Padres' Pomeranz tops players for Wednesday, April 20; D-Backs' Greinke rises to 19th on Box-Toppers ‘all-time' list

Shawn Plank April 21, 2016

Padres pitcher Drew Pomeranz is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 20:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	3.7
3	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
4	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
5	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
6	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	3.0
7	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	3.0
8	Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	3.0
9	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	2.7
10	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	2.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Pomeranz struck out 10 over 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 8-2 win over the Pirates.

American League Player of the Day—Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker struck out six over six innings, allowing one run and three hits, in the 2-1 win over the Indians.

American League Batter of the Day—Mookie Betts of the Red Sox homered and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in two runs, in the 7-3 win over the Rays.

National League Batter of the Day—Ryan Braun of the Brewers went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run, in the 10-5 win over the Twins.

Rankings—Two players rose into Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday:

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale rose to sixth place (7IP 2H R 3K W in the 2-1 win over the Angels), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.
Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels rose to 10th place (6.2IP 5H R 7K W in the 2-1 win over the Astros), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season. In addition, Hamels now has 128.9 career Box-Toppers points, rising to 29th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. With his point Wednesday, Hamels passes Vladimir Guerrero (128.3) on the “all-time” list and trails 28th-place player Trevor Hoffman (129.4).

All-time leaders

Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Randy Johnson	pi sp	retired	278.8
2	Pedro Martinez	pi sp	retired	244.8
3	Curt Schilling	pi sp	retired	194.1
4	Alex Rodriguez	dh	nyy al	187.0
5	CC Sabathia	pi sp	nyy al	179.0
6	Albert Pujols	1b dh	ana al	174.3
7	Roy Halladay	pi sp	retired	170.7
8	Manny Ramirez	lf dh	retired	167.2
9	Johan Santana	pi sp	free agent	166.6
10	Roger Clemens	pi sp	retired	164.8
11	Felix Hernandez	pi sp	sea al	162.7
12	Clayton Kershaw	pi sp	lad nl	162.3
13	John Smoltz	pi sp	retired	160.9
14	Tim Hudson	pi sp	retired	157.0
15	Mike Mussina	pi sp	retired	155.6
16	Barry Bonds	lf	retired	153.2
17	Greg Maddux	pi sp	retired	151.7
18	Chipper Jones	3b	retired	149.0
19	Zack Greinke	pi sp	ari nl	148.4
20	Javier Vazquez	pi sp	retired	148.3

List of top 100 players since 1995 (through the 2015 season)

Notable—Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to 19th place in Box-Toppers points among all players since 1995 after earning Player of the Game honors Wednesday.

Greinke (6.2IP 6H R 7K W in the 2-1 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 148.4 career points. He passes Javier Vazquez (148.3) on the “all-time” list (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995) and trails 18th-place player Chipper Jones (149.0). Greinke has 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the season.

Scoring—Pomeranz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Walker earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Betts and Braun each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) 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

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/20
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.2
    Padres
    Drew Pomeranz (W,2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    4
    1
    0
    3
    10
  

    AL
    8.0
    Mariners
    Taijuan Walker (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    7.0
    White Sox
    Chris Sale (W,4-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    6.2
    `Phillies
    Hector Neris
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.2
    2
    0
    0
    0
    6
  

    
    6.1
    Athletics
    Kendall Graveman (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    3
    1
    1
    3
    8
  

    
    6.1
    Tigers
    Jordan Zimmermann (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    7
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    
    4.2
    Dbacks
    Zack Greinke (W,1-2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    6
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Red Sox
    Mookie Betts, RF
    3
    3
    2
    2
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Cardinals
    Carlos Martinez (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    3.2
    `Reds
    Raisel Iglesias
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    6
    2
    2
    1
    8
  

    
    3.2
    Rangers
    Cole Hamels (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    5
    1
    1
    3
    7
  

    
    3.0
    Nationals
    Yusmeiro Petit (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.0
    2
    1
    1
    0
    3
  

    
    2.1
    `Dodgers
    Chris Hatcher
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Brewers
    Ryan Braun, LF
    3
    2
    2
    1
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Orioles
    Manny Machado, 3B
    3
    1
    2
    1
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Players of the Game. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total for the current season (16). Also shown are each players’ Box-Toppers point total for this season and last (15-16), the period 2011-2016 (11-16) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2016 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2015 total (+/-).


Player	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	3.0	21.8	74.0	76.0	-15.8
Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	2.7	18.1	69.7	128.9	-12.7
Machado, Manny 3087	3b	bal al	2.5	10.0	13.5	13.5	-5.0
Braun, Ryan J. 2300	lf	mil nl	2.5	7.5	38.5	80.2	-2.5
Greinke, Zack 1871	pi sp	ari nl	2.0	22.7	87.8	148.4	-18.7
Zimmermann, Jordan 2612	pi sp	det al	2.0	9.0	58.4	59.4	-5.0
Pomeranz, Drew 3061	pi sp mr	sd nl	2.0	5.0	13.0	13.0	-1.0
Iglesias, Raisel 3467	pi sp	cin nl	2.0	4.7	4.7	4.7	-0.7
Walker, Taijuan 3453	pi sp	sea al	1.7	15.4	15.4	15.4	-12.0
Betts, Mookie 3404	rf	bos al	1.5	4.5	6.5	6.5	-1.5
Martinez, Carlos 3371	pi sp	stl nl	1.0	14.7	15.7	15.7	-12.7
Graveman, Kendall 3444	pi sp	oak al	1.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	-3.7
Hatcher, Chris 3420	pi mr	lad nl	1.0	2.0	3.0	3.0	0.0
Neris, Hector 3553	pi mr	phi nl	1.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	0.0
Petit, Yusmeiro 2337	pi mr sp	dc nl	1.0	1.0	8.0	17.7	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Rays' Smyly tops players for Tuesday, April 19; Nationals' Strasburg tops NL players

Shawn Plank April 20, 2016

Rays pitcher Drew Smyly is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 19:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	3.7
3	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
4	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
5	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
6	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	3.0
7	Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	3.0
8	Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	2.7
9	Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	2.7
10	Santiago, Hector 3109	pi sp	ana al	2.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Smyly struck out 11 over eight scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks, in the 3-0, 10-inning win over the Red Sox. Smyly did not earn the win, picking up a no decision, because he exited with the game tied, 0-0.

National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg struck out 10 over eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 7-0 win over the Marlins. Strasburg earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, rising to ninth place in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Tyler Flowers of the Braves went 4-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 8-1 win over the Dodgers.

American League Batter of the Day—Salvador Perez of the Royals hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, driving in five runs, in the 8-6 win over the Tigers.

Rankings—Besides Strasburg, two other players rose into Box-Toppers top 10 season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday:

White Sox pitcher Mat Latos rose to second place (6.1IP 2H 0R 5K W in the 5-0 win over the Angels), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.7 for the season.
Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco rose to eighth place (6.1IP 4H R 5K W in the 3-2 win over the Mariners), earning 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season.

Streak—Cubs pitcher Jason Hammel has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Tuesday. Hammel (6IP 5H R 6K W in the 2-1 win over the Brewers) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Rays and has 47.2 career points, which ranks 27th among active NL pitchers. His best season was 2014 with the Cubs and the Athletics when he had 10.4 points, 25th among AL pitchers. In 2015, he had 9.7 points with the Cubs, 22nd among NL pitchers.

Debut—Reds pitcher Robert Stephenson made his Box-Toppers debut Tuesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Stephenson (7IP 3H R 3K W in the 4-3 win over the Rockies) made his Major League debut April 7 and was playing in his second career game. He is the 3,617th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Smyly earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Strasburg earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Flowers and Perez each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/19
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    16.0
    `Rays
    Drew Smyly
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    1
    0
    0
    2
    11
  

    NL
    13.0
    Nationals
    Stephen Strasburg (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    10
  

    
    7.0
    Dbacks
    Robbie Ray (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    
    6.1
    White Sox
    Mat Latos (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    2
    0
    0
    3
    5
  

    
    5.0
    Cubs
    Jason Hammel (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Braves
    Tyler Flowers, C
    4
    1
    4
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Royals
    Salvador Perez, C
    4
    1
    2
    5
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mets
    Yoenis Cespedes, CF-LF
    3
    2
    1
    3
    2
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Reds
    Robert Stephenson (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    2
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Athletics
    Fernando Rodriguez (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.1
    Indians
    Carlos Carrasco (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    4
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    2.1
    Blue Jays
    Roberto Osuna (S,5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Padres
    Fernando Rodney (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Rangers
    Elvis Andrus, SS
    3
    1
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Brewers
    Chris Carter, 1B
    1
    0
    0
    2
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games


Player	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	3.7	7.7	44.9	63.6	-0.3
Carrasco, Carlos 2885	pi sp	cle al	2.7	20.7	36.8	36.8	-15.3
Strasburg, Stephen 2736	pi sp	dc nl	2.7	16.7	62.8	70.5	-11.3
Cespedes, Yoenis 3008	cf lf dh	nym nl	2.0	12.9	33.9	33.9	-8.9
Smyly, Drew 3009	pi sp	tb al	2.0	8.0	30.1	30.1	-4.0
Osuna, Roberto 3512	pi cp	tor al	2.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	-2.0
Perez, Salvador 2972	ca	kc al	1.5	6.0	19.2	19.2	-3.0
Flowers, Tyler 3101	ca	atl nl	1.5	2.5	10.0	10.0	0.5
Hammel, Jason 2235	pi sp	chi nl	1.0	10.7	34.1	47.2	-8.7
Ray, Robbie 3502	pi sp	ari nl	1.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	-3.0
Carter, Chris 2828	1b dh	mil nl	1.0	2.0	19.9	20.9	0.0
Rodney, Fernando 1803	pi cp	sd nl	1.0	2.0	19.0	31.0	0.0
Rodriguez, Fernando 3537	pi mr	oak al	1.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	0.0
Andrus, Elvis 2582	ss	tex al	1.0	1.0	8.5	11.5	1.0
Stephenson, Robert 3617	pi sp	cin nl	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Cubs' Lackey tops players for Monday, April 18; Angels' Santiago tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 19, 2016

Cubs pitcher John Lackey is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Lackey struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits, in the 5-0 win over the Cardinals.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 18:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
3	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
4	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
5	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	3.0
6	Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	3.0
7	Santiago, Hector 3109	pi sp	ana al	2.7
8	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
9	Bettis, Chad 3481	pi sp	col nl	2.7
10	Ross, Joe 3499	pi sp	dc nl	2.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Lackey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first points of the season, giving him 109.8 for his career. Lackey rises to 51st place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, passing five players on the “all-time” list—Max Scherzer of the Tigers (108.0), Lance Berkman (108.1), Kevin Millwood (108.3), Billy Wagner (108.7) and Jeff Kent (109.7). He trails 50th-place player Tom Glavine (110.6).

American League Player of the Day—Angels pitcher Hector Santiago struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits, in the 7-0 win over the White Sox.

Santiago earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, rising to seventh in season player rankings.

American League Batter of the Day—Byung Ho Park of the Twins homered and went 2-for-3, in the 7-4 win over the Brewers.

This was Park’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Park made his Major League debut April 4 and was playing in his 11th career game. He is the 3,616th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no NL Batter of the Day for Monday because no NL batter earned Player of the Game honors.

Notable—Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Monday. Syndergaard (7IP 5H R 8K W in the 5-2 win over the Phillies) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.

Scoring—Lackey earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Santiago earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Park earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/18
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    13.0
    Cubs
    John Lackey (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    11
  

    AL
    12.0
    Angels
    Hector Santiago (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    3
    10
  

    
    6.0
    Mets
    Noah Syndergaard (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    2
    8
  

    
    6.0
    Marlins
    Jose Fernandez (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    1
    4
    9
  

    
    5.0
    Rockies
    Jordan Lyles (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    0
    1
    4
  

    
    4.0
    Blue Jays
    J.A. Happ (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Dbacks
    Rubby De La Rosa (W,1-3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    BAT
    1.0
    Twins
    Byung Ho Park, DH
    3
    1
    2
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games


Player	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	3.0	13.4	13.4	13.4	-7.4
Santiago, Hector 3109	pi sp	ana al	2.7	10.7	23.1	23.1	-5.3
Lackey, John 1640	pi sp	chi nl	2.0	11.7	31.4	109.8	-7.7
Park, Byung Ho 3616	dh	min al	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5
Happ, J.A. 2536	pi sp	tor al	1.0	14.1	29.5	37.5	-12.1
De La Rosa, Rubby 3342	pi mr	ari nl	1.0	7.0	11.0	11.0	-5.0
Fernandez, Jose 3147	pi sp	fla nl	1.0	5.7	31.7	31.7	-3.7
Lyles, Jordan 3100	pi sp	col nl	1.0	1.0	7.7	7.7	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Mets' Matz tops players for Sunday, April 17; Rays' Moore tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 17, 2016

Mets pitcher Steven Matz is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 17:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
3	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
4	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
5	Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	3.0
6	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
7	Bettis, Chad 3481	pi sp	col nl	2.7
8	Ross, Joe 3499	pi sp	dc nl	2.7
9	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	2.7
10	Moore, Matt 2975	pi sp	tb al	2.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Matz struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 6-0 win over the Indians. Matz had a Box-Toppers game score of 11.0, tied with Rockies Tyler Chatwood, Player of the Game in his team’s 2-0 win over the Cubs (7IP 2H 0R 7K W), but Matz wins Player of the Day on a tiebreaker because he had more strikeouts—9 vs. 7.

American League Player of the Day—Rays pitcher Matt Moore struck out 10 over 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, in the 3-2 win over the White Sox. Moore earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season, rising to 10th place in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Yasmany Tomas of the Diamondbacks hit a pair of homers and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in three runs, in the 7-3 win over the Padres.

American League Batter of the Day—Jose Altuve of the Astros homered and went 2-for-4, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 5-4 win over the Tigers.

Notable—Phillies pitcher Charlie Morton rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Morton (6IP 4H R 6K ND in the 3-2 win over the Nationals) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season.

Debut—Twins closing pitcher Michael Tonkin made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Tonkin (2IP 0H 0R 4K W in the 3-2 win over the Angels) made his Major League debut July 11, 2013, and was playing in his 63rd career game. He is the 3,615th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Matz earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Moore earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Tomas and Altuve each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/17
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    Mets
    Steven Matz (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    9
  

    
    11.0
    Rockies
    Tyler Chatwood (W,2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    AL
    7.1
    Rays
    Matt Moore (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    5
    2
    2
    0
    10
  

    
    6.0
    Blue Jays
    Aaron Sanchez (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    4
    7
  

    
    6.0
    Twins
    Michael Tonkin (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Dbacks
    Yasmany Tomas, LF
    4
    3
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Dodgers
    Kenta Maeda (W,2-0) 
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    3
    7
  

    
    4.1
    Cardinals
    Kevin Siegrist (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    `Phillies
    Charlie Morton
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Yankees
    Andrew Miller (S,3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Pirates
    Gregory Polanco, RF
    4
    3
    3
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Braves
    Jace Peterson, 2B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Astros
    Jose Altuve, 2B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Athletics
    Jed Lowrie, DH
    1
    0
    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.
  

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games


Player	Pos	Team	16	15-16	11-16	Career	+/-
Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	3.0	9.7	22.7	27.7	-3.7
Moore, Matt 2975	pi sp	tb al	2.7	2.7	28.2	28.2	2.7
Altuve, Jose 3007	2b	hou al	2.5	9.5	19.0	19.0	-4.5
Miller, Andrew 2436	pi cp	nyy al	2.0	6.0	10.0	17.0	-2.0
Matz, Steven 3516	pi sp	nym nl	2.0	5.5	5.5	5.5	-1.5
Maeda, Kenta 3609	pi sp	lad nl	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0
Tomas, Yasmany 3489	lf	ari nl	1.5	5.0	5.0	5.0	-2.0
Siegrist, Kevin 3260	pi mr	stl nl	1.0	5.0	7.0	7.0	-3.0
Peterson, Jace 3469	2b	atl nl	1.0	4.5	4.5	4.5	-2.5
Polanco, Gregory 3361	rf	pit nl	1.0	4.0	8.0	8.0	-2.0
Lowrie, Jed 2437	dh ss	oak al	1.0	3.5	16.5	27.0	-1.5
Sanchez, Aaron 3392	pi sp	tor al	1.0	3.0	5.0	5.0	-1.0
Chatwood, Tyler 2856	pi sp	col nl	1.0	1.0	10.7	10.7	1.0
Tonkin, Michael 3615	pi cp	min al	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Cubs' Arrieta tops players for Saturday, April 16, rises to 3rd in Box-Toppers rankings

Shawn Plank April 17, 2016

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 16:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
3	Arrieta, Jake 2738	pi sp	chi nl	3.0
4	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
5	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
6	Bettis, Chad 3481	pi sp	col nl	2.7
7	Ross, Joe 3499	pi sp	dc nl	2.7
8	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	2.7
9	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	2.5
10	Brown, Trevor 3610	ca	sf nl	2.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

Arrieta struck out eight over eight scoreless innings, allowing five hits, in the 6-2 win over the Rockies. Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 3.0 for the season and rising to third place in season player rankings. Arrieta led all players in 2015 with 29.1 Box-Toppers points.

American League Player of the Day—Rays pitcher Erasmo Ramirez pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out four, in the 7-2 win over the White Sox.

National League Batter of the Day—Nick Markakis of the Braves doubled and went 3-for-5, scoring once and driving in three runs, in the 6-4 win over the Marlins.

With the 1.5 Box-Toppers points earned for being NL Batter of the Day Saturday, Markakis has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Orioles and has 43.6 career points, which ranks 14th among active NL outfielders. His best season was 2009 with the Orioles when he had 7.7 points, sixth among AL outfielders. In 2015, he had 4.5 points with the Braves.

American League Batter of the Day—Trevor Plouffe of the Twins homered, doubled and went 3-for-4, driving in two runs, in the 6-4 win over the Angels.

Notable—Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer rose to 55th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” player rankings list after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday. Scherzer (7IP 5H R 7K W in the 5-3 win over the Astros) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 108.0 career points. He passes Cubs pitcher John Lackey (107.8) to move into 55th place among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began). He trails 54th-place player Lance Berkman (108.1). Scherzer now has 2.0 Box-Toppers points for the 2016 season. He had 21.0 points in 2015, fourth among NL pitchers.

Debut—Nomar Mazara of the Rangers made his Box-Toppers debut Saturday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Mazara (3-4 2R BI in the 8-4 win over the Orioles) made his Major League debut April 10 and was playing in his seventh career game. He is the 3,614th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Arrieta earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Ramirez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Markakis and Plouffe each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/17
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    10.0
    Cubs
    Jake Arrieta (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    8
  

    
    7.1
    Giants
    Johnny Cueto (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    3
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    AL
    6.2
    Rays
    Erasmo Ramirez (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    3
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    6.0
    Red Sox
    David Price (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    9
  

    
    6.0
    Nationals
    Max Scherzer (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    7
  

    
    5.0
    Indians
    Josh Tomlin (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Pirates
    Jonathon Niese (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    0
    0
    3
    3
  

    
    3.0
    `Padres
    Andrew Cashner
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    2
    5
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Braves
    Nick Markakis, RF
    5
    1
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Twins
    Trevor Plouffe, 3B
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Reds
    Zack Cozart, SS
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Rangers
    Nomar Mazara, RF
    4
    2
    3
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    `Tigers
    Mark Lowe (H,4)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Athletics
    Josh Reddick, RF
    4
    1
    1
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Mariners
    Robinson Cano, 2B
    3
    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.
  

White Sox' Sale tops players for Friday, April 15; Dbacks' Greinke rises to 20th on 'all-time' list

Shawn Plank April 16, 2016

White Sox pitcher Chris Sale is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 15:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
3	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
4	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
5	Bettis, Chad 3481	pi sp	col nl	2.7
6	Ross, Joe 3499	pi sp	dc nl	2.7
7	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	2.7
8	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	2.5
9	Brown, Trevor 3610	ca	sf nl	2.5
10	Sale, Chris 2806	pi sp	chi al	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Sale pitched a two-hit shutout, allowing no walks and striking out nine, in the 1-0 win over the Rays. Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, his first of the season, and now ranks 10th in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

National League Player of the Day—Nationals pitcher Joe Ross pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out five, in the 9-1 win over the Phillies. Ross earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being NL Player of the Day, giving him 2.7 for the season and rises to sixth in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt Holliday of the Cardinals hit two home runs, going 2-for-2 and driving in four runs, in the 4-3 win over the Reds.

Holliday has now earned Box-Toppers points in 13 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2004 with the Rockies and has 93.3 career points, ranked 88th among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began) and second among active NL batters (behind Ryan Howard of the Phillies who has 96.7). Holliday’s best season was 2007 with the Rockies when he had 16.2 Box-Toppers points to lead NL batters. In 2015, he had 1.5 points with the Cardinals.

American League Batter of the Day—Mark Trumbo of the Orioles hit two seventh-inning home runs, going 2-for-4 and driving in five runs, in the 11-5 win over the Rangers.

All-time leaders

Here are Box-Toppers top 20 players since record keeping began in 1995:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Randy Johnson	pi sp	retired	278.8
2	Pedro Martinez	pi sp	retired	244.8
3	Curt Schilling	pi sp	retired	194.1
4	Alex Rodriguez	dh	nyy al	187.0
5	CC Sabathia	pi sp	nyy al	179.0
6	Albert Pujols	1b dh	ana al	174.3
7	Roy Halladay	pi sp	retired	170.7
8	Manny Ramirez	lf dh	retired	167.2
9	Johan Santana	pi sp	free agent	166.6
10	Roger Clemens	pi sp	retired	164.8
11	Felix Hernandez	pi sp	sea al	162.7
12	Clayton Kershaw	pi sp	lad nl	162.3
13	John Smoltz	pi sp	retired	160.9
14	Tim Hudson	pi sp	retired	157.0
15	Mike Mussina	pi sp	retired	155.6
16	Barry Bonds	lf	retired	153.2
17	Greg Maddux	pi sp	retired	151.7
18	Chipper Jones	3b	retired	149.0
19	Javier Vazquez	pi sp	retired	148.3
20	Zack Greinke	pi sp	ari nl	147.4

List of top 100 players since 1995 (through the 2015 season)

Notable—Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke rises to 20th place on Box-Toppers “all-time” player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. He also extended his streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points to 10.

Greinke (7.1IP 6H 2R 5K ND in the 3-2 win over the Padres) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 147.4 for his career, rising to 20th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began. Greinke passes Jim Thome (146.7) and now trails 19th-place player Javier Vazquez (148.3).

Greinke has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2004 with the Royals but his current 10-year streak did not begin until 2007, when he was also with the Royals (he earned no points in 2006). His best year was 2009 with the Royals when he had 21.5 points to lead NL pitchers. In 2015, he had 20.7 points with the Dodgers, fifth among NL pitchers.

Streak—Ryan Braun of the Brewers has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Braun (2HR 3-5 2R 4BI in the 8-4 win over the Pirates) earned his first points in 2007 with the Brewers and has 78.7 career points, third among active NL batters. His best year was 2012 with the Brewers when he had 12.5 Box-Toppers points to lead NL batters. He had 5.0 points in 2015.

Debut—Adonis Garcia of the Braves made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Garcia (2B 2-4 3BI in the 6-3 win over the Marlins) made his Major League debut May 19, 2015, and was playing in his 68th career game. He is the 3,613th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Rankings—Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis rose to fifth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Friday. Bettis (6IP 3H 0R 4 W in the 6-1 win over the Cubs) earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season.

Scoring—Sale earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Ross earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Holliday and Trumbo each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/15
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    16.0
    White Sox
    Chris Sale (W,3-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    9
  

    NL
    7.2
    Nationals
    Joe Ross (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    3
    0
    0
    2
    5
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Cardinals
    Matt Holliday, 1B
    2
    2
    2
    4
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    Astros
    Dallas Keuchel (W,2-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    5
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    
    5.1
    Red Sox
    Rick Porcello (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.1
    2
    3
    3
    1
    8
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Orioles
    Mark Trumbo, DH
    4
    2
    2
    5
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Brewers
    Ryan Braun, LF
    5
    2
    3
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Dodgers
    Enrique Hernandez, LF
    5
    2
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Mariners
    Chris Iannetta, C
    3
    1
    3
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Rockies
    Chad Bettis (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    3
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Twins
    Eduardo Nunez, 2B
    3
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Wade Davis (S,5)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.1
    `Dbacks
    Zack Greinke
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.1
    6
    2
    2
    1
    5
  

    
    1.0
    Mets
    Yoenis Cespedes, DH
    5
    1
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Braves
    Adonis Garcia, 3B
    4
    0
    2
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Phillies' Vince Velasquez leads Box-Toppers season player rankings; Indians' Salazar tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 15, 2016

Velasquez leads all players, Indians' Danny Salazar leads AL players, Orioles' Davis & Giants' Brown lead league batters.

Phillies top Box-Toppers' 1st team rankings report of 2016; Orioles top AL teams

Shawn Plank April 15, 2016

Last year's lowest-ranked team tops 1st team rankings of 2016; Cubs rank 2nd; Orioles top AL teams.

Phillies' Velasquez, tops players for Thursday, April 14, rises to 1st in Box-Toppers player rankings

Shawn Plank April 15, 2016

Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day and rises to first in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 14:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	phi nl	4.0
2	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	3.4
3	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
4	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
5	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	2.7
6	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	2.5
7	Brown, Trevor 3610	ca	sf nl	2.5
8	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
9	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
10	Wacha, Michael 3276	pi sp	stl nl	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Also Thursday, two players—Velasquez and Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia—had Box-Toppers game scores of +20.0 or more, a feat achieved only nine times in all of 2015. It is the first time this season players have had Box-Toppers game scores of +20.0 or more and so are the two highest game scores of the season.

Player of the Day—Velasquez struck out 16 in a complete game, 3-0 shutout against the Padres. He allowed three hits and no walks.

Velasquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 4.0 for the season (he was previously Player of the Day Saturday, April 9 when he made his Box-Toppers debut) and rises to first in Box-Toppers season player rankings, passing Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (3.0 Box-Toppers points).

Velasquez had a Box-Toppers game score of +22.0, the highest so far this season. It would have ranked fourth among all game scores in 2015. There were nine times in 2015 in which a player had a Box-Toppers game score of +20.0 or more. Thursday, there were two when both Velasquez and Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia did it.

Garcia (CG H 0R BB 13K W in the 7-0 win over the Brewers) had a Box-Toppers game score Thursday of +20.0. Despite the high game score, Garcia loses overall Player of the Day to fellow National League pitcher Velasquez and only earns Player of the Game honors and 1.0 Box-Toppers point. And he earns only 1.0 point despite more than doubling the Box-Toppers game score of Thursday’s next-highest player, Indians pitcher Danny Salazar (+9.0), who earns American League Player of the Day honors and 1.7 Box-Toppers points.

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Danny Salazar struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 6-0 win over the Rays. Salazar earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day and now has 3.4 points for the season, rising to second place in player rankings.

American League Batter of the Day—Nick Castellanos hit a two-run homer and a two-run double, going 3-for-4, scoring twice, in the 7-4 win over the Pirates.

National League Batter of the Day—Mark Reynolds of the Rockies hit two doubles, going 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in three runs, in the 11-6 win over the Giants.

Reynolds has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 consecutive seasons. He earned his first points in 2007 with the Diamondbacks and has 48.9 career points, ranking fifth among active NL first basemen. His best season was 2011 with the Orioles when he had 9.5 points, ranking fifth among AL batters. In 2015, he had 4.0 points with the Cardinals.

Notable—White Sox pitcher Mat Latos rises to fifth in Box-Toppers season player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Latos (6IP 3H R 4K W in the 3-1 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game, giving him 2.7 for the season.

Scoring—Velasquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Salazar earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Castellanos and Reynolds each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/14
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    22.0
    Phillies
    Vince Velasquez (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    3
    0
    0
    0
    16
  

    
    20.0
    Cardinals
    Jaime Garcia (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    9.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    13
  

    AL
    9.0
    Indians
    Danny Salazar (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    3
    9
  

    
    8.0
    Royals
    Ian Kennedy (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    1
    1
    2
    7
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Tigers
    Nick Castellanos, 3B
    4
    2
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.2
    Nationals
    Stephen Strasburg (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.2
    4
    2
    2
    2
    7
  

    
    4.0
    White Sox
    Mat Latos (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    1
    1
    1
    4
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Rockies
    Mark Reynolds, 1B
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Dodgers
    J.P. Howell (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Cubs
    Addison Russell, SS
    4
    2
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Blue Jays
    Josh Donaldson, 3B
    4
    1
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Rangers
    Rougned Odor, 2B
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Phillies' Jerad Eickhoff tops players for Wednesday, April 13

Shawn Plank April 14, 2016

Phillies pitcher Jerad Eickhoff is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Eickhoff struck out nine over seven scoreless innings in the 2-1 win over the Padres.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 13:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
2	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
3	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	2.5
4	Brown, Trevor 3610	ca	sf nl	2.5
5	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
6	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
7	Wacha, Michael 3276	pi sp	stl nl	2.0
8	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	2.0
9	Estrada, Marco 2847	pi sp	tor al	2.0
10	Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco struck out eight over eight innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 4-1 win over the Rays.

National League Batter of the Day—Nolan Arenado of the Rockies hit two home runs, a double and went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in seven runs, in the 10-6 win over the Giants.

American League Batter of the Day—Ryan Goins of the Blue Jays hit two doubles and went 3-for-4, scoring once and driving in two runs, in the 7-2 win over the Yankees.

Scoring—Eickhoff earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Carrasco earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Arenado and Goins each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/13
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    12.0
    Phillies
    Jerad Eickhoff (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    9
  

    AL
    9.0
    Indians
    Carlos Carrasco (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    8
  

    BAT
    8.0
    Rockies
    Nolan Arenado, 3B
    5
    2
    4
    7
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    7.0
    `Mets
    Logan Verrett
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    7.0
    Angels
    Matt Shoemaker (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    1
    0
    0
    3
    5
  

    
    5.0
    Mariners
    Steve Cishek (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    4.0
    Nationals
    Tanner Roark (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    0
    0
    3
    4
  

    
    4.0
    White Sox
    Carlos Rodon (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    5
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Red Sox
    Craig Kimbrel (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.2
    Dodgers
    Kenley Jansen (S,3)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.2
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    Brewers
    Jonathan Lucroy, C
    4
    2
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Tigers
    Shane Greene (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    2
    2
    3
    7
  

    
    3.0
    `Royals
    Yordano Ventura
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    3
    6
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Blue Jays
    Ryan Goins, 2B
    4
    1
    3
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Cubs
    Kris Bryant, 3B
    3
    2
    1
    2
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Phillies' Morton tops players for Tuesday, April 12; Giants' Trevor Brown rises to 4th in player rankings

Shawn Plank April 13, 2016

Phillies pitcher Charlie Morton is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Morton struck out seven over 6 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 3-0 win over the Padres. Morton earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and ranks 10th in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 12:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
2	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
3	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	2.5
4	Brown, Trevor 3610	ca	sf nl	2.5
5	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
6	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
7	Wacha, Michael 3276	pi sp	stl nl	2.0
8	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	2.0
9	Estrada, Marco 2847	pi sp	tor al	2.0
10	Morton, Charlie 2503	pi sp	phi nl	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—J.J. Hardy of the Orioles hit a pair of two-run homers and went 2-for-4, driving in five runs, in the 9-5 win over the Red Sox.

National League Batter of the Day—Trevor Brown of the Giants hit a pair of two-run homers and went 2-for-4, in the 7-2 win over the Rockies. Brown earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being NL Batter of the Day, giving him 2.5 for the season and rising to fourth in player rankings.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Tuesday because the AL Player of the Day was batter J.J. Hardy.

Scoring—Morton earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Hardy earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Brown earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/12
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    6.2
    Phillies
    Charlie Morton (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    3
    0
    0
    4
    7
  

    
    6.0
    `Nationals
    Gio Gonzalez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    4
  

    AL
    5.0
    Orioles
    J.J. Hardy, SS
    4
    2
    2
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.2
    Rangers
    Derek Holland (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    4
    0
    0
    2
    4
  

    
    4.0
    Tigers
    Justin Upton, LF
    5
    3
    4
    2
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Giants
    Trevor Brown, C
    4
    2
    2
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    `Rays
    Matt Moore
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    5
  

    
    4.0
    Marlins
    David Phelps (W,2-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Yankees
    Andrew Miller (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    1.1
    Angels
    Mike Morin (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    0.1
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Royals
    Lorenzo Cain, CF
    4
    1
    1
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Dbacks
    Nick Ahmed, SS
    3
    2
    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.
  

Cardinals' Wacha tops players for Monday, April 11; Rangers' Lewis tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 12, 2016

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Wacha struck out seven over six scoreless innings, allowing four hits, in the 10-1 win over the Brewers. Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and ranks sixth in season player rankings.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 11:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
2	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
3	Davis, Chris 2478	1b	bal al	2.5
4	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
5	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
6	Wacha, Michael 3276	pi sp	stl nl	2.0
7	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	2.0
8	Estrada, Marco 2847	pi sp	tor al	2.0
9	Anderson, Chase 3328	pi sp	mil nl	2.0
10	Suarez, Eugenio 3355	3b ss	cin nl	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis struck out six over six innings, allowing one run and four hits, in the 7-3 win over the Mariners.

American League Batter of the Day—Chris Davis of the Orioles hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-5, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 9-7 win over the Red Sox. Davis earns 1.5 Box-Toppers points for being AL Batter of the Day and now has 2.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, rising to third in season player rankings.

National League Batter of the Day—Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals doubled and went 2-for-3, scoring three times and driving in one run, in the 6-4 win over the Braves.

Zimmerman has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Nationals and has 56.3 career points, ninth among active NL batters. His best season was 2013 with the Nationals when he had 9.2 points, sixth among NL batters. He had 3.0 points in 2015 with the Nationals.

Scoring—Wacha earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Lewis earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Davis and Zimmerman each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/11
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.0
    Cardinals
    Michael Wacha (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    AL
    5.0
    Rangers
    Colby Lewis (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    1
    6
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Orioles
    Chris Davis, 1B
    5
    2
    2
    5
    0
    3
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    Cubs
    Hector Rondon (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    3
  

    
    3.0
    Astros
    Jose Altuve, 2B
    4
    3
    3
    1
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Nationals
    Ryan Zimmerman, 1B
    3
    3
    2
    1
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Angels
    Nick Tropeano (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    6
    0
    0
    2
    6
  

    
    3.0
    `Padres
    Carlos Villanueva
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.1
    Marlins
    Chris Narveson (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.1
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    White Sox
    Jose Quintana (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    1
    1
    3
    5
  

    
    1.0
    Pirates
    Francisco Cervelli, C
    4
    1
    3
    1
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Blue Jays' Estrada tops players for Sunday, April 10; Royals' Volquez rises to 2nd in player rankings

Shawn Plank April 10, 2016

Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada is Sunday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Also Sunday, Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez rose to second in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season and Eugenio Suarez of the Reds earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 10:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
2	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	2.7
3	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
4	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
5	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	2.0
6	Estrada, Marco 2847	pi sp	tor al	2.0
7	Anderson, Chase 3328	pi sp	mil nl	2.0
8	Suarez, Eugenio 3355	3b ss	cin nl	2.0
9	Nicasio, Juan 2888	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
10	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	tex al	2.0

What are those numbers after players' names?

Player of the Day—Estrada struck out eight over seven scoreless innings in the 3-0 win over the Red Sox.

National League Player of the Day—Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis struck out six over seven innings, allowing two runs, in the 6-3 win over the Padres.

American League Batter of the Day—Manny Machado of the Orioles homered, doubled and went 4-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 5-3 win over the Rays.

National League Batter of the Day—Brandon Belt of the Giants homered and went 2-for-3, driving in three runs, in the 9-6 win over the Dodgers.

Notable—Two players earned Box-Toppers points for the second time this season Sunday:

Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez rose to second place in Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Volquez (5.2IP 8H 2R 10K ND in the 4-3 win over the Twins) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.7 for the season.
Eugenio Suarez of the Reds earned Player of the Game honors for the second straight day Sunday. Suarez (HR 3-4 R BI in the 2-1 win over the Pirates) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 2.0 for the season. He ranks eighth in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

Debut—Aledmys Diaz of the Cardinals made his Box-Toppers debut Sunday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Diaz (2B 1-1 R 2BI in the 12-7 win over the Braves) made his Major League debut April 5 and was playing in his fourth career game. He is the 3,612th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Streak—Huston Street of the Angels has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Sunday. Street (1IP 0H 0R 2K Sv in the 3-1 win over the Rangers) earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2005 with the Athletics. He has 51.0 career points, ranked second among active AL closing pitchers (behind Francisco Rodriguez of the Tigers who has 60.4). His best season was 2008 with the Athletics, when he had 8.0 Box-Toppers points and ranked fourth among AL closing pitchers. He had 4.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Angels.

Scoring—Estrada earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Bettis earns 1.7 points for being NL Player of the Day. Machado and Belt each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Sunday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/10
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.0
    Blue Jays
    Marco Estrada (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    0
    0
    2
    8
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Orioles
    Manny Machado, 3B
    4
    2
    4
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    NL
    4.0
    Rockies
    Chad Bettis (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    2
    1
    0
    6
  

    
    4.0
    Brewers
    Jimmy Nelson (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    2
    2
    4
    9
  

    
    3.2
    `Royals
    Edinson Volquez
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    8
    2
    2
    0
    10
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Giants
    Brandon Belt, 1B
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Cardinals
    Aledmys Diaz, SS
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Nationals
    Joe Ross (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    5
    1
    1
    2
    5
  

    
    3.0
    Angels
    Huston Street (S,1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.2
    Phillies
    Jeremy Hellickson (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    3
    2
    2
    1
    5
  

    
    2.0
    Athletics
    Sean Doolittle (S,1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    1.0
    Reds
    Eugenio Suarez, 3B
    4
    1
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Cubs
    Tommy La Stella, 3B
    4
    1
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Phillies' Velasquez tops players for Saturday, April 9; Kershaw extends lead, Beltran extends consecutive season streak to 18

Shawn Plank April 10, 2016

Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez is Saturday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, making his Box-Toppers debut.

Also Saturday, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw extended his lead in Box-Toppers season player rankings, becoming the first player in 2016 to earn Player of the Game honors for the second time.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 9:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	3.0
2	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
3	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
4	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	2.0
5	Anderson, Chase 3328	pi sp	mil nl	2.0
6	Nicasio, Juan 2888	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
7	Velasquez, Vince 3611	pi sp	tex al	2.0
8	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	1.7
9	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	1.7
10	Odorizzi, Jake 3291	pi sp	tb al	1.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

In addition, Carlos Beltran of the Yankees extended his streak of consecutive seasons earning Box-Toppers points to 18, which is the most of any active player and one short of the record of 19 held by Jason Giambi.

Player of the Day—Velasquez struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 1-0 win over the Mets. Velasquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and ranks seventh in Box-Toppers season player rankings.

This was also Velasquez’s Box-Toppers debut, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Velasquez made his Major League debut June 10, 2015, and was playing in his 20th career game. He is the 3,611th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

American League Player of the Day—Athletics pitcher Rich Hill struck out 10 over six innings, allowing one run and five hits, in the 6-1 win over the Mariners.

National League Player of the Day—Matt Kemp of the Padres hit two home runs and went 3-for-5, driving in six runs, in the 16-3 win over the Rockies.

Kemp has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Dodgers and has 53.1 career points, which ranks fifth among active NL outfielders. His best season was 2012 with the Dodgers when he had 10.0 points, ranked third among NL batters. He had 5.5 points in 2015 with the Padres.

American League Batter of the Day—Colby Rasmus of the Astros hit two homers and went 2-for-3, driving in four runs, in the 6-4 win over the Brewers.

Leader—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw maintained his lead in Box-Toppers points for the season after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Kershaw (8IP 4H 2R 5K ND in the 3-2 win over the Giants) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, giving him 3.0 for the season. He is the first player this season to earn Player of the Game honors for the second time. (Kershaw did not earn the win because the Dodgers were not leading when he exited the game.)

With his point Saturday, Kershaw now has 162.3 career Box-Toppers points, 12th-most among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. He trails 11th-place player, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, who has 162.7.

Box-Toppers season streaks
Here are the players who have earned Box-Toppers points in the most consecutive seasons. Jason Giambi earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 19 straight seasons from 1995 to 2013, more than any other player. (Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995.) Players are listed by duration of their streak. Also shown is the duration of their streak and their career Box-Toppers point (BTP) total. 







  
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    
    Streak
    Player
    Pos
    Duration
    Career
BTP
  

    1
    19
    Jason Giambi
    1b
    1995-2013
    133.4
  

    2
    18
    Jim Thome
    1b dh
    1995-2012
    146.7
  

    2
    18
    Chipper Jones
    3b
    1995-2012
    149.0
  

    2
    18
    Johnny Damon
    lf
    1995-2012
    63.0
  

    2
    18
    Alex Rodriguez
    dh
    1996-2013
    187.0
  

    2
    18
    Carlos Beltran*
    rf
    1999-2016
    99.9
  

    7
    17
    Mariano Rivera
    pi cp
    1995-2011
    126.4
  

    7
    17
    Derek Jeter
    ss
    1996-2012
    76.4
  

    7
    17
    Paul Konerko
    1b
    1998-2014
    100.7
  

    7
    17
    Tim Hudson
    pi sp
    1999-2015
    157.0
  

    7
    17
    Torii Hunter
    cf
    1999-2015
    115.9
  


BTP: Box-Toppers points

* Active player. 


 

Streak—Carlos Beltran of the Yankees has now earned Box-Toppers points in 18 straight seasons, extending his lead in that category among active players. It is tied for the second-longest streak since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began, trailing only Jason Giambi’s record 19-season streak.

Beltran (HR 2-4 2R 2BI) was Player of the Game in the 8-4 win over the Tigers and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Beltran earned his first points in 1999 with the Royals and has 99.9 career points, 69th among all players since 1995, 26th among all batters in the span and sixth among all active batters. His best season was 2003 with the Royals, when he had 13.9 points, second among AL batters. He had 3.5 points in 2015 with the Yankees.

Notable—Adrian Beltre of the Rangers rises to 60th place in “all-time” Box-Toppers player rankings after earning Player of the Game honors Saturday.

Beltre (HR 2-4 2R 2BI in the 4-1 win over the Angels) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point and now has 102.8 career points, moving to 60th place among all players since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Beltre passes two players on the “all-time” list, Ken Griffey Jr. (102.2) and Miguel Tejada (102.3). Beltre trails 59th-place player Jamie Moyer (104.0). Beltre’s 102.8 points ranks fifth among active batters.

Scoring—Velasquez earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hill earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Kemp and Rasmus each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Saturday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/9
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.0
    Phillies
    Vince Velasquez (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    3
    9
  

    AL
    8.0
    Athletics
    Rich Hill (W,1-1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    1
    10
  

    
    7.2
    Royals
    Ian Kennedy (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.2
    5
    0
    0
    1
    7
  

    BAT
    6.0
    Padres
    Matt Kemp, RF
    5
    2
    3
    6
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Astros
    Colby Rasmus, LF
    3
    2
    2
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Reds
    Eugenio Suarez, 3B
    3
    3
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    4.0
    `Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    8.0
    4
    2
    2
    1
    5
  

    
    3.0
    White Sox
    Avisail Garcia, DH
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Cubs
    Hector Rondon (S,1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Yankees
    Carlos Beltran, RF
    4
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Red Sox
    Dustin Pedroia, 2B
    5
    1
    3
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Rangers
    Adrian Beltre, 3B
    4
    1
    3
    1
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Cardinals
    Matt Carpenter, 3B
    3
    1
    2
    1
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Brewers' Chase Anderson top players for Friday, April 8; Indians' Salazar tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 9, 2016

Brewers pitcher Chase Anderson is Friday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Anderson pitched five scoreless innings, striking out five, in the 6-4 win over the Astros. Anderson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and is in fifth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 8:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	2.0
2	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
3	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
4	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	2.0
5	Anderson, Chase 3328	pi sp	mil nl	2.0
6	Nicasio, Juan 2888	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
7	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	1.7
8	Salazar, Danny 3223	pi sp	cle al	1.7
9	Odorizzi, Jake 3291	pi sp	tb al	1.7
10	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	1.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Indians pitcher Danny Salazar struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits, in the 7-1 win over the White Sox.

National League Batter of the Day—Starling Marte of the Pirates hit an eighth-inning, go-ahead grand slam in the 6-5 win over the Reds. Marte also went 3-for-4.

American League Batter of the Day—Brock Holt of the Red Sox hit a grand slam and doubled, going 2-for-4, driving in five total runs, in the 8-7 win over the Blue Jays.

Notable—Athletics closing pitcher Ryan Madson earned his first Player of the Game honors in nearly five years. Madson (1IP 0H 0R 2K Sv in the 3-2 win over the Mariners) last earned a Box-Toppers point when he earned Player of the Game honors on May 30, 2011, with the Phillies. Madson now has 21.7 career Box-Toppers points.

Debut—Trevor Brown of the Giants made his Box-Toppers debut Friday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Brown (HR 1-3 2BI in the 3-2 win over the Dodgers) made his Major League debut Sept. 19, 2015, and was playing in his 15th career game. He is the 3,610th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Anderson earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Salazar earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Marte and Holt each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day. All of Friday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/8
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    6.0
    Brewers
    Chase Anderson (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    4
    0
    0
    0
    5
  

    AL
    5.1
    Indians
    Danny Salazar (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.1
    2
    1
    1
    3
    7
  

    
    5.0
    Tigers
    Jordan Zimmermann (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    3
    3
  

    
    5.0
    Mets
    Jacob deGrom (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    1
    1
    0
    6
  

    
    4.2
    Padres
    Robbie Erlin (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.2
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Pirates
    Starling Marte, LF
    4
    1
    3
    4
    0
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    4.0
    Red Sox
    Brock Holt, 3B
    4
    1
    2
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Orioles
    Chris Davis, 1B
    2
    3
    1
    1
    2
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Cardinals
    Trevor Rosenthal (S,1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    3.0
    Athletics
    Ryan Madson (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    2.0
    Royals
    Wade Davis (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    2
  

    
    1.0
    Dbacks
    Jean Segura, 2B
    4
    2
    3
    0
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    Giants
    Trevor Brown, C
    3
    1
    1
    2
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    0.0
    Rangers
    Delino DeShields, CF
    4
    2
    2
    0
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

Cubs' Anthony Rizzo tops players for Thursday, April 7; White Sox' Latos tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 8, 2016

Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs is Thursday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Rizzo hit a three-run homer, tripled and went 3-for-4, scoring three times and driving in six runs, in the 14-6 win over the Diamondbacks.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 7:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	2.0
2	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
3	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
4	Rizzo, Anthony 3063	1b	chi nl	2.0
5	Nicasio, Juan 2888	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
6	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	1.7
7	Odorizzi, Jake 3291	pi sp	tb al	1.7
8	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	1.7
9	Souza, Steven Jr. 3461	rf	tb al	1.7
10	Latos, Mat 2644	pi sp	chi al	1.7

What are those numbers after players' names?

Rizzo receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and is now in fourth place in Box-Toppers season player rankings. He had 8.5 points in 2015, ranked ninth among National League batters.

American League Player of the Day—White Sox pitcher Mat Latos pitched six scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two, in the 6-1 win over the Athletics.

American League Batter of the Day—Mark Teixeira of the Yankees hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring twice, in the 8-5 win over the Astros.

Teixeira has now earned Box-Toppers points in 14 consecutive seasons. He earned his first points in 2003 with the Rangers and has 98.8 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks 70th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began and 27th among all batters. He ranks seventh among active batters. Teixeira’s best season was 2009 with the Yankees when he had 11.5 points, ranked sixth among AL batters. He had 7.5 points in 2015 with the Yankees, 17th among AL batters.

National League Batter of the Day—There is no separate NL Batter of the Day for Thursday because the overall Player of the Day was an NL batter, Anthony Rizzo.

Streak—Orioles pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons after earning Player of the Game honors Thursday. Jimenez (7IP 8H 2R 9K W in the 4-2 win over the Twins) earned his first Box-Toppers points with the Rockies in 2007 and has 75.8 career points, ranked 10th among active AL pitchers. His best season was 2013 with the Indians when he had 14.5 Box-Toppers points, ninth among AL pitchers. He had 8.7 points in 2015 with the Orioles, ranked 25th among AL pitchers.

Scoring—Rizzo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Latos earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and Teixeira earns 1.5 points for being AL Batter of the Day. All of Thursday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/7
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.0
    Cubs
    Anthony Rizzo, 1B
    4
    3
    3
    6
    1
    1
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    6.0
    Reds
    Jay Bruce, RF
    4
    2
    3
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    AL
    6.0
    White Sox
    Mat Latos (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    2
  

    
    5.0
    Orioles
    Ubaldo Jimenez (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    8
    2
    1
    0
    9
  

    
    4.0
    Giants
    Joe Panik, 2B
    5
    3
    3
    3
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Yankees
    Mark Teixeira, 1B
    4
    2
    2
    3
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Marlins
    David Phelps (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    4.0
    2
    0
    0
    2
    3
  

    
    2.0
    `Angels
    Hector Santiago
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    4
    3
    2
    2
    7
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Pirates' Juan Nicasio tops players for Wednesday, April 6; Rays' Souza tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 7, 2016

Pirates pitcher Juan Nicasio is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Nicasio struck out seven over six innings, allowing one run and two hits, in the 5-1 win over the Cardinals. Nicasio earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and is in fourth place in Box-Toppers player rankings for the season.

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in Box-Toppers points (BTP) for the 2016 season as of April 6:


	Player	Pos	Team	BTP
1	Kershaw, Clayton 2494	pi sp	lad nl	2.0
2	Liriano, Francisco 2104	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
3	Syndergaard, Noah 3472	pi sp	nym nl	2.0
4	Nicasio, Juan 2888	pi sp	pit nl	2.0
5	Hamels, Cole 2135	pi sp	tex al	1.7
6	Odorizzi, Jake 3291	pi sp	tb al	1.7
7	Volquez, Edinson 2220	pi sp	kc al	1.7
8	Souza, Steven Jr. 3461	rf	tb al	1.7
9	Goldschmidt, Paul 2935	1b	ari nl	1.5
10	Kinsler, Ian 2144	2b	det al	1.5

What are those numbers after players' names?

American League Player of the Day—Steven Souza of the Rays hit two home runs, including a three-run go-ahead homer in the eighth inning, in the 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Souza also doubled and went 4-for-4.

National League Batter of the Day—Matt den Dekker of the Nationals hit a seventh-inning, pinch-hit, two-run, go-ahead double in the 3-1 win over the Braves.

American League Batter of the Day—There is no separate AL Batter of the Day for Wednesday because the over AL Player of the Day is a batter, Steven Souza.

Streaks—Two players Wednesday extended their streak of 10 or more consecutive seasons earning at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point:

Robinson Cano of the Mariners has now earned Box-Toppers points in 12 straight seasons. Cano (2HR 2-4 2R 5BI) was Player of the Game in the 9-5 win over the Rangers and earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Cano earned his first points in 2005 with the Yankees. He has 68.4 career points, most among active AL second basemen and fourth among all second basemen since Box-Toppers tracking began in 1995. His best year was 2013 with the Yankees when he had 12.5 points, fourth among AL batters. In 2015, he had 6.5 points with the Mariners, 22nd among all AL batters and third among AL second basemen.
Yovani Gallardo of the Orioles has now earned Box-Toppers points in 10 straight seasons. Gallardo (5IP 2H R 4K W) was Player of the Game in the 4-2 win over the Twins and earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. Gallardo earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2007 with the Brewers. He has 88.7 career points, ranking 98th among all players since 1995 when Box-Toppers tracking began and eighth among active AL pitchers. His best year was 2011 with the Brewers when he had 19.9 points, ranked fourth among NL pitchers. In 2015, he had 5.0 points with the Rangers.

Debut—Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda made his Box-Toppers debut Wednesday, the first time in his career he earned Player of the Game honors. Maeda (6IP 5H 0R 4K W in the 7-0 win over the Padres) was making his Major League debut. He is the 3,609th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995. Maeda also hit a home run in the game.

Scoring—Nicasio earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, Souza earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day and den Dekker earns 1.5 points for being NL Batter of the Day. All of Wednesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/6
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    9.0
    Pirates
    Juan Nicasio (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    1
    1
    0
    7
  

    
    7.0
    `Reds
    Brandon Finnegan
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    2
    2
    1
    9
  

    AL
    6.0
    Rays
    Steven Souza, RF
    4
    2
    4
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Yankees
    Starlin Castro, SS
    5
    1
    4
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Mariners
    Robinson Cano, 2B
    4
    2
    2
    5
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    Dodgers
    Kenta Maeda (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    0
    0
    0
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Indians
    Carlos Santana, DH
    3
    1
    2
    3
    1
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Tigers
    Victor Martinez, PH-DH
    1
    1
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Athletics
    Sonny Gray (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    1
    1
    4
    5
  

    BAT
    2.0
    Nationals
    Matt den Dekker, PH-LF
    1
    0
    1
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    Orioles
    Yovani Gallardo (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.0
    2
    1
    1
    3
    4
  

    
    2.0
    Brewers
    Jeremy Jeffress (S,1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    1.0
    Rockies
    DJ LeMahieu, 2B
    4
    2
    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.
  

Mets' Noah Syndergaard tops players for Tuesday, April 5; Rays' Odorizzi tops AL players

Shawn Plank April 6, 2016

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard is Tuesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Syndergaard struck out nine over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 2-0 win over the Royals.

American League Player of the Day—Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi struck out 10 over 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits, in the 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. Odorizzi did not earn the win, picking up a no decision, because when he exited, the Rays trailed 2-1.

American League Batter of the Day—Ian Kinsler of the Tigers hit a three-run homer and went 3-for-6, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 8-7 win over the Marlins.

Kinsler has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Rangers and has 57.6 career points, second among active AL second basemen (behind Robinson Cano of the Mariners who has 67.4). Kinsler’s best season was 2009 with the Rangers when he had 11.2 points, eighth among AL batters. In 2015, he had 6.5 points, fourth among AL second basemen.

National League Batter of the Day—Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks homered, tripled and went 2-for-4, driving in four runs, in the 11-6 win over the Rockies. Goldschmidt ranked fourth among NL batters in Box-Toppers points in 2015 with 10.2.

Notable—David Price (6IP 5H 2R 10K W in the 6-2 win over the Indians) earns his first Player of the Game honor pitching for the Red Sox. Price had 21.1 Box-Toppers points in 2015 pitching for the Tigers and Blue Jays, second among AL pitchers.

Streak—Cubs pitcher Jon Lester has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 straight seasons. Lester (7IP 4H R 4K W) was Player of the Game in the 6-1 win over the Angels. He earned his first Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Red Sox and has 122.1 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks fifth among active NL pitchers. His best year was 2010 with the Red Sox when he led AL pitchers with 23.4 Box-Toppers points. In 2015, he had 12.0 points with the Cubs, 13th among NL pitchers.

Scoring—Syndergaard earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Odorizzi earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Kinsler and Goldschmidt each earn 1.5 points for being top batter in their league for the day. All of Tuesday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/5
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    11.0
    Mets
    Noah Syndergaard (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    1
    9
  

    
    10.0
    Dodgers
    Scott Kazmir (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    5
  

    AL
    6.2
    `Rays
    Jake Odorizzi
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    5.2
    4
    2
    1
    2
    10
  

    
    5.0
    Cubs
    Jon Lester (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    5.0
    Red Sox
    David Price (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    5
    2
    2
    2
    10
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Tigers
    Ian Kinsler, 2B
    6
    2
    3
    4
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    BAT
    3.0
    Dbacks
    Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
    4
    1
    2
    4
    1
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Mariners
    Seth Smith, RF
    3
    2
    2
    2
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    3.0
    Giants
    Johnny Cueto (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    6
    1
    1
    0
    4
  

    
    3.0
    Pirates
    Kyle Lobstein (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    2.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    3
  

    
    2.0
    White Sox
    David Robertson (S,2)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    
    2.0
    Astros
    Luke Gregerson (S,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.
  

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw tops players for Monday, April 4, moves into 12th in Box-Toppers' 'all-time' rankings

Shawn Plank April 5, 2016

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is Monday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Kershaw struck out nine over seven scoreless innings, allowing one hit, in the 15-0 win over the Padres.

Kershaw receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and takes the lead in Box-Toppers player rankings after the second day of the season. He passes Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano, who was Sunday’s Player of the Day. While both players have 2.0 Box-Toppers points on the season, Kershaw ranks ahead on a tiebreaker because he had more Box-Toppers points in 2015—25.7 vs. 14.9.

Kershaw’s 25.7 points ranked second among all players in 2015 (behind Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta’s 29.1). Kershaw led all National League pitchers in points from 2011 to 2014. He led all players in 2011, 2013 and 2014.

In addition, Kershaw passes John Smoltz to move into 12th place in career Box-Toppers player rankings since 1995, when Box-Toppers tracking began. Kershaw now has 161.3 career Box-Toppers points, passing Smoltz’s 160.9 points. Kershaw trails 11th place player, Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (162.7).

American League Player of the Day—Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels struck out eight over seven innings, allowing two runs and four hits, in the 3-2 win over the Mariners. Hamels ranked eighth among AL pitchers in 2015 with 15.4 Box-Toppers points.

Hamels also has now earned at least 1.0 Box-Toppers point for 11 straight seasons. He earned his first points in 2006 with the Phillies and in each of his 10 previous seasons, has earned at least 10.0 Box-Toppers points per season. He has 127.9 career Box-Toppers points, which ranks 30th among all players since 1995 (when Box-Toppers tracking began). It ranks third among active AL pitchers, behind CC Sabathia of the Yankees (179.0) and Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (162.7). His best season was 2011 with the Phillies, when he had 15.8 points, ranked eighth among NL pitchers.

National League Batter of the Day—Denard Span of the Giants hit a three-run homer and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in five runs, in the 12-3 win over the Brewers.

American League Batter of the Day—Michael Saunders of the Blue Jays hit a two-run homer and doubled, going 2-for-4, in the 5-3 win over the Rays.

Notable—Two other pitchers who ranked among Box-Toppers’ top 10 players in 2015 also earned Player of the Game honors Monday:

Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta (7.0IP 2H 0R 6K W in the 9-0 win over the Angels) had the second-highest Box-Toppers game score (+10.0) of Monday’s Players of the Day, but only earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point, since he lost overall Player of the Day and NL Player of the Day honors to Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who had a Box-Toppers game score of +14.0. Arrieta led all players in 2015 with 29.1 Box-Toppers points.
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer (7.0IP 3H 2R 7K ND in the 4-3 win over the Braves) earns 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He had 21.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015, sixth among all players and fourth among NL pitchers.

Debuts—Two players made their Box-Toppers debut Monday, the first time in their career they earned Player of the Game honors:

Trevor Story of the Rockies (2HR 2-6 2R 4BI in the 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks) was making his Major League debut Monday. He is the 3,607th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.
Tyler Wilson of the Orioles (3.0IP 2H 0R K ND in the 3-2 win over the Twins) made his Major League debut May 20, 2015, and was playing in his 10th career game. He is the 3,608th player to debut in Box-Toppers since record keeping began in 1995.

Scoring—Kershaw earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Hamels earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. Span and Saunders each earn 1.5 points for being top batter in their league for the day. All of Monday’s other Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/4
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    14.0
    Dodgers
    Clayton Kershaw (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    1
    0
    0
    1
    9
  

    
    10.0
    Cubs
    Jake Arrieta (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    2
    0
    0
    1
    6
  

    BAT
    5.0
    Giants
    Denard Span, CF
    4
    2
    2
    5
    0
    0
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    5.0
    `Nationals
    Max Scherzer
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    3
    2
    2
    2
    7
  

    AL
    4.0
    Rangers
    Cole Hamels (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    7.0
    4
    2
    2
    3
    8
  

    
    3.0
    `Reds
    Raisel Iglesias
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    6
    2
    2
    0
    7
  

    
    2.0
    Rockies
    Trevor Story, SS
    6
    2
    2
    4
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    2.0
    `Orioles
    Tyler Wilson
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    3.0
    2
    0
    0
    0
    1
  

    BAT
    1.0
    Blue Jays
    Michael Saunders, LF
    4
    1
    2
    2
    0
    2
    
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
  

    
    1.0
    White Sox
    Adam Eaton, RF
    3
    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.
  

Pirates' Francisco Liriano tops players in Sunday, April 3's opening day games

Shawn Plank April 4, 2016

Pirates pitcher Francisco Liriano is Sunday’s Box-Toppers opening day Player of the Day.

Liriano struck out 10 over six scoreless innings, allowing three hits, in the 4-1 win over the Cardinals.

Liriano receives 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being opening day Player of the Day and now leads all players in Box-Toppers points with 2.0. He had 14.9 Box-Toppers points in 2015, ranked ninth among National League pitchers.

American League Player of the Day—Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out five, in the 4-3 win over the Mets.

Volquez has now earned Box-Toppers points in 11 consecutive seasons. He first earned Box-Toppers points in 2006 with the Rangers and has 59.5 career Box-Toppers points, ranked 19th among active AL pitchers. His best year was 2008 with the Reds when he had 15.1 points, ranked sixth among NL pitchers. He had 7.0 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with the Royals.

Notable—Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was Player of the Game in the other regular season game Sunday. Osuna struck out two in one scoreless inning and earned the save in the 5-3 win over the Rays.

Also, Sunday, Angels pitcher A.J. Achter was Player of the Game in the final spring training game of the season, a 6-4 win over the Cubs. Achter struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning, picking up a no decision. (Achter earns no Box-Toppers points because he was playing in a spring training game.)

Scoring—Liriano earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day and Volquez earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day. All of Sunday’s other regular season Players of the Game (listed in the chart below) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

  
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    4/3
    Score
    Team
    Player
    AB
    R
    H
    BI
    BB
    K
    
    IP
    H
    R
    ER
    BB
    K
  

    MLB
    8.0
    Pirates
    Francisco Liriano (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    3
    0
    0
    5
    10
  

    AL
    6.0
    Royals
    Edinson Volquez (W,1-0)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    6.0
    2
    0
    0
    3
    5
  

    
    2.0
    Blue Jays
    Roberto Osuna (S,1)
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    1
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    Spring training
  

    
    3.0
    `Angels
    A.J. Achter
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    -
    
    1.0
    0
    0
    0
    0
    2
  

    
    
    `Denotes that the pitcher had a no-decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
  

Top 10 players

All-time leaders

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s top players

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers point totals of Players of the Games

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

All-time leaders

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Box-Toppers season streaks

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top 10 players

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Top 10 players

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

Top player from each game

Box-Toppers

Tracking who most helps their teams win the most games, based on box score stats. A method to measure & compare baseball's top players.