle, Payton 5348 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| TOR | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 56.5 | 257.7 |
| CHC | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 4.0 | 18.1 | 73.2 | 116.2 |
| WSH | Cavalli, Cade 5244 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 4.7 | 10.4 | 62.5 | 125.5 |
| MIN | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 12.4 | 18.4 | 35.5 | 35.5 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 11.4 | 22.4 | 57.2 | 162.6 |
| LAA | Ureña, Walbert 5350 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| MIL | Drohan, Shane 5359 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki 5358 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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