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The American League’s top two-seeded teams play in the AL Championship Series, but Box-Toppers favors the second-seeded Seattle Mariners over the top-seed Toronto Blue Jays.
The Mariners are higher ranked in Box-Toppers team rankings, their likely starting nine batters have more Box-Toppers points and they hold an overwhelming advantage over the Blue Jays among starting pitchers. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, hold the Box-Toppers edge in relievers and key bench players.
Read MoreMariners pitcher George Kirby is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Friday’s American League Division Series Game 5, as the Seattle Mariners win the series, eliminating the Detroit Tigers.
The game took six extra innings to finish and was tied 2-2 from the seventh inning until Jorge Polanco of the Mariners hit a single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 15th inning to win it, 3-2. However, Player of the Game winner Kirby’s contributions came entirely within the game’s first six innings.
Read MoreBlue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage tops players in Sunday’s two American League Division Series games.
Meanwhile, Jorge Polanco of the Mariners is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the other ALDS Game 2.
Read MoreDodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani tops players in Saturday’s four League Division Series opening games.
Other Player of the Game winners in Saturday’s League Division Series games: Jackson Chourio of the Brewers, Tigers pitcher Will Vest and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays.
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Source: MLB.com
The top-seeded American League team, the Toronto Blue Jays face the New York Yankees, Box-Toppers’ top-ranked AL team in one American League Division League Series. In the other, the Detroit Tigers, who led Box-Toppers rankings much of the season before a September collapse, face the second-seed Seattle Mariners.
A Box-Toppers look at both American League Division Series, which begin Saturday.
Read MoreMariners pitcher Luis Castillo is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to ninth place in season player rankings.
Also Wednesday, Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes rises to first place among National League pitchers in 2025 Box-Toppers points, passing Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler, after earning Player of the Game honors. Skenes, taking his first lead in the category in his final start of 2025, will finish first among NL pitchers for the season. He ranks second overall.
Read MoreReds pitcher Hunter Greene is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Thursday, Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto rises to seventh place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreGuardians pitcher Tanner Bibee is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Rockies pitcher Tanner Gordon, Kody Clemens of the Twins, Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo and Ian Happ of the Cubs.
Read MoreReds pitcher Hunter Greene is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw now has 279.8 career Box-Toppers points, edging closer to the Box-Toppers-era “all-time” career points leader, Randy Johnson (282.5 points).
Read MoreCardinals pitcher Andre Pallante is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Monday, Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. In addition, Christian Yelich of the Brewers rises to first place among National League batters after earning NL Batter of the Day honors.
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The Philadelphia Phillies rise to lead Box-Toppers team rankings this week, passing the Detroit Tigers, who fall to second place.
| Teams | BTP | BTP/wk | Wk ago | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillies | 74.1 | 4.0 | 2 |
| 2 | Tigers | 73.3 | 2.0 | 1 |
| 3 | Cubs | 72.5 | 3.0 | 3 |
| 4 | Mariners | 71.5 | 9.4 | 9 |
| 5 | Yankees | 71.3 | 3.0 | 4 |
| 6 | Brewers | 70.7 | 7.0 | 7 |
| 7 | Blue Jays | 69.6 | 7.7 | 10 |
| 8 | Dodgers | 69.0 | 1.0 | 5 |
| 9 | Red Sox | 68.4 | 2.0 | 6 |
| 10 | Astros | 68.3 | 5.0 | 8 |
| 11 | Rangers | 67.8 | 6.0 | 11 |
| 12 | Mets | 65.4 | 4.0 | 12 |
| 13 | Reds | 65.3 | 4.0 | 14 |
| 14 | Padres | 65.0 | 3.7 | 13 |
| 15 | Giants | 61.0 | 2.5 | 16 |
| 16 | Rays | 60.7 | 3.0 | 18 |
| 17 | Royals | 59.5 | 3.7 | 20 |
| 18 | Diamondbacks | 59.2 | 0.0 | 15 |
| 19 | Angels | 58.4 | 2.0 | 19 |
| 20 | Cardinals | 57.9 | 0.0 | 17 |
| 21 | Marlins | 56.9 | 5.2 | 24 |
| 22 | Guardians | 56.9 | 5.0 | 23 |
| 23 | Twins | 56.7 | 2.5 | 21 |
| 24 | Orioles | 54.6 | 2.0 | 22 |
| 25 | Braves | 52.1 | 2.5 | 25 |
| 26 | Pirates | 50.8 | 3.5 | 26 |
| 27 | Athletics | 47.6 | 1.0 | 27 |
| 28 | Nationals | 46.6 | 3.0 | 28 |
| 29 | White Sox | 44.1 | 6.0 | 29 |
| 30 | Rockies | 31.8 | 4.5 | 30 |
Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners are the week’s hottest team.
The Phillies rise from second place overall to first place with 74.1 Box-Toppers points, picking up 4.0 in the past week. They move 0.8 points ahead of last week’s leader, the Detroit Tigers, who fall to second with 73.3 points, picking up 2.0 in the past week.
The Phillies lead National League teams for the second straight week, ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs (72.5 points, picking up 3.0 in the past week, maintaining third place overall).
The Phillies have baseball’s eighth-best winning percentage (.569) and rank second in the NL East, one-half game behind the New York Mets. Here are the teams with higher winning percentages and their Box-Toppers team rankings:
Milwaukee Brewers (.598), sixth with 70.7 Box-Toppers points, picking up 7.0 in the past week.
Toronto Blue Jays (.592), seventh with 69.6 points, picking up 7.7 in the past week.
Chicago Cubs (.588), third with 72.5 points, picking up 3.0 in the past week.
Los Angeles Dodgers (.583), eighth with 69.0 points, picking up 1.0 in the past week.
Houston Astros (.583), 10th with 68.3 points, picking up 5.0 in the past week.
Detroit Tigers (.577), second with 73.3 points, picking up 2.0 in the past week.
New York Mets (.573), 12th with 65.4 points, picking up 4.0 in the past week.
The Phillies are led by pitcher Zack Wheeler (19.1 points, first overall). Phillies’ top batter is Kyle Schwarber (5.0 points, 15th among NL batters). Eighteen different Phillies players have earned Box-Toppers points so far in 2025.
Tigers players have accumulated 73.3 Box-Toppers points this season, including 2.0 in the past week, falling from first to second place overall, behind the Phillies (74.1 points).
They lead AL teams for the fifth straight week, ahead of the second-place Seattle Mariners (71.5 points, picking up 9.4 in the past week, rising from ninth to fourth place overall).
The Tigers have the third-best winning percentage among AL teams (.577), behind the Blue Jays (.592) and the Astros (.583).
The Tigers are led by pitcher Tarik Skubal (16.4 Box-Toppers points, second among all players, first among AL pitchers). Tigers’ best batter is Riley Greene (9.0 points, first among AL batters). Twenty-two different Tigers players have earned Player of the Game honors so far this season.
The Seattle Mariners are the hottest team in the past week, picking up 9.4 Box-Toppers points, most of any team, and rising from ninth to fourth place overall with 71.5 points, second among AL teams. The Mariners’ five-spot rise is the biggest among all teams.
The Mariners picked up 5.9 points by winning four of their seven games this week and the rest by acquiring Josh Naylor Thursday from the Diamondbacks, where he has earned 3.5 points this season. Here is a look at how Mariners earned Box-Toppers points in wins this week:
1.7 points on July 18 by starting pitcher Luis Castillo for winning AL Player of the Day.
1.0 point on July 19 by relief pitcher Casey Legumina for winning Player of the Game.
1.7 points on July 22 by starting pitcher Logan Gilbert for winning AL Player of the Day.
1.5 points on July 24 by left fielder Randy Arozarena for winning AL Batter of the Day.
Four teams fell three spots each this week, tied for the biggest fall among all teams:
The Los Angeles Dodgers fell from fifth to eighth place with 69.0 Box-Toppers points, picking up 1.0 in the past week.
The Boston Red Sox fell from sixth to ninth place with 68.4 points, picking up 2.0 in the past week.
The Arizona Diamondbacks fell from 15th to 18th place with 59.2 points, with no net gain in points this week. (They gained 3.5 points in three wins this week, but also lost 3.5 points by trading Josh Naylor to the Mariners.)
The St. Louis Cardinals fell from 17th to 20th place with 57.9 points, with no net gain in points this week. (They gained 2.7 points in two wins this week, all earned by first baseman Willson Contreras, but also lost 2.7 points by designating for assignment pitcher Erick Fedde, who had 2.7 points this season).
The Colorado Rockies remain in 30th and last place for the 14th straight week with 31.8 Box-Toppers points, picking up 4.5 points in the past week.
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.
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Brewers pitcher Quinn Priester is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day as regular-season games resume after the All-Star break.
Also Friday, Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs extends his lead in Box-Toppers points among National League batters after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreMariners pitcher Luis Castillo is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Pete Alonso of the Mets and Kyle Higashioka of the Rangers.
Read MoreCardinals pitcher Sonny Gray is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to eighth place in season player rankings.
Also Monday, Royals pitcher Kris Bubic rises to fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreMariners pitcher Luis M. Castillo is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Giants pitcher Robbie Ray, Enrique Hernández of the Dodgers, Michael A. Taylor of the White Sox and Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are Box-Toppers’ top-ranked team going into 2025 but with player injuries factored in, the New York Mets hold the overall edge.
The current 2025 roster of last year’s World Series champion Dodgers accumulated 118.7 Box-Toppers points in 2024, most of any team. However, with several players injured and expected to miss time in 2025, their injury-adjusted Box-Toppers point total drops to 106.7, fifth among all teams.
Read MoreIn 2024, teams with the most Box-Toppers points earned by pitchers generally ranked higher in overall Box-Toppers team rankings.
For example, the Philadephia Phillies led all teams with 124.9 Box-Toppers points. Pitchers earned 78.0 of those points, fifth-most among all teams. Box-Toppers’ seven top-ranked teams were all among the top 10 in points earned by pitchers.
However, the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers were a notable anomaly. While the team finished eighth overall in Box-Toppers points (113.7), they finished 11th in points earned by pitchers (66.2) and third in points earned by batters (47.5).
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Braves pitcher Spencer Strider had the biggest decline in Box-Toppers points from 2023 to 2024.
Strider led all players in 2023 with 21.1 Box-Toppers points but earned just 1.0 point in 2024, a 20.1-point decline, which is also the fifth-largest decline (in regular-length seasons) since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.
Read MoreMariners pitcher Luis Castillo is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Sunday, Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee rises to sixth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. In addition, Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees has now earned Box-Toppers points in 15 straight seasons after winning his first 2024 Player of the Game honor.
Read MoreCubs pitcher Justin Steele is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Brenton Doyle of the Rockies extended his lead among National League batters in 2024 Box-Toppers points after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreBox-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.