Los Angeles Dodgers edge out Washington Nationals as Box-Toppers' top preseason team. Champion Cubs slip to 5th after key player losses. Indians rank 1st among AL teams.
Read MoreBox-Toppers' top-ranked rookie Michael Fulmer wins AL Rookie of the Year; Corey Seager wins NL rookie honors despite low Box-Toppers ranking
Tigers' Michael Fulmer wins AL Rookie of the Year and is Box-Toppers' top-ranked rookie. Corey Seager of the Dodgers is unanimous NL Rookie of the Year, but isn't among Box-Toppers' top five NL rookies.
Read MoreBox-Toppers rookie, pitching leaders among finalists for top postseason awards, but batting leaders excluded from MVP finalists
Rookie of the Year finlists Fulmer, Maeda lead newcomers in Box-Toppers points. Cy Young finalists Scherzer, Kluber lead pitchers in points. But Box-Toppers batting leaders Arenado, Machado not among MVP finalists.
Read MoreA look at Box-Toppers All-Stars at the season's halfway point
Box-Toppers points leaders by position and league in both the 2016 season the combined 2015-16 seasons.
Read MoreDodgers' Clayton Kershaw continues lead of Box-Toppers All-Star teams for both 2015 and 2015-16
A look at leaders in Box-Toppers points by position and league over both 2016 and 2015-16.
Read MoreDodgers' Clayton Kershaw tops players for Friday, June 10, extends lead in '16 points, rises to 6th in all-time rankings
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, extending his lead in season player rankings and rising to sixth place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of June 10:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.0 |
| 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 |
Kershaw struck out 13 over eight innings, allowing two runs and five hits, in the 3-2 win over the Giants.
Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 17.0 for the season, extending his dominant lead in player rankings; second-place player, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez (11.7 points) is 5.3 points behind. Kershaw has more than doubled the season Box-Toppers point totals of all but six other players.
Kershaw also rises in the rankings of career Box-Toppers points since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Friday, Kershaw rises to sixth place, passing Albert Pujols of the Angels (176.3). (While both Kershaw and Pujols have 176.3 career points, Kershaw ranks ahead on a tiebreaker because he has more points in 2016—17.0 vs. 2.0).
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | nyy al | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 182.0 |
| 6 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 176.3 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 176.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 11 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 12 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 164.7 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 16 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 154.4 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
Kershaw becomes the third-ranked active player in career Box-Toppers points behind only Alex Rodriguez (187.0) and CC Sabathia (182.0), both of the Yankees. Kershaw now trails fifth-ranked Sabathia (who also earned Player of the Game honors Friday) by 5.7 points.
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Corey Kluber pitched a complete game, striking out eight and allowing two runs and three hits, in the 6-2 win over the Angels.
National League Batter of the Day—Justin Bour of the Marlins hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the 8-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
American League Batter of the Day—Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners hit two home runs, going 2-for-4 and driving in four runs, in the 7-5 win over the Rangers.
Notable—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, the fifth-ranked player in career Box-Toppers points since 1995, earned Player of the Game honors Friday.
Sabathia (7IP 5H 0R 4K W in the 4-0 win over the Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 182.0 for his career, maintaining his rank of fifth place. He trails fourth-place player, teammate Alex Rodriguez (187.0).
Sabathia has 3.0 Box-Toppers points this season.
Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Kluber earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Bour and Lee each earn 1.5 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/10 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 12.0 | LAD 3/SF 2 | Clayton Kershaw (W,9-1) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 | |
| AL | 9.0 | CLE 6/LAA 2 | Corey Kluber (W,6-6) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| 8.0 | `NYM 2/MIL 1 | Matt Harvey | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 7.0 | ATL 5/CHC 1 | Bud Norris (W,2-7) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | MIA 8/ARI 6 | Justin Bour, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | SEA 7/TEX 5 | Dae-Ho Lee, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | NYY 4/DET 0 | CC Sabathia (W,4-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.1 | BOS 8/MIN 1 | Steven Wright (W,7-4) | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | STL 9/PIT 3 | Matt Carpenter, 2B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CHW 7/KC 5 | Alex Avila, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | SD 7/COL 5 | Wil Myers, 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | DC 9/PHI 6 | Stephen Strasburg (W,10-0) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 3.0 | CIN 2/OAK 1 | Blake Wood (W,5-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | TB 4/HOU 3 | Steve Pearce, 1B | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | TOR 4/BAL 3 | Russell Martin, C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 17.0 | 42.7 | 142.8 | 176.3 | -8.7 |
| Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 7.8 | 21.2 | 52.0 | 52.0 | -5.6 |
| Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 7.4 | 21.4 | 67.5 | 75.2 | -6.6 |
| Lee, Dae-Ho 3627 | 1b ph | sea al | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 |
| Carpenter, Matt 2987 | 3b | stl nl | 5.5 | 11.0 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 0.0 |
| Wright, Steven 3224 | pi sp | bos al | 5.0 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 1.3 |
| Martin, Russell 2202 | ca | tor al | 3.5 | 8.5 | 25.0 | 46.0 | -1.5 |
| Harvey, Matt 3075 | pi sp | nym nl | 3.0 | 18.4 | 36.4 | 36.4 | -12.4 |
| Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | pi sp | nyy al | 3.0 | 8.7 | 43.5 | 182.0 | -2.7 |
| Myers, Wil 3228 | 1b | sd nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 0.0 |
| Pearce, Steve 2371 | 1b | tb al | 2.0 | 4.5 | 14.0 | 16.0 | -0.5 |
| Bour, Justin 3433 | 1b ph | fla nl | 1.5 | 10.0 | 11.5 | 11.5 | -7.0 |
| Norris, Bud 2638 | pi sp | atl nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 32.4 | 41.4 | 0.0 |
| Avila, Alex 2642 | ca | chi al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 12.5 | 17.0 | 1.0 |
| Wood, Blake 2850 | pi mr | cin nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
Diamondbacks' Greinke tops players for Thursday, June 2, rises to 10th in season player rankings, 16th in all-time rankings
Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to 10th place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of June 2:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 14.0 |
| 2 | Fernandez, Jose 3147 | pi sp | fla nl | 9.7 |
| 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 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 8.4 |
| 9 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc al | 7.0 |
| 10 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.0 |
Greinke also rises two spots to 16th place in career Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began.
Greinke pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out 11 and allowing four hits, in the 3-0 win over the Astros.
Greinke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points, giving him 7.0 for the season, rising to 10th in season player rankings, seventh among National League pitchers.
Greinke also now has 153.4 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 16th in “all-time” rankings, passing two players—Greg Maddux (151.7) and Barry Bonds (153.2). (It should be noted that both Bonds and Maddux began their careers before 1995 when tracking began and so both would likely have many more Box-Toppers points if their entire careers were tracked.) Greinke now trails 15th-ranked player Mike Mussina (155.6).
All-time leaders
Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | nyy al | 187.0 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 181.0 |
| 6 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 176.3 |
| 7 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 173.3 |
| 8 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 9 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 10 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 11 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 12 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 164.7 |
| 13 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 14 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 15 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 16 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 153.4 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Chipper Jones | 3b | retired | 149.0 |
| 20 | Javier Vazquez | pi sp | retired | 148.3 |
American League Player of the Day—Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners homered and went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 16-13 win over the Padres.
National League Batter of the Day—Eugenio Suarez of the Reds hit two homers, including a three-run shot, in the 11-4 win over the Rockies. Suarez also doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in four total runs.
Suarez earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.0 for the season and now ranks second among NL batters in season Box-Toppers points.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Thursday because the AL Player of the Day was batter Dae-Ho Lee.
Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Thursday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:
- Marlins pitcher Nick Wittgren (3IP 0H 0R 3K W in the 4-3 win over the Pirates) made his Major League debut April 19 and was playing in his seventh career game. He is the 3,647th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
- Twins pitcher Taylor Rogers (2IP 0H 0R 2K W in the 6-4 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut April 14 and was playing in his ninth career game. He is the 3,648th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Greinke earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lee earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Suarez earns 1.5 points for being NL 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 6/2 | Score | Game | Player of Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 14.0 | ARI 3/HOU 0 | Zack Greinke (W,7-3) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 12.2 | SF 6/ATL 0 | Madison Bumgarner (W,7-2) | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 6.2 | MIL 4/PHI 1 | Chase Anderson (W,3-6) | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| AL | 6.0 | SEA 16/SD 13 | Dae-Ho Lee, PH-1B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | CHC 7/LAD 2 | Kyle Hendricks (W,4-4) | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | MIA 4/PIT 3 | Nick Wittgren (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | CIN 11/COL 4 | Eugenio Suarez, 3B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.2 | `NYY 5/DET 4 | Michael Pineda | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 4.0 | MIN 6/TB 4 | Taylor Rogers (W,1-0) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | BAL 12/BOS 7 | Mark Trumbo, RF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.2 | CLE 5/KC 4 | Tommy Hunter (W,2-1) | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 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. | ||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player of Game | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 7.0 | 27.7 | 92.8 | 153.4 | -13.7 |
| Bumgarner, Madison 2753 | pi sp | sf nl | 7.0 | 24.0 | 94.0 | 99.7 | -10.0 |
| Suarez, Eugenio 3355 | 3b | cin nl | 6.0 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 3.0 |
| Lee, Dae-Ho 3627 | 1b ph | sea al | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| Hendricks, Kyle 3386 | pi sp | chi nl | 4.0 | 13.7 | 18.7 | 18.7 | -5.7 |
| Anderson, Chase 3328 | pi sp | mil nl | 4.0 | 8.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 0.0 |
| Trumbo, Mark 2851 | dh rf | bal al | 2.5 | 5.0 | 28.2 | 28.2 | 0.0 |
| Pineda, Michael 2841 | pi sp | nyy al | 1.0 | 11.7 | 29.1 | 29.1 | -9.7 |
| Hunter, Tommy 2623 | pi cp | cle al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 | 16.0 | 0.0 |
| Rogers, Taylor 3648 | pi mr | min al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Wittgren, Nick 3647 | pi cp | fla nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Rangers' Lewis tops players for Friday, May 20; Cubs' Arrieta rises to 2nd in Box-Toppers rankings
Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 20:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 10.0 |
| 2 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | chi al | 8.7 |
| 4 | Cueto, Johnny 2400 | pi sp | sf nl | 8.0 |
| 5 | Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 7.7 |
| 6 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 6.7 |
| 7 | Hill, Rich 2215 | pi sp | oak al | 6.4 |
| 8 | Salazar, Danny 3223 | pi sp | cle al | 6.1 |
| 9 | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | pi sp | phi nl | 6.0 |
| 10 | Price, David 2593 | pi sp | bos al | 5.7 |
Also Friday, Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings, Manny Machado of the Orioles extended his Box-Toppers points lead among American League batters and Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia extended his career Box-Toppers points lead among all active pitchers.
Player of the Day—Lewis pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 2-1 win over the Astros.
National League Player of the Day—Mets pitcher Steven Matz struck out eight over seven innings, allowing two runs and three hits, in the 3-2 win over the Brewers.
Matz earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, rising to sixth in season player rankings, fourth among NL pitchers.
American League Batter of the Day—Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners homered and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the Reds.
National League Batter of the Day—Christian Bethancourt of the Padres hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the 7-6 win over the Dodgers.
Rankings—Besides Matz, two other players in Box-Toppers top 10 player rankings earned Player of the Game honors Friday:
- Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (7IP 4H R 8K W in the 8-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 8.7 for the season and rising to second place in player rankings, trailing only Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (10.0).
- Manny Machado of the Orioles (HR 2-4 2R BI in the 9-4 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 7.7 for the season, maintaining his rank of fifth place among all players and his rank of first among AL batters. He is the only batter among the top 10 players. Also, his 7.7 Box-Toppers points this season is already better than the 7.5 he earned in all of 2015 (his previous best year), when he finished the season ranked 18th among AL batters.
Streak—Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Friday.
Bautista (HR 2-5 2R 3BI in the 9-3 win over the Twins) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Pirates and has 62.9 career points, 12th among active AL batters and second among active AL outfielders. His best year was 2010 with the Blue Jays when he led AL batters with 15.2 points. In 2015, he had 10.0 points with the Blue Jays, sixth among AL batters.
Notable—Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, the active leader among pitchers in career Box-Toppers points, earned Player of the Game honors Friday.
Sabathia (6IP 3H R 8K W in the 8-3 win over the Athletics) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 181.0 career Box-Toppers points. He ranks fifth among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, behind teammate Alex Rodriguez (187.0), and first among active pitchers. Sabathia has 2.0 points for the season.
Scoring—Lewis earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Matz earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Lee and Bethancourt each earn 1.5 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/20 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 9.0 | Rangers | Colby Lewis (W,3-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| NL | 8.0 | Mets | Steven Matz (W,6-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| 8.0 | Yankees | CC Sabathia (W,3-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 7.0 | Cubs | Jake Arrieta (W,8-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 4.2 | Braves | Matt Wisler (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Mariners | Dae-Ho Lee, PH-1B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.2 | Nationals | Tanner Roark (W,3-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Padres | Christian Bethancourt, PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Royals | Dillon Gee (W,1-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 3.0 | Indians | Cody Allen (S,10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Jose Bautista, RF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Chris Herrmann, C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Orioles | Manny Machado, SS | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Rays | Alex Colome (S,11) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | `Pirates | Tony Watson (H,10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 8.7 | 37.8 | 65.5 | 68.5 | -20.4 |
| Machado, Manny 3087 | ss 3b | bal al | 7.7 | 15.2 | 18.7 | 18.7 | 0.2 |
| Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 6.7 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 3.2 |
| Lewis, Colby 1567 | pi sp | tex al | 4.7 | 12.4 | 30.6 | 42.0 | -3.0 |
| Colome, Alex 3189 | pi cp | tb al | 4.0 | 9.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 | -1.0 |
| Roark, Tanner 3261 | pi sp | dc nl | 4.0 | 5.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 3.0 |
| Lee, Dae-Ho 3627 | 1b ph | sea al | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | pi sp | nyy al | 2.0 | 7.7 | 42.5 | 181.0 | -3.7 |
| Allen, Cody 3265 | pi mr cp | cle al | 2.0 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | -2.0 |
| Wisler, Matt 3522 | pi sp | atl nl | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | -1.0 |
| Bethancourt, Christian 3407 | ca ph | sd nl | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
| Bautista, Jose 2169 | rf | tor al | 1.0 | 11.0 | 35.7 | 62.9 | -9.0 |
| Gee, Dillon 2808 | pi sp | kc al | 1.0 | 2.0 | 28.8 | 29.8 | 0.0 |
| Watson, Tony 3215 | pi mr | pit nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 |
| Herrmann, Chris 3196 | ca | ari nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 1.0 |
Mets' Matz tops players for Wednesday, May 4; Yankees' Sabathia extends consecutive season streak to 16
Mets pitcher Steven Matz is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to fourth place in season player rankings.
Top 10 players
Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of May 4:| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Arrieta, Jake 2738 | pi sp | chi nl | 6.0 |
| 2 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 6.0 |
| 3 | Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 5.0 |
| 4 | Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.0 |
| 5 | Velasquez, Vince 3611 | pi sp | phi nl | 5.0 |
| 6 | Quintana, Jose 3040 | pi sp | chi al | 4.7 |
| 7 | Nola, Aaron 3569 | pi sp | phi nl | 4.7 |
| 8 | Cespedes, Yoenis 3008 | cf lf dh ph | nym nl | 4.5 |
| 9 | Suarez, Eugenio 3355 | 3b | cin nl | 4.5 |
| 10 | Volquez, Edinson 2220 | pi sp | kc al | 4.4 |
Also Wednesday, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia extended his consecutive season streak earning Box-Toppers points to 16 and Jose Altuve of the Astros rose to lead American League players in Box-Toppers points.
Player of the Day—Matz struck out eight over 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, in the 8-0 win over the Braves. Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to fourth in season player rankings, third among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Corey Kluber pitched a complete game shutout, striking out seven and allowing five hits, in the 4-0 win over the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—Daniel Murphy of the Nationals homered, doubled and went 4-for-5, scoring four times and driving in three runs, in the 13-2 win over the Royals.
American League Batter of the Day—Jose Altuve of the Astros homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 16-4 win over the Twins. Altuve earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day, giving him 5.0 for the season, rising to third in season player rankings, first among all AL players.
Box-Toppers season streaks
Here are the players who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. Jason Giambi earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 19 straight seasons from 1995 to 2013, more than any other player. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.) Players are listed by duration of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total.| Streak | Player | Pos | Duration | Career BTP |
|
| 1 | 19 | Jason Giambi | 1b | 1995-2013 | 133.4 |
| 2 | 18 | Jim Thome | 1b dh | 1995-2012 | 146.7 |
| 2 | 18 | Chipper Jones | 3b | 1995-2012 | 149.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Johnny Damon | lf | 1995-2012 | 63.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | 1996-2013 | 187.0 |
| 2 | 18 | Carlos Beltran* | rf | 1999-2016 | 99.9 |
| 7 | 17 | Mariano Rivera | pi cp | 1995-2011 | 126.4 |
| 7 | 17 | Derek Jeter | ss | 1996-2012 | 76.4 |
| 7 | 17 | Paul Konerko | 1b | 1998-2014 | 100.7 |
| 7 | 17 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | 1999-2015 | 157.0 |
| 7 | 17 | Torii Hunter | cf | 1999-2015 | 115.9 |
| 12 | 16 | Manny Ramirez | lf | 1995-2010 | 167.2 |
| 12 | 16 | Andy Pettitte | pi sp | 1995-2010 | 138.5 |
| 12 | 16 | Jamie Moyer | pi sp | 1995-2010 | 104.0 |
| 12 | 16 | Scott Rolen | 3b | 1996-2011 | 97.6 |
| 12 | 16 | Kevin Millwood | pi sp | 1997-2012 | 108.3 |
| 12 | 16 | Derek Lowe | pi sp | 1998-2013 | 91.5 |
| 12 | 16 | David Ortiz* | dh | 2000-2015 | 137.9 |
| 12 | 16 | Aramis Ramirez | 3b | 2000-2015 | 105.8 |
| 12 | 16 | Mark Buehrle* | pi sp | 2000-2015 | 116.7 |
| 12 | 16 | Albert Pujols* | dh 1b | 2001-2016 | 175.3 |
| 12 | 16 | Ichiro Suzuki* | rf | 2001-2016 | 52.7 |
| 12 | 16 | CC Sabathia* | pi sp | 2001-2016 | 180.0 |
* Active streak
Streaks—Two players extended their lengthy consecutive season streaks earning Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday:
- Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia (7IP 6H 0R 6K W in the 7-0 win over the Orioles) has now earned Box-Toppers points in 16 straight seasons, tied for the 12th-longest streak since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. Sabathia earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2001 with the Indians and has 180.0 career points, ranked fifth among all players since 1995, second among all active players (behind teammate Alex Rodriguez, who has 187.0) and first among all active pitchers. His best year was 2008 with the Indians and Brewers, when he had 26.7 points, ranked first among all players. He had 5.7 points in 2015 with the Yankees.
- Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays (HR 2-4 R 2BI in the 4-3 win over the Rangers) has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2005 with the Reds and has 60.1 career points, seventh among active AL designated hitters. His best season was 2015 with the Blue Jays when he had 10.4 points, fifth among AL batters.
Rankings—Eugenio Suarez of the Reds rose to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday. Suarez (HR 3-4 R 3BI in the 7-4 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 4.5 for the season. He ranks second among NL batters, behind Yoenis Cespedes of the Mets (4.5).
Debut—Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Lee (2HR 2-4 2R 3BI in the 9-8 win over the Athletics) made his Major League debut April 4 and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,627th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Scoring—Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Kluber earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Murphy and Altuve 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 5/4 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.2 | Mets | Steven Matz (W,4-1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 11.0 | Rockies | Tyler Chatwood (W,4-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| AL | 9.0 | Indians | Corey Kluber (W,2-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Nationals | Daniel Murphy, 2B | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Yankees | CC Sabathia (W,2-2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Astros | Jose Altuve, 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Red Sox | Clay Buchholz (W,1-3) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | Eugenio Suarez, 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Mariners | Dae-Ho Lee, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Marlins | Giancarlo Stanton, RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Joe Smith (S,2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Kevin Siegrist (W,4-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Cubs | Anthony Rizzo, 1B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Rays | Steve Pearce, 1B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Blue Jays | Edwin Encarnacion, DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players
Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).| Player | Pos | Team | 16 | 15-16 | 11-16 | Career | +/- |
| Altuve, Jose 3007 | 2b | hou al | 5.0 | 12.0 | 21.5 | 21.5 | -2.0 |
| Matz, Steven 3516 | pi sp | nym nl | 5.0 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 1.5 |
| Suarez, Eugenio 3355 | 3b | cin nl | 4.5 | 7.5 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 1.5 |
| Kluber, Corey 3200 | pi sp | cle al | 3.4 | 16.8 | 47.6 | 47.6 | -10.0 |
| Rizzo, Anthony 3063 | 1b | chi nl | 3.0 | 11.5 | 27.0 | 27.0 | -5.5 |
| Siegrist, Kevin 3260 | pi mr cp | stl nl | 3.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | -1.0 |
| Chatwood, Tyler 2856 | pi sp | col nl | 3.0 | 3.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 3.0 |
| Stanton, Giancarlo 2737 | rf | fla nl | 2.0 | 7.5 | 29.2 | 34.7 | -3.5 |
| Murphy, Daniel 2589 | 2b | dc nl | 1.5 | 3.0 | 25.0 | 26.5 | 0.0 |
| Encarnacion, Edwin 2098 | dh | tor al | 1.0 | 11.4 | 39.6 | 60.1 | -9.4 |
| Buchholz, Clay 2363 | pi sp | bos al | 1.0 | 7.0 | 35.2 | 54.9 | -5.0 |
| Sabathia, C.C. 1492 | pi sp | nyy al | 1.0 | 6.7 | 41.5 | 180.0 | -4.7 |
| Smith, Joe 2388 | pi cp | ana al | 1.0 | 4.0 | 12.0 | 13.0 | -2.0 |
| Pearce, Steve 2371 | 1b | tb al | 1.0 | 3.5 | 13.0 | 15.0 | -1.5 |
| Lee, Dae-Ho 3627 | 1b | sea al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Athletics' Eric Surkamp tops players in Saturday, April 2's final spring training games
Athletics pitcher Eric Surkamp is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for Saturday, the final day of spring training.
Surkamp pitched seven scoreless innings of middle relief, striking out seven and allowing two hits, in the 4-1 win over the Giants. Surkamp had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the White Sox and Dodgers. He has 1.0 career Box-Toppers point, earned Sept. 16, 2014, with the White Sox.
National League Player of the Day—Jake Cave of the Reds tripled and went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 13-6 win over the Pirates. Cave has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and so has no career Box-Toppers points.
American League Batter of the Day—Mike Trout of the Angels hit two doubles and went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-1 win over the Dodgers. Trout had 12.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015, second among AL batters.
Trout had a Box-Toppers game score Saturday of +4.0, tied with Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners, who was Player of the Game in the 8-5 win over the Rockies. But Trout won AL Batter of the Day honors on a tiebreaker because he had more doubles—2 vs. 1.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Surkamp would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Cave would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day and Trout would earn 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Note—Thirteen spring training games were scheduled for Thursday—nine are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Twins vs. Nationals), one game was cancelled (Tigers vs. Braves) and two other games were not included because they involved non-Major League teams (Phillies Futures vs. Phillies and Brewers vs. Biloxi).
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 4/2 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 11.0 | Athletics | Eric Surkamp (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| BAT | 4.0 | Angels | Mike Trout CF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Mariners | Dae-Ho Lee 1B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| NL | 3.0 | Reds | Jake Cave LF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Indians | Rajai Davis CF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | White Sox | Travis Ishikawa 1B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Red Sox | Kyle Martin (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.1 | `Dbacks | Robbie Ray | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2.1 | Marlins | Chris Narveson (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||