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Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams and Brewers’ reliever JoJo Romero earned Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors in Thursday’s League Championship Series games.
Williams earned the win as the Cleveland Guardians edged the Tampa Bay Rays to take a 2-1 series lead in the American League Championship Series. Romero, meanwhile, led the Milwaukee Brewers as they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Read MorePitcher Robert Gasser is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in Wednesday’s National League Championship Series Game 3, as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Gasser struck out three over five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk. Although the Dodgers took a brief lead after he exited, Milwaukee rallied to move within one win of the NL pennant over the two-time defending champion Dodgers.
Read MoreThe Los Angeles Dodgers lead Box-Toppers’ 2026 team rankings after holding the top spot nearly wire-to-wire. Favoring them to advance past the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series to reach their third straight World Series seems obvious.
However, top-seeded Milwaukee—ranking second in Box-Toppers points just behind Los Angeles—presents a formidable challenge. In this heavyweight matchup of baseball’s top two teams, the Brewers hold key Box-Toppers advantages that tilt the series in Milwaukee’s favor:
Read MoreMiddle relievers swept Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors Wednesday across all four Division Series games, as three teams advanced to the League Championship Series.
Guardians pitcher Foster Griffin led all winners in Cleveland's ALDS Game 3 victory over the White Sox, staving off elimination and forcing a Game 4.
Wednesday’s other Player of the Game winners:
Aaron Ashby, Brewers: Earned top player honors in Milwaukee’s NLDS Game 4 victory, eliminating San Diego.
Tanner Scott, Dodgers: Earned top player honors in Los Angeles' NLDS Game 4 victory, eliminating Atlanta.
Ian Seymour, Rays: Earned top player honors in Tampa Bay's ALDS Game 3 victory, completing a three-game sweep of New York.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto leads Box-Toppers Player of the Game winners in Tuesday’s National League Division Series games.
Yamamoto won top player honors in the Game 3 win over the Braves. Meanwhile, Jake Cronenworth is Box-Toppers’ top player in Tuesday’s other NL Division Series game, keeping the Padres alive with their win over the Brewers.
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Source: MLB.com
Both National League Division Series begin Saturday.
The Atlanta Braves face the Los Angeles Dodgers in one best-of-five game series while the San Diego Padres face the Milwaukee Brewers in the other. The top two NL seeds, the Brewers (first) and the Dodgers (second), received byes from the first round of playoffs and face the winners of the best-of-three Wild Card series played this week.
The Dodgers are Box-Toppers’ top-ranked overall team in 2026 with 142.7 points (6.4 ahead of Milwaukee's 136.3), though they enter as the NL’s 2nd playoff seed after finishing three games behind the Brewers for MLB's best record.
The Braves enter as the 3rd seed in the NL, ranking 4th among NL teams in Box-Toppers points (6th overall) with 113.7. Atlanta trails Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and the Philadelphia Phillies (117.4), whom the Braves defeated 2-1 in the Wild Card series. The Dodgers enjoyed a first-round bye.
The pitching matchup Saturday
Braves—Dylan Dodd, 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 490th overall, 122nd among NL pitchers. Dodd is normally a reliever. Atlanta is expected to employ a bullpen game on Saturday as injuries have depleted their rotation. Reliever Ray Kerr earned Player of the Game honors as an opener in Thursday’s Game 3 win over Philadelphia.Other possible pitchers in Game 1 include Grant Holmes, JR Ritchie, AJ Smith-Shawver, or Brent Suter.
Dodgers—Tarik Skubal, 14.7 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 19th overall, 11th among NL pitchers.
A look at all four of Saturday’s Division Series pitching matchups
Top Pitcher: Starter Chris Sale leads Atlanta with 15.4 Box-Toppers points (16th overall, 10th among NL pitchers) and is the likely starter for Game 2 on Sunday.
Other Pitchers: Tyler Mahle (9.1 points), Martín Pérez (8.4 points), and Bryce Elder (6.5 points).
Top Batters: Outfielder Michael Harris II leads Braves batters with 9.5 Box-Toppers points (4th among NL batters). Other key hitters include Ozzie Albies (6.5 points), Matt Olson (6.0 points), and Mike Yastrzemski (6.0 points).
Top Pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto leads Los Angeles with 17.4 Box-Toppers points (8th overall, 5th among NL pitchers).
Shohei Ohtani Breakdown: Ohtani ranks second on the team with 15.7 overall Box-Toppers points (15th overall, 9th among NL pitchers, 1st among NL batters). Combined, he has earned 8.7 points as a pitcher (which would rank 28th among NL pitchers) and 7.0 points as a designated hitter (which would rank 16th among NL batters). Ohtani last earned Player of the Game honors on Aug. 17.
Rotation Depth: The next four highest-ranked Dodgers are all starting pitchers: Tarik Skubal (14.7 points, 11th among NL pitchers; 6.0 points since being traded from the Tigers), Justin Wrobleski (9.1 points, 21st among NL pitchers), Tyler Glasnow (8.4 points, 29th among NL pitchers), and Emmet Sheehan (7.0 points, 36th among NL pitchers).
Top Batters & Notables: Center fielder Andy Pages (6.7 points, 18th among NL batters), Kyle Tucker (4.5 points, 42nd among NL batters), Freddie Freeman (3.5 points), and Mookie Betts (2.5 points).
The Box-Toppers point totals of all players on the teams’ active rosters at season’s end are here. Players who did not earn Box-Toppers points in 2026 are not listed. Players who earned points in 2026 are listed even if they are not on the roster for the upcoming postseason series due to injury or for other reasons.
| Atlanta Braves | Los Angeles Dodgers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Chris Sale | pi sp | 15.4 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | pi sp | 17.4 | |
| Michael Harris | cf | 9.5 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | 15.7 | |
| Tyler Mahle | pi sp | 9.1 | Tarik Skubal | pi sp | 14.7 | |
| Martín Pérez | pi sp | 8.4 | Justin Wrobleski | pi sp | 9.1 | |
| Bryce Elder | pi sp | 6.7 | Tyler Glasnow | pi sp | 8.4 | |
| Ozzie Albies | 2b | 6.5 | Emmet Sheehan | pi sp | 7.0 | |
| Matt Olson | 1b | 6.0 | Andy Pagés | cf | 6.7 | |
| Mike Yastrzemski | rf lf | 6.0 | Roki Sasaki | pi sp | 5.4 | |
| Grant Holmes | pi sp | 5.7 | Kris Bubic | pi sp | 4.7 | |
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | rf | 5.2 | Blake Snell | pi sp | 4.7 | |
| Reynaldo López | pi sp | 4.0 | Kyle Tucker | rf | 4.5 | |
| Dominic Smith | dh | 3.5 | Teoscar Hernández | lf | 4.5 | |
| Lane Thomas | cf rf | 3.0 | Tommy Edman | 2b | 4.5 | |
| Raisel Iglesias | pi cp mr | 3.0 | Eric Lauer | pi sp | 4.0 | |
| Drake Baldwin | ca | 2.5 | Tanner Scott | pi cp | 4.0 | |
| Spencer Strider | pi sp | 2.0 | Max Muncy | 3b | 3.7 | |
| Mauricio Dubón | ss lf 1b 2b | 2.0 | Freddie Freeman | 1b | 3.5 | |
| Dylan Dodd | pi cp | 2.0 | Dalton Rushing | ca | 3.2 | |
| Didier Fuentes | pi mr | 2.0 | Alex Freeland | 2b | 3.0 | |
| Víctor Mederos | pi cp | 2.0 | Mookie Betts | ss | 2.5 | |
| Michael Grove | pi sp mr | 1.7 | Edwín Díaz | pi cp | 2.0 | |
| Sean Murphy | ca dh | 1.5 | Alex Vesia | pi mr cp | 2.0 | |
| Robert Suárez | pi mr cp | 1.0 | Edgardo Henríquez | pi mr cp | 2.0 | |
| AJ Smith-Shawver | pi mr sp | 1.0 | Chadwick Tromp | ca | 1.5 | |
| Austin Riley | 3b | 1.0 | Will Klein | pi mr cp | 1.0 | |
| Ha-Seong Kim | ss pr | 1.0 | Brock Stewart | pi cp mr | 1.0 | |
| Dylan Lee | pi mr cp | 1.0 | Blake Treinen | pi cp mr | 1.0 | |
| Brent Suter | pi sp mr cp | 1.0 | Hunter Feduccia | ca | 1.0 | |
| Totals | 113.7 | Totals | 142.7 | |||
The NL Central champion Brewers are the NL's top playoff seed and rank 2nd overall in Box-Toppers team standings (136.3 points). The Padres, who finished second in the NL West, enter as the 5th seed and rank 11th overall (104.5 points, 6th among NL teams).
The Brewers received a first-round bye, while the Padres advanced by sweeping the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in the Wild Card round.
The pitching matchup Saturday:
Padres—Robbie Ray, 7.4 Box-Toppers points in 2026, 87th among all players, 33rd among NL pitchers.
Brewers—Jacob Misiorowski, 26.1 Box-Toppers points in 2026, first among all players, first among NL pitchers.
A look at all four of Saturday’s Division Series pitching matchups
Top Pitcher & Standout Closer: Closer Mason Miller leads San Diego with 16.0 Box-Toppers points (13th overall, 7th among NL pitchers, 1st among all closers). This marks the 4th-highest single-season point total for a closing pitcher since 1998.
Top Batter: First baseman Ty France leads Padres hitters with 9.5 points (5th among NL batters).
Starting Pitching: Randy Vásquez (9.4 points), Robbie Ray (7.4 points), Michael King (7.0 points), and Casey Mize (5.0 points).
Notables: Jackson Merrill (5.0 points), Fernando Tatis Jr. (4.5 points), and Manny Machado (1.0 point).
Player of the Year: Starter Jacob Misiorowski leads all MLB players with 26.1 Box-Toppers points, tied for the 19th-highest single-season total since tracking began in 1995.
Starting Rotation: Milwaukee's top four point earners are all starters: Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison (14.7 points, 12th among NL pitchers), Logan Henderson (10.4 points, 18th among NL pitchers), and Dustin May (8.7 points, 28th among NL pitchers).
Relief & Position Players: Reliever Chad Patrick (6.0 points, 1st among NL middle relievers), catcher William Contreras (5.7 points, 29th among NL batters), first baseman Jake Bauers (5.0 points, 34th among NL batters), Jackson Chourio (2.5 points), and Christian Yelich (2.0 points).
The Box-Toppers point totals of all players on the teams’ active rosters at season’s end are here. Players who did not earn Box-Toppers points in 2026 are not listed. Players who earned points in 2026 are listed even if they are not on the roster for the upcoming postseason series due to injury or for other reasons.
| San Diego Padres | Milwaukee Brewers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Pos | BTP | Player | Pos | BTP | |
| Mason Miller | pi cp | 16.0 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | 26.1 | |
| Ty France | 1b | 9.5 | Kyle Harrison | pi sp | 14.7 | |
| Randy Vásquez | pi sp | 9.4 | Logan Henderson | pi sp | 10.4 | |
| Robbie Ray | pi sp | 7.4 | Dustin May | pi sp | 8.7 | |
| Michael King | pi sp | 7.0 | Chad Patrick | pi mr | 7.0 | |
| Casey Mize | pi sp | 5.0 | Robert Gasser | pi sp | 6.0 | |
| Adrián Morejón | pi mr | 5.0 | William Contreras | ca | 5.7 | |
| Jackson Merrill | cf | 5.0 | Jake Bauers | 1b | 5.0 | |
| Nick Pivetta | pi sp | 4.7 | Aaron Ashby | pi mr | 5.0 | |
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | rf | 4.5 | Antonio Senzatela | pi cp mr | 5.0 | |
| Griffin Canning | pi sp mr | 3.0 | Brice Turang | 2b | 4.7 | |
| Bradgley Rodríguez | pi mr | 3.0 | Trevor Megill | pi cp | 4.0 | |
| Gavin Sheets | lf dh | 2.5 | Garrett Mitchell | cf | 4.0 | |
| Xander Bogaerts | ss | 2.5 | Brandon Sproat | pi sp | 4.0 | |
| JP Sears | pi sp mr | 2.0 | Brandon Woodruff | pi sp | 3.0 | |
| Dustin Harris | rf cf | 2.0 | Jackson Chourio | lf | 2.5 | |
| Samad Taylor | lf | 2.0 | Christian Yelich | dh ph | 2.0 | |
| Ramón Laureano | lf | 1.5 | Gary Sánchez | dh ca | 2.0 | |
| Jake Cronenworth | 3b 2b | 1.5 | Joey Ortiz | ss 3b | 2.0 | |
| Luis Campusano | ca | 1.5 | Sal Frelick | rf lf | 2.0 | |
| Ethan Salas | ca | 1.5 | Abner Uribe | pi mr | 2.0 | |
| Manny Machado | 3b | 1.0 | Shane Drohan | pi sp cp | 2.0 | |
| Walker Buehler | pi sp | 1.0 | Andrew Vaughn | 1b | 1.5 | |
| Freddy Fermin | ca dh | 1.0 | JoJo Romero | pi mr cp | 1.0 | |
| Austin Hays | dh lf | 1.0 | DL Hall | pi mr sp | 1.0 | |
| Miguel Andújar | dh lf | 1.0 | David Hamilton | 3b 2b ss pr | 1.0 | |
| Luis Rengifo | 3b 2b ph | 1.0 | Bryse Wilson | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Yuki Matsui | pi mr | 1.0 | Grant Anderson | pi mr | 1.0 | |
| Jase Bowen | rf pr | 1.0 | Coleman Crow | pi sp | 1.0 | |
| Luis Lara | rf | 1.0 | ||||
| Totals | 88.5 | Totals | 136.3 | |||
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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Final 2026 Box-Toppers player rankings: Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski is 2026 Box-Toppers Player of the Year
Final 2026 Box-Toppers team rankings: Los Angeles Dodgers finish 2026 atop Box-Toppers team rankings
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHW | Smith, Hagen 5466 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| CLE | Messick Parker 5266 | 11.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 |
| ATL | Dodd, Dylan 5318 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| LAD | Skubal, Tarik 4414 | 14.7 | 36.8 | 88.0 | 88.0 |
| NYY | Cole, Gerrit 3232 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 70.5 | 171.0 |
| TB | Rasmussen, Drew 4547 | 15.0 | 24.7 | 46.2 | 46.2 |
| SD | Ray, Robbie 3502 | 7.4 | 16.8 | 52.6 | 96.7 |
| MIL | Misiorowski, Jacob 5200 | 26.1 | 32.1 | 32.1 | 32.1 |
Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include Angel Martínez of the Guardians, Mookie Betts of the Dodgers and Miguel Vargas of the White Sox.
Read MoreTwins pitcher Connor Prielipp is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Friday, Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole rises to 15th place on Box-Toppers’ “all-time” career points list after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read More
The Los Angeles Dodgers lead in Box-Toppers team rankings for the fourth consecutive week.
The New York Yankees remain the top American League team, while the Milwaukee Brewers earned the most points in the past week.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers lead in Box-Toppers team rankings for the third week in a row.
The New York Yankees remain the top American League team, while the Houston Astros are the week’s hottest team.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers lead in Box-Toppers team rankings for the second week in a row.
| Teams | BTP | BTP/wk | Wk ago | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodgers | 41.0 | 6.0 | 1 |
| 2 | Yankees | 38.9 | 4.0 | 2 |
| 3 | Braves | 38.4 | 5.5 | 3 |
| 4 | Padres | 36.3 | 5.5 | 4 |
| 5 | Rays | 35.7 | 6.0 | 7 |
| 6 | Brewers | 35.0 | 6.0 | 8 |
| 7 | Guardians | 34.9 | 6.5 | 9 |
| 8 | Pirates | 33.4 | 2.7 | 5 |
| 9 | Phillies | 33.2 | 6.5 | 13 |
| 10 | Athletics | 31.7 | 5.5 | 16 |
| 11 | Cubs | 31.5 | 1.0 | 6 |
| 12 | Diamondbacks | 31.2 | 7.2 | 22 |
| 13 | Reds | 31.2 | 4.0 | 10 |
| 14 | White Sox | 30.4 | 4.2 | 15 |
| 15 | Cardinals | 30.2 | 3.0 | 11 |
| 16 | Mariners | 29.9 | 3.2 | 12 |
| 17 | Rangers | 29.6 | 4.4 | 17 |
| 18 | Nationals | 29.4 | 5.0 | 18 |
| 19 | Twins | 29.3 | 3.0 | 14 |
| 20 | Blue Jays | 28.1 | 4.7 | 23 |
| 21 | Marlins | 26.2 | 2.0 | 19 |
| 22 | Red Sox | 25.9 | 4.0 | 24 |
| 23 | Orioles | 25.1 | 1.0 | 20 |
| 23 | Royals | 25.1 | 1.0 | 21 |
| 25 | Mets | 23.5 | 5.5 | 30 |
| 26 | Astros | 23.3 | 3.0 | 27 |
| 27 | Giants | 23.3 | 2.0 | 25 |
| 28 | Rockies | 21.7 | 2.0 | 28 |
| 29 | Tigers | 21.5 | 1.0 | 26 |
| 30 | Angels | 20.5 | 1.0 | 29 |
The New York Yankees remain the top American League team, while the Arizona Diamondbacks are the week’s hottest team.
The Dodgers remain in first place overall with 41.0 Box-Toppers points, gaining 6.0 in the past week. They lead National League teams for the seventh straight week, ahead of the Atlanta Braves (38.4 points, third overall).
The Dodgers have baseball’s third-best winning percentage (.591), behind the Tampa Bay Rays (.688) and the Braves (.686). (The Rays are fifth in Box-Toppers team rankings with 35.7 points.)
Shohei Ohtani leads all Dodgers with 7.7 Box-Toppers points, earning 2.0 as a batter and 5.7 as a pitcher. He ranks sixth overall, first among NL batters and fourth among NL pitchers. Other key Dodgers players include pitcher Tyler Glasnow (5.7 points, 11th among NL pitchers) and Max Muncy (3.7 points, seventh among NL batters). Sixteen different Dodgers players have earned Box-Toppers points so far in 2026.
The Yankees lead AL teams for the sixth straight week with 38.9 Box-Toppers points, gaining 4.0 in the past week and maintaining second place overall. They lead AL teams ahead of the Rays (fifth overall with 35.7 points). While the Yankees lead in Box-Toppers points, the Rays hold the AL's best winning percentage (.688 to .588).
The Yankees are led by pitcher Cam Schlittler (7.7 points, fifth overall, second among AL pitchers). Yankees’ top batter is Trent Grisham (2.5 points, 15th among AL batters). Seventeen different Yankees players have earned Box-Toppers points so far in 2026.
The Diamondbacks gained 7.2 Box-Toppers points in the past week, most of any team, giving them 31.2 for the season, rising from 22nd to 12th place overall. That 10-spot jump is biggest among all teams this week. The Diamondbacks won six of their seven games this week.
The Cubs fell five spots in team rankings and gained only 1.0 point in the past week, winning just one of their six games. The Cubs fell from sixth to 11th place overall with 31.5 points.
The Angels fell from 29th to 30th and last place overall this week with 20.5 Box-Toppers points, picking up 1.0 in the past week.
The New York Mets, in last place the past four weeks, rise to 25th with 23.5 Box-Toppers points, picking up 5.5 in the past week.
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.
Follow us: Bluesky | X | Facebook | Substack (newsletter)
The Los Angeles Dodgers regain the lead in Box-Toppers team rankings one week after the New York Yankees passed them for the top spot.
The Yankees remain close on the heels of the Dodgers in second place and continue their lead among American League teams. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers are the week’s hottest team.
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Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes rises to lead this week’s Box-Toppers player rankings report.
Skenes takes the top overall spot and also is the new leader among National League pitchers. Also, Michael Harris II of the Braves is this week’s new leader among NL batters.
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The New York Yankees rise to first place in this week’s Box-Toppers team rankings, overtaking the Los Angeles Dodgers after a week in which they gained a league-high 8.7 points.
Yankees lead
The Yankees rise from second place last week to first place this week. Yankees players have accumulated 33.9 Box-Toppers points this season, including 8.7 in the past week, most of any team.
Read MoreMarlins pitcher Max Meyer is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, while Braves ace Chris Sale rises to the top of National League pitching rankings.
Other Player of the Game winners Saturday include White Sox pitcher Sean Burke, Cody Bellinger of the Yankees and Marcell Ozuna of the Pirates.
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Yankees pitcher Max Fried is the new overall No. 1 in Box-Toppers rankings.
He takes the top spot this week alongside two new league-leading batters: Jeremiah Jackson (Orioles) in the American League and Sal Stewart (Reds) in the National League.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers hold the top spot in Box-Toppers team rankings for the fourth consecutive week, while the New York Yankees continue to lead the American League.
Los Angeles maintains its hold on first place with 27.0 Box-Toppers points, adding 3.0 this week.
Read MorePirates pitcher Paul Skenes is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to fifth place in season player rankings.
Other Player of the Game winners Friday include Adley Rutschman of the Orioles and Dansby Swanson of the Cubs.
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Angels pitcher José Soriano leads Box-Toppers season player rankings for the second straight week.
The leaderboard shifted significantly this week, with three major player categories having new season leaders.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers maintain first place in Box-Toppers team rankings for the third straight week.
The New York Yankees are the week’s hottest team, surging into the American League lead.
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.