Twins' Dillon Gee tops players for Monday, Aug. 21; Dodgers' Granderson tops NL players

Twins pitcher Dillon Gee is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Gee gave up one run over six innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out four, in the 10-2 win over the White Sox.

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Cubs' Kris Bryant tops players for Thursday, Aug. 18, rises to lead NL batters in Box-Toppers points

Kris Bryant of the Cubs is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to lead National League batters in season Box-Toppers player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of Aug. 18:  


Player Pos Team BTP
1 Kershaw, Clayton 2494 pi sp lad nl 20.0
2 Scherzer, Max 2588 pi sp dc nl 18.7
3 Kluber, Corey 3200 pi sp cle al 17.2
4 Fernandez, Jose 3147 pi sp fla nl 16.4
5 Cueto, Johnny 2400 pi sp sf nl 14.4
6 Lester, Jon 2173 pi sp chi nl 14.4
7 Hamels, Cole 2135 pi sp tex al 14.1
8 Strasburg, Stephen 2736 pi sp dc nl 14.1
9 Happ, J.A. 2536 pi sp tor al 12.7
10 Altuve, Jose 3007 2b hou al 12.5
What are those numbers after players' names?

Bryant hit two homers, doubled and went 5-for-5, scoring four times and driving in five runs, in the 9-6 win over the Brewers.

Bryant earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 9.0 for the season, most of any of the 11 who earned Player of the Game honors Thursday. Bryant now leads NL batters in Box-Toppers points, passing previous leader, Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals (8.5). Bryant ranks 32nd among all players.

American League Player of the Day—Royals pitcher Dillon Gee struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run, five hits and one walk, in the 8-1 win over the Twins.

American League Batter of the Day—J.J. Hardy of the Orioles hit two homers, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 13-5 win over the Astros.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Thursday because the overall Player of the Day was NL batter Kris Bryant.

Debut—Nationals pitcher Reynaldo Lopez made his Box-Toppers debut Thursday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors.

Lopez (7IP 4H 2R 2BB 11K W in the 8-2 win over the Braves) made his Major League debut July 19 and was playing in his fourth career game. He is the 3,712th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Bryant earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gee earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Hardy earns 1.5 points for being AL 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

8/18 Score Game Player of Game AB R H BI IP H R ER BB K
MLB 9.0 CHC 9, MIL 6 Kris Bryant, 3B 5 4 5 5 - - - - - -
9.0 WSH 8, ATL 2 Reynaldo Lopez (W,2-1) - - - - 7.0 4 2 1 2 11
AL 6.0 KC 8, MIN 1 Dillon Gee (W,5-6) - - - - 7.0 5 1 1 1 7
5.0 SF 10, NYM 7 Eduardo Nunez, 3B 4 2 4 3 - - - - - -
BAT 5.0 BAL 13, HOU 5 J.J. Hardy, SS 4 3 3 3 - - - - - -
3.0 CIN 5, MIA 4 Dan Straily (W,9-6) - - - - 6.0 6 2 2 0 7
3.0 `CLE 5, CHW 4 Mike Clevinger - - - - 4.0 2 1 1 1 4
2.0 SD 9, ARI 8 Travis Jankowski, CF 5 3 4 0 - - - - - -
1.0 LAA 6, SEA 4 Yunel Escobar, 3B 4 2 3 0 - - - - - -
1.0 PHI 5, LAD 4 Maikel Franco, 3B 4 1 2 2 - - - - - -
1.0 DET 4, BOS 3 Justin Upton, PR-DH 0 1 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 +/-
Bryant, Kris 3465 lf 3b rf chi nl 9.0 17.5 17.5 17.5 0.5
Nunez, Eduardo 2795 3b 2b ss sf nl 5.5 7.5 13.5 15.0 3.5
Franco, Maikel 3510 3b phi nl 4.5 7.7 7.7 7.7 1.3
Hardy, J.J. 2071 ss bal al 4.2 4.2 25.6 52.8 4.2
Upton, Justin 2411 lf det al 4.0 13.0 39.9 48.4 -5.0
Straily, Dan 3080 pi sp cin nl 4.0 4.0 14.7 14.7 4.0
Gee, Dillon 2808 pi sp kc al 3.7 4.7 31.5 32.5 2.7
Jankowski, Travis 3696 cf sd nl 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5
Clevinger, Mike 3707 pi sp mr cle al 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Escobar, Yunel 2331 3b ana al 1.0 5.0 20.0 41.0 -3.0
Lopez, Reynaldo 3712 pi sp dc nl 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?

Padres' Burch Smith tops players for Sunday, Sept. 15, Tigers' Scherzer leads AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points

Box-Toppers Daily Scorecard graphic.png

Padres pitcher Burch Smith is Sunday's Player of the Day, while Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer takes the Box-Toppers points lead among American League pitchers.

Smith pitched seven shutout innings and struck out 10 in the 4-0 win over the Braves. Smith gave up only three hits and didn't give up the first hit until the sixth inning. This was Smith's Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,281st player to make his Box-Toppers debut since record keeping began in 1995. 

Scherzer, American League Player of the Day, rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers player rankings (see the updated top 10 list on the home page) and now has more points than any other AL pitcher. Scherzer struck out 12 and gave up only one run over seven innings in the 3-2 win over the Royals. Scherzer, however picked up a no-decision because the Royals tied the game 2-2 in the eighth inning after he left—but the Tigers went ahead to stay 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth. So even though Scherzer again failed to pick up his 20th win of the season (he's 19-3), he is still the Box-Toppers Player of the Game—and AL Player of the Day.

Scherzer earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 17.1 for the season, passing previous AL pitching leader Justin Masterson of the Indians (16.4). Scherzer also becomes top overall AL player in Box-Toppers points, passing Tigers teammate Miguel Cabrera (16.9).

Wilson Ramos of the Nationals is National League Batter of the Day. Ramos drove in five runs and went 4-for-4 in the 11-2 win over the Phillies.

Matt Carson of the Indians is AL Batter of the Day. Carson homered, drove in two runs and went 3-for-3 in the 7-1 win over the White Sox. This was Carson's Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,282nd player to make his Box-Toppers debut since record keeping began in 1995. 

Notables: Two other players who earned Player of the Game honors Sunday are among the top 40 in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season: 

  • Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks rises to 18th place and remains top NL batter. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (HR 5RBI 4-4 in 8-2 win vs. Rockies), giving him 13.7 for the season.
  • Mets pitcher Dillon Gee rises to 40th place. He earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game (7.1IP 0R 8K ND in 1-0, 12-inning win vs. Marlins), giving him 10.7 for the season.

Smith receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Scherzer receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Ramos and Carson each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Sunday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

915ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB12.0Padres 0000000  Burch Smith (W, 1-1)7.0300210
AL11.0`Tigers 0000000  Max Scherzer 7.0511112
 7.1`Mets 0000000  Dillon Gee 7.160028
BAT7.0Nationals Wilson Ramos C424500  00.000000
 6.0Diamondbacks Paul Goldschmidt 1B414500  00.000000
 5.0Angels 0000000  Ernesto Frieri (S, 34)2.010004
 4.0Giants Hunter Pence RF322310  00.000000
 3.1`Orioles 0000000  Tommy Hunter (H, 20)1.100002
 3.0Cardinals Yadier Molina C534100  00.000000
BAT3.0Indians Matt Carson RF313200  00.000000
 2.0Twins Josmil Pinto C311310  00.000000
 2.0Red Sox Dustin Pedroia 2B321220000000000
 2.0Pirates 0000000  Mark Melancon (S, 16)1.000001
 1.0Brewers Jean Segura SS412200  00.000000
 1.0Athletics Josh Reddick RF412200  00.000000

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

 

Pirates' Liriano tops players for Monday, Aug. 19; Marlins' Fernandez rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers player rankings

Box-Toppers Daily Scorecard graphic.png

Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Monday, Aug. 19:

Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano, Tuesday's Player of the Day, rises to eighth place in Box-Toppers player standings, while Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez rises to third. 

Liriano pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out 13 in the 3-1 win over the Padres. Liriano earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 14.7 for the season.

Fernandez rose from eighth to third place in Box-Toppers player season standings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Fernandez (6IP 8K W in the 6-2 win vs. the Dodgers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 16.0 for the season. The rookie pitcher, now Box-Toppers top contender for rookie of the year, has earned 10.0 of his 16.0 points since July 1. 

Mets pitcher Dillon Gee is National League Player of the Day. Gee struck out nine over 7 2/3 innings in the 6-1 win over the Twins. 

Nate Schierholtz of the Cubs is NL Batter of the Day. Schierholtz hit two home runs, drove in six runs and went 3-for-4 in the 11-1 win over the Nationals.

A.J. Pierzynski of the Rangers is American League Batter of the Day. Pierzynski homered, drove in five runs and went 4-for-5 in the 16-5 win over the Astros. 

Liriano receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Gee receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Schierholtz and Pierzynski each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Monday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

819ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB14.0Pirates 0000000  Francisco Liriano (W, 14-5)7.0400213
NL8.2Mets 0000000  Dillon Gee (W, 9-8)7.261019
BAT7.0Cubs Nate Schierholtz RF423600  00.000000
 7.0Athletics 0000000  Jarrod Parker (W, 9-6)9.081108
BAT6.0Rangers A.J. Pierzynski C524501  00.000000
 4.0Marlins 0000000  Jose Fernandez (W, 9-5)6.042138
 3.1Red Sox 0000000  Jon Lester (W, 11-7)8.160023
 2.1Phillies 0000000  Ethan Martin (W, 2-2)6.142226
 2.1Indians 0000000  Zach McAllister (W, 6-7)6.151125
 2.0Rays Matt Joyce LF312200  00.000000
 2.0Cardinals David Freese PH101200  00.000000
 1.0Reds Brandon Phillips 2B423001  00.000000

Mets' Dillon Gee, Orioles' Freddy Garcia top players for Thursday, May 30

Box-Toppers Daily Scorecard graphic.png

Mets pitcher Dillon Gee is Thursday's Player of the Day. Gee struck out 12 over 7 1/3 innings in the 3-1 win over the Yankees.

Orioles pitcher Freddy Garcia is American League Player of the Day. Garcia gave up no runs over eight innings and struck out six in the 2-0 win over the Nationals.​

Ramiro Pena of the Braves is National League Batter of the Day. Pena went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the 11-3 win over the Blue Jays.​

Chris Carter of the Astros is AL Batter of the Day. Carter homered and drove in three runs in the 7-5 win over the Rockies.​

Note: Cubs pitcher Travis Wood is Player of the Game in the team's 8-3 win over the White Sox. However, Wood was given the honor for his batting performance. He went 2-for-4 and hit a grand slam. (He also pitched six innings, struck out six and gave up only two runs.)

Gee receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Garcia receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Pena and Carter each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.

All of Thursday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:​

530ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB13.1Mets 0000000  Dillon Gee (W, 3-6)7.1411012
AL11.0Orioles 0000000  Freddy Garcia (W, 2-2)8.030006
 6.0Mariners 0000000  Felix Hernandez (W, 6-4)8.031136
 4.2Rays 0000000  Alex Colome (W, 1-0)5.251027
BAT4.0Braves Ramiro Pena 2B413400  00.000000
 4.0Cubs Travis Wood P312400  00.000000
BAT2.0Astros Chris Carter LF311300  00.000000
 2.0Red Sox David Ortiz 1B221120  00.000000
 2.0Indians Ryan Raburn RF111110  00.000000
 2.0Royals Jeff Francoeur RF111100  00.000000
 2.0Angels 0000000  Jason Vargas (W, 5-3)7.052226
 2.0`Pirates 0000000  Mark Melancon 1.000001
 2.0Twins 0000000  Jared Burton (S, 2)1.000001
 1.0Giants Pablo Sandoval 3B412200  00.000000
 1.0Rangers Nelson Cruz RF422111  00.000000

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.

Gee, Grimm top players for Sunday, April 21

Mets pitcher Dillon Gee is Sunday's Player of the Day. Gee pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings and struck out six in the 2-0 win over the Nationals.

Rangers pitcher Justin Grimm is American League Player of the Day. Grimm struck out nine over six innings in the 11-3 win over the Mariners.​

Eric Kratz of the Phillies is National League Batter of the Day. Kratz hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4 ​in the 7-3 win over the Cardinals.

No AL batter was named Player of the Game, so no bonus points were awarded Sunday for AL Batter of the Day. It was a pitching-dominated day Sunday, as only two batters were named Players of the Game in the 16 games played.​

Gee receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Grimm receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Kratz receives 1.5 points for NL  Batter of the Day.

All of Sunday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:

421ScoreTeamBATTERSABRHRBIBBSO--PITCHERSIPHRERBBSO
MLB5.2Mets 0000000  Dillon Gee (W, 1-3)5.230036
 5.0Giants 0000000  Barry Zito (W, 3-1)7.050014
AL5.0Rangers 0000000  Justin Grimm (W, 1-0)6.062119
 5.0Rays 0000000  Roberto Hernandez (W, 1-3)6.031137
 4.0Royals 0000000  Ervin Santana (W, 2-1)7.062207
 4.0Reds 0000000  Logan Ondrusek (W, 1-0)1.000003
 4.0Royals 0000000  Greg Holland (S, 5)1.000003
BAT3.0Phillies Erik Kratz C422300  00.000000
 3.0Angels 0000000  Jerome Williams (W, 1-0)3.020002
 3.0Twins 0000000  Glen Perkins (S, 5)1.000002
 3.0Brewers 0000000  Jim Henderson (S, 4)1.000002
 3.0Diamondbacks 0000000  Heath Bell (W, 2-0)1.000002
 2.1Blue Jays 0000000  Brett Cecil (W, 1-0)1.110002
 2.0Pirates 0000000  Jason Grilli (S, 7)1.000012
 1.0Dodgers Mark Ellis 2B411302  00.000000
 1.0`Indians 0000000  Joe Smith (H, 2)1.020002

` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.