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Indians pitcher Shane Bieber is the most deserving player not selected to the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star teams.
Bieber has 11.1 Box-Toppers points in 2019, eighth among all players and fourth among American League pitchers. Other key players not chosen for the All-Star Game who rank among Box-Toppers top players this season include Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, Marcell Ozuna of the Cardinals and Eloy Jimenez of the White Sox.
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Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Wednesday.
Lester struck out 10 over five scoreless innings, allowing one hit, in the 10-0 win over the Rockies. Lester had 12.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Cubs, ranked 13th among National League pitchers. Lester led American League pitchers in 2010 with 23.4 points when he was with the Red Sox.
American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Shane Greene struck out nine over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 2-1 win over the Orioles. Greene had 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Tigers.
National League Batter of the Day—Phil Gosselin of the Diamondbacks tripled, doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in five runs, in the 12-9 win over the Athletics. Gosselin had 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2015 with the Diamondbacks. He also played for the Braves in 2015.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no AL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because no AL batter earned Player of the Game honors.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Lester would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Greene would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Gosselin would earn 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Note—Sixteen spring training games were scheduled for Thursday—14 are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Red Sox vs. Pirates) and one other game was not included because it involved a non-Major League team (River Cats vs. Giants).
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/30 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 13.0 | Cubs | Jon Lester (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| AL | 10.2 | Tigers | Shane Greene (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| 10.0 | Rays | Drew Smyly (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 7.0 | Reds | Josh Smith (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 6.0 | Rangers | Cole Hamels (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Dbacks | Phil Gosselin 1B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | `Yankees | Iván Nova | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | Phillies | Andrés Blanco SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Cardinals | Michael Wacha (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | `Padres | Brandon Morrow | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Reed Johnson LF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Twins | Ryan Pressly (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.1 | Indians | Corey Kluber (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2.0 | Brewers | Ramón Flores LF-1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Tigers pitcher Shane Greene is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Monday.
Greene pitched four scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out six, in the 9-2 win over the Mets and earned the save. Greene had 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015.
National League Player of the Day—Ryan Raburn of the Rockies doubled and went 3-for-4, driving in four runs, in the 6-4 win over the Mariners. Raburn had 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015.
American League Batter of the Day—Travis Snider of the Royals hit a three-run homer in the 9-3 win over the White Sox. Snider had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 when he played for the Orioles and the Pirates. In 2014, he had 6.2 Box-Toppers points with the Pirates.
Snider had a Box-Toppers game score Monday of 4.0, tied with Tyler Ladendorf of the Athletics, who was Player of the Game in the 10-3 win over the Giants. Snider and Ladendorf had identical batting lines Monday, but Snider won AL Batter of the Day on an infrequently used tiebreaker far down the list—his team won by fewer runs (six vs. seven).
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Monday because the NL Player of the Day was a batter, Ryan Raburn.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Greene would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Raburn would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day and Snider would earn 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Note—Fourteen spring training games were scheduled for Monday—13 are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Astros vs. Nationals).
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/14 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | Tigers | Shane Greene (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 5.0 | `Twins | Tommy Milone | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NL | 4.0 | Rockies | Ryan Raburn RF | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| BAT | 4.0 | Royals | Travis Snider RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Athletics | Tyler Ladendorf CF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Dodgers | Trayce Thompson CF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Dbacks | Phil Gosselin 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Indians | Corey Kluber (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Braves | Julio Teherán (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Johnny Giavotella 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Padres | Jabari Blash LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Orioles | Paul Janish PR-SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Pirates | Daniel Bard (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Despite two teams with better records, Tigers remain atop rankings. The Mets' strong week pushes them past Royals for second place.
Read MoreTigers top early season rankings, followed by Royals. Mets top all NL teams.
Read MoreNationals' 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.
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Yankees pitcher Shane Greene is Saturday's Player of the Day. Greene pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings and struck out nine in the 3-0 win over the Orioles.
This was Greene’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time he has earned Player of the Game honors. He is the 3,381st player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Greene made his Major League debut April 24 and was pitching in his third game, making his second start.
Dodgers pitcher Paul Maholm is National League Player of the Day. Maholm pitched six scoreless innings in the 1-0 win over the Padres. He did not earn the win because when he left the game, the score was tied at 0-0.
Kevin Kiermaier of the Rays is American League Batter of the Day. Kiermaier doubled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 10-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates is NL Batter of the Day. McCutchen hit two homers and doubled in five at-bats, scoring three times, in the 6-5 win over the Reds. He earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 6.5 for the season and moving him to third place among NL batters in Box-Toppers player rankings. He also passes his Box-Toppers points total for 2013 of 6.0. McCutchen was 2013 NL Most Valuable Player but ranked 22nd among NL batters in Box-Toppers points last season.
Greene receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Maholm receives 1.7 for NL Player of the Day. Kiermaier and McCutchen each receive 1.5 for being top Batter of the Day in their league.
All of Saturday’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 Saturday, click here.
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.
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 712 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 10.1 | Yankees | Shane Greene (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| NL | 8.0 | `Dodgers | Paul Maholm | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 7.2 | Mariners | Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 8-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 5.0 | White Sox | Scott Carroll (W, 4-5) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rays | Kevin Kiermaier CF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Dbacks | Wade Miley (W, 5-6) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | Nationals | Rafael Soriano (S, 22) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.2 | Astros | Josh Fields (W, 2-4) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Pirates | Andrew McCutchen CF | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Braves | Chris Johnson 3B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Jhonny Peralta SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Mets | Chris Young PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Joe Smith (S, 14) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Alex Avila C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Twins | Kurt Suzuki PH, C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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.