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Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Braves pitcher Chris Sale, Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman, Rangers pitcher Merrill Kelly, Colson Montgomery of the White Sox, Ian Happ of the Cubs, Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez and Brewers pitcher Quinn Priester.
Read MoreGuardians pitcher Shane Bieber is Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Friday’s spring training games.
Bieber struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, in the 10-0 win over the Rangers.
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Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom rises to lead this week’s Box-Toppers player rankings report.
deGrom also rises to lead American League pitchers. Meanwhile, Red Sox teammates Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida both rise to tie for the lead among AL batters, Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks maintains his lead among National League pitchers and Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates maintains his lead among NL batters.
Read MoreRockies pitcher Kyle Freeland is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to ninth place in season player rankings.
Also Wednesday, two other players rise in Box-Toppers season player rankings top 10 list after earning Player of the Game honors—Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani rises to fifth place and Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan rises to sixth place.
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Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays leads leads Box-Toppers first weekly season player rankings report of the 2023 season.
Gausman also leads American League pitchers. Meanwhile, Jesus Luzardo of the Marlins leads National League pitchers, Bryan Reynolds of the Pirates leads NL batters and Wander Franco of the Rays leads AL batters.
Read MoreBlue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreStarting a new baseball season means putting your best foot forward, which for teams usually means putting your best pitcher on the mound to start the first game of the season.
However, only four of Box-Toppers’ top-ranked pitchers in 2021 are starting their team’s first game of 2022.
Read MoreRockies pitcher Kyle Freeland is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Meanwhile, Nick Castellanos of the Reds rises to first place among National League batters in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning NL Batter of the Day honors Monday.
Read MoreAmerican League pitchers occupied eight of the top 10 spots in Box-Toppers’ 2018 season player rankings. But there were no AL pitchers among the top 10 in baseball’s Wins Above Replacement statistic.
AL teams dominated baseball in 2018 with three of its teams winning 100 or more games (Red Sox, Astros and Yankees), the Red Sox cruised to a relatively easy World Series win and it was AL pitchers who most helped those teams win all those games.
Read MoreRays pitcher Blake Snell, who led all players in Box-Toppers points in 2018, was voted the American League Cy Young Award winner Wednesday.
But Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom, who won the National League Cy Young Award, ranked third in Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers and in fact, needed another half season worth of points to catch Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer, who led NL pitchers.
Read MoreRockies pitcher Kyle Freeland is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day in the National League Wild Card Game.
Freeland struck out six over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk, in the 2-1, 13-inning win over the Cubs, as the Rockies advance to the NL Division Series Thursday against the Brewers.
Read MoreThe Colorado Rockies visit the Chicago Cubs in the National League one-game Wild Card playoff game Tuesday.
Read MoreRays pitcher Blake Snell is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, increasing his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings and achieving the 16th-highest single-season Box-Toppers point total since tracking began in 1995.
Snell struck out 11 over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, in the 5-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Read MoreTigers pitcher Matthew Boyd is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Saturday, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreRed Sox pitcher David Price is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola maintained his third-place spot in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning National League Player of the Day honors.
Read MoreYankees pitcher Lance Lynn is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Monday, Astros pitcher Charlie Morton rises to ninth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreBlue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia earned Box-Toppers points in his 18th straight season after earning Player of the Game honors, setting the record for longest such streak among pitchers (since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began) and taking sole possession of the longest active streak.
Box-Toppers top-ranked rookies, Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers, were unanimously named 2017 Rookies of the Year Monday.
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A look at the top 100 players in Box-Toppers points at the midseason break. League-leading teams—Nationals, Astros, Dodgers—have the most players on the list.
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Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.1 |
| 2 | Scherzer, Max 2588 | pi sp | dc nl | 17.0 |
| 3 | Sale, Chris 2806 | pi sp | bos al | 13.1 |
| 4 | Santana, Ervin 2005 | pi sp | min al | 12.4 |
| 5 | Wood, Alex 3246 | pi sp | lad nl | 12.0 |
| 6 | Carrasco, Carlos 2885 | pi sp | cle al | 11.4 |
| 7 | Greinke, Zack 1871 | pi sp | ari nl | 11.4 |
| 8 | Strasburg, Stephen 2736 | pi sp | dc nl | 10.4 |
| 9 | Ray, Robbie 3502 | pi sp | ari nl | 10.0 |
| 10 | McCullers, Lance 3488 | pi sp | hou al | 9.4 |
Also Sunday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his lead in season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez rises to eighth place in career Box-Toppers points since 1995 after earning American League Player of the Day honors.
Player of the Day—Freeland pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, three walks and striking out nine, in the 10-0 win over the White Sox. Freeland had a no-hitter intact until giving up a hit with one out in the ninth inning.
American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez struck out eight over six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks, in the 4-0 win over the Athletics.
Hernandez earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 171.4 career points, rising to eighth in career points among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his points Sunday, he passes Roy Halladay (170.7) on the “all-time” list and now trails seventh-ranked player Albert Pujols (184.3).
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
| 1 | Randy Johnson | pi sp | retired | 278.8 |
| 2 | Pedro Martinez | pi sp | retired | 244.8 |
| 3 | Clayton Kershaw | pi sp | lad nl | 204.8 |
| 4 | Curt Schilling | pi sp | retired | 194.1 |
| 5 | CC Sabathia | pi sp | nyy al | 190.0 |
| 6 | Alex Rodriguez | dh | released | 187.0 |
| 7 | Albert Pujols | 1b dh | ana al | 184.3 |
| 8 | Felix Hernandez | pi sp | sea al | 171.4 |
| 9 | Roy Halladay | pi sp | retired | 170.7 |
| 10 | Zack Greinke | pi sp | ari nl | 167.5 |
| 11 | Manny Ramirez | lf dh | retired | 167.2 |
| 12 | Johan Santana | pi sp | free agent | 166.6 |
| 13 | Roger Clemens | pi sp | retired | 164.8 |
| 14 | John Smoltz | pi sp | retired | 160.9 |
| 15 | Tim Hudson | pi sp | retired | 157.0 |
| 16 | Mike Mussina | pi sp | retired | 155.6 |
| 17 | Barry Bonds | lf | retired | 153.2 |
| 18 | Greg Maddux | pi sp | retired | 151.7 |
| 19 | Bartolo Colon | pi sp | min al | 151.2 |
| 20 | Jon Lester | pi sp | chi nl | 149.2 |
Hernandez has just 2.7 Box-Toppers points on the season and had just 6.0 in 2016, after seven straight seasons of 10 or more points. Hernandez earned 0.7 Box-Toppers bonus points Sunday; the last time he earned bonus points was Sept. 10, 2015, when as Player of the Day, he earned an extra 1.0 Box-Toppers bonus point.
American League Batter of the Day—Carlos Correa of the Astros hit two homers and went 4-for-5, scoring three times and driving in five runs, in the 19-1 win over the Blue Jays.
National League Batter of the Day—Francisco Cervelli of the Pirates hit a grand slam and went 2-for-4, driving in five runs, in the 14-3 win over the Cubs.
Rankings—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday.
Kershaw (CG 6H 2R 0BB 13K W in the 5-2 win over the Royals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 21.1 for the season, leading second-place player, Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (17.0 Box-Toppers points).
Kershaw also now has 204.8 career points, third-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails second-ranked player Pedro Martinez (244.8). Kershaw leads all active players in career points.
Scoring—Freeland earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hernandez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Correa and Cervelli each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.
Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.
| 7/9 | Score | Game | Player of the Game | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.1 | COL 10, CHW 0 | Kyle Freeland (W, 9-7) | - | - | - | - | 8.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
| 12.0 | LAD 5, KC 2 | Clayton Kershaw (W, 14-2) | - | - | - | - | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 | ||
| AL | 9.0 | SEA 4, OAK 0 | Felix Hernandez (W, 4-3) | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
| BAT | 7.0 | HOU 19, TOR 1 | Carlos Correa (SS) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 7.0 | PHI 7, SD 1 | Jerad Eickhoff (W, 1-7) | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 6.0 | MIA 10, SF 8 (F/11) | Nick Wittgren (W, 2-1) | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | BAL 11, MIN 5 | Adam Jones (CF) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | STL 6, NYM 0 | Lance Lynn (W, 7-6) | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | PIT 14, CHC 3 | Francisco Cervelli (C) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | MIL 5, NYY 3 | Travis Shaw (3B) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | WSH 10, ATL 5 | Anthony Rendon (3B) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | CIN 2, ARI 1 | Raisel Iglesias (S, 16) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | LAA 3, TEX 0 | Bud Norris (S, 13) | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | DET 5, CLE 3 | Jose Iglesias (SS) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | TB 5, BOS 3 | Steven Souza Jr. (RF) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’17 | ’16-17 | ’12-17 | Career | +/- |
| Kershaw, Clayton 2494 | pi sp | lad nl | 21.1 | 45.5 | 145.2 | 204.8 | -3.3 |
| Freeland, Kyle 3763 | pi sp | col nl | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Lynn, Lance 2992 | pi sp | stl nl | 5.7 | 5.7 | 61.6 | 61.6 | 5.7 |
| Correa, Carlos 3506 | ss | hou al | 5.5 | 13.2 | 20.4 | 20.4 | -2.2 |
| Shaw, Travis 3544 | 3b | mil nl | 5.5 | 12.5 | 16.7 | 16.7 | -1.5 |
| Rendon, Anthony 3258 | 3b | dc nl | 5.5 | 11.0 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 0.0 |
| Iglesias, Jose 3532 | ss | det al | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 |
| Souza, Steven Jr. 3461 | rf | tb al | 4.0 | 9.7 | 15.2 | 15.2 | -1.7 |
| Norris, Bud 2638 | pi cp | ana al | 4.0 | 9.7 | 34.4 | 50.1 | -1.7 |
| Jones, Adam 2347 | cf | bal al | 3.5 | 4.5 | 35.5 | 53.0 | 2.5 |
| Iglesias, Raisel 3467 | pi cp | cin nl | 3.0 | 6.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 0.0 |
| Cervelli, Francisco 3387 | ca | pit nl | 3.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 |
| Hernandez, Felix 2064 | pi sp | sea al | 2.7 | 8.7 | 82.4 | 171.4 | -3.3 |
| Eickhoff, Jerad 3566 | pi sp | phi nl | 2.0 | 10.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | -6.0 |
| Wittgren, Nick 3647 | pi mr | fla nl | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. Players earn Box-Toppers points for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.