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
Angels pitcher George Klassen is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, earning his first career Box-Toppers points in his fifth Major League game.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Tuesday, Aug. 18 .| 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 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 16.4 |
| 5 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 6 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 15.7 |
| 7 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 15.7 |
| 8 | Kyle Harrison | pi sp | Brewers | 13.7 |
| 9 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.4 |
| 10 | Zack Wheeler | pi sp | Phillies | 13.0 |
Also Tuesday, two players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after both earn Player of the Game honors: Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft rises to fourth place and Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison rises to eighth place.
Other Player of the Game winners Tuesday include Jo Adell of the Guardians, Padres closing pitcher Mason Miller and Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers.
Player of the Day: George Klassen, Angels
Klassen struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and three walks, in the 3-1 win over the Astros.
The only hit Klassen allowed was a first-inning single to Jose Altuve.
This was Klassen’s Box-Toppers debut, his first career Player of the Game honor. He made his Major League debut April 5 and was playing in his fifth career game.
Klassen earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and ranks 416th among all players, 114th among American League pitchers.
NL Player of the Day: Kyle Harrison, Brewers
Harrison struck out eight over five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks, in the 22-0 win over the Mariners.
Harrison earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, bringing his total to 13.7 for the season, rising to eighth place overall and sixth place among NL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Jo Adell, Guardians
Adell hit a three-run home run and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in six runs, in the 8-1 win over the Giants.
NL Batter of the Day: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
Freeman hit a sacrifice fly and went 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 7-6 win over the Rockies.
With 99.4 career Box-Toppers points, Freeman ranks 100th among all players and 31st among batters since tracking began in 1995. One more Player of the Game honor will make him just the 30th batter to reach 100 career points. While teammate Shohei Ohtani (106.9) is the only active player with over 100 points, more than half his points (56.2) were earned as a pitcher. That leaves Freeman with the most career points among active exclusive batters, leading Paul Goldschmidt of the Yankees (89.5).
Reaching 100 career points as a batter has become an extreme rarity. The last exclusive batter to cross the threshold was Matt Holliday on May 8, 2017—his final career Player of the Game honor, finishing with 100.8 career points.
The decline reflects a broader shift in how players have won Box-Toppers points:
2002–2009: 17 batters reached 100 points (the first was Barry Bonds in 2002).
2010–2017: 11 batters reached 100 points.
2018–present: Zero exclusive batters have reached 100 points (though Ohtani reached 100 points as a combination batter-pitcher on June 2).
Before 2009, batters earned 50% or more of all points awarded. Since then, their share has dropped precipitously, slipping below half to around 40 percent in recent seasons.
Freeman, 36, has 3.5 points this season, following 5.5 in 2024 and 4.5 in 2025.
Trey Mancini, 34, announces retirement. He earned 15.2 career Box-Toppers points (2017-22), notably making return to #MLB in 2021 after battling colon cancer. Best season—2017 with #Orioles, 7.2 B-T points, 6th among AL batters. He played in 5 games in 2026 with #Angels after 3 years out of MLB.
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 1:36 PM · Aug 18, 2026
[image or embed]
Rankings: Braxton Ashcraft, Pirates
Ashcraft climbs from seventh to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday (8IP 5H R 0BB 4K W in the 4-1 win over the Tigers).
Ashcraft earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.4 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers, behind Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers (19.7) and Jesús Luzardo of the Phillies (18.0).
Notable: Mason Miller, Padres
Miller now has 12.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026—17th among all players—after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K Sv in the 5-2 win over the Mets). He ranks ninth among NL pitchers and first among all closers, ahead of Jacob Latz of the Rangers (8.0 points). He leads NL closers ahead of Jhoan Duran of the Phillies (5.0 points).
Scoring
Klassen earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Harrison earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Adell and Freeman each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Tuesday’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).| 8/18 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.0 | LAA 3, HOU 1 | George Klassen (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| NL | 9.0 | MIL 22, SEA 0 | Kyle Harrison (W, 10‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 8.0 | TEX 5, WSH 0 | Cal Quantrill (W, 5‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 8.0 | STL 3, CIN 0 | Kyle Leahy (W, 10‑4) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | CLE 8, SF 1 | Jo Adell RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 5.0 | PIT 4, DET 1 | Braxton Ashcraft (W, 13‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | BOS 9, ARI 4 | Mickey Gasper DH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.0 | NYY 3, BAL 1 | David Bednar (S, 28) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | SD 5, NYM 2 | Mason Miller (S, 31) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | `CHC 4, CHW 3 | Javier Assad | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | TOR 10, TB 5 | Alejandro Kirk C | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | LAD 7, COL 6 | Freddie Freeman 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 2.0 | PHI 6, MIA 4 | Bryson Stott 3B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | KC 4, ATH 3 | Tyler Tolbert PH | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 1.2 | MIN 4, ATL 1 | Zebby Matthews (W, 7‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashcraft, Braxton 5208 | pi sp | pit nl | 16.4 | 21.1 | 21.1 | 21.1 | +11.7 |
| Harrison, Kyle 4914 | pi sp | mil nl | 13.7 | 15.7 | 23.7 | 23.7 | +11.7 |
| Miller, Mason 4975 | pi cp | sd nl | 12.0 | 19.0 | 24.0 | 24.0 | +5.0 |
| Bednar, David 4499 | pi cp | nyy al | 5.0 | 12.0 | 29.0 | 29.0 | -2.0 |
| Leahy, Kyle 5001 | pi sp | stl nl | 5.0 | 8.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | +2.0 |
| Assad, Javier 4899 | pi sp | chi nl | 5.0 | 7.0 | 17.7 | 17.7 | +3.0 |
| Adell, Jo 4527 | rf | cle al | 4.5 | 11.5 | 16.0 | 16.0 | -2.5 |
| Stott, Bryson 4607 | 2b 3b | phi nl | 4.0 | 5.5 | 17.0 | 17.0 | +2.5 |
| Tolbert, Tyler 5241 | ss rf ph | kc al | 4.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | +2.5 |
| Quantrill, Cal 4195 | pi sp | tex al | 3.7 | 10.4 | 29.1 | 33.1 | -3.0 |
| Matthews, Zebby 5186 | pi sp | min al | 3.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | -0.3 |
| Freeman, Freddie 2887 | 1b | lad nl | 3.5 | 8.0 | 36.5 | 99.4 | -1.0 |
| Klassen, George 5444 | pi sp | ana al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Kirk, Alejandro 4353 | ca | tor al | 1.0 | 8.0 | 15.5 | 17.0 | -6.0 |
| Gasper, Mickey 5267 | dh ca | bos al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
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 Wednesday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DET | Jobe, Jackson 5141 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| PIT | Skenes, Paul 5005 | 11.0 | 32.1 | 45.1 | 45.1 |
| SD | King, Michael 4549 | 6.0 | 10.4 | 37.8 | 37.8 |
| NYM | Stock, Robert 5437 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| ATL | Smith-Shawver, AJ 4951 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| MIN | Bradley, Taj 4780 | 12.4 | 18.4 | 35.5 | 35.5 |
| CHW | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CHC | Holmes, Clay 4022 | 3.0 | 8.0 | 20.0 | 21.0 |
| ARI | Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 | 3.7 | 11.4 | 27.5 | 27.5 |
| BOS | Tolle, Payton 5348 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| MIA | Alcantara, Sandy 4061 | 10.7 | 18.7 | 56.5 | 65.9 |
| PHI | Nola, Aaron 3569 | 4.7 | 10.4 | 62.5 | 125.5 |
| NYY | Warren, Will 5143 | 5.7 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| BAL | Bassitt, Chris 3413 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 60.5 | 79.6 |
| SF | Wilkinson, Matt* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| CLE | Messick Parker 5266 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
| STL | Liberatore, Matthew 4662 | 7.7 | 13.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 |
| CIN | Burns, Chase 5301 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| TOR | Scherzer, Max 2588 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 56.5 | 257.7 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 12.0 | 21.7 | 43.2 | 43.2 |
| ATH | Jump, Gage 5372 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| KC | Lugo, Seth 3729 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 28.5 | 44.5 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 13.0 | 26.1 | 73.6 | 73.6 |
| MIL | May, Dustin 4214 | 6.7 | 12.4 | 20.1 | 24.1 |
| WSH | Cavalli, Cade 5244 | 6.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| TEX | Rocker, Kumar 5108 | 5.7 | 10.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 |
| LAA | Ureña, Walbert 5350 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| HOU | Pecko, Ethan* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki 5358 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| COL | Freeland, Kyle 3763 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 29.4 | 49.8 |
* 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.