Andrew McCutchen replaces Ryan Braun as leader among NL batters in six-year rolling Box-Toppers totals (2011-2016 vs. 2010-2015).
Read MoreTigers' Justin Verlander tops players in Tuesday, March 15's spring training games
Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Tuesday.
Verlander pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out five, in the 10-6 win over the Braves. Verlander had 6.4 Box-Toppers points in 2015 and 4.0 in 2014. But he led American League pitchers in Box-Toppers points in both 2011 (24.4) and 2012 (24.8) and led all players in 2012.
National League Player of the Day—Mark Reynolds of the Rockies hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 6-2 win over the Athletics. Reynolds had 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Cardinals. His best season was 2011 with the Orioles, when he had 9.5 points, fifth among AL batters.
American League Batter of the Day—Matt Davidson of the White Sox hit two home runs, going 2-for-2 and driving in four runs, in the 8-6 win over the Dodgers. Davidson had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 or 2014. He had 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2013 with the Diamondbacks.
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Tuesday because the NL Player of the Day was a batter, Mark Reynolds.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Verlander would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Reynolds would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day and Davidson would earn 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.
Note—Twelve spring training games were scheduled for Thursday—10 are listed below. Two games are not included because they ended in ties (Orioles vs. Blue Jays and Mariners vs. Angels).
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/15 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 8.0 | Tigers | Justin Verlander (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | White Sox | Matt Davidson 3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 4.0 | Rockies | Mark Reynolds 1B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Phillies | Andrew Bailey (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Rangers | Joey Gallo 3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cubs | Kristopher Negron 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Clint Robinson PH-1B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Yankees | César Puello RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Reds | Juan Duran LF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | LJ Mazzilli PH-DH | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Tigers' Shane Greene tops players in Monday, March 14's spring training games
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.
Top player from each game
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. | ||||||||||||||||
Giants' Chris Heston top players in Sunday, March 13's spring training games
Giants pitcher Chris Heston is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Sunday.
Heston pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four, in the 8-1 win over the Padres. Heston had 11.4 Box-Toppers points in 2015, 15th among National League pitchers.
American League Player of the Day—Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez pitched four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk and striking out four, in the 6-1 win over the Rays. Sanchez had 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015.
American League Batter of the Day—Trevor Plouffe of the Twins hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-2, driving in four runs, in the 14-6 win over the Orioles. Plouffe had 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015.
National League Batter of the Day—Starling Marte of the Pirates hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, in the 9-5 win over the Tigers. Marte had 5.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015, 16th among NL outfielders.
Notable—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was Player of the Game in the 6-4 win over the Rockies. Kershaw pitched five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. Kershaw finished second in Box-Toppers points in 2015 with 25.7 (Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta finished first with 29.1). Kershaw led NL pitchers in Box-Toppers points from 2011-2014 and led all players in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Heston would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Sanchez would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Plouffe and Marte would earn 1.5 points for being top batter in their league for the day. All of Sunday’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. Two games are not included because they ended in ties (Cardinals vs. Nationals and Cubs vs. Athletics).
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/13 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | Giants | Chris Heston (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| AL | 6.0 | Blue Jays | Aaron Sanchez (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| BAT | 5.0 | Twins | Trevor Plouffe 3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 5.0 | Mets | Matt Harvey (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | Brewers | Zach Davies (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | Rays | Hank Conger C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Phillies | Adam Morgan (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Astros | José Altuve DH | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Pirates | Starling Marte LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Indians | Trevor Bauer (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Johnny Giavotella 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Reds | Zack Cozart SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Michael Freeman LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Padres' Andrew Cashner tops players in Saturday, March 12's spring training games
Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Saturday.
Cashner pitched three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out five, in the 6-3 win over the Indians. Cashner started the game but did not pick up the win. In 2015, Cashner had 3.0 Box-Toppers points.
American League Player of the Day—Tigers pitcher Buck Farmer pitched two scoreless innings, allowed two hits, struck out five and earned the save, in the 3-0 win over the Pirates. Farmer has appeared in 18 regular season Major League games since 2014, but has yet to earn his first Box-Toppers point by earning Player of the Game honors during the regular season.
National League Batter of the Day—Randal Grichuk of the Cardinals hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in four, in the 14-9 win over the Mets. Grichuk had 9.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015, fifth among NL batters.
American League Batter of the Day—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 14-5 win over the Athletics. Beltre led AL batters in 2015 with 12.5 Box-Toppers points. He also led AL batters in 2012 with 13.0 points.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Cashner would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Farmer would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Grichuk and Beltre would earn 1.5 points for being top batter in their league for the day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/12 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | `Padres | Andrew Cashner | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| BAT | 6.0 | Cardinals | Randal Grichuk CF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 6.0 | Cubs | Jason Hammel (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 6.0 | `Rockies | Taylor Jungmann | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | Dbacks | Rubby De La Rosa (W, 2-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | ||
| AL | 5.0 | Tigers | Buck Farmer (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4.2 | `Rays | Matt Moore | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Rangers | Adrian Beltre 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Phillies | Nick Williams RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Mariners | Tyler O'Neill PR-LF-RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Michael A. Taylor CF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Angels | Todd Cunningham PH-CF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Orioles | Steve Tolleson 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Marlins | Derek Dietrich 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Daniel Poncedeleon (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Elian Herrera 2B | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Austin Barnes C | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Michael Freeman LF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Athletics' Sam Fuld tops players in Friday, March 11's spring training games
Sam Fuld of the Athletics is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Friday.
Fuld homered and tripled, going 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-4 win over the Reds. Fuld had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 and last earned Box-Toppers points when he was Player of the Game on Aug. 10, 2011, with the Rays. Fuld has 3.5 career Box-Toppers points.
National League Player of the Day—Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis pitched three perfect innings, allowing no hits, runs or baserunners, striking out three, in the 6-1 win over the Indians. Bettis had 5.4 Box-Toppers points with the Rockies in 2015.
National League Batter of the Day—Cesar Hernandez of the Phillies went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 9-2 win over the Braves. Hernandez has no career Box-Toppers points. While he has played in 227 regular season Major League games, he has yet to make his Box-Toppers debut by earning his first regular season Player of the Game honor.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter, Sam Fuld.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Fuld would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Bettis would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day and Hernandez would earn 1.5 points as NL Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/11 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | Athletics | Sam Fuld RF-CF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 6.0 | Rockies | Chad Bettis (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 5.2 | `Blue Jays | Marcus Stroman | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | White Sox | Carlos Rodon (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 5.0 | Mariners | Hisashi Iwakuma (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 5.0 | Yankees | Masahiro Tanaka (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 5.0 | Angels | Yunesky Maya (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Astros | Colby Rasmus LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Rangers | Joey Gallo 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Cubs | Spencer Patton (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Phillies | Cesar Hernandez 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Nationals | Tony Campana CF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Chris Herrmann C | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `Pirates | Juan Nicasio | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1.0 | Marlins | Adeiny Hechavarria SS | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Cardinals | Jacob Wilson 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Indians' Carlos Carrasco tops players in Thursday, March 10's spring training games
Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Thursday.
Carrasco pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four, in the 9-4 win over the Padres. Carrasco had 18.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Indians, fifth among American League pitchers. He was Box-Toppers Player of the Day five times during the 2015 regular season.
Carrasco had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +6.0, the same as Twins pitcher Ervin Santana, who was Player of the Game in the 8-2 win over the Red Sox. But Carrasco won overall Player of the Day on a tiebreaker—he had more strikeouts (four vs. three).
National League Player of the Day—Giants pitcher Chris Stratton pitched three scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out two, in the 3-1 win over the Brewers. Stratton has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and so has yet to earn his first Box-Toppers points.
American League Batter of the Day—David Adams of the Blue Jays doubled twice and went 3-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 11-4 win over the Yankees. Adams has yet to earn Player of the Day honors during the regular season and so has no career Box-Toppers points.
National League Batter of the Day—A.J. Ellis of the Dodgers hit two doubles, going 2-for-3, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-3 win over the Athletics. Ellis had no Box-Toppers points in 2015, but had 6.0 Box-Toppers points from 2012 to 2014.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Carrasco would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Stratton would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Adams and Ellis would earn 1.5 points as top batters in their league for the day. All of Thursday’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. Two games are not included because they ended in ties (Tigers vs. Phillies and Yankees vs. Orioles).
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/10 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | Indians | Carlos Carrasco (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 6.0 | Twins | Ervin Santana (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| BAT | 5.0 | Blue Jays | David Adams PR-2B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.1 | Rays | Drew Smyly (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| NL | 4.0 | Giants | Chris Stratton (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 4.0 | `Mets | Noah Syndergaard | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Dodgers | A.J. Ellis C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Mariners | Stefen Romero LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | White Sox | Avisail Garcia RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Royals | Jorge Bonifacio PR-LF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | Seth Mejias-Brean 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Astros | Collin McHugh (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Jason Bourgeois CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Braves | Jeff Francoeur RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Phillies' Darin Ruf tops players in Wednesday, March 9's spring training games
Darin Ruf of the Phillies is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Wednesday.
Ruf hit two homers and went 2-for-2, driving in three runs, in the 8-4 win over the Orioles. Ruf had 1.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Phillies.
American League Player of the Day—Alex Gordon of the Royals homered and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 7-5 win over the Brewers. Gordon had 4.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Royals.
Notable—Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies, who led National League batters in Box-Toppers points in 2015, was Player of the Game in the 8-6 win over the Giants. Gonzalez hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-3, scoring twice. Gonzalez led NL batters in 2015 with 11.5 Box-Toppers points.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Ruf would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Gordon would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player 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 Tuesday—14 are listed below. Two games are not included because they ended in a tie (Yankees vs. Mets and Dodgers vs. Angels).
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/8 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 5.0 | Phillies | Darin Ruf 1B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 4.0 | Royals | Alex Gordon LF | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Tigers | Nate Schierholtz RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Indians | Corey Kluber (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | `Rangers | César Ramos | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Red Sox | Blake Swihart DH | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Phillies | Cameron Rupp C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Rockies | Carlos González RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Mariners | Ed Lucas LF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Astros | José Altuve 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Ryan Goins SS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Zach Borenstein RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Athletics | Matt Chapman PH-3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Marlins | Justin Bour 1B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Nationals' Yusmeiro Petit tops players in Tuesday, March 8's spring training games
Nationals pitcher Yusmeiro Petit is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Tuesday.
Petit pitched three scoreless innings of middle relief, allowing one hit and striking out four, in the 4-2 win over the Astros. Petit had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Giants. He last earned Box-Toppers points Sept. 9, 2014, with the Giants, a season in which he earned 4.0 points.
American League Player of the Day—Avisail Garcia of the White Sox homered, tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 10-8 win over the Brewers. Garcia earned 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the White Sox.
National League Batter of the Day—Christian Arroyo of the Giants hit a two-run homer and went 2-for-2, scoring twice, in the 16-7 win over the Reds. Arroyo has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and so has yet to earn his first Box-Toppers points.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Tuesday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter, Avisail Garcia.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Petit would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Garcia would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Arroyo would earn 1.5 points as NL Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’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 Tuesday—15 are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Diamondbacks vs. Padres).
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/8 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | Nationals | Yusmeiro Petit (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| AL | 5.0 | White Sox | Avisail García RF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Royals | Edinson Vólquez (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4.0 | Blue Jays | Darrell Ceciliani CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Giants | Christian Arroyo PH-3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Aledmys Diaz SS | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Tigers | Bruce Rondon (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | `Braves | Matt Marksberry | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Rangers | Delino DeShields CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Angels | Carlos Pérez C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Red Sox | Marco Hernandez SS | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Dalier Hinojosa (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Marlins | Dustin McGowan (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Indians | José Ramírez 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 0.0 | Dodgers | Micah Johnson 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Diamondbacks' Castillo tops players in Monday, March 7's spring training games
Wellington Castillo of the Diamondbacks is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Monday.
Castillo hit a two-run homer and two doubles, going 3-for-4 and driving in five runs, in the 10-8 win over the Mariners. Castillo had 3.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015, a season he spent with the Cubs, Mariners and Diamondbacks, but he scored all his Box-Toppers points with the Diamondbacks.
American League Player of the Day—Stephen Vogt of the Athletics hit two home runs, including a three-run shot, going 2-for-3, in the 6-4 win over the Royals. Vogt had 2.5 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Athletics.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Castillo would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Vogt would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/7 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 5.0 | Dbacks | Wellington Castillo C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AL | 5.0 | Athletics | Stephen Vogt DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Nationals | Clint Robinson DH | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5.0 | `Royals | Kris Medlen | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Rangers | Ryan Rua PH-DH | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | White Sox | Steve Lombardozzi 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Astros | Cesar Valdez (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.1 | Twins | Trevor May (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Indians | Giovanny Urshela 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | Adam Duvall LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Cardinals | Stephen Piscotty RF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Lucas Duda 1B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Padres | Derek Norris C | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | `Phillies | Vince Velásquez | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2.0 | Blue Jays | Roberto Osuna (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1.0 | Rays | Logan Forsythe 2B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Rockies | Mark Reynolds 1B | 2 | 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. | ||||||||||||||||
Twins' Byung Ho Park tops players in Sunday, March 6's spring training games
Byung Ho Park of the Twins is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Sunday.
Park hit a grand slam, going 1-for-3 and scoring twice, in the 5-4 win over the Rays. Park has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and has no career Box-Toppers points.
National League Player of the Day—Yadiel Rivera of the Brewers homered, doubled and went 2-for-2, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 6-5 win over the Indians. Rivera played seven regular season games for the Brewers in 2015, but has yet to make his Box-Toppers debut, earning Player of the Game honors in a regular season game for the first time.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Park would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Rivera would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/6 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 4.0 | Twins | Byung Ho Park 1B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 4.0 | Brewers | Yadiel Rivera 3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Red Sox | Heath Hembree (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 4.0 | Astros | Jandel Gustave (SV, 2) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Astros | Jon Singleton 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Tigers | J.D. Martínez RF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | White Sox | Carlos Rodon (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Ben Paulsen DH | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dodgers | Carl Crawford LF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mariners | Shawn O'Malley 2B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Phillies | Andrew Knapp DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Dbacks | Jack Reinheimer SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Royals | Orlando Calixte 3B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Mets | Ty Kelly PR-LF | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Blake Treinen (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Athletics | Andrew Lambo DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Blue Jays' Michael Saunders top players in Saturday, March 5's spring training games
Michael Saunders of the Blue Jays is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Saturday.
Saunders hit two home runs—a three-run homer and a two-run homer—while going 3-for-3, in the 9-6 win over the Phillies.
Saunders had no Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Blue Jays, but had 4.5 in 2013 with the Mariners.
National League Player of the Day—Rob Segedin of the Dodgers hit two homers and drove in three runs in the 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Segedin has yet to make his regular season Major League debut and so does not have any career Box-Toppers points.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Saunders would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Segedin would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. All of Saturday’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 Saturday—15 are listed below. One game is not included because it ended in a tie (Brewers vs. Athletics).
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/5 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 7.0 | Blue Jays | Michael Saunders LF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 5.0 | Dodgers | Rob Segedin PH-3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 5.0 | Rays | Drew Smyly (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4.0 | Twins | Juan Centeno C | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Rockies | Mike Tauchman PH-LF | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Yankees | Aaron Judge RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Angels | Nick Buss CF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.1 | Mets | Hansel Robles (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | White Sox | Adam Eaton DH | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Pirates | Pedro Florimón PH-SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Rangers | Mitch Moreland 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Nationals | Scott Sizemore 2B | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | Brandon Finnegan (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3.0 | Giants | Cory Gearrin (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Cardinals | Miguel Socolovich SV, 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Astros' Wandy Rodriguez tops players in Friday, March 4's spring training games
Astros pitcher Wandy Rodriguez is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Friday.
Rodriguez started and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four in the 6-3 win over the Cardinals. He earned the win.
Rodriguez had 6.7 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Rangers and Royals. His best season was 2009 with the Astros, when he had 18.7 Box-Toppers points, second among National League pitchers.
National League Player of the Day—Maikel Franco of the Phillies hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-3, driving in four total runs, in the 12-11 win over the Braves. Franco had 3.2 Box-Toppers points in 2015.
Franco had a Box-Toppers game score of +4.0, tied with Gabby Guerrero, who was Player of the Game in the Diamondbacks 6-3 win over the Athletics. Franco and Guerrero also had similar batting lines, but Franco wins NL Player of the Day honors on a tiebreaker because he had fewer strikeouts than Guerrero—zero vs. one.
American League Batter of the Day—Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers hit a three-run homer in the 3-0 win over the Yankees.
Cabrera had 4.7 Box-Toppers points in 2015, his lowest total since his rookie year of 2003 with the Marlins, when he had 3.0. Cabrera has twice led AL batters in Box-Toppers points—in 2009 with 16.5 and in 2013, his best season, with 16.9. He has 132.9 career Box-Toppers points, fourth-most among active AL batters (behind Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and David Ortiz).
National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Friday because the overall NL Player of the Day was a batter, Maikel Franco.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Rodriguez would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Franco would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Cabrera would earn 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Friday’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 Friday—12 are listed below. Four games are not included because they ended in ties (Indians vs. White Sox, Dodgers vs. Rangers, Twins vs. Pirates and Marlins vs. Mets).
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers points are a measure of how much a player provides key contributions to his team’s wins. Specifically, 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/4 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 5.0 | Astros | Wandy Rodríguez (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| NL | 4.0 | Phillies | Maikel Franco 3B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Dbacks | Gabby Guerrero RF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 4.0 | Tigers | Miguel Cabrera 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Athletics | Sean Manaea (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Marlins | Justin Maxwell PR-RF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Red Sox | Sam Travis PR-1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Brewers | Andy Wilkins 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Padres | Tayron Guerrero (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Cubs | Addison Russell SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Giants | Ehire Adrianza 1B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.1 | Blue Jays | Chad Jenkins (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
For second straight year, Boston Red Sox projected to be Box-Toppers' most improved team
Box-Toppers projects the Boston Red Sox to be the most improved team in baseball in 2016.
But Box-Toppers also projected the Red Sox to be the most improved team going into 2015, a prediction that didn’t quite pan out.
Projecting the Red Sox
For the second straight year, the Boston Red Sox are projected by Box-Toppers to be baseball’s most improved team. Their 2015 rise wasn’t as great as projected. Here are Box-Toppers’ preseason rankings for the Red Sox from 2014 to 2016, including their projected Box-Toppers point (BTP) total for the season and their rank among all 30 teams, followed by their actual Box-Toppers point total and rank at the end of each season.| Preseason projection |
Actual result |
||||
| BTP | Rank | BTP | Rank | ||
| 2014 | 121.7 | 4th | 68.7 | 30th | |
| 2015 | 92.0 | 17th | 77.6 | 23rd | |
| 2016 | 103.9 | 10th | ? | ? | |
Both years the prediction happened because the Red Sox had a previous lackluster season followed by an active offseason in which it picked up star players.
This year, the Red Sox picked up 26.3 Box-Toppers points in the offseason, mainly on the strength of signing free agent pitcher David Price, who had 21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Tigers and the Blue Jays, second among American League pitchers.
At the end of 2015, the Red Sox ranked 23rd among the 30 teams in Box-Toppers points. They are now ranked 10th in preseason standings. Last year, they finished fifth in the AL East with 78 wins. This year, Box-Toppers projects them to finish in second (to the Toronto Blue Jays) with 95 wins and earn a wild-card spot.
But Box-Toppers also projected a big Red Sox jump going into 2015, which didn’t quite happen. At the end of 2014, the Red Sox ranked 30th in Box-Toppers team rankings. But in the offseason, they made winter moves and signings that gave them a net gain of 23.3 points. Among Red Sox additions going into 2015 were pitchers Rick Porcello, Justin Masterson and batters Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. None of those players matched their Box-Toppers point totals from 2014 in 2015.
Those additions helped the Red Sox rise to 17th place in Box-Toppers preseason team rankings in 2015. However, they foundered and finished 2015 ranked 23rd—an improvement from 2014, but not as great as the projected improvement. Box-Toppers projected them having 85 wins in 2015—they fell seven wins short.
In addition to Price, the Red Sox picked up other notable players going into the 2016 season—outfielder Chris B. Young (who had 4.5 Box-Toppers points with the Yankees in 2015) and closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel (who had 6.0 points with the Padres in 2015).
About Box-Toppers—Box-Toppers points are a measure of how much a player provides key contributions to his team’s wins. Specifically, 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.
Related posts
Dodgers' Joe Blanton tops players in Thursday, March 3's spring training games
Dodgers pitcher Joe Blanton is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Thursday.
Blanton pitched two perfect innings of middle relief, striking out three in the 6-1 win over the White Sox. He earned no decision.
Blanton had 3.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Royals and the Pirates.
American League Player of the Day—Brandon Guyer of the Rays homered and went 3-for-3, driving in three runs, in the 10-3 win over the Orioles. Guyer had 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2015.
National League Batter of the Day—Jorge Alfaro of the Phillies went 2-for-2, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 13-4 split-squad win over the Yankees. Alfaro has no career Box-Toppers points and has yet to make his Major League regular season debut.
American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day Thursday because the overall AL Player of the Day was a batter, Brandon Guyer.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Blanton would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Guyer would earn 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Alfaro would earn 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) would 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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/3 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 5.0 | `Dodgers | Joe Blanton | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| AL | 4.0 | Rays | Brandon Guyer CF | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Rangers | Brett Nicholas PH-C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Angels | Ji-Man Choi PH-1B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | `Brewers | Josh Hader | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 3.0 | Mariners | Luis Sardiñas 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| BAT | 3.0 | Phillies | Jorge Alfaro C | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 3.0 | Blue Jays | Andy Burns PR-2B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Astros | Doug Fister (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 3.0 | Red Sox | Marco Hernandez PR-2B-SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.0 | Reds | Anthony DeSclafani (W, 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Víctor Martínez DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Rockies | Trevor Story SS | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Nationals | Anthony Rendón 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Cardinals | Dean Kiekhefer (SV, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1.0 | Brewers | Eric Young Jr. LF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| ` Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save. | ||||||||||||||||
Rangers rookie Nomar Mazara tops players in Wednesday, March 2's spring games
Rangers rookie Nomar Mazara is Box-Toppers spring training Player of the Day for Wednesday.
Mazara hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-3, driving in four runs and scoring twice, in the 6-2 win over the Royals.
National League Player of the Day—Braves prospect Ozhaino Albies homered, doubled and went 3-for-5, driving in three and scoring three times, in the 11-4 win over the Orioles.
Neither Mazara nor Albies have any Box-Toppers points and neither has made their regular season Major League debut.
Scoring—No Box-Toppers points are awarded in spring training games, but if it were the regular season, Mazara would earn 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Albies would earn 1.7 points for being NL Player 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—Thirteen spring training games were scheduled for Wednesday—nine are listed below. Four games are not included—two because they ended in ties (Phillies vs. Blue Jays and Indians vs. Reds) and two because teams played against non-Major League opponents.
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/2 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 6.0 | Rangers | Nomar Mazara, RF | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 4.0 | Braves | Ozhaino Albies 2B-SS | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 4.0 | Nationals | Scott Sizemore 3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 4.0 | Mariners | Chris Iannetta, C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3.1 | Giants | Michael Broadway, (W 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2.0 | Twins | Jorge Polanco 2B | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Tigers | Jarrod Saltalamacchia DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2.0 | Yankees | Austin Romine PR-C | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1.0 | Dbacks | Archie Bradley, (W 1-0) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Blue Jays' Darwin Barney tops players in spring's first games between MLB teams
In the first day of spring training games played between Major League teams Tuesday, Darwin Barney of the Blue Jays is Box-Toppers Player of the Day.
Barney went 3-for-3 with two doubles in the 5-3 win over the Phillies.
If it were a regular season game, Barney would have earned 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day. Barney had no points in 2015 and last earned Box-Toppers points Sept. 26, 2014, with the Dodgers, his only points of that season. His best year was 2012 with the Cubs, when he had 7.2 Box-Toppers points.
National League Player of the Day—Reds pitcher Drew Hayes struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in the 6-5 win over the Indians.
Hayes would have earned 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day if it were a regular season game. Hayes has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
National League Batter of the Day—Alex Hanson of the Pirates went 1-for-1, scoring and driving in a run, in the 4-2 win over the Tigers.
Hanson would have earned 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day if it were a regular season game. Hanson has no career Box-Toppers points.
Six spring training games were scheduled Tuesday. Two were played against non-Major League teams and one ended in a tie (Orioles-Braves). Those games were not included in Box-Toppers results.
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.
Top player from each game
Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score
| 3/1 | Score | Team | Player | AB | R | H | BI | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |
| MLB | 5.0 | Blue Jays | Darwin Barney (SS) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NL | 3.0 | Reds | Drew Hayes (S, 1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| BAT | 2.0 | Pirates | Alen Hanson (2B) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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