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The Cleveland Indians are the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers’ 2018 preseason rankings, the same position where they finished the 2017 season.
The Nationals top NL teams and the World Series-champion Astros fall to 8th.
Meanwhile, the New York Mets made the biggest offseason improvement in players’ accumulated Box-Toppers points, while the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals had the biggest declines.
Read MoreAstros pitcher Justin Verlander is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, becoming the 27th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points and the 23rd player since 1995 to reach 150.0 career points.
Also Tuesday, Indians pitcher Corey Kluber rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, 2017 Box-Toppers points leader, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (23.1), failed to add to his lead in his start Tuesday, in the win over the Giants.
Read MoreIndians pitcher Corey Kluber is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to ninth place in season player rankings.
Kluber pitched a complete game three-hitter, allowing one run, one walk and striking out
Read More
Angels pitcher Alex Meyer is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Meyer pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out seven, in the 7-0 win over the Nationals.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 22.1 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 19.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 13.1 |
| 4 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 13.0 |
| 5 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 12.4 |
| 6 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 12.4 |
| 7 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 11.4 |
| 8 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 11.4 |
| 9 | Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi nl | 10.0 |
| 10 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
National League Player of the Day—Nolan Arenado of the Rockies hit three home runs, including a three-run shot, in the 18-4 win over the Padres. Arenado went 5-for-6, scoring four times and driving in seven runs.
Arenado had a Box-Toppers game score of +10.0, the third-highest game score for a batter in 2017 and only the fourth that was +10.0 or greater. The others:
American League Batter of the Day—Brandon Moss of the Royals homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 4-3 win over the Tigers.
National League 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 Nolan Arenado.
Notable—Mariners pitcher James Paxton has the most 2017 Box-Toppers points among the 15 who earned Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Paxton (7IP 6H R BB 7K W in the 4-1 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 9.0 for the season and ranks 13th among all players, fifth among AL pitchers.
Scoring—Meyer earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Arenado earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Moss earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 7/19 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | LAA 7, WSH 0 | Alex Meyer (W, 4-5) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| NL | 10.0 | COL 18, SD 4 | Nolan Arenado (3B) | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 9.0 | `PIT 3, MIL 2 (F/10) | Gerrit Cole | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 6.0 | BAL 10, TEX 2 | Kevin Gausman (W, 6-7) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | CHC 8, ATL 2 | Mike Montgomery (W, 2-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 5.0 | SEA 4, HOU 1 | James Paxton (W, 9-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | LAD 9, CHW 1 (F/8) | Corey Seager (SS) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | KC 4, DET 3 | Brandon Moss (DH) | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | CIN 4, ARI 3 (F/11) | Michael Lorenzen (W, 5-2) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2.1 | NYM 7, STL 3 | Addison Reed (S, 16) | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | PHI 10, MIA 3 | Maikel Franco (3B) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | BOS 5, TOR 1 | Dustin Pedroia (2B) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | SF 5, CLE 4 | Buster Posey (PH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.2 | MIN 6, NYY 1 | Jose Berrios (W, 9-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 1.0 | OAK 7, TB 2 | Yonder Alonso (1B) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Paxton, James 3280 | pi sp | sea al | 9.0 | 13.4 | 20.1 | 20.1 | 4.6 |
| Arenado, Nolan 3306 | 3b | col nl | 7.2 | 17.9 | 27.9 | 27.9 | -3.5 |
| Meyer, Alex 3742 | pi sp | ana al | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 |
| Posey, Buster 2745 | ca 1b | sf nl | 6.5 | 10.0 | 35.0 | 39.5 | 3.0 |
| Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 6.0 | 12.5 | 41.9 | 41.9 | -0.5 |
| Gausman, Kevin 3191 | pi sp | bal al | 5.4 | 16.2 | 29.6 | 29.6 | -5.4 |
| Seager, Corey 3587 | ss | lad nl | 5.0 | 9.0 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 1.0 |
| Berrios, Jose 3791 | pi sp | min al | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Alonso, Yonder 2945 | 1b | oak al | 4.0 | 6.0 | 15.5 | 17.0 | 2.0 |
| Moss, Brandon 2520 | dh | kc al | 3.5 | 7.5 | 28.5 | 30.5 | -0.5 |
| Montgomery, Mike 3513 | pi sp cp | chi nl | 3.0 | 8.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -2.0 |
| Lorenzen, Michael 3479 | pi cp | cin nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 |
| Franco, Maikel 3510 | 3b | phi nl | 2.7 | 7.2 | 10.4 | 10.4 | -1.8 |
| Pedroia, Dustin 2320 | 2b | bos al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 20.0 | 39.5 | -3.0 |
| Reed, Addison 3023 | pi cp mr | nym nl | 1.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 12.0 | -1.0 |
Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 23.7 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 20.4 |
| 3 | Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 20.2 |
| 4 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 20.0 |
| 5 | Lester, Jon 2173 | pi sp | chi nl | 18.1 |
| 6 | Hamels, Cole 2135 | pi sp | tex al | 16.8 |
| 7 | Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym al | 15.7 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 15.1 |
| 9 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 14.4 |
| 10 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.4 |
Also Tuesday, Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Walker pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout, striking out 11 and walking none, in the 8-0 win over the Angels.
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard struck out 10 over seven innings, allowing one run, four hits and one walk, in the 4-3, 10-inning win over the Nationals. Syndergaard did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because after he exited, the Nationals tied the game 3-3 before the Mets took the lead for good in the top of the 10th inning.
Syndergaard earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 15.7 for the season, rising to seventh place in season player rankings, fifth among NL pitchers. His rise back into Box-Toppers top 10 displaces Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (14.1 Box-Toppers points) from the list, as he falls to 11th.
American League Batter of the Day—Jorge Polanco of the Twins homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 8-1 win over the Tigers.
This was Polanco’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Polanco made his Major League debut June 26, 2014, and was playing in his 61st career game. He is the 3,739th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Moss of the Cardinals homered and went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 4-2 win over the Cubs.
Notable—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia extends his lead in career Box-Toppers points among active players after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Sabathia (6.1IP 3H 0R BB 7K ND in the 3-0 win over the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 184.0 career points. He leads second-place active player Albert Pujols of the Angels (182.3) by 1.7 points.
Sabathia ranks fifth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails fourth-place player Alex Rodriguez (187.0) on the “all-time” list. Sabathia has 5.0 Box-Toppers points on the season. (See the homepage for the updated “all-time” top 20 Box-Toppers player rankings list.)
Also notable—White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana becomes the 39th player this season with 10 or more Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday.
Quintana (8IP 5H R BB 6K W in the 8-1 win over the Indians) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season, 36th among all players and 15th among AL pitchers.
Debut—Diamondbacks pitcher Matt Koch (4IP 2H 0R BB 4K Sv in the 11-4 win over the Rockies) made his Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Koch made his Major League debut Sept. 9 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,740th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Walker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Syndergaard earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Polanco and Moss each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 9/13 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 17.0 | SEA 8, LAA 0 | Taijuan Walker (W,6-10) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| NL | 10.0 | `NYM 4, WSH 3 (10) | Noah Syndergaard | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| 9.1 | `NYY 3, LAD 0 | CC Sabathia | - | - | - | - | 6.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 8.0 | CIN 6, MIL 4 | Dan Straily (W,12-8) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 8.0 | `PIT 5, PHI 3 | Ivan Nova | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 6.0 | CHW 8, CLE 1 | Jose Quintana (W,12-10) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | MIN 8, DET 1 | Jorge Polanco, SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | ARI 11, COL 4 | Matt Koch (S,1) | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | `TEX 3, HOU 2 | A.J. Griffin | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | TB 6, TOR 2 | Steven Souza Jr., RF | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | MIA 7, ATL 5 | Justin Nicolino (W,3-6) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | STL 4, CHC 2 | Brandon Moss, LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | BAL 6, BOS 3 | J.J. Hardy, SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | OAK 5, KC 4 | Yonder Alonso, PH-1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | SD 6, SF 4 | Kevin Quackenbush (S,2) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Syndergaard, Noah 3472 | pi sp | nym nl | 15.7 | 26.1 | 26.1 | 26.1 | 5.3 |
| Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 10.4 | 16.4 | 35.2 | 35.2 | 4.4 |
| Walker, Taijuan 3453 | pi sp | sea al | 7.7 | 21.4 | 21.4 | 21.4 | -6.0 |
| Nova, Ivan 2796 | pi sp | pit nl | 7.0 | 8.0 | 29.1 | 30.1 | 6.0 |
| Straily, Dan 3080 | pi sp | cin nl | 6.0 | 6.0 | 16.7 | 16.7 | 6.0 |
| Souza, Steven Jr. 3461 | rf | tb al | 5.7 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 0.2 |
| Griffin, A.J. 3074 | pi sp | tex al | 5.7 | 5.7 | 20.4 | 20.4 | 5.7 |
| Hardy, J.J. 2071 | ss | bal al | 5.2 | 5.2 | 26.6 | 53.8 | 5.2 |
| Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | pi sp | nyy al | 5.0 | 10.7 | 45.5 | 184.0 | -0.7 |
| Moss, Brandon 2520 | rf lf 1b | stl nl | 4.0 | 9.0 | 25.0 | 27.0 | -1.0 |
| Quackenbush, Kevin 3462 | pi cp mr | sd nl | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
| Alonso, Yonder 2945 | 1b ph | oak al | 2.0 | 3.5 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 0.5 |
| Nicolino, Justin 3576 | pi sp mr | fla nl | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| Polanco, Jorge 3739 | ss | min al | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Koch, Matt 3740 | pi cp | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 15.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 11.7 |
| 3 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 9.0 |
| 4 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 5 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 6 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 8.7 |
| 7 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 8.7 |
| 8 | Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.4 |
| 9 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 |
| 10 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.0 |
Also Wednesday, Cubs pitcher John Lackey and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer both rose into Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner became the 71st player since 1995 with 100 or more career Box-Toppers points.
Player of the Day—Walker pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing three hits, in the 5-0 win over the Indians.
National League Player of the Day—Cubs pitcher John Lackey pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing three hits, in the 8-1 win over the Phillies.
Lackey earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 8.4 for the season and rising to eighth in season player rankings. He ranks sixth among NL pitchers.
Lackey also rises to 43rd place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Lackey now has 116.2 career Box-Toppers points and passes three players on the “all-time” list—Josh Beckett (114.9), Angels pitcher Tim Lincecum (115.0) and Torii Hunter (115.9). Lackey now trails 42nd-ranked player Todd Helton (116.4).
American League Batter of the Day—Josh Donaldson of the Blue Jays homered, tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-2 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Moss of the Cardinals hit two homers and went 2-for-5, driving in three runs, in the 12-7 win over the Reds.
Rankings—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Scherzer (7IP 5H 0R 6K W in the 11-4 win over the White Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.0 for the season. He ranks seventh among NL pitchers.
Scherzer also rises to 47th place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Wednesday, Scherzer has 114.0 for his career and passes three players on the “all-time” list—Sammy Sosa (113.2), Dan Haren (113.2) and Chris Carpenter (113.3). Scherzer now trails 46th-ranked player Josh Beckett (114.9).
Notable—Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner becomes the 71st player with 100 or more career Box-Toppers points (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.
Bumgarner (6IP 4H R 5K ND in the 2-1 win over the Red Sox) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 100.7 for his career. He rises to 68th place among all players since 1995, passing three players on the “all-time” list—Larry Walker (100.1), Jeff Bagwell (100.4) and Paul Konerko (100.7). Bumgarner now trails 67th-ranked player Carlos Beltran of the Yankees (100.9).
Bumgarner also has 8.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, 12th among all players and ninth among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Walker earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lackey earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Donaldson and Moss each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/8 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 16.0 | SEA 5/CLE 0 | Taijuan Walker (W,3-6) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| NL | 12.0 | CHC 8/PHI 1 | John Lackey (W,7-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 8.2 | MIL 4/OAK 0 | Chase Anderson (W,4-6) | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 8.1 | BAL 4/KC 0 | Chris Tillman (W,8-1) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 7.0 | DC 11/CHW 4 | Max Scherzer (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | ATL 4/SD 2 | Julio Teheran (W,2-6) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | TOR 7/DET 2 | Josh Donaldson, 3B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | COL 1/LAD 0 | Chris Rusin (W,2-4) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | NYY 12/LAA 6 | Chris Parmelee, 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | `SF 2/BOS 1 | Madison Bumgarner | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | TB 6/ARI 3 | Corey Dickerson, LF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | MIN 7/MIA 5 | Trevor Plouffe, 3B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | STL 12/CIN 7 | Brandon Moss, LF-1B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | NYM 6/PIT 5 | Michael Conforto, LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | HOU 3/TEX 1 | Jose Altuve, 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Lackey, John 1640 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.4 | 18.1 | 37.8 | 116.2 | -1.3 |
| Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 8.0 | 29.0 | 93.6 | 114.0 | -13.0 |
| Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 8.0 | 25.0 | 95.0 | 100.7 | -9.0 |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 6.0 | 13.0 | 22.5 | 22.5 | -1.0 |
| Donaldson, Josh 3144 | 3b | tor al | 5.5 | 15.4 | 35.4 | 35.4 | -4.4 |
| Tillman, Chris 2754 | pi sp | bal al | 5.0 | 9.7 | 38.8 | 40.8 | 0.3 |
| Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 5.0 | 9.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 1.0 |
| Conforto, Michael 3622 | lf | nym nl | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Walker, Taijuan 3453 | pi sp | sea al | 4.7 | 18.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 | -9.0 |
| Teheran, Julio 3176 | pi sp | atl nl | 3.0 | 10.7 | 38.8 | 38.8 | -4.7 |
| Rusin, Chris 3236 | pi sp | col nl | 2.7 | 3.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 1.7 |
| Plouffe, Trevor 2869 | 3b | min al | 2.5 | 5.5 | 21.5 | 21.5 | -0.5 |
| Moss, Brandon 2520 | rf lf | stl nl | 1.5 | 6.5 | 22.5 | 24.5 | -3.5 |
| Dickerson, Corey 3222 | lf | tb al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | -2.0 |
| Parmelee, Chris 2996 | 1b | nyy al | 1.0 | 3.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | -1.0 |
(Other duties have put us behind updating Box-Toppers. Playing catch up …)
Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Thursday, Aug. 27 and rises to 12th in player rankings.
Also Thursday, Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rises to fifth in Box-Toppers season player rankings.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | deGrom, Jacob 3343 | pi sp | nym nl | 19.4 |
| 2 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | tor al | 18.1 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 17.1 |
| 4 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 17.1 |
| 5 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.0 |
| 6 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 16.7 |
| 7 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 16.7 |
| 8 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 16.4 |
| 9 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 16.0 |
| 10 | Gray, Sonny 3259 | pi sp | oak al | 15.8 |
Player of the Day—Bumgarner struck out 12 over six innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 9-1 win over the Cubs.
Bumgarner earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.0 for the season, rising to 12th among all players and seventh among National League pitchers. It is the fourth straight season Bumgarner has earned 15.0 or more Box-Toppers points in a season.
American League Player of the Day—Yordano Ventura of the Royals struck out 11 over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits, in the 5-3 win over the Orioles.
American League Batter of the Day—Adam Eaton of the White Sox went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 4-2 win over the Mariners.
National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Moss of the Cardinals homered and went 1-for-2, driving in two runs, in the 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday.
Greinke (7IP 4H 0R 9K W in the 1-0 win over the Reds) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 17.0 for the season. He ranks third among NL pitchers, behind Jacob deGrom of the Mets (19.4) and Jake Arrieta of the Cubs (17.1).
Greinke now has 142.7 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 21st among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers record keeping began). He trails 20th-place player Jim Thome (146.7 Box-Toppers points). Greinke ranks third among active NL pitchers in career Box-Toppers points, behind Tim Hudson of the Giants (155.0) and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (150.3).
Notable—Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole rises to 15th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Cole (7.1IP 5H R 4K W in the 2-1 win over the Marlins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 15.0 for the season. He ranks eighth among NL pitchers.
Scoring—Bumgarner earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Ventura earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day. Eaton and Moss each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 8/27 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | Giants | Madison Bumgarner (W,16-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | |
| AL | 11.0 | Royals | Yordano Ventura (W,9-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | |
| 10.1 | Angels | Matt Shoemaker (W,6-9) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 10.0 | Dodgers | Zack Greinke (W,14-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 9.0 | Nationals | Joe Ross (W,5-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 4.1 | Pirates | Gerrit Cole (W,15-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | Rays | Brad Boxberger (S,31) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Whte Sox | Adam Eaton, CF | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.1 | Mets | Carlos Torres (MR) (W,5-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Rangers | Delino DeShields, CF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Cardinals | Brandon Moss, LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Astros remain active buyers and stay atop team rankings. Dodgers pass Cardinals in NL. Blue Jays, picking up Price & Tulo, gain most points in past week.
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Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, pitching a complete game shutout, is Friday’s Player of the Day and extends his lead in Box-Toppers player rankings.
Hernandez struck out nine over nine innings, allowing five hits, in the 2-0 win over the Twins. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season and is now 2.0 points ahead of the second-place player, Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole (4.0 Box-Toppers points).
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 6.0 |
| 2 | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | pi sp | pit nl | 4.0 |
| 3 | Kazmir, Scott 1947 | pi sp | oak al | 3.7 |
| 4 | DeSclafani, Anthony 3441 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.7 |
| 5 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | cin nl | 3.4 |
| 6 | Harang, Aaron 1599 | pi sp | phi nl | 3.4 |
| 7 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 3.0 |
| 8 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 3.0 |
| 9 | Archer, Chris 3194 | pi sp | tb al | 3.0 |
| 10 | Keuchel, Dallas 3050 | pi sp | hou al | 3.0 |
Hernandez now has 149.3 career Box-Toppers points, ranking 16th among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1994. With Friday's points, he passes Chipper Jones (149.0 Box-Toppers points) on the "all-time" list (since 1995).
National League Player of the Day—Phillies pitcher Aaron Harang pitched eight scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing two hits, in the 1-0 win over the Braves. Harang had a no-decision because he left the game with the score tied 0-0. The Phillies won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off run by Freddy Galvis.
Harang earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 3.4 for the season. He rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for 2015.
American League Batter of the Day—Brandon Moss of the Indians homered twice, doubled and drove in seven runs in the 13-1 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—DJ LeMahieu of the Rockies hit two doubles and went 3-for-4, driving in two runs and scoring another, in the 6-4 win over the Giants.
Rankings—Besides Hernandez and Harang, three other players who earned Player of the Game honors Friday rose in Box-Toppers player rankings:
Streak—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 10 straight seasons. Lester was Player of the Game in Friday’s 7-3 win over the Reds (6IP 3R 10K ND) and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, his first of the season.
Lester earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Red Sox. His best season was 2010 with the Red Sox when he had 23.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked first among all players. In 2014, he had 16.4 Box-Toppers points in a season split between the Red Sox (10.0 Box-Toppers points) and the Athletics (6.4 points). He ranked sixth among AL pitchers in 2014.
Lester has 110.1 career Box-Toppers points, moving him up to 47th place among all players since Box-Toppers record keeping began in 1995. (With Friday’s 1.0 Box-Toppers point, he passes Jeff Kent—109.7 and Tim Lincecum—109.3.) Lester ranks 33rd among all pitchers in Box-Toppers points since 1995 and ranks ninth among active pitchers currently in the NL.
Debut—Tim Beckham of the Rays made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Beckham (HR 2-2 R 2BI in the 12-3 win over the Blue Jays) made his Major League debut Sept. 19, 2013, and was playing in the 21st game of his career. He is the 3,452nd player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Hernandez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Harang earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day. Moss and LeMahieu each earn 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/24 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | Mariners | Felix Hernandez (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| NL | 11.0 | `Phillies | Aaron Harang | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 9.0 | Cardinals | Carlos Martinez (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 9.0 | `Astros | Dallas Keuchel | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 7.2 | Yankees | Michael Pineda (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 7.0 | Indians | Brandon Moss RF | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | Dodgers | Zack Greinke (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | `Cubs | Jon Lester | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 3.2 | Pirates | Gerrit Cole (W, 3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 3.0 | Rays | Tim Beckham PH, DH | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 2.0 | Rockies | DJ LeMahieu 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Brock Holt SS, LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Garrett Richards (W, 1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 1.0 | Marlins | Adeiny Hechavarria SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson is Thursday’s Player of the Day. Wilson struck out seven over eight innings, allowing just one run, in the 9-1 win over the Astros.
Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies is National League Player of the Day. Tulowitzki went 3-3 with a homer and a double in the 8-1 win over the White Sox.
Brandon Moss of the Athletics is American League Batter of the Day. Moss drove in two runs, scored twice and went 1-4 in the 8-3 win over the Twins.
Wilson receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Tulowitzki receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Moss receives 1.5 for AL Batter of the Day.
All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 407 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 8.0 | Angels | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | C.J. Wilson (W, 1-1) | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 4.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | John Lackey (W, 2-0) | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |||
| NL | 3.0 | Rockies | Troy Tulowitzki SS | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jason Vargas (W, 1-0) | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | `Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Adam Warren (H, 3) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| BAT | 1.0 | Athletics | Brandon Moss 1B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Matt Holliday LF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Dodgers pitcher Ricky Nolasco is Wednesday's Player of the Day. Nolasco pitched eight scoreless innings and struck out 11 in the 4-0 win over the Cubs.
White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is American League Player of the Day. Sale struck out 12 over eight innings and gave up only one run in the 6-1 win over the Astros.
Sale moves up to 13th place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season. He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers point for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 14.4 for the season.
Brandon Moss of the Athletics is AL Batter of the Day. Moss hit two homers, drove in six runs and went 4-for-5 in the 14-4 win over the Tigers.
Josh Harrison of the Pirates is National League Batter of the Day. Harrison scored three runs and went 3-for-4 in the 7-1 win over the Brewers.
Notable: Reds pitcher Homer Bailey is in 33rd place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Bailey (7.1IP 0R 7K W in the 10-0 win vs. Cardinals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.0 for the season.
Nolasco receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Sale receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Moss and Harrison each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Wednesday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 828 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 15.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ricky Nolasco (W, 11-9) | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | ||
| AL | 12.0 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Sale (W, 10-12) | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 12.0 | Rockies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Jhoulys Chacin (W, 13-7) | 7.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |||
| 8.2 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Danny Duffy (W, 2-0) | 6.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||
| BAT | 8.0 | Athletics | Brandon Moss RF | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7.1 | Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Homer Bailey (W, 9-10) | 7.1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |||
| 5.0 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Archer (W, 8-5) | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Pirates | Josh Harrison 2B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Padres | Will Venable CF, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | `Nationals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stephen Strasburg | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Rangers | Leonys Martin CF, RF | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Braves | Jordan Schafer RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Koji Uehara (S, 14) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1.2 | Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Todd Redmond (W, 2-2) | 5.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |||
| 1.0 | Phillies | Carlos Ruiz C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
The Atlanta Braves have moved up in Box-Toppers team power rankings to claim the top spot after being No. 2 last week.
The Braves have accumulated the most Box-Toppers points this season (15.4), followed by last week's top team, the Oakland Athletics (14.0). The Braves also have the best record in baseball at 13-2 and are 9-1 in their last 10 games. The A's have the best record in the American League at 12-4.
The Braves are led by pitchers Paul Maholm, the overall Box-Toppers points leader this season (4.7) and Tim Hudson (2.7). Nine different Braves have been named Player of the Game this season and have at least one Box-Toppers point.
Nine different A's players have also been named Player of the Game this season, led by first baseman Brandon Moss (with 3.0 Box-Toppers points) and shortstop Jed Lowrie (2.5)
| 418 | Top 10 Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braves | 15.4 |
| 2 | Athletics | 14.0 |
| 3 | Red Sox | 13.2 |
| 4 | Rockies | 13.0 |
| 5 | Cardinals | 12.5 |
| 6 | Tigers | 11.9 |
| 7 | Rangers | 11.7 |
| 8 | Reds | 11.5 |
| 9 | Nationals | 11.4 |
| 10 | Diamondbacks | 10.4 |
Five players are tied at the top the 2013 Box-Toppers leaders list less than two weeks into the season.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who led National League players in Box-Toppers points in 2012, is one of the five with 3.0 Box-Toppers points.
The others are Braves pitcher Paul Maholm, Indians pitcher Justin Masterson, Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss and Mets pitcher Matt Harvey.
All five players have been named Player of the Game in two of their teams' wins. In one of the wins, each player was also named Player of the Day, earning 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the game.
Kershaw, Maholm and Harvey lead all NL pitchers.
Masterson leads all American League pitchers.
Moss leads all AL batters.
Two players are tied at the top of the NL batters list: Cardinals second baseman Matt Carpenter and Rockies outfielder Michael Cuddyer both have 2.5 Box-Toppers points.
Obviously, the season is very young, teams have only played about 10 games and most players on the list have only been named Player of the Game once, so the statistics are a little threadbare. As the season progresses, those statistics will fill in, giving a better picture of the best players. We'll have another report on 2013's top players in a couple of weeks.
| 2013 LEADERS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVERALL LEADERS | POS | TEAM | PTS | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 3 |
| 2 | Maholm, Paul 2078 | pi sp | atl nl | 3 |
| 3 | Masterson, Justin 2462 | pi sp | cle al | 3 |
| 4 | Moss, Brandon 2520 | 1b | oak al | 3 |
| 5 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 3 |
| 6 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 3b | det al | 2.7 |
| 7 | Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | tb al | 2.7 |
| 8 | Carpenter, Matt 2987 | 2b lf 1b rf | stl nl | 2.5 |
| 9 | Cuddyer, Michael 1826 | rf ph | col nl | 2.5 |
| 10 | Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 2 |
| AL PITCHERS | ||||
| 1 | Masterson, Justin 2462 | pi sp | cle al | 3 |
| 2 | Moore, Matt 2975 | pi sp | tb al | 2.7 |
| 3 | Darvish, Yu 3003 | pi sp | tex al | 2 |
| 4 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 2 |
| 5 | Bedard, Erik 1914 | pi sp | hou al | 2 |
| 6 | Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 1.7 |
| 7 | Buchholz, Clay 2363 | pi sp | bos al | 1.7 |
| 8 | Guthrie, Jeremy 2290 | pi sp | kc al | 1.7 |
| 9 | Happ, J.A. 2536 | pi sp | tor al | 1.7 |
| 10 | Ogando, Alexi 2739 | pi sp | tex al | 1.7 |
| AL BATTERS | ||||
| 1 | Moss, Brandon 2520 | 1b | oak al | 3 |
| 2 | Cabrera, Miguel 1776 | 3b | det al | 2.7 |
| 3 | Davis, Chris 2478 | 1b lf dh rf | bal al | 2 |
| 4 | Fielder, Prince 2029 | 1b | det al | 2 |
| 5 | Butler, Billy 2330 | 1b dh | kc al | 1.5 |
| 6 | Pujols, Albert 1438 | dh 1b | ana al | 1.5 |
| 7 | Wieters, Matt 2643 | ca | bal al | 1.5 |
| 8 | Reddick, Josh 2936 | rf | oak al | 1.5 |
| 9 | Saltalamacchia, Jarod 2355 | ca | bos al | 1.5 |
| 10 | Hosmer, Eric 2886 | 1b | kc al | 1.5 |
| NL PITCHERS | ||||
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 3 |
| 2 | Maholm, Paul 2078 | pi sp | atl nl | 3 |
| 3 | Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 3 |
| 4 | Gonzalez, Gio 2626 | pi sp | dc nl | 2 |
| 5 | Lynn, Lance 2992 | pi sp | stl nl | 2 |
| 6 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | lad nl | 2 |
| 7 | Samardzija, Jeff 2495 | pi sp | chi nl | 2 |
| 8 | Minor, Mike 2894 | pi sp | atl nl | 2 |
| 9 | Lee, Cliff 1798 | pi sp | phi nl | 2 |
| 10 | Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 1.7 |
| NL BATTERS | ||||
| 1 | Carpenter, Matt 2987 | 2b lf 1b rf | stl nl | 2.5 |
| 2 | Cuddyer, Michael 1826 | rf ph | col nl | 2.5 |
| 3 | Harper, Bryce 3011 | lf | dc nl | 1.7 |
| 4 | Pollock, A.J. 3142 | cf | ari nl | 1.7 |
| 5 | Phillips, Brandon 1691 | 2b | cin nl | 1.5 |
| 6 | Gonzalez, Carlos 2460 | lf | col nl | 1.5 |
| 7 | Bruce, Jay 2453 | rf | cin nl | 1.5 |
| 8 | Venable, Will 2621 | rf | sd nl | 1.5 |
| 9 | Werth, Jayson 1664 | rf | dc nl | 1.5 |
| 10 | Cowgill, Collin 3046 | cf lf | nym nl | 1.5 |
The Oakland Athletics are the top team in baseball two weeks into the season.
A's players have accumulated more Box-Toppers points than any other team (10.0), closely followed by the Atlanta Braves (9.7). The A's also lead the American League West with an 8-2 record. The Braves lead the National League East with an 8-1 record.
The A's are led by first baseman Brandon Moss, who has been Player of the Game in two Oakland wins and has 3.0 Box-Toppers points. The Braves are led by pitchers Paul Maholm (3.0 Box-Toppers points) and Mike Minor (2.0 Box-Toppers points).
| 411 | Top 5 Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athletics | 10.0 |
| 2 | Braves | 9.7 |
| 3 | Rangers | 8.7 |
| 4 | Nationals | 8.2 |
| 5 | Dodgers | 8.0 |
Brandon Moss of the Athletics is Wednesday's Player of the Day. Moss went 3-for-5 with five RBIs, a homer and a triple in the 11-5 win over the Angels.
Rookie outfielder A.J. Pollock of the Diamondbacks is National League Player of the Day. Pollock hit two homers and went 3-for-5 with 4 RBIs in the 10-2 win over the Pirates.
Moss receives two Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Pollock receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. It is the first time in the 2013 season that a batter was named Player of the Day over a pitcher. And in fact, a batter also beat out all pitchers to be named NL Player of the Day, so no pitchers receive Box-Toppers bonus points Wednesday.
All of Wednesday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive one Box-Toppers point:
| 410 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 6.0 | Athletics | Brandon Moss 1B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NL | 5.0 | Diamondbacks | A.J. Pollock CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wade Davis (W, 1-0) | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |||
| 3.2 | Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mike Minor (W, 2-0) | 5.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 3.1 | Rays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Matt Moore (W, 2-0) | 5.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | |||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Matt Carpenter 2B | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Giants | Buster Posey C | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Blue Jays | Mark DeRosa PH, 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Phillies | Laynce Nix PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3.0 | Orioles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Darren O`Day (W, 1-0) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Astros | Chris Carter DH | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Nationals | Ian Desmond SS | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1.0 | Dodgers | Carl Crawford LF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.