Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is far and away Box-Toppers' top-ranked player over both the past two seasons and past six seasons.
Read MoreWashington Nationals top Box-Toppers' 2015 preseason team rankings
Nationals' offseason net gain in Box-Toppers points pushes them to top of preseason team rankings. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Athletics plummet in rankings and the Cubs and Red Sox make big leaps upward.
Read MoreA look back at how Box-Toppers watched players did in 2014
BOX-TOPPERS EXTRA
Andrew McCutchen may be selected as National League’s Most Valuable Player, but only ranks 18th among NL batters in Box-Toppers points. Mike Trout may be voted American League MVP but ranks seventh among AL batters in Box-Toppers points.
Box-Toppers watched players
Here are Box-Toppers' eight watched players at the close of the 2014 season. The column BTP shows the number of Box-Toppers points players accumulated this season, followed by their overall rank among all players for 2014. Honors shows the four players who led Box-Toppers major player categories—AL and NL batting and pitching.| Player | Team | BTP | Rank | Honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Jeter | Yankees | 0.0 | 996 | |
| Yasiel Puig | Dodgers | 1.0 | 593 | |
| Andrew McCutchen | Pirates | 6.5 | 137 | |
| Mike Trout | Angels | 8.5 | 78 | |
| Troy Tulowitzki | Rockies | 11.6 | 39 | 1st NL batter |
| Jose Abreu | White Sox | 15.5 | 14 | 1st AL batter |
| Corey Kluber | Indians | 25.8 | 2 | 1st AL pitcher |
| Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers | 31.5 | 1 | 1st NL pitcher |
Meanwhile, unexpected players—Jose Abreu and Troy Tulowitzki—who may have no chance at even being considered for postseason honors, are among Box-Toppers points leaders.
Why?
Why do some unexpected players excel in Box-Toppers points? And why do some star players seem to lag behind with fewer Box-Toppers points?
This season, Box-Toppers set to demonstrate why by focusing on a limited number of players and their daily performances. These watched players—featured in Box-Toppers Facebook posts and specially hashtagged Box-Toppers Twitter posts—showed when a player was deserving of earning Box-Toppers points or showed how other players in their game beat them out for points.
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 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.
At the end of the season, Box-Toppers was watching eight players—four of them lead key Box-Toppers categories (NL and AL pitching and batting) and four others are players who often do not score well in Box-Toppers points but who are frequently highly touted, considered for postseason honors and are considered to be stars.
Here is a look at the eight players (including the Twitter hashtag (#) used in daily “watched” posts):
Derek Jeter, Yankees #jeterwatch
2014 Box-Toppers point total: 0.0
Jeter, 40, is surely a future Hall-of-Famer, but in 145 games, he did not earn Player of the Game honors in any of the Yankees wins in his retirement season.
Box-Toppers watched him this season because he announced his retirement prior to the season and we thought it would be interesting to see how he fared in his last year. But Box-Toppers also watched him because he tended not to score as highly in Box-Toppers as his reputation as a star would indicate.
In his career, he scored 76.4 career Box-Toppers points and ranks 127th among all players. To give some perspective, he trails DH Travis Hafner (in 123rd place with 76.9 points), who is not exactly on the glidepath to Cooperstown that Jeter is.
But to be fair, Jeter ranks second among all shortstops all-time, trailing Miguel Tejada (102.3 Box-Toppers points). The shortstop position is generally not called upon for the offensive numbers required to win Player of the Game honors and earn Box-Toppers points.
Jeter’s Box-Toppers points total have also likely been impacted over the years because of the caliber of the talent on his own team—players like Roger Clemens, CC Sabathia, Jason Giambi, who have been his teammates, have more career Box-Toppers points than Jeter and likely beat him out on occasion for Player of the Game honors.
For example, Jeter did not even earn Player of the Game honors in his final game at Yankee Stadium Sept. 25. While Jeter drove in the winning run on a dramatic, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth (and was 2-for-5 with a run and three RBIs), he was beat out for Player of the Game by pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, who struck out nine over eight innings in the win over the Orioles.
Also, Jeter’s star power does not come from putting together performances that frequently make him Player of the Game. It often comes from anecdotal (but real) flashes of brilliance that make the highlight reel, that do contribute to the win, that wows the fans to the point of deserved admiration, but do not translate well to the scorecard, the box score—or to Box-Toppers points.
Yasiel Puig, Dodgers #puigwatch
2014 Box-Toppers point total: 1.0
145th among NL batters
593rd among all players
Box-Toppers watched Puig this year because of the buzz he created. True, he led the NL in on-base percentage and had the NL’s eighth-best batting average—but he only once was Dodger’s top player in a win, on May 12. He has only earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors twice in his career and has only 2.5 career Box-Toppers points in two seasons.
Is Puig overrated and not living up to the hype, at least in terms of helping the Dodgers win games? Or is Puig perhaps overshadowed by other players on his team who contributed more to Dodgers wins, especially pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who were among the overall Box-Toppers points leaders?
Andrew McCutchen, Pirates #cutchwatch
2014 Box-Toppers point total: 6.5
18th among NL batters
137th among all players
A leader in new-fangled baseball statistics, such as Wins Above Replacement and on-base plus slugging, the 2013 NL MVP is touted by many to repeat the feat in 2014.
But in 2013, he finished 22nd among NL batters in Box-Toppers points with 6.0. This year, he is slightly improved, with 6.5 points—18th among NL batters. According to Box-Toppers, he is not the NL batter who most helped his team win the most games. In fact, he is not even the top Pirates batter, an honor that goes to Neil Walker (7.0 Box-Toppers points).
Mike Trout, Angels #troutwatch
2014 Box-Toppers point total: 8.5
7th among AL batters
78th among all players
Another sabermetrician favorite and leader in wins above replacement, Trout actually had a decent season Box-Toppers-wise—just not among the top five of AL batters.
Trout was watched this season because he has been touted as an MVP candidate for two seasons, finishing behind Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers both times. With Cabrera ostensibly out of the limelight since he is not having another Triple Crown season, the door has been opened for Trout to finally claim MVP this year. However, it should be noted that Cabrera has 12.5 Box-Toppers points this season, in second among AL batters and ahead of Trout.
But ahead of both Trout and Cabrera in Box-Toppers points is rookie Jose Abreu of the White Sox with 15.5 points.
In 2013, Trout had only 3.5 Box-Toppers points and yet finished second in AL MVP voting. This year is his second-best ever (he had 11.0 points in 2012) and he is the leading batter among Angels players in Box-Toppers points, third-best among all Angels players.
Jose Abreu, White Sox #abreuwatch
2014 Box-Toppers point total: 15.5
1st among AL batters
14th among all players
Rookie Jose Abreu has been a Box-Toppers watched player since he assumed the lead among AL batters in June. He hit 36 home runs and led the AL in slugging percentage (.581) and handily won Box-Toppers AL Batter of the Year honors—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers finished second with 12.5 Box-Toppers points.
Abreu should win AL Rookie of the Year honors. But despite his performance, it is unclear whether he is even being taken seriously as a candidate for AL MVP.
Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies #tulowatch
2014 Box-Toppers point total: 11.6
1st among NL batters
39th among all players
Tulowitzki played only 91 games this season—he last played July 19 and was out with injury and hip surgery after that. No one in their right mind would consider that anyone who missed nearly half the season should be considered as NL MVP.
And yet, according to Box-Toppers, no other NL batter playing an entire season even came close the the 11.6 Box-Toppers points Tulowitzki earned in his short time. Second-place Buster Posey of the Giants had 8.5.
Early in the season, Tulowitzki was the rare batter among Box-Toppers top 10 overall players. But even as he fell down to 39th among all players, he never fell from first among NL batters in Box-Toppers points.
It could be argued that NL batters were so lackluster and so overshadowed by NL pitchers in 2014 that no batter should win MVP and the honor should go instead to Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw. More on him in a second.
Corey Kluber, Indians #kluberwatch
2014 Box-Toppers point total: 25.8
1st among AL pitchers
2nd among all players
Kluber came on late to take the AL pitching lead from Max Scherzer of the Tigers (22.1 Box-Toppers points, second among AL pitchers).
Kluber became one of only 11 players in Box-Toppers’ 20 years of record keeping to reach 25 Box-Toppers points in a season.
Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers #clawwatch
2014 Box-Toppers point total: 31.5
1st among NL pitchers
1st among all players
Kershaw’s season was dominant. Despite missing six weeks with injury at the start of the season, Kershaw racked up the fourth-best single-season Box-Toppers point total in 20 years.
It was a year so dominant in a year in an overall down year for NL batters, Kershaw is being touted for the NL MVP.
Nationals' Gonzalez tops players for Thursday, Sept. 25; Yankees' Kuroda is AL's top player in Jeter's dramatic Bronx finale
Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez, Thursday’s Player of the Day, becomes the 57th player this season with 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Gonzalez pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out 12, in the 3-0 win over the Mets. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks 44th among all players and 18th among National League pitchers.
In 2013, 54 players earned 10.0 or more Box-Toppers points.
Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is American League Player of the Day. Kuroda struck out nine over eight innings in the 6-5 win over the Orioles. After Kuroda left the game, the Orioles tied it at 5-5, so he was not eligible for the win, picking up the no decision.
Kuroda earned Player of the Game honors over teammate, the retiring Derek Jeter, who drove in the winning run on a dramatic, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth in his final game at Yankee Stadium. However, Jeter had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score among Yankees Thursday of +1 (he went 2-for-5 with a run and three RBIs) while Kuroda’s score was +10.
Christian Vazquez of the Red Sox is AL Batter of the Day. Vazquez homered and doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 11-1 win over the Rays.
Pablo Sandoval of the Giants is NL Batter of the Day. Sandoval went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs in the 9-8 win over the Padres.
Notable: Marlins pitcher Steve Cishek ranks 21st among NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Cishek (1IP 0R 2K Sv in the 6-4 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 11.0 for the season. He ranks 47th among all players.
Gonzalez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kuroda receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Vazquez and Morrison 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.
Box-Toppers watches the daily performances of selected star players and Box-Toppers points leaders. To see how they performed, click here.
NOTE: The usual weekly Friday reports of Box-Toppers team and player rankings will wait this week until the season's final games are completed Sunday. Look for Box-Toppers final team rankings and player rankings reports for the season on Monday—or thereabouts.
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 925 | Score | Team | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 16.0 | Nationals | Gio Gonzalez (W, 10-10) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
| 12.0 | Pirates | Edinson Volquez (W, 13-7) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| AL | 10.0 | `Yankees | Hiroki Kuroda | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Red Sox | Christian Vazquez C | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Mariners | Logan Morrison LF, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Giants | Pablo Sandoval 3B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Mets | Curtis Granderson RF | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Tigers | Joe Nathan (S, 34) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Marlins | Steve Cishek (S, 39) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Lorenzo Cain CF, RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Reds | Aroldis Chapman (S, 35) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | `Rangers | Colby Lewis | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Mets' Henderson Alvarez (CG 0R 7K) tops players for Tuesday, May 6
Mets pitcher Henderson Alvarez is Tuesday’s Player of the Day. Alvarez pitched a complete-game shutout and struck out seven in the 3-0 win over the Mets.
Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is American League Player of the Day. Kuroda struck out eight over 7 2/3 innings in the 4-3 win over the Angels. Kuroda had a no-decision and did not pick up the win because the Angels tied the game 3-3 after he left the game.
Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies is National League Batter of the Day. Gonzalez went 5-for-5 and drove in three runs in the 12-1 win over the Rangers.
Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Cabrera homered, went 4-for-5 and drove in four runs in the 11-4 win over the Astros.
Alvarez receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kuroda receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Gonzalez and Cabrera each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Tuesday’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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
Rangers' Darvish tops players for Monday, Aug. 12, moves into 5th in Box-Toppers player standings
Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Monday, Aug. 12:
Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish is Monday's Player of the Day and rises to fifth in season player Box-Toppers points.
Darvish took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before it was broken up by a home run in the 2-1 win over the Astros. Darvish gave up just the one hit over eight innings and struck out 15. He earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 15.0 for the season, moving him into fifth place among players.
Reds pitcher Mat Latos is National League Player of the Day. Latos pitched eight shutout innings and struck out nine in the 2-0 win over the Cubs. Latos earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 11.4 for the season, moving him to 20th place among players.
Dexter Fowler of the Rockies is NL Batter of the Day. Fowler drove in four runs and went 3-for-4 in the 14-2 win over the Padres.
Chris Getz of the Royals is American League Batter of the Day. Getz went 3-for-4 in the 6-2 win over the Marlins.
Notables: Reds pitcher Chris Sale is in 14th place in player Box-Toppers points standings and Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is in 26th place after both earned Player of the Game honors Monday:
- Sale (CG 2R 6K W in 6-2 win vs. Tigers) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 12.7 for the season, in 14th place.
- Kuroda (8IP 0R 7K W in 2-1 win vs. Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 10.4 for the season, in 26th place.
Darvish receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Latos receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Fowler and Getz 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
| 812 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 19.0 | Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Yu Darvish (W, 12-5) | 8.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | ||
| NL | 11.0 | Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mat Latos (W, 12-3) | 8.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 11.0 | Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hiroki Kuroda (W, 11-7) | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |||
| 9.0 | Phillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Cole Hamels (W, 5-13) | 9.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||
| 9.0 | Twins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andrew Albers (W, 2-0) | 9.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| BAT | 5.0 | Rockies | Dexter Fowler CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4.1 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kenley Jansen (S, 18) | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2.0 | White Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Sale (W, 8-11) | 9.0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |||
| 1.1 | `Athletics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Dan Straily | 7.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |||
| 1.0 | Diamondbacks | Adam Eaton LF | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| BAT | 1.0 | Royals | Chris Getz 2B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 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.
Braves' Minor, Yankees' Kuroda top players for Wednesday, July 31
Note: Box-Toppers is playing catch-up after time away. These are Box-Toppers results for Wednesday, July 31:
Braves pitcher Mike Minor is Wednesday's Player of the Day. Minor pitched seven scoreless innings in the 9-0 win over the Rockies.
Minor earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.0 points for the season, putting him in 24th place among players.
Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is American League Player of the Day. Kuroda pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight in the 3-0 win over the Dodgers.
Torii Hunter of the Tigers is AL Batter of the Day. Hunter homered and went 4-for-5 in the 11-1 win over the Nationals.
David DeJesus of the Cubs is National League Batter of the Day. DeJesus went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs in the 6-1 win over the Brewers.
Minor receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Kuroda receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Hunter and DeJesus 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 731 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 11.0 | Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mike Minor (W, 11-5) | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 10.0 | Astros | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Brett Oberholtzer (W, 1-0) | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |||
| AL | 9.0 | `Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hiroki Kuroda | 7.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 8.1 | Reds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Homer Bailey (W, 6-10) | 8.1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||
| 7.1 | Diamondbacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wade Miley (W, 8-8) | 6.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | |||
| 5.0 | Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chad Gaudin (W, 5-2) | 7.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||
| BAT | 4.0 | Tigers | Torii Hunter RF | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.1 | `Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Martin Perez | 7.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||
| BAT | 3.0 | Cubs | David DeJesus CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3.0 | Pirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tony Watson (W, 3-1) | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2.1 | Marlins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mike Dunn (S, 2) | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Greg Holland (S, 28) | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Casey Janssen (W, 4-0) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2.0 | Indians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chris Perez (W, 4-1) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1.0 | Red Sox | Dustin Pedroia 2B | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 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.
Marlins' Kevin Slowey (8IP 1R 8K) is top player for Tuesday, April 30
Marlins pitcher Kevin Slowey is Tuesday's Player of the Day. Slowey gave up only one run and struck out eight over eight innings in the 2-1 win over the Mets.
Slowey left the game with the Marlins trailing 1-0, so was not eligible for the win. The Marlins scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, winning the game on a walk-off wild pitch.
Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is American League Player of the Day. Kuroda threw seven shutout innings and struck out eight in the 7-4 win over the Astros.
Rickie Weeks of the Brewers is National League Batter of the Day. Weeks went 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs in the 12-8 win over the Pirates.
Ryan Raburn of the Indians is American League Batter of the Day. Raburn hit two homers while going 3-for-4 in the 14-2 win over the Phillies. Tuesday was the second straight day Raburn was Player of the Game. On Monday, he was overall Player of the Day.
Slowey receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Day. Kuroda receives 1.7 for AL Player of the Day. Weeks and Raburn receive 1.5 each for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Tuesday's other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point:
| 430 | Score | Team | BATTERS | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | - | - | PITCHERS | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.0 | `Marlins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kevin Slowey | 8.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 9.0 | Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hyun-Jin Ryu (W, 3-1) | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |||
| BAT | 7.0 | Brewers | Rickie Weeks 2B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| AL | 7.0 | Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Hiroki Kuroda (W, 4-1) | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Justin Verlander (W, 3-2) | 7.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |||
| 6.0 | Braves | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Tim Hudson (W, 3-1) | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||
| 5.0 | Padres | Carlos Quentin LF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| BAT | 5.0 | Indians | Ryan Raburn RF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5.0 | `Giants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Madison Bumgarner | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 4.0 | Blue Jays | Edwin Encarnacion 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4.0 | Royals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | James Shields (W, 2-2) | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Edward Mujica (S, 5) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 3.0 | Athletics | Yoenis Cespedes CF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2.0 | Rangers | Mitch Moreland 1B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 0.0 | Orioles | Chris Dickerson RF | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 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.