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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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Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Twins pitcher Taj Bradley rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Wednesday include White Sox pitcher José Urquidy, Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola, Vinnie Pasquantino of the Royals, Rafael Flores Jr. of the Pirates and Yandy Díaz of the Rays.
Player of the Day: Cade Cavalli, Nationals
Cavalli struck out 11 over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 6-0 win over the Rangers.
Cavalli earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 8.7 for the season, 36th among all players and 17th among National League pitchers.
Wednesday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Guardians’ Messick posts day’s best game score among non-Player of the Game winners
AL Player of the Day: José Urquidy, White Sox
Urquidy struck out eight over six scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing two hits and no walks, in the 3-0 win over the Cubs.
He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as American League Player of the Day, his first points of the season, and is 128th among AL pitchers.
This was Urquidy’s first Player of the Game honor since Sept. 29, 2023 (with the Astros). After undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024, he returned in September 2025 with the Tigers. Wednesday marked his ninth MLB appearance since returning, having pitched for the Pirates before being acquired by the White Sox at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
AL Batter of the Day: Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals
Pasquantino homered and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 9-7 win over the Athletics.
NL Batter of the Day: Rafael Flores Jr., Pirates
Flores hit two home runs and went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 4-3 win over the Tigers.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Wednesday, Aug. 19 .| 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 | Taj Bradley | pi sp | Twins | 13.4 |
Rankings: Taj Bradley, Twins
Bradley rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday (5IP 2H R 3BB 7K ND in the 6-4 win over the Braves).
He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, bringing his total to 13.4 for the season. He ranks fourth among AL pitchers.
Notable: Aaron Nola, Phillies
Nola now has 126.5 career Box-Toppers points—48th-most among all players since tracking began in 1995—after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Nola (7IP 5H R 0BB 8K W in the 4-1 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 point, passing Mariano Rivera (126.4) on the “all-time” career points list and now trails 47th-ranked Roy Oswalt (127.2).
Nola ranks ninth among active, signed players in career points and fourth among active NL pitchers.
Nola now has 5.7 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 37th among NL pitchers.
Also notable: Yandy Díaz, Rays
Díaz rises to second place among AL batters in 2026 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday (HR 1-3 2R 2BI in the 7-6 win over the Blue Jays).
He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.5 for the season, same as Yordan Alvarez of the Astros. But Alvarez holds the tiebreaker to lead AL batters with more 2025 points than Díaz—1.0 vs. 0.0.
With about a month remaining in the season, the low point totals among AL batters raise the possibility of setting a new record low for a category leader. The current mark was set just last season, when George Springer of the Blue Jays led AL batters in 2025 with a record-low 9.7 points.
Scoring
Cavalli earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Urquidy earns 1.7 points as AL Player of the Day.
Pasquantino and Flores each earn 1.5 points as their league’s 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.
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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).| 8/19 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 13.0 | WSH 6, TEX 0 | Cade Cavalli (W, 11‑5) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| AL | 12.0 | CHW 3, CHC 0 | José Urquidy (W, 2‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 8.0 | PHI 4, MIA 1 | Aaron Nola (W, 5‑9) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | SF 1, CLE 0 | Dylan Smith (S, 3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | `MIN 6, ATL 4 | Taj Bradley | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | KC 9, ATH 7 | Vinnie Pasquantino 1B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| BAT | 4.0 | PIT 4, DET 3 | Rafael Flores Jr. PH‑C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 3.1 | `NYM 4, SD 2 | Robert Stock | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2.1 | `NYY 5, BAL 3 | Tim Hill | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | LAD 6, COL 4 (F/10) | Mookie Betts SS | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | SEA 7, MIL 5 | Dominic Canzone RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | CIN 5, STL 4 | Matt McLain 2B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | TB 7, TOR 6 | Yandy Díaz DH | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 2.0 | ARI 7, BOS 6 (F/10) | Lars Nootbaar PH‑LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 1.1 | HOU 3, LAA 2 | Bennett Sousa (W, 1‑1) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 1 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley, Taj 4780 | pi sp | min al | 13.4 | 19.4 | 36.5 | 36.5 | +7.4 |
| Cavalli, Cade 5244 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 | +6.7 |
| Diaz, Yandy 3896 | dh | tb al | 7.5 | 7.5 | 23.5 | 27.2 | +7.5 |
| Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 5.7 | 11.4 | 63.5 | 126.5 | 0.0 |
| Canzone, Dominic 4945 | rf dh | sea al | 4.0 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | +2.3 |
| McLain, Matt 4847 | 2b | cin nl | 3.0 | 5.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 | +0.5 |
| Nootbaar, Lars 4507 | cf lf ph | ari nl | 2.5 | 4.5 | 14.0 | 14.0 | +0.5 |
| Flores, Rafael Jr. 5438 | 1b ca ph | pit nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Hill, Tim 4237 | pi mr | nyy al | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | +1.0 |
| Smith, Dylan 5375 | pi cp | sf nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Stock, Robert 5437 | pi sp | nym nl | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Urquidy, Jose 4194 | pi mr sp | chi al | 1.7 | 1.7 | 20.1 | 24.8 | +1.7 |
| Pasquantino, Vinnie 4766 | 1b | kc al | 1.5 | 7.2 | 11.7 | 11.7 | -4.2 |
| Betts, Mookie 3404 | ss | lad nl | 1.0 | 6.2 | 32.9 | 72.2 | -4.2 |
| Sousa, Bennett 5164 | pi mr | hou al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STL | McGreevy, Michael 5113 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| CIN | Singer, Brady 4337 | 1.0 | 11.0 | 40.7 | 44.7 |
| SF | Roupp, Landen 5079 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| CLE | Williams, Gavin 4865 | 12.7 | 24.4 | 32.1 | 32.1 |
| TOR | Bieber, Shane 4005 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 33.4 | 69.3 |
| TB | Seymour, Ian 5265 | 7.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 |
| OAK | Jump, Gage 5372 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| KC | Dobnak, Randy 4263 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| SEA | Kirby, George 4595 | 5.0 | 16.0 | 56.5 | 56.5 |
| MIL | Gasser, Robert 4998 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| ATL | Holmes, Grant 5127 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| CHW | Kay, Anthony 4285 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 68.5 | 169.0 |
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 33.1 | 33.1 |
| WSH | Alvarez, Andrew 5274 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| TEX | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | 11.4 | 22.4 | 57.2 | 162.6 |
| LAA | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| HOU | Lambert, Peter 4155 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 13.7 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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