Mariners’ Kirby tops players for Tuesday, Aug. 25; Orioles’ Alonso rises to lead AL batters

Mariners pitcher George Kirby is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

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Mariners pitcher George Kirby is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Tuesday, Pete Alonso of the Orioles rises to first place among American League batters, passing previous leader Yordan Alvarez of the Astros, after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.

Other Player of the Game winners Tuesday include Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes and Ryan Waldschmidt of the Diamondbacks.

Player of the Day: George Kirby, Mariners

Kirby struck out nine over 7.2 innings, allowing one run, six hits and one walk, in the 4-1 win over the Phillies.

Kirby earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 65th among all players and 30th among American League pitchers.

NL Player of the Day: Paul Skenes, Pirates.

NL Player of the Day: Paul Skenes, Pirates

Skenes struck out four over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Padres. Skenes did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.

He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, 17th among all players and ninth among NL pitchers.

AL Batter of the Day: Pete Alonso, Orioles.

2026 Box-Toppers points—AL batters 1—Pete Alonso #Orioles 8.2* 2—Yordan Alvarez #Astros 7.5 3—Yandy Díaz #Rays 7.5 4—Willson Contreras #RedSox 7.0 5—Nick Kurtz #Athletics 7.0 6—Kody Clemens #Twins 7.0 *Earns 1.5 B-T points as Tuesday AL Batter of the Day www.box-toppers.com/blog/2026/8/...

— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 7:53 AM · Aug 26, 2026

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in 2026 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Tuesday, Aug. 25.

	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Jacob Misiorowski	pi sp	Brewers	21.4
2	Dylan Cease	pi sp	Blue Jays	18.4
3	Jesús Luzardo	pi sp	Phillies	18.0
4	Braxton Ashcraft	pi sp	Pirates	16.4
5	Cristopher Sánchez	pi sp	Phillies	15.7
6	Cam Schlittler	pi sp	Yankees	15.7
7	Shohei Ohtani	pi sp dh	Dodgers	15.7
8	Gavin Williams	pi sp	Guardians	13.7
9	Kyle Harrison	pi sp	Brewers	13.7
10	Bryan Woo	pi sp	Mariners	13.4

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AL Batter of the Day: Pete Alonso, Orioles

Alonso hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 13-1 win over the Cardinals.

Alonso earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.2 for the season, rising to first place among AL batters, passing previous leader Yordan Alvarez of the Astros (7.5 points). Alonso ranks 43rd among all players.

NL Batter of the Day: Ryan Waldschmidt, Diamondbacks

Waldschmidt hit a walk-off, pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the 5-4 win over the Cubs. Waldschmidt went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in two runs.

Debut

Tuesday’s Sidelights Sidebar

Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:

⬛ Holmes posts Tuesday’s best game score but D-backs come back to beat Cubs in walk-off

Three 2026 rookie relief pitchers made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, each earning their first career Player of the Game honor:

• Nate Lavender of the Mets (2IP 0H 0R 0BB K ND in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut Aug. 4 and was playing in his ninth career game.

• Drew Sommers of the Tigers (1.2IP 0H 0R 0BB K W in the 4-1 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut Aug. 22, 2025, and was playing in his 36th career game.

• Mark Manfredi of the Rockies (1IP H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 3-1 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut Aug. 19 and was playing in his fourth career game.

Scoring

• Kirby earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.

• Skenes earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.

• Alonso and Waldschmidt each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.

• All of Tuesday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers

Box-Toppers tracks who contributes most to their team’s victory. Using standard box score statistics, we identify the Player of the Game for every MLB contest. In the regular season, winners earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point, with bonus points awarded to the top overall and league-specific players of the day. More on how Box-Toppers works.

Help us stay accurate! Spot a mistake? Contact Box-Toppers here so we can fix it.

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Box‑Toppers Player of the Game winners

Here is the top player from each of the day’s games listed from highest to lowest Box‑Toppers game score (BTG).

8/25	BTG	Game	Player	AB	R	H	BI		IP	H	R	ER	BB	K
MLB	7.2	SEA 4, PHI 1	George Kirby (W, 9‑10)	‑	‑	‑	‑		7.2	6	1	1	1	9
NL	7.0	`PIT 1, SD 0	Paul Skenes	‑	‑	‑	‑		6.0	3	0	0	0	4
	6.1	ATH 4, MIN 2	Gage Jump (W, 6‑8)	‑	‑	‑	‑		6.1	3	2	2	2	9
BAT	6.0	BAL 13, STL 1	Pete Alonso 1B	4	2	4	4		‑	‑	‑	‑	‑	‑
	5.0	HOU 9, NYY 7	Yainer Diaz C	4	3	3	3		‑	‑	‑	‑	‑	‑
	5.0	CHW 11, TEX 7	Tristan Peters LF	3	2	3	3		‑	‑	‑	‑	‑	‑
	4.0	CLE 8, LAA 6 (F/10)	Steven Kwan DH‑CF	5	3	5	1		‑	‑	‑	‑	‑	‑
	4.0	BOS 7, MIA 3 (F/11)	Mickey Gasper DH	2	2	2	2		‑	‑	‑	‑	‑	‑
	3.1	SF 3, CIN 1	Anthony Molina (W, 1‑0)	‑	‑	‑	‑		4.1	1	0	0	1	1
BAT	3.0	ARI 5, CHC 4	Ryan Waldschmidt PH	1	1	1	2		‑	‑	‑	‑	‑	‑
	3.0	`NYM 3, MIL 2 (F/10)	Nate Lavender (H, 6)	‑	‑	‑	‑		2.0	0	0	0	0	1
	2.2	DET 4, TB 1	Drew Sommers (W, 1‑3)	‑	‑	‑	‑		1.2	0	0	0	0	1
	2.0	COL 3, WSH 1	Mark Manfredi (W, 1‑0)	‑	‑	‑	‑		1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	1.0	ATL 4, LAD 3	Ozzie Albies 2B	3	0	2	2		‑	‑	‑	‑	‑	‑
	1.0	KC 5, TOR 3	Seth Lugo (W, 6‑7)	‑	‑	‑	‑		5.0	6	1	1	1	5

MLB—Overall Box‑Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box‑Toppers points.
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box‑Toppers points.
All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box‑Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no‑decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s Player of the Game winners

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total in 2026 (’26). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’25-26), the period 2021-2026 (’21-26) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2026 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2025 total (+/-).
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Player of the Game	Pos	Team	’26	’25‑26	’21‑26	Career	+/‑
Skenes, Paul 5005	pi sp	pit nl	12.7	33.8	46.8	46.8	-8.4
Alonso, Pete 4118	1b	bal al	8.2	15.4	50.3	58.8	+1.0
Kirby, George 4595	pi sp	sea al	7.0	18.0	58.5	58.5	-4.0
Jump, Gage 5372	pi sp	oak al	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	+6.0
Albies, Ozzie 3953	2b	atl nl	5.5	8.5	22.0	31.5	+2.5
Diaz, Yainer 4871	ca	hou al	3.5	6.7	10.2	10.2	+0.3
Gasper, Mickey 5267	dh	bos al	3.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	+2.0
Waldschmidt, Ryan 5361	cf ph	ari nl	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	+2.5
Lugo, Seth 3729	pi sp	kc al	2.0	7.0	29.5	45.5	-3.0
Peters, Tristan 5433	cf lf	chi al	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	+2.0
Kwan, Steven 4573	dh cf	cle al	1.0	4.5	15.7	15.7	-2.5
Molina, Anthony 5112	pi mr	sf nl	1.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	+1.0
Lavender, Nate 5448	pi mr	nym nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	+1.0
Manfredi, Mark 5450	pi mr	col nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	+1.0
Sommers, Drew 5449	pi mr	det al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	+1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Wednesday’s pitching matchups

A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day's probable pitching matchups. Teams are paired below with visiting teams on top and home teams on the bottom. Each team's starting pitcher is shown with their Box-Toppers point total from 2026 ('26), this year and last year ('25-26), over six years ('21-26), and their career point total.
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Game	Starter	’26	’25‑26	’21‑26	Career
TB	Peralta, Freddy 3965	0.0	14.7	65.9	84.6
DET	Melton, Troy 5231	7.0	10.7	10.7	10.7
CHC	Boyd, Matthew 3550	3.0	13.7	18.7	45.5
ARI	Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480	7.0	11.7	35.7	79.9
CIN	Lodolo, Nick 4586	1.0	10.7	26.7	26.7
SF	Roupp, Landen 5079	5.0	9.7	11.7	11.7
CLE	Cantillo, Joey 5106	9.7	15.4	18.4	18.4
LAA	Rodriguez, Grayson 4790	1.0	1.0	13.0	13.0
PHI	Luzardo, Jesus 4282	18.0	35.4	66.6	71.3
SEA	Woo, Bryan 4842	13.4	31.4	51.8	51.8
PIT	Chandler, Bubba 5269	3.0	7.7	7.7	7.7
SD	Vasquez, Randy 4841	7.4	12.8	15.8	15.8
BOS	Gray, Sonny 3259	12.0	26.0	67.3	136.3
MIA	Gusto, Ryan 5156	3.0	4.0	4.0	4.0
COL	Gordon, Tanner 5230	0.0	3.7	3.7	3.7
WSH	Waldron, Matt 4946	1.0	1.0	8.0	8.0
HOU	Lambert, Peter 4155	6.7	6.7	11.7	13.7
NYY	Undecided	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
KC	Dobnak, Randy 4263	1.0	1.0	2.0	6.0
TOR	Miles, Spencer 5357	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0
MIL	May, Dustin 4214	6.7	12.4	20.1	24.1
NYM	Stock, Robert 5437	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
LAD	Sasaki, Roki 5358	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4
ATL	Smith-Shawver, AJ 4951	0.0	4.7	6.7	6.7
TEX	Gore, MacKenzie 4582	10.0	18.7	38.4	38.4
CHW	Burke, Sean 5124	11.1	14.8	15.8	15.8
BAL	Bradish, Kyle 4597	7.1	8.1	33.1	33.1
STL	McGreevy, Michael 5113	5.0	9.0	11.0	11.0
MIN	Prielipp, Connor 5397	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
ATH	Ginn, J.T. 5142	4.0	9.7	9.7	9.7

Starters subject to change.
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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Dodgers flip script, strong batting in 2024 to top pitching in 2025, but win titles both years

Pitchers vs. batters breakdown of teams’ 2025 Box-Toppers point totals

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent the last two seasons proving there is more than one way to win a World Series.

In 2024, they won the title with batters who ranked third in team Box-Toppers points and pitchers who ranked 11th. A year later, the script flipped: pitchers surged to third while batters fell to 12th.

It was a total inversion of identity, yet it resulted in the exact same hardware.

While conventional wisdom says pitching wins championships, the Box-Toppers data reveals a more fluid reality where teams can successfully pivot their entire competitive identity from one season to the next. By examining the balance of points earned by batters versus pitchers across all 30 clubs, we can see which teams are built to rake, which are built to shut down, and how those factors affected their success.

Story continues below the chart

2025 team rankings with batting vs. pitching breakdown

Here are Box-Toppers 2025 final team rankings with a breakdown of Box-Toppers points won by batters vs. pitchers.
• Columns at left show the overall ranking of teams by total Box-Toppers points accumulated by players during the season.
• The next two columns show each team’s Box-Toppers points earned by batters and their ranking among all teams.
• The next two columns show each team’s Box-Toppers points earned by pitchers and their ranking among all teams.
• The next two columns show the percentage of Box-Toppers points that were won by batters and pitchers on each team.
• The final two columns show each team’s total wins for the season, followed by an indicator of whether the team made the playoffs (Y=Yes).
▶︎The Philadelphia Phillies led all teams in 2025 Box-Toppers points (131.4).
▶︎The Chicago Cubs had the most points won by batters (55.1).
▶︎The Phillies had the most points won by pitchers (94.4).
▶︎The San Francisco Giants had the highest percentage of its points won by batters (57.4).
▶︎The Pittsburgh Pirates had the highest percentage of its points won by pitchers (74.9).

Team	Overall Rank	Total BTP	Batter rank	Batter BTP	Pitcher rank	Pitcher BTP	Batter %	Pitcher %	Wins	Playoffs
Phillies	1	131.4	15	37.0	1	94.4	28.2%	71.8%	96	Y
Yankees	2	127.1	2	53.5	7	73.6	42.1%	57.9%	94	Y
Rangers	3	123.6	16	36.7	2	86.9	29.7%	70.3%	81
Padres	4	118.6	11	40.0	4	78.6	33.7%	66.3%	90	Y
Dodgers	5	117.9	12	39.1	3	78.8	33.2%	66.8%	93	Y
Mariners	6	117.6	10	41.7	5	75.9	35.5%	64.5%	90	Y
Cubs	7	117.6	1	55.1	13	62.5	46.9%	53.1%	92	Y
Red Sox	8	112.7	4	49.7	12	63.0	44.1%	55.9%	89	Y
Brewers	9	112.6	3	52.2	15	60.4	46.4%	53.6%	97	Y
Blue Jays	10	111.7	7	42.9	10	68.8	38.4%	61.6%	94	Y
Tigers	11	109.3	17	34.0	6	75.3	31.1%	68.9%	87	Y
Royals	12	107.4	14	38.2	8	69.2	35.6%	64.4%	82
Braves	13	106.0	6	46.2	16	59.8	43.6%	56.4%	76
Mets	14	104.5	8	42.7	14	61.8	40.9%	59.1%	83
Reds	15	102.7	18	33.5	9	69.2	32.6%	67.4%	83	Y
Astros	16	101.9	9	42.7	17	59.2	41.9%	58.1%	87
Guardians	17	96.3	22	31.5	11	64.8	32.7%	67.3%	88	Y
Marlins	18	84.9	19	33.5	20	51.4	39.5%	60.5%	79
Giants	19	84.8	5	48.7	28	36.1	57.4%	42.6%	81
Angels	20	84.6	13	38.5	24	46.1	45.5%	54.5%	72
Cardinals	21	80.4	21	31.7	22	48.7	39.4%	60.6%	78
Rays	22	80.0	27	26.5	18	53.5	33.1%	66.9%	77
Athletics	23	77.4	23	31.2	23	46.2	40.3%	59.7%	76
Orioles	24	76.5	26	27.7	21	48.8	36.2%	63.8%	75
Twins	25	75.4	24	30.7	25	44.7	40.7%	59.3%	70
D‑backs	26	74.9	25	30.7	26	44.2	41.0%	59.0%	80
Pirates	27	69.7	30	17.5	19	52.2	25.1%	74.9%	71
White Sox	28	64.4	20	33.0	29	31.4	51.2%	48.8%	60
Nationals	29	60.1	29	23.7	27	36.4	39.4%	60.6%	66
Rockies	30	47.0	28	24.9	30	22.1	53.0%	47.0%	43

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The Dodgers shift from 2024 to 2025

The Dodgers shifted their focus from a more batting-heavy team in 2024 to a more pitching-dominated squad in 2025. However, their focus on batting in 2024 was largely driven by necessity.

In fact, before the 2024 season, the Dodgers stocked up on star pitchers and planned on having shut-down hurlers for the season. But injuries limited their frontline starters, forcing Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to piece together pitching rotations with relievers serving as short-term starters in bullpen games and nursing along starters in short-inning stints as they returned from the injured list.

Still, it worked. They won the World Series over the Yankees in five games.

In 2024, the Dodgers ranked eighth among all teams in total Box-Toppers points (113.7), but were one of eight teams in which batters earned more than 40 percent of the team’s points. Batters earned 47.5 points (41.8 percent of the team’s total), third-most among all teams, while pitchers earned 66.2 points (58.2 percent), 11th-most among all teams.

But in 2025, the script flipped as Dodgers pitching rebounded. The team earned 117.9 total Box-Toppers points, fifth among all teams. Pitchers earned 78.8 of those points (66.8 percent of the team’s total), third among all teams, while batters earned 39.1 points (33.2 percent), 12th among all teams.

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And despite the different approach in 2025, the Dodgers won the World Series again, this time in seven games against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Dodgers pitchers’ gain of 12.6 Box-Toppers points from 2024 to 2025 was fueled by team leader Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 17.7 Box-Toppers points, seventh overall and fourth among National League pitchers. In 2024, he earned just 6.4 points as he battled injury. Other notable Dodgers pitchers in 2025:

• Clayton Kershaw, who in his final year before retirement earned 8.4 Box-Toppers points, a boost from the 2.0 he earned in his injury-shortened 2024 season.

• Offseason pickup Blake Snell also bolstered the Dodgers’ pitching numbers in 2025, adding 7.0 points—even though it was less than the 15.7 he earned in 2024 with the Giants.

• Andrew Heaney also oddly augmented the Dodgers’ pitching numbers, although his actual contributions to the team were minimal. Heaney earned 8.7 Box-Toppers points in 2025, all with the Pirates before being released Aug. 29. The Dodgers signed him Sept. 1, and though he only pitched one game for them, his 8.7 points are included in the Dodgers’ total since he was signed to the team at season’s end. His 8.7 points rank second among all Dodgers, behind only Yamamoto, despite his lack of contributions. Heaney, 34, announced his retirement in December.

While the Dodgers saw an increase in Box-Toppers points from pitchers from 2024 to 2025, team batters’ points decreased from 47.5 in 2024 to 39.1 in 2025. Shohei Ohtani led all Dodgers batters in 2024 with 11.0 Box-Toppers points in an explosive season in which he hit 54 home runs, stole 59 bases and scored 134 runs. But while he was arguably as productive offensively in 2025 (55 homers and 146 runs) he only earned 5.5 total Box-Toppers points in 2025 and only 3.5 as a batter—the other 2.0 were earned as a pitcher.

That means Ohtani’s points earned as a batter declined 7.5 points from 2024 to 2025 (from 11.0 to 3.5), which constitutes most of the 8.4-point drop in points earned by Dodgers’ batters in 2025.

Despite his elite offensive performance, Ohtani did not win Box-Toppers points as Player of the Game in team wins as often in 2025. There were five team wins in which Ohtani recorded a Box-Toppers game score of +3.0 or better, usually high enough for a batter to earn Player of the Game honors. But teammates with higher game scores—often the Dodgers’ resurgent pitchers of 2025—won the honor instead.

Top 5 teams in Box-Toppers points by pitchers

Teams with the most success in 2025, like the Dodgers, generally were more reliant on strong pitching. The top five overall teams in pitching points in 2025 were also among the top six teams in overall Box-Toppers points. Four of the five teams with the most pitching points made the postseason.

Box-Toppers’ five top pitching teams:

1. Philadelphia Phillies 94.4 (1st overall).

2. Texas Rangers 86.9 (3rd overall).

3. Los Angeles Dodgers 78.8 (5th overall).

4. San Diego Padres 78.6 (4th overall).

5. Seattle Mariners 75.9 (6th overall).

1. Philadelphia Phillies, most points among pitchers—94.4

The Philadelphia Phillies led all teams in 2025 with their players accumulating 131.4 Box-Toppers points. Their pitchers accounted for 94.4 points, the most of any team, led by four pitchers who were among the top 10 NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points:

• Zack Wheeler (20.1 points, 3rd overall, 2nd among NL pitchers).

• Jesús Luzardo (17.4 points, 8th overall, 5th among NL pitchers).

• Ranger Suárez (15.8 points, 10th overall, 6th among NL pitchers).

• Cristopher Sánchez (15.4 points, 11th overall, 7th among NL pitchers).

A look at how teams finished in Box-Toppers rankings for 2025.

Meanwhile, Phillies batters earned 37.0 of the team’s points in 2025, 15th-most among all teams. That means pitchers won 71.8 percent of the team’s points while batters won 28.2 percent. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates had a higher percentage of their Box-Toppers points generated by pitchers (74.9 percent).

Still, while the Phillies’ percentage of points earned by batters was second-lowest, the team’s Kyle Schwarber led NL batters with 12.0 Box-Toppers points, constituting nearly a third of the 37.0 points earned by Phillies batters in 2025.

2. Texas Rangers—86.9 points

How could a team with seemingly such strong pitching end up not making the postseason and finish with a .500 record?

It’s because the Rangers acquired three pitchers who earned most of their points elsewhere earlier in the season:

• Merrill Kelly earned 12.7 Box-Toppers points, but earned 9.7 with the Diamondbacks before his July 31 trade to the Rangers.

• Cal Quantrill earned 6.7 points, but earned all of them with the Marlins before signing with the Rangers as a free agent on Sept. 7.

• Phil Maton earned 4.0 points, but earned 2.0 with the Cardinals before his July 31 trade to the Rangers.

Subtracting the 18.4 points earned by the pitchers elsewhere would give Rangers pitchers 68.5 total points, dropping them from second to 10th place among teams.

These “phantom” pitching points boosted the Rangers beyond their team standing. They accumulated 123.6 Box-Toppers points, third overall and highest of any non-playoff team. They finished with 81 wins, tied for 16th among all teams. Subtracting the 18.4 points their pitchers earned for other teams would give them 105.2 points, putting them in a more fitting 13th place among all teams.

Still, despite the “phantom” points, the Rangers boasted two other pitchers with more than 10.0 Box-Toppers points in 2025:

• Nathan Eovaldi (14.4 points, 14th overall, 6th among AL pitchers).

• Jacob deGrom (11.0 points, 35th overall, 20th among AL pitchers).

The Rangers also had the third-highest share of their team points earned by pitchers (70.3 percent), behind the Pirates (74.9) and the Phillies (71.8).

3. Los Angeles Dodgers—78.8 points

The Dodgers had the third-most points earned by pitchers in 2025, 78.8 of their 117.9 total points. They ranked fifth overall and their 66.8 percent of points earned by pitchers was the eighth-most among all teams.

Five of the Dodgers’ top six players are full-time pitchers, led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto (17.7 points, first among Dodgers players, fourth among NL pitchers, and seventh overall). Other key Dodgers pitchers include:

• Andrew Heaney (8.7 points, 2nd among Dodgers, 62nd overall), who earned all of his points with the Pirates before his release and joined the Dodgers late in the season and only pitched in one game. So while his points “officially” belong to the Dodgers since he was a member of the team, his contribution to the team was, in reality, insignificant.

• Clayton Kershaw (8.4 points, 3rd among Dodgers, 72nd overall).

• Blake Snell (7.0 points, 5th among Dodgers, 98th overall).

Shohei Ohtani earned 5.5 Box-Toppers points in 2025, 171st overall. He earned 2.0 of his points as a pitcher and 3.5 as a batter.

4. San Diego Padres—78.6 points

The Padres had the fourth-most points earned by pitchers, 78.6 of their 118.6 points. They ranked fourth overall and their 66.3 percent of points earned by pitchers was the ninth-most among all teams. Three of the Padres’ top-four players in 2025 were pitchers, led by:

• Nick Pivetta (17.7 points, 6th overall).

• Dylan Cease (8.7 points, 61st overall).

• Mason Miller (7.0 points, 108th overall).

Manny Machado with 9.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked second among Padres players (and third among NL batters). Padres batters earned 40.0 points, 11th-most among all teams.

5. Seattle Mariners—75.9 points

The Mariners had the fifth-most points earned by pitchers, 75.9 of their 117.6 points. They ranked sixth overall and their 64.5 percent of points earned by pitchers was the 10th-highest share among all teams.

Four Mariners pitchers, each with more than 10.0 Box-Toppers points, led the team in points in 2025. Three of them were among the top 10 AL pitchers in points in 2025:

• Bryan Woo (18.0 points, 5th overall, 3rd among AL pitchers).

• Luis Castillo (16.1 points, 9th overall, 4th among AL pitchers).

• Logan Gilbert (13.1 points, 20th overall, 10th among AL pitchers).

• George Kirby (11.0 points, 34th overall, 19th among AL pitchers).

Top 5 teams in Box-Toppers points by batters

While elite hitting is often a ticket to October—four of the top five batting teams made the postseason—it doesn't carry the same weight as elite pitching. The “quality gap” is clear when looking at overall team rankings: The top five pitching teams have a combined rank sum of just 19 (an average rank of 3.8). Meanwhile, the top five batting teams more than double that total with a sum of 45 (an average rank of 9.0). In short: the best pitching staffs anchor the very top of the leaderboard, while the best hitting teams sit further back in the pack.

Box-Toppers’ five top batting teams:

1. Chicago Cubs 55.1 (7th overall).

2. New York Yankees 53.5 (2nd overall).

3. Milwaukee Brewers 52.2 (9th overall).

4. Boston Red Sox 49.7 (8th overall).

5. San Francisco Giants 48.7 (19th overall).

1. Chicago Cubs, most points among batters—55.1

The Cubs had the most points earned by batters in 2025, 55.1 of their 117.6 total points. They ranked seventh overall and their 46.9 percent of points earned by batters was fourth-most among all teams.

Four of the Cubs’ top eight players are batters, including two top 10 NL batters. They are led by Seiya Suzuki, whose 9.5 points is fourth-most on the team, behind pitchers Matthew Boyd (10.7), Jameson Taillon (10.1) and Cade Horton (9.7). Suzuki ranks fourth among NL batters, 52nd overall. Other key Cubs batters include:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong (9.5 points, 5th among Cubs, 5th among NL batters, 54th overall).

• Ian Happ (6.0 points, 7th among Cubs, 138th overall).

• Carson Kelly (6.0 points, 8th among Cubs, 151st overall).

2. New York Yankees—53.5 points

The Yankees had the second-most points earned by batters in 2025, most among American League teams, 53.5 of their 127.1 total points. They ranked second overall and their 42.1 percent of points earned by batters was the ninth-most among all teams.

Four of the Yankees’ top nine players are batters, led by Jazz Chisholm Jr., whose 7.2 points was fifth among all Yankees behind pitchers Max Fried (14.4), Carlos Rodón (13.7), Will Warren (9.4) and Cam Schlittler (7.4). Chisholm’s 7.2 points ranked 12th among AL batters and 95th overall. The other three batters among the Yankees’ top nine players:

• Trent Grisham (7.2 points, 6th among Yankees, 96th overall).

• Aaron Judge (6.5 points, 8th among Yankees, 127th overall). While Judge put up impressive offensive numbers and was voted AL Most Valuable Player, he was often beaten by teammates with higher Box-Toppers game scores for Player of the Game honors.

• Cody Bellinger (5.9 points, 9th among Yankees, 158th overall).

3. Milwaukee Brewers—52.2 points

The Brewers had the third-most points earned by batters in 2025, 52.2 of their 112.6 total points. They ranked ninth overall and their 46.4 percent of points earned by batters was fifth-most among all teams.

Six of the Brewers’ top 10 players are batters, led by Christian Yelich (11.2 points, second among Brewers players, second among NL batters and 33rd overall). Other key Brewers batters include:

• Isaac Collins (5.5 points, 6th among Brewers, 179th overall).

• Jackson Chourio (5.0 points, 7th among Brewers, 189th overall).

• Rhys Hoskins (4.5 points, 8th among Brewers, 225th overall).

• William Contreras (4.0 points, 9th among Brewers, 248th overall).

• Jake Bauers (4.0 points, 10th among Brewers, 253rd overall).

4. Boston Red Sox—49.7 points

The Red Sox had the fourth-most points earned by batters in 2025, 49.7 of their 112.7 total points. They rank eighth overall and their 44.1 percent of points earned by batters was seventh among all teams. Five of the Red Sox’s top nine players are batters, led by:

• Wilyer Abreu (8.5 points, 3rd among Red Sox, 6th among AL batters, 67th overall).

• Trevor Story (8.0 points, 4th among Red Sox, 10th among AL batters, 77th overall).

• Nathaniel Lowe (7.0 points, 6th among Red Sox, 111th overall).

• Ceddanne Rafaela (6.5 points, 7th among Red Sox, 131st overall).

• Jarren Duran (6.0 points, 9th among Red Sox, 145th overall).

5. San Francisco Giants—48.7 points

The Giants had the fifth-most points earned by batters in 2025, 48.7 of their 84.8 total points. They rank 19th overall and their 57.4 percent of points earned by batters was first among all teams.

The Giants are one of only three teams in which the majority of the Box-Toppers point total came from batters, usually the sign of a team that wins fewer games. The others:

• The Colorado Rockies, whose 53.0 percent ranked 2nd (24.9 of their 47.0 total points came from batters).

• The Chicago White Sox, whose 51.2 percent ranked 3rd (33.0 of their 64.4 total points came from batters).

Notably, the Rockies and White Sox won the fewest games among all teams—the Rockies 43 and the White Sox 60. But the Giants won 81 games, finishing with a .500 record, and were tied with the 16th-best win total among all teams.

Five of the Giants’ top seven players are batters. Behind the top two, pitchers Robbie Ray (9.4 points) and Logan Webb (9.0 points), they are:

• Willy Adames (8.5 points, 3rd among Giants, 6th among NL batters, 66th overall).

• Rafael Devers (7.7 points, 4th among Giants, 7th among NL batters, 84th overall).

• Jung Hoo Lee (6.5 points, 5th among Giants, 134th overall).

• Matt Chapman (5.0 points, 6th among Giants, 186th overall).

• Wilmer Flores (5.0 points, 7th among Giants, 202nd overall).

“One-dimensional” teams did not fare as well

In 2025, teams that were over-reliant on a single facet of their roster often found themselves stuck in the middle of the pack—or worse.

The “imbalance penalty” was particularly harsh for teams dependent on their batters; the five clubs with the highest percentage of points from batters stumbled to a dismal average overall rank of 18.6, weighed down by bottom-tier finishes from the Rockies and White Sox.

Pitching-heavy teams fared better—and some, like the Phillies, still rode their high pitching share to the top of the league. But even for this group, over-reliance carried a risk: the five clubs most dependent on their arms averaged an overall rank of 11.4, dragged down by the 27th-ranked Pirates.

Ultimately, the data suggests that while you can occasionally win with just pitching, it is almost impossible to “slug” your way around a deficient rotation.

Teams Most Reliant on Pitching (Highest % of Team Points)

• Pittsburgh Pirates: 74.9% (52.2 of 69.7 pts). Overall rank: 27th. (The Pirates were led by Paul Skenes, whose 21.1 Box-Toppers points led NL pitchers and represented 40.4% of the team’s pitching points and 30.3% of the team’s overall points.)

• Philadelphia Phillies: 71.8% (94.4 of 131.4 pts). Overall rank: 1st.

• Texas Rangers: 70.3% (86.9 of 123.6 pts). Overall rank: 3rd.

• Detroit Tigers: 68.9% (75.3 of 109.3 pts). Overall rank: 11th.

• Cincinnati Reds: 67.4% (69.2 of 102.7 pts). Overall rank: 15th.

Teams Most Reliant on Batting (Highest % of Team Points)

• San Francisco Giants: 57.4% (48.7 of 84.8 pts). Overall rank: 19th.

• Colorado Rockies: 53.0% (24.9 of 47.0 pts). Overall rank: 30th.

• Chicago White Sox: 51.2% (33.0 of 64.4 pts). Overall rank: 28th.

• Chicago Cubs: 46.9% (55.1 of 117.6 pts). Overall rank: 7th.

• Milwaukee Brewers: 46.4% (52.2 of 112.6 pts). Overall rank: 9th.

Biggest variance in batting and pitching ranking

The San Francisco Giants had the biggest variance in ranking between batters (fifth with 48.7 points) and pitchers (28th with 36.1). That 23-spot variance was nine places more than the next-highest:

• Philadelphia Phillies—14 spots: 15th among batters (37.0), first among pitchers (94.4).

• Texas Rangers—14 spots: 16th among batters (36.7), second among pitchers (86.9).

• Chicago Cubs—12 spots: first among batters (55.1), 13th among pitchers (62.5).

• Milwaukee Brewers—12 spots: third among batters (52.2), 15th among pitchers (60.4).

Teams among top 10 in pitching points fared better than teams among top 10 in batting points

Teams with strong pitching were more likely to make the postseason in 2025 than teams that relied more heavily on batters.

Among the teams that ranked in the top 10 in Box-Toppers points earned by pitchers, eight made the postseason. However, among teams that ranked in the top in points earned by batters, only six made the postseason.

Among the top 10 teams in pitching, only two did not make the postseason:

• The Texas Rangers, second in pitching points (86.9). However, as previously noted, many of those were “phantom” points, earned by players when they were on other teams who finished the season with the Rangers.

• The Kansas City Royals, eighth in pitching points (69.2). The Royals were 12th overall in team points (107.4) and their 82 wins ranked 15th overall.

Among the top 10 in batting, four did not make the postseason:

• The San Francisco Giants, fifth in batting points (48.7).

• The Atlanta Braves, sixth in batting points (46.2). The Braves were 13th overall in team points (106.0) and their 76 wins ranked tied for 22nd overall.

• The New York Mets, eighth in batting points (42.7). The Mets were 14th overall in team points (104.5) and their 83 wins ranked tied for 13th overall.

• The Houston Astros, ninth in batting points (42.7). The Astros were 16th overall in team points (101.9) and their 87 wins ranked tied for 11th overall.

Top 10 teams overall, in pitching and in batting

Only three teams rank in the overall top 10 teams in Box-Toppers points, the top 10 among batters and the top 10 among pitchers. All three made the postseason:

• Seattle Mariners: Sixth overall (117.6 points), 10th among batters (41.7) and fifth among pitchers (75.9). (The Mariners lost to the Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series.)

• New York Yankees: Second overall (127.1 points), second among batters (53.5) and seventh among pitchers (73.6). (The Yankees lost to the Blue Jays in the AL Division Series.)

• Toronto Blue Jays: 10th overall (111.7 points), seventh among batters (42.9) and 10th among pitchers (68.8). (The Blue Jays lost to the Dodgers in the World Series.)

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. (No Box-Toppers points are awarded in postseason games.)

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Related

• Box-Toppers 2025 player rankings leaders.

• Box-Toppers 2025 final team rankings

• A pitchers vs. batters breakdown of each team’s Box-Toppers point total: 2024, 2023