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Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski leads Box-Toppers overall player rankings for a seventh consecutive week.
Meanwhile, Pete Alonso of the Orioles this week passes Yordan Alvarez of the Astros for the lead among American League batters.
Other Box-Toppers category leaders remain unchanged since last week:
AL Pitchers: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays
NL Batters: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
Mariners pitcher George Kirby is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Mariners pitcher George Kirby is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Tuesday, Pete Alonso of the Orioles rises to first place among American League batters, passing previous leader Yordan Alvarez of the Astros, after earning AL Batter of the Day honors.
Other Player of the Game winners Tuesday include Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes and Ryan Waldschmidt of the Diamondbacks.
Kirby struck out nine over 7.2 innings, allowing one run, six hits and one walk, in the 4-1 win over the Phillies.
Kirby earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 7.0 for the season, 65th among all players and 30th among American League pitchers.
NL Player of the Day: Paul Skenes, Pirates.
Skenes struck out four over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks, in the 1-0 win over the Padres. Skenes did not earn the win, picking up a no-decision, because the game was in a scoreless tie when he exited.
He earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points as National League Player of the Day, giving him 12.7 for the season, 17th among all players and ninth among NL pitchers.
AL Batter of the Day: Pete Alonso, Orioles.
2026 Box-Toppers points—AL batters 1—Pete Alonso #Orioles 8.2* 2—Yordan Alvarez #Astros 7.5 3—Yandy Díaz #Rays 7.5 4—Willson Contreras #RedSox 7.0 5—Nick Kurtz #Athletics 7.0 6—Kody Clemens #Twins 7.0 *Earns 1.5 B-T points as Tuesday AL Batter of the Day www.box-toppers.com/blog/2026/8/...
— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) 7:53 AM · Aug 26, 2026
| Player | Pos | Team | BTP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob Misiorowski | pi sp | Brewers | 21.4 |
| 2 | Dylan Cease | pi sp | Blue Jays | 18.4 |
| 3 | Jesús Luzardo | pi sp | Phillies | 18.0 |
| 4 | Braxton Ashcraft | pi sp | Pirates | 16.4 |
| 5 | Cristopher Sánchez | pi sp | Phillies | 15.7 |
| 6 | Cam Schlittler | pi sp | Yankees | 15.7 |
| 7 | Shohei Ohtani | pi sp dh | Dodgers | 15.7 |
| 8 | Gavin Williams | pi sp | Guardians | 13.7 |
| 9 | Kyle Harrison | pi sp | Brewers | 13.7 |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | pi sp | Mariners | 13.4 |
Alonso hit a three-run homer, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 13-1 win over the Cardinals.
Alonso earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points as AL Batter of the Day, giving him 8.2 for the season, rising to first place among AL batters, passing previous leader Yordan Alvarez of the Astros (7.5 points). Alonso ranks 43rd among all players.
Waldschmidt hit a walk-off, pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the 5-4 win over the Cubs. Waldschmidt went 1-for-1, scoring once and driving in two runs.
Box-Toppers review of the day's top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest B-T game scores:
Three 2026 rookie relief pitchers made their Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, each earning their first career Player of the Game honor:
Nate Lavender of the Mets (2IP 0H 0R 0BB K ND in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Brewers) made his Major League debut Aug. 4 and was playing in his ninth career game.
Drew Sommers of the Tigers (1.2IP 0H 0R 0BB K W in the 4-1 win over the Rays) made his Major League debut Aug. 22, 2025, and was playing in his 36th career game.
Mark Manfredi of the Rockies (1IP H 0R 0BB 2K W in the 3-1 win over the Nationals) made his Major League debut Aug. 19 and was playing in his fourth career game.
Kirby earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points as Player of the Day.
Skenes earns 1.7 points as NL Player of the Day.
Alonso and Waldschmidt each earn 1.5 points as their league’s Batter of the Day.
All of Tuesday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
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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| 8/25 | BTG | Game | Player | AB | R | H | BI | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB | 7.2 | SEA 4, PHI 1 | George Kirby (W, 9‑10) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| NL | 7.0 | `PIT 1, SD 0 | Paul Skenes | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 6.1 | ATH 4, MIN 2 | Gage Jump (W, 6‑8) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 6.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ||
| BAT | 6.0 | BAL 13, STL 1 | Pete Alonso 1B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 5.0 | HOU 9, NYY 7 | Yainer Diaz C | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 5.0 | CHW 11, TEX 7 | Tristan Peters LF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 4.0 | CLE 8, LAA 6 (F/10) | Steven Kwan DH‑CF | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 4.0 | BOS 7, MIA 3 (F/11) | Mickey Gasper DH | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 3.1 | SF 3, CIN 1 | Anthony Molina (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 4.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | ARI 5, CHC 4 | Ryan Waldschmidt PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | |
| 3.0 | `NYM 3, MIL 2 (F/10) | Nate Lavender (H, 6) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.2 | DET 4, TB 1 | Drew Sommers (W, 1‑3) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | COL 3, WSH 1 | Mark Manfredi (W, 1‑0) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | ATL 4, LAD 3 | Ozzie Albies 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ||
| 1.0 | KC 5, TOR 3 | Seth Lugo (W, 6‑7) | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | ‑ | 5.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Player of the Game | Pos | Team | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career | +/‑ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skenes, Paul 5005 | pi sp | pit nl | 12.7 | 33.8 | 46.8 | 46.8 | -8.4 |
| Alonso, Pete 4118 | 1b | bal al | 8.2 | 15.4 | 50.3 | 58.8 | +1.0 |
| Kirby, George 4595 | pi sp | sea al | 7.0 | 18.0 | 58.5 | 58.5 | -4.0 |
| Jump, Gage 5372 | pi sp | oak al | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | +6.0 |
| Albies, Ozzie 3953 | 2b | atl nl | 5.5 | 8.5 | 22.0 | 31.5 | +2.5 |
| Diaz, Yainer 4871 | ca | hou al | 3.5 | 6.7 | 10.2 | 10.2 | +0.3 |
| Gasper, Mickey 5267 | dh | bos al | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | +2.0 |
| Waldschmidt, Ryan 5361 | cf ph | ari nl | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | +2.5 |
| Lugo, Seth 3729 | pi sp | kc al | 2.0 | 7.0 | 29.5 | 45.5 | -3.0 |
| Peters, Tristan 5433 | cf lf | chi al | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +2.0 |
| Kwan, Steven 4573 | dh cf | cle al | 1.0 | 4.5 | 15.7 | 15.7 | -2.5 |
| Molina, Anthony 5112 | pi mr | sf nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | +1.0 |
| Lavender, Nate 5448 | pi mr | nym nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Manfredi, Mark 5450 | pi mr | col nl | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Sommers, Drew 5449 | pi mr | det al | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Game | Starter | ’26 | ’25‑26 | ’21‑26 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TB | Peralta, Freddy 3965 | 0.0 | 14.7 | 65.9 | 84.6 |
| DET | Melton, Troy 5231 | 7.0 | 10.7 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| CHC | Boyd, Matthew 3550 | 3.0 | 13.7 | 18.7 | 45.5 |
| ARI | Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 | 7.0 | 11.7 | 35.7 | 79.9 |
| CIN | Lodolo, Nick 4586 | 1.0 | 10.7 | 26.7 | 26.7 |
| SF | Roupp, Landen 5079 | 5.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 11.7 |
| CLE | Cantillo, Joey 5106 | 9.7 | 15.4 | 18.4 | 18.4 |
| LAA | Rodriguez, Grayson 4790 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| PHI | Luzardo, Jesus 4282 | 18.0 | 35.4 | 66.6 | 71.3 |
| SEA | Woo, Bryan 4842 | 13.4 | 31.4 | 51.8 | 51.8 |
| PIT | Chandler, Bubba 5269 | 3.0 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
| SD | Vasquez, Randy 4841 | 7.4 | 12.8 | 15.8 | 15.8 |
| BOS | Gray, Sonny 3259 | 12.0 | 26.0 | 67.3 | 136.3 |
| MIA | Gusto, Ryan 5156 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| COL | Gordon, Tanner 5230 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| WSH | Waldron, Matt 4946 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| HOU | Lambert, Peter 4155 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 11.7 | 13.7 |
| NYY | Undecided | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| KC | Dobnak, Randy 4263 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| TOR | Miles, Spencer 5357 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| MIL | May, Dustin 4214 | 6.7 | 12.4 | 20.1 | 24.1 |
| NYM | Stock, Robert 5437 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| LAD | Sasaki, Roki 5358 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| ATL | Smith-Shawver, AJ 4951 | 0.0 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.7 |
| TEX | Gore, MacKenzie 4582 | 10.0 | 18.7 | 38.4 | 38.4 |
| CHW | Burke, Sean 5124 | 11.1 | 14.8 | 15.8 | 15.8 |
| BAL | Bradish, Kyle 4597 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 33.1 | 33.1 |
| STL | McGreevy, Michael 5113 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| MIN | Prielipp, Connor 5397 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| ATH | Ginn, J.T. 5142 | 4.0 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 |
Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski leads Box-Toppers overall player rankings for a sixth consecutive week.
Other Box-Toppers category leaders also remain unchanged since last week:
AL Pitchers: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (17.4 points)
NL Batters: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (15.7 points)
AL Batters: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (7.5 points)
Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Wednesday, Twins pitcher Taj Bradley rises to 10th place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read More
Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski leads Box-Toppers overall player rankings for a fifth consecutive week with 18.7 Box-Toppers points.
Other Box-Toppers category leaders also remain unchanged since last week:
AL Pitchers: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (17.4 points)
NL Batters: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (13.7 points)
AL Batters: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (7.5 points)
Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski leads Box-Toppers overall player rankings for a fourth consecutive week with 17.7 Box-Toppers points.
Other Box-Toppers category leaders also remain unchanged since last week:
AL Pitchers: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (17.4 points)
NL Batters: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (13.7 points)
AL Batters: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (7.5 points)
Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski leads Box-Toppers overall player rankings for a third consecutive week, despite briefly surrendering the top spot for a single day.
Other Box-Toppers category leaders remain unchanged since last week:
AL Pitchers: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (16.4 points)
NL Batters: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (13.7 points)
AL Batters: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (7.5 points)
White Sox pitcher Sean Burke is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Other Player of the Game winners Thursday include Giants pitcher Robbie Ray, Elly De La Cruz of the Reds, Kody Clemens of the Twins and Mets closing pitcher Devin Williams.
Read More
Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski leads his second straight Box-Toppers player rankings report, while Yordan Alvarez of the Astros rises this week to lead American League batters.
Other Box-Toppers category leaders remain unchanged since the last player rankings report before the All-Star break on July 12:
AL Pitchers: Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (14.4 points)
NL Batters: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (13.7 points)
Mariners pitcher George Kirby is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Also Monday, Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski extends his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings and Yordan Alvarez of the Astros climbs to first place among American League batters after both win Player of the Game honors.
Read More
Box-Toppers’ list of worthy but unchosen 2026 All-Stars includes Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler, Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert and Dansby Swanson of the Cubs.
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler and Mariners pitchers Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert are Box-Toppers’ most worthy but unchosen players for the 2026 All-Star Game.
Joining them as key All-Star snubs are Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams, Dansby Swanson of the Cubs, Jake McCarthy of the Rockies, Sal Stewart of the Reds and Michael Harris II of the Braves.
Read More
Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski rises to lead Box-Toppers player rankings, passing previous leader Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez.
Also, Dylan Cease of the Blue Jays climbs to first place among American League pitchers in 2026 Box-Toppers points, passing Cam Schlittler of the Yankees.
Read MoreBlue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease, who came within three outs of pitching a no-hitter, is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, taking the lead among American League pitchers in season player rankings.
Other Player of the Game winners Wednesday include Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin, Elly De La Cruz of the Reds and Kody Clemens of the Twins.
Read MoreMarlins pitcher Eury Pérez is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, pitching seven perfect innings before the bullpen surrendered eight runs, turning a blowout into a 9-8 nail-biter.
Other top players Sunday include Twins pitcher Joe Ryan, Riley Greene of the Tigers and Henry Davis of the Pirates.
Read MoreMariners pitcher Logan Gilbert is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to ninth place in season player rankings.
He leads a Saturday slate where three other top-10 players also captured Player of the Game honors: Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (moves to third), Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo (holds eighth), and Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray (climbs to 10th).
Read MoreNationals pitcher Cade Cavalli is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, recording the third-highest Box-Toppers game score of the season.
Also Tuesday, Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez regains the lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors. Plus, Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo bolsters his sixth-place spot in season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors.
Read MoreBrewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day after recording the highest game score in more than eight years. His dominant shutout performance maintains his second-place spot in the season player rankings.
Other top Friday players include Bo Bichette of the Mets, Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller, Yordan Alvarez of the Astros, Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray and George Springer of the Blue Jays.
Read More
The 2024 Box-Toppers rookie leaders, Luis Gil and Shota Imanaga, both faltered during sophomore slumps in 2025, recording the two largest year-over-year Box-Toppers point declines.
Yankees pitcher Gil, whose Box-Toppers point total slid 16.4 points and Cubs pitcher Imanaga, whose total slipped 13.7 points, lead this year’s list of Box-Toppers’ big dippers.
Read More
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 MoreOverall Box-Toppers points leader, Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler, leads the Box-Toppers All-Star teams for the 2024 regular season.
The American League and National League All-Star teams are composed of the players with the highest Box-Toppers point totals by position in each league. In addition to nine batters in each league are the top four starting pitchers in each league and the top closing pitcher.
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.