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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Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Sal Stewart of the Reds becomes the first player to earn 10 Box-Toppers points as a batter in 2026 after earning Player of the Game honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Thursday include Braves pitcher Martín Pérez, Marcus Semien of the Mets and Anthony Seigler of the Red Sox.
Thursday’s Sidelights Sidebar
Box-Toppers review of the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
⬛ Cease poised to rise to B-T points lead with day’s best game score, until Cubs come back
Player of the Day: Framber Valdez, Tigers
Valdez struck out five over seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and two walks, in the 11-0 win over the Mariners.
Valdez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, bringing his season total to 7.7, 38th overall and 17th among American League pitchers.
NL Player of the Day: Martín Pérez, Braves
Pérez struck out three over three scoreless and hitless innings, allowing one walk, in the 11-3 win over the Marlins.
Pérez did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because he did not pitch the required five innings for a starter to earn the win. His outing was cut short after 35 pitches due to a rain delay.
Pérez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 6.4 for the season, 70th among all players and 26th among NL pitchers.
NL Batter of the Day: Marcus Semien, Mets
Semien homered, doubled and hit a sacrifice fly, in the 13-6 win over the Guardians. Semien went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs.
AL Batter of the Day: Anthony Seigler, Red Sox
Seigler doubled and hit a sacrifice fly, going 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 12-11, 13-inning win over the White Sox.
Notable: Sal Stewart, Reds
Stewart of the Reds becomes the first player to reach 10 Box-Toppers points strictly as a batter in 2026 after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday (HR 2-4 2R BI in the 6-5 win over the Athletics).
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Thursday, Aug. 6.| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 17.7 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 17.4 |
| 3 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 16.0 |
| 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 |
Stewart earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.5 for the season, 21st among all players and second among NL batters, behind Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers (13.7 points).
It should be noted that Ohtani has earned only 5.0 of his points as a batter while the other 8.7 have come as a pitcher, but qualifies to rank as both a pitcher and batter with his full 13.7-point total. Stewart has the most points among all players who serve solely as batters in the Major Leagues, ahead of Dansby Swanson of the Cubs, whose 9.2 points rank third among NL batters.
This is Stewart’s first season with 10 or more points. While still a rookie in 2026, Stewart earned 2.5 points in 2025 with the Reds, playing in 18 games.
Technically, Stewart is the second batter to reach 10 points in 2026, in addition to Ohtani. That already matches the number of batters who reached 10 points in 2025:
Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies (12.0 points).
Christian Yelich of the Brewers (11.2 points).
That was the fewest number of batters to reach 10 points in a regular-length season since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995 and the only season no AL batter reached 10 points (George Springer of the Blue Jays led AL batters with 9.7).
In general, many fewer batters are reaching 10 Box-Toppers points in a season than they did before 2009:
From 1995 to 2009, an average of 22.7 batters reached 10 points each season.
But since 2010, the average has fallen to 7.3 batters per season (excluding the 2020 pandemic-shortened season).
Over the previous five seasons (2021-2025), the average was even lower—4.8 batters per season.
This matches the trend of batters earning far fewer Player of the Game honors. In recent seasons, batters generally win only about 40 percent of all Player of the Game honors. However, from 1995 to 2009, batters generally won half or more of all Box-Toppers points each season. But their share of points dropped precipitously after 2009.
Debut
Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Thursday, each with their first career Player of the Game honor:
Angels relief pitcher Luke Murphy (1.1IP 0H 0R BB K ND in the 4-1 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut July 31 and was playing in his third career game.
Padres relief pitcher Bradgley Rodriguez (2IP 0H 0R 0BB K W in the 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks) made his Major League debut May 31, 2025, and was playing in his 55th career game.
Scoring
Valdez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Pérez earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Semien and Seigler each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Thursday’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).| 8/6 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | +5.0 | DET 11, SEA 0 | Framber Valdez (W, 7‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
| NL | +5.0 | `ATL 11, MIA 3 | Martín Pérez | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| +3.1 | `LAA 4, BAL 1 | Luke Murphy (H, 2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | +3.0 | NYM 13, CLE 6 | Marcus Semien 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +3.0 | SD 5, ARI 1 | Bradgley Rodriguez (W, 3‑2) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| BAT | +2.0 | BOS 12, CHW 11 (F/13) | Anthony Seigler 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| +2.0 | MIN 4, KC 3 | Yoendrys Gómez (S, 15) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| +1.0 | CHC 3, TOR 2 (F/11) | Alex Bregman 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | CIN 6, ATH 5 | Sal Stewart 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | PHI 7, WSH 3 | J.T. Realmuto C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| +1.0 | MIL 5, PIT 2 | Gary Sánchez C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 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 | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart, Sal 5288 | 1b | cin nl | 10.5 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | +8.0 |
| Valdez, Framber 4048 | pi sp | det al | 7.7 | 19.4 | 65.8 | 76.2 | -4.0 |
| Perez, Martin 3213 | pi sp | atl nl | 6.4 | 8.1 | 28.6 | 48.3 | +4.7 |
| Semien, Marcus 3302 | 2b | nym nl | 3.5 | 6.5 | 28.4 | 53.6 | +0.5 |
| Gómez, Yoendrys 5249 | pi cp | min al | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | +1.0 |
| Seigler, Anthony 5417 | 2b | bos al | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Bregman, Alex 3721 | 3b | chi nl | 2.5 | 6.2 | 25.9 | 48.1 | -1.2 |
| Realmuto, J.T. 3491 | ca | phi nl | 2.5 | 4.0 | 25.7 | 56.2 | +1.0 |
| Sanchez, Gary 3701 | dh ca | mil nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 13.5 | 32.5 | -1.0 |
| Murphy, Luke 5431 | pi mr | ana al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Rodriguez, Bradgley 5432 | pi mr | sd nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Friday’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYM | Thornton, Zac 5414 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| PIT | Mlodzinski, Carmen 4894 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| TOR | Soriano, Jose 4884 | 11.7 | 24.4 | 28.4 | 28.4 |
| PHI | Wheeler, Zack 3204 | 13.0 | 33.1 | 104.7 | 138.1 |
| CIN | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| WSH | Cavalli, Cade 5244 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| ATL | Mahle, Tyler 3929 | 5.4 | 11.1 | 31.5 | 43.5 |
| NYY | Fried, Max 4011 | 9.0 | 23.4 | 73.6 | 90.3 |
| LAA | Klassen, George* | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| MIA | Phillips, Tyler 5064 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| ATH | Perkins, Jack 5225 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| BOS | Tolle, Payton 5348 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| CLE | Messick Parker 5266 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| CHW | Schultz, Noah 5330 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| MIN | Matthews, Zebby 5186 | 2.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| MIL | Drohan, Shane 5359 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CHC | Gausman, Kevin 3191 | 4.0 | 18.1 | 73.2 | 116.2 |
| KC | Lynch, Daniel 4488 | 2.0 | 12.4 | 12.4 | |
| BAL | Baz, Shane 4560 | 4.0 | 14.7 | 20.4 | 20.4 |
| TEX | Eovaldi, Nathan 2928 | 7.7 | 22.1 | 64.9 | 104.4 |
| COL | Feltner, Ryan 4635 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| STL | Leahy, Kyle 5001 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| HOU | Blanco, Ronel 4959 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| SD | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 7.4 | 16.8 | 52.6 | 96.7 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki 5358 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| ARI | Kelly, Merrill 4143 | 3.7 | 16.4 | 45.4 | 57.4 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 11.0 | 20.7 | 42.2 | 42.2 |
| SEA | Gilbert, Logan 4439 | 12.0 | 25.1 | 72.6 | 72.6 |
| DET | Montero, Keider 5057 | 4.7 | 8.7 | 13.4 | 13.4 |
| SF | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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