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
▪️ Subscribe to newsletter
▪️ Support Box-Toppers
Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, winning as a designated hitter and rising to sixth place in season player rankings.
Also Monday, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals won American League Player of the Day honors.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Monday, Aug. 17 .| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 19.7 |
| 2 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 18.0 |
| 3 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 17.4 |
| 4 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 5 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 15.7 |
| 6 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 15.7 |
| 7 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 15.4 |
| 8 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.4 |
| 9 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 13.0 |
| 10 | Logan Gilbert | pi sp | Mariners | 13.0 |
Player of the Day: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Ohtani hit two home runs and went 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 11-5 win over the Rockies.
Ohtani earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, bringing his season total to 15.7 and moving him from seventh to sixth among all players.
Three players are tied with 15.7 points. Ohtani ranks lowest among them (sixth overall) because Box-Toppers breaks ties using 2025 point totals:
Fourth—Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies (15.4 points in 2025).
Fifth—Cam Schlittler, Yankees (7.4 points in 2025).
Sixth—Ohtani (5.5 points in 2025).
This was Ohtani’s 13th Player of the Game honor of 2026 and his sixth as a designated hitter; the other seven have come as a starting pitcher. Because he has more than 25 percent of his Player of the Game honors as a batter (46.2 percent) and a pitcher (53.8 percent), he qualifies to rank at both positions with his full 15.7 Box-Toppers point total.
As a result, he ranks fourth among National League pitchers and extends his lead among NL batters, ahead of Sal Stewart of the Reds (12.0 points). However, separately, Ohtani’s 8.7 points as a pitcher would rank 16th among NL pitchers and his 7.0 points as a designated hitter would rank ninth among NL batters.
Monday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Despite 2 HRs, Crow-Armstrong edged out by Imanaga for top player honors in Cubs’ win
Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 as he recovers from left knee irritation and soreness, though he has continued serving regularly as the Dodgers’ designated hitter. The earliest he may return to the mound is September, Ohtani and Dodgers officials have said.
Ohtani now has 106.9 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 79th place among all players since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. With his 2.0 points Monday, he passes six players on the “all-time” career points list—Scott Kazmir (105.1), Blue Jays pitcher Patrick Corbin (105.4), Aramis Ramírez (105.8), Frank Thomas (106.2), Francisco Liriano (106.2) and James Shields (106.4). (It should be noted that Thomas began his career in 1990, before the start of Box-Toppers tracking. If his entire career had been tracked, Box-Toppers projects he would have about 146 career points.) Ohtani trails 78th-ranked player Lance Berkman (108.1).
Passing Corbin, Ohtani now ranks 12th among active, signed players in career points, seventh among active NL pitchers and first among active NL batters, ahead of teammate Freddie Freeman (97.9).
Ohtani has earned more of his 106.9 career points as a pitcher (56.2, 52.6%) than as a batter (50.7, 47.4%).
He is also the seventh batter this season to win overall Player of the Day honors (pitchers have won the honor the other 136 days of the season). The other six batters who have won Player of the Day honors in 2026:
Matt Olson of the Braves, April 2.
William Contreras of the Brewers, April 30.
Willi Castro of the Rockies, June 14.
Esmerlyn Valdez of the Pirates, July 11.
Andrés Chaparro of the Nationals, July 17.
Monday marks the first time in Ohtani's career he has won overall Player of the Day honors as a batter. He previously won 10 times as a starting pitcher (including six times in 2022 and once in 2026 on May 13).
Notably, Monday’s +6.0 Box-Toppers game score isn't his highest as a batter. On Sept. 19, 2024, Ohtani posted a massive +14.0 game score (3HR 2-2B 6-6 4R 10BI vs. MIA), but only earned NL Batter of the Day honors after Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (+15.0) took top overall honors.
AL Player of the Day: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals
Witt homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 9-5 win over the Athletics.
Witt earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, giving him 3.2 for the season, 43rd among AL batters.
Witt recorded a +6.0 Box-Toppers game score Monday, same as Ohtani, who beat him for overall Player of the Day honors on a tiebreaker with more at-bats (five vs. four).
AL and NL Batters of the Day
There are no separate AL or NL Batter of the Day winners for Monday because the overall Player of the Day is NL batter Shohei Ohtani and the overall AL Player of the Day is batter Bobby Witt Jr.
Debut
Hao-Yu Lee of the Tigers made his Box-Toppers debut Monday with his first career Player of the Game honor (3-3 R 2BI in the 8-5 win over the Pirates).
Lee made his Major League debut April 17 and was playing in his 80th career game.
Scoring
Ohtani earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Witt earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
All of Monday’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.
Follow us: Bluesky | X | Facebook | Substack (newsletter)
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).| 8/17 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 6.0 | LAD 11, COL 5 | Shohei Ohtani DH | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| AL | 6.0 | KC 9, ATH 5 | Bobby Witt Jr. SS | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 5.0 | MIN 4, ATL 2 | Travis Adams (W, 3‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 5.0 | `CHC 7, CHW 5 (F/10) | Shota Imanaga | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 4.0 | STL 2, CIN 1 | Riley O’Brien (S, 31) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | DET 8, PIT 5 | Hao‑Yu Lee 2B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | NYM 2, SD 1 | Daniel Duarte (S, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.2 | TB 7, BAL 6 | Bryan Baker (S, 35) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 11, ARI 1 | Caleb Durbin 3B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | CIN 6, STL 5 (F/10) | Eugenio Suárez 3B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | PHI 6, MIA 5 | Derek Hill PH‑CF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ |
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.
Back to top
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohtani, Shohei 3933 | pi sp dh | lad nl | 15.7 | 21.2 | 92.4 | 106.9 | +10.2 |
| Imanaga, Shota 4960 | pi sp | chi nl | 7.0 | 14.0 | 34.7 | 34.7 | 0.0 |
| O’Brien, Riley 5280 | pi cp | stl nl | 5.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | +3.0 |
| Suarez, Eugenio 3355 | 3b | cin nl | 3.5 | 11.0 | 31.0 | 64.0 | -4.0 |
| Durbin, Caleb 5415 | 3b | bos al | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | +3.5 |
| Witt, Bobby Jr. 4592 | ss | kc al | 3.2 | 5.7 | 24.3 | 24.3 | +0.7 |
| Baker, Bryan 4710 | pi cp mr | tb al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | +2.0 |
| Hill, Derek 5077 | cf rf ph | phi nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +3.0 |
| Adams, Travis 5364 | pi mr | min al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Duarte, Daniel 4934 | pi cp mr | nym nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| Lee, Hao-Yu 5442 | 2b | det 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.
Back to top
A Box-Toppers look at Tuesday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYY | Rodon, Carlos 3494 | 1.7 | 15.4 | 60.6 | 85.7 |
| BAL | Baz, Shane 4560 | 4.0 | 14.7 | 20.4 | 20.4 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 5.7 | 9.7 | 14.4 | 14.4 |
| PIT | Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | 15.4 | 20.1 | 20.1 | 20.1 |
| MIA | Gibson, Cade 5209 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 13.0 | 33.1 | 104.7 | 138.1 |
| SF | Whisenhunt, Carson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Griffin, Foster 5317 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| STL | Leahy, Kyle 5001 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| CIN | Abbott, Andrew 4839 | 1.0 | 11.7 | 27.7 | 27.7 |
| TOR | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 11.7 | 24.4 | 28.4 | 28.4 |
| TB | Martinez, Nick 3430 | 6.0 | 12.7 | 34.8 | 41.5 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 3.7 | 16.4 | 45.4 | 57.4 |
| BOS | Suarez, Ranger 4228 | 7.0 | 22.8 | 50.9 | 51.9 |
| SD | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 7.4 | 16.8 | 52.6 | 96.7 |
| NYM | Thornton, Zac 5414 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| ATH | Perkins, Jack 5225 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| KC | Lynch, Daniel 4488 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 12.4 | 12.4 |
| SEA | Miller, Bryce 4797 | 6.7 | 9.7 | 38.5 | 38.5 |
| MIL | Harrison, Kyle 4914 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 22.0 | 22.0 |
| ATL | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 6.4 | 12.1 | 32.5 | 44.5 |
| MIN | Matthews, Zebby 5186 | 2.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| CHW | Hudson, Bryan 4957 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| CHC | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 4.0 | 18.1 | 73.2 | 116.2 |
| WSH | Kent, Jackson* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| TEX | Quantrill, Cal 4195 | 2.7 | 9.4 | 28.1 | 32.1 |
| LAA | Klassen, George* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| HOU | Javier, Cristian 4290 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 33.4 | 35.4 |
| LAD | Lauer, Eric 4017 | 4.0 | 14.0 | 31.4 | 44.8 |
| COL | Feltner, Ryan 4635 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
* 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.