Box-Toppers' batting leader Miguel Cabrera wins AL MVP; NL leader Goldschmidt finishes behind McCutchen for NL MVP

Box-Toppers' top-ranked batter Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers was named American League Most Valuable Player Thursday.

But the National League leading batter in Box-Toppers points, Paul Goldschmidt, finished in second place in NL MVP voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, who finished 71st among NL players and 22nd among NL batters in Box-Toppers points, was voted NL MVP.

Cabrera had 16.9 Box-Toppers points for the season, first among all batters, third among all AL players and eighth among all players. He was consistently the only batter in the overall player top 10 list during the season. He led all players in Box-Toppers points four different times during the season, most recently from June 28 to June 30.

Cabrera was voted first on 28 of the 30 writers’ ballots, winning his second straight MVP award. However, in 2012, Cabrera ranked third among AL batters in Box-Toppers points with 11.7, behind Adrian Beltre (13.5) and Chris Davis (12.0). Cabrera ranked third in 2012 despite his Triple Crown season.

McCutchen, voted NL MVP, had 6.0 Box-Toppers points for the season. He was voted first on 28 of the 30 writers’ ballots and was voted on all 30 ballots no lower than third place. However, as the 22nd-ranked NL batter in Box-Toppers points, he wouldn’t have even appeared on Box-Toppers’ 10-spot ballot.

Box-Toppers’ top NL batter Goldschmidt had 13.7 Box-Toppers points and received 15 of the writers’ second place votes, enough to secure the NL MVP runner-up spot.

So what went wrong here? Why do the writers so unanimously see McCutchen as the MVP and Box-Toppers so ... does not? (In fact, McCutchen is not even the highest-ranked batter in Box-Toppers points on his team—that honor goes to Pedro Alvarez, with 7.7 points.)

McCutchen’s batting average is .317. He hit 21 homers and 84 RBIs, scored 97 runs and stole 27 bases. Goldschmidt’s numbers were just as good, often better—.302 average, 36 homers, 125 RBIs. But McCutchen’s team made the postseason. Goldschmidt’s didn’t. Plus, words being used to describe McCutchen are “all-around player,” a “heart-and-soul” guy—intangibles. By their very nature, it’s hard to measure intangibles.

But Box-Toppers measures tangibles. The player who most helps his team win the most games earns the most Box-Toppers points. And to be fair, Box-Toppers doesn’t measure defensive play—for batters, it relies on what they produce at the plate. So it is possible that a lot of McCutchen’s valuableness gets missed that way.

Though in the previous two seasons, McCutchen has fared better in Box-Toppers points than he did in 2013. In 2011, he had 9.7 Box-Toppers points, in eighth place among NL batters. And in 2012, he had 8.5, finishing just out of the top 10 among NL batters.

So, by Box-Toppers standards, Goldschmidt very simply more often helped his team win more games than did McCutchen.

A couple of other players were voted by writers to higher spots than would be recommended by their Box-Toppers point total:

• Mike Trout of the Angels was voted in second place in AL MVP voting with five first place votes. He had 3.5 Box-Toppers points for the season, in 144th place among all AL players and 62nd among all AL batters. (In 2012, he also finished second in AL MVP voting, but in 2012, he finished fifth among AL batters with 11.0 Box-Toppers points.)
• Yadier Molina of the Cardinals was voted in third place in NL MVP voting with two first place votes. He had 4.0 Box-Toppers points for the season, in 126th place among all NL players and 52nd among all NL batters. However, Molina is rightly given credit for his defensive skills as a catcher and his role in shaping a pitching staff with four or five Cy Young-worthy starters. Box-Toppers doesn’t measure that.

There were several players who had high Box-Toppers point totals who did not receive MVP votes. Three of the Box-Toppers top 10 AL batters received no votes and seven of the Box-Toppers top 10 NL batters were shut out:

• Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees had 12.9 Box-Toppers points, 12th among all AL players and second among all AL batters. However, Soriano played in the National League for the Cubs at the start of the season and switched to the American League in July.
• Billy Butler of the Royals had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 33rd among all AL players and eighth among AL batters.
• Prince Fielder of the Tigers had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, 39th among all AL players and 10th among AL batters.
• Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies had 11.0 Box-Toppers points, 22nd among all NL players and fourth among NL batters.
• Bryce Harper of the Nationals had 9.4 Box-Toppers points, 34th among all NL players and fifth among NL batters.
• Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals had 9.2 Box-Toppers points, 35th among all NL players and sixth among NL batters.
• Will Venable of the Padres had 9.0 Box-Toppers points, 36th among all NL players and seventh among NL batters.
• Daniel Murphy of the Mets had 8.5 Box-Toppers points, 40th among all NL players and eighth among NL batters.
• Pedro Alvarez of the Pirates had 7.7 Box-Toppers points, 45th among all NL players and ninth among NL batters.
• Brandon Phillips of the Reds had 7.5 Box-Toppers points, 48th among all NL players and 10th among NL batters.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. The player on the winning team with the highest Box-Toppers game score is Player of the Game and receives 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The Player of the Game with the highest overall Box-Toppers game score for all the games played that day is Player of the Day and earns a total of 2.0 Box-Toppers points. The top player in the opposite league receives a total of 1.7 Box-Toppers points. If both the day’s top overall player and top player in the opposite league are pitchers, then the top American League and top National League batter of the day receive a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points each.

Here are the final Box-Toppers Player Rankings for 2013, showing the top 10 overall players, plus the top 10 in AL and NL pitching and AL and NL batting. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers season point totals.

Box-Toppers rankings of MVP Award candidates 

Here are the results of Most Valuable Player Award voting in both leagues. Players are listed in order of their vote total. The far right columns show how many Box-Toppers points (BTP) they earned during the 2013 season and how each player ranked in Box-Toppers points among all players in their league.

MVP vote
AL
Player	Pos	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Points	BTP	Rank*
Miguel Cabrera	3b	Tigers	23	7									385	16.9	3
Mike Trout	cf lf	Angels	5	19	3	1	1		1				282	3.5	144
Chris Davis	1b	Orioles	1	4	11	12	1		1				232	12.7	14
Josh Donaldson	3b	Athletics	1		14	9	3	3					222	9.5	31
Robinson Cano	2b	Yankees			1	5	9	2	6	5	2		150	12.5	17
Evan Longoria	3b	Rays					4	6	6	4	5	3	103	5.5	82
Dustin Pedroia	2b	Red Sox				1	5	5	5	4	2	1	99	3.5	145
Adrian Beltre	3b	Rangers					2	8	7	3	4	2	99	8.4	41
Manny Machado	3b	Orioles					2	1	2	5	5	7	57	1.0	316
David Ortiz	dh	Red Sox				2	1	2	2	1	2	2	47	12.4	18
Jason Kipnis	2b	Indians					1	1		3	3	5	31	8.0	44
Max Scherzer	pi sp	Tigers			1			2		1	1	2	25	18.1	1
Adam Jones	cf	Orioles					1			1			9	8.0	43
Edwin Encarnacion	1b dh	Blue Jays								1	2		7	8.7	38
Greg Holland	pi cp	Royals								1			3	11.0	22
Carlos Santana	ca	Indians								1			3	1.0	287
Coco Crisp	cf	Athletics									1	1	3	4.0	129
Jacoby Ellsbury	cf	Red Sox									1	1	3	5.5	83
Torii Hunter	rf	Tigers									1		2	4.0	125
Hisashi Iwakuma	pi sp	Mariners									1		2	16.1	7
Koji Uehara	pi cp	Red Sox										2	2	6.0	76
Yu Darvish	pi sp	Rangers										1	1	16.0	8
Felix Hernandez	pi sp	Mariners										1	1	14.8	9
Salvador Perez	ca 1b	Royals										1	1	2.5	195
Shane Victorino	rf	Red Sox										1	1	4.5	112
Notable AL snubs
Alfonso Soriano	lf	Yankees											0	12.9	12
Billy Butler	dh	Royals											0	9.0	33
Prince Fielder	1b	Tigers											0	8.5	39
NL
Player, Club	Pos	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Points	BTP	Rank*
Andrew McCutchen	cf	Pirates	28	1	1								409	6.0	71
Paul Goldschmidt	1b	D-Backs		15	9	1	3	2					242	13.7	12
Yadier Molina	ca	Cardinals	2	8	4	6	6		1		2	1	219	4.0	126
Matt Carpenter	2b	Cardinals		6	5	4	3	9	1	1	1		194	7.5	49
Freddie Freeman	1b	Braves				5	7	8	8	1	1		154	11.5	19
Joey Votto	1b	Reds			2	8	7	3	4		1	2	149	4.5	109
Clayton Kershaw	pi sp	Dodgers			8	4		4	5	4	1		146	21.7	1
Hanley Ramirez	ss	Dodgers			1	1	2	1	2	3	3	3	58	5.0	87
Carlos Gomez	cf	Brewers					1		3	6	2	3	43	3.0	162
Jay Bruce	rf	Reds					1	1	3		2	3	30	4.5	112
Craig Kimbrel	pi cp	Braves				1		1		3	3		27	12.7	18
Shin Soo Choo	cf	Reds						1	1	1	4	3	23	7.0	55
Jayson Werth	rf	Nationals							1	2	2	6	20	6.5	66
Andrelton Simmons	ss	Braves								2	4		14	1.5	261
Yasiel Puig	rf	Dodgers							1	2			10	1.5	259
Hunter Pence	rf	Giants								1	1	2	7	6.5	63
Troy Tulowitzki	ss	Rockies									2	1	5	4.0	124
Allen Craig	lf 1b	Cardinals								1		1	4	5.0	84
Adrian Gonzalez	1b	Dodgers								1		1	4	5.0	86
Buster Posey	ca	Giants								1			3	7.0	54
Adam Wainwright	pi sp	Cardinals								1			3	20.2	2
Michael Cuddyer	rf	Rockies										3	3	11.5	20
Matt Holliday	lf	Cardinals									1		2	6.5	62
Russell Martin	ca	Pirates										1	1	2.0	212
Notable NL snubs
Carlos Gonzalez	lf	Rockies											0	11.0	22
Bryce Harper	lf	Nationals											0	9.4	34
Ryan Zimmerman	3b	Nationals											0	9.2	35
Will Venable	rf cf	Padres											0	9.0	36
Daniel Murphy	2b	Mets											0	8.5	40
Pedro Alvarez	3b	Pirates											0	7.7	45
Brandon Phillips	2b	Reds											0	7.5	48

* Rank among players (batters and pitchers) in the league (AL or NL) in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season.

Source: Baseball Writers Association of America

Box-Toppers pitching leaders Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer win Cy Young Awards

Box-Toppers highest-ranked pitchers in each league for the season were selected Wednesday as 2013‘s Cy Young Award winners.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was chosen as National League Cy Young Award winner. He led all players in Box-Toppers points for the season with 21.7.

Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer was chosen as American League Cy Young Award winner. He led all AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points with 18.1. He ranked fifth among all players.

Voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America for the Cy Young Award for top pitcher coincided, generally, with Box-Toppers Player Rankings. There were some anomalies and snubs.

Five pitchers who ranked in the top 10 among pitchers in their league were completely left off all ballots. Among those who received no votes for Cy Young:

• Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks. He had 17.4 Box-Toppers points and ranked fifth among all NL pitchers. Corbin briefly led all players in Box-Toppers rankings in July.
• Justin Masterson of the Indians. He had 16.4 Box-Toppers points and ranked third among all AL pitchers and 10th among all players. Masterson led all players in Box-Toppers points at five different times in the season, including being the overall leader for nearly a month from July 21 to Aug. 17. He led all AL pitchers in Box-Toppers points until Sept. 15, when he was finally passed by Scherzer. True, Masterson did not pitch much or pitch well down the stretch. His last Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor came on July 27. Still he was the player who most helped his team win 11 games—more than many pitchers who received votes—and should have been given some consideration among voters.
• Lance Lynn of the Cardinals. He had 16.1 Box-Toppers points and ranked seventh among all NL pitchers.
• Shelby Miller of the Cardinals. He had 15.4 Box-Toppers points and ranked ninth among all NL pitchers.
• Ubaldo Jimenez of the Indians. He had 14.5 Box-Toppers points and ranked ninth among all AL pitchers.

Closing pitchers were another anomaly. In Box-Toppers scoring, closing pitchers often rank lower in player rankings, as they are less likely than starters to be the player who most helps his team win the game—and thus earn Player of the Game honors and Box-Toppers points. So in the American League, Red Sox closer Koji Uehara ranked seventh among AL pitchers in voting but ranked 52nd in Box-Toppers points (with 6.0).

In the NL, Braves closer Craig Kimbrel finished fourth in voting and 17th in Box-Toppers points among NL pitchers (with 12.7).

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. The player on the winning team with the highest Box-Toppers game score is Player of the Game and receives 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The Player of the Game with the highest overall Box-Toppers game score for all the games played that day is Player of the Day and earns a total of 2.0 Box-Toppers points. The top player in the opposite league receives a total of 1.7 Box-Toppers points. If both the day’s top overall player and top player in the opposite league are pitchers, then the top American League and top National League batter of the day receive a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points each.

Box-Toppers rankings of Cy Young Award candidates 

Here are the results of Cy Young Award voting in both leagues. Players are listed in order of their vote total. The far right columns show how many Box-Toppers points (BTP) they earned during the 2013 season and how each player ranked in Box-Toppers points among pitchers in their league.

Cy Young vote
AL
Player	Pos	Club	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Points	BTP	Rank*
Max Scherzer	pi sp	Tigers	28	1	1			203	18.1	1
Yu Darvish	pi sp	Rangers		19	3	1	6	93	16.0	7
Hisashi Iwakuma	pi sp	Mariners		6	12	6	1	73	16.1	6
Anibal Sanchez	pi sp	Tigers	1	1	3	9	8	46	17.1	2
Chris Sale	pi sp	White Sox	1		5	8	6	44	16.1	4
Bartolo Colon	pi sp	Athletics		2	3	1	6	25	13.1	10
Koji Uehara	pi cp	Red Sox		1	2			10	6.0	52
Felix Hernandez	pi sp	Mariners			1	1	1	6	14.8	8
Matt Moore	pi sp	Rays				2		4	16.1	5
Greg Holland	pi cp	Royals				1	2	4	11.0	17
James Shields	pi sp	Royals				1		2	9.7	23
Notable AL snubs
Justin Masterson	pi sp	Indians						0	16.4	3
Ubaldo Jimenez	pi sp	Indians						0	14.5	9
NL
Player	Pos	Club	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Points	BTP	Rank*
Clayton Kershaw	pi sp	Dodgers	29	1				207	21.7	1
Adam Wainwright	pi sp	Cardinals	1	15	4	1	5	86	20.2	2
Jose Fernandez	pi sp	Marlins		9	3	5	7	62	19.0	4
Craig Kimbrel	pi cp	Braves		4	1	8	4	39	12.7	17
Matt Harvey	pi sp	Mets		1	8	4	3	39	15.0	10
Cliff Lee	pi sp	Phillies			6	6	2	32	13.4	14
Jordan Zimmerman	pi sp	Nationals			6		3	21	14.7	11
Zack Greinke	pi sp	Dodgers			2	4	4	18	19.4	3
Madison Bumgarner	pi sp	Giants				1	1	3	15.7	8
Francisco Liriano	pi sp	Pirates				1	1	3	16.7	6
Notable NL snubs
Patrick Corbin	pi sp	Diamondbacks						0	17.4	5
Lance Lynn	pi sp	Cardinals						0	16.1	7
Shelby Miller	pi sp	Cardinals						0	15.4	9

* Rank among pitchers in the league (AL or NL) in Box-Toppers points for the 2013 season.

Source: Baseball Writers Association of America

Box-Toppers top rookie Jose Fernandez wins NL newcomer award

Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez led the way in voting and in Box-Toppers points on the way to earning National League Rookie of the Year Monday.

But the player voted American League Rookie of the Year ranked fourth among AL rookies in Box-Toppers points, behind a teammate. Wil Myers of the Rays, who served as designated hitter and right fielder, was voted top AL rookie, though his teammate, pitcher Chris Archer, had the most Box-Toppers points among AL rookie vote-getters.

Fernandez, who ranked fourth among all players, briefly led in Box-Toppers overall player rankings in September. He finished with 19.0 Box-Toppers points, in fourth place among all NL players and more than any other AL player.

Dodgers rightfielder Yasiel Puig finished second in voting, though he only earned 1.5 Box-Toppers points during the season.

The National League featured strong rookie pitchers among the top vote-getters. Shelby Miller of the Cardinals (third in voting) had the second-most Box-Toppers points among rookies with 15.4. Julio Teheran of the Braves (fifth in voting) had the third-most Box-Toppers points among rookies with 13.7. Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers (fourth in voting) had 9.7 Box-Toppers points.

Archer far outdistanced all other AL rookies in Box-Toppers points, though he was only voted in third place. Archer had 11.7 Box-Toppers points. Myers, who finished first, had 3.5 Box-Toppers points, tied for the most among AL batters in rookie voting.

Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias (who earlier in the season played for the Red Sox) finished in second in voting, though he earned no Box-Toppers points. In fact, two rookie vote-getters, Iglesias and Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado, have yet to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors and so neither have any Box-Toppers points.

One other notable rookie, Athletics pitcher Dan Straily finished fourth in AL rookie voting. He had 7.7 Box-Toppers points, the second-most among AL rookie vote-getters.

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. The player on the winning team with the highest Box-Toppers game score is Player of the Game and receives 1.0 Box-Toppers point. The Player of the Game with the highest overall Box-Toppers game score for all the games played that day is Player of the Day and earns a total of 2.0 Box-Toppers points. The top player in the opposite league receives a total of 1.7 Box-Toppers points. If both the day’s top overall player and top player in the opposite league are pitchers, then the top American League and top National League batter of the day receive a total of 1.5 Box-Toppers points each.

Jose Fernandez

Here is how Fernandez scored his 19.0 Box-Toppers points this season:

April 13: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point

May 4: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

June 1: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

June 14: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

July 1: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

July 23: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

July 28: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Aug. 2: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Aug. 13: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Aug. 19: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

Aug. 24: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Sept. 6: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

Chris Archer

Here is how Archer scored his 11.7 Box-Toppers points:

June 7: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

July 9: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP.

July 14: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

July 27: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Aug. 18: American League Player of the Day, 1.7 BTP.

Aug. 28: Player of the Day, 1.0 BTP.

Sept. 13: Player of the Day, 2.0 BTP.

Sept. 18: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP

Wil Myers

Here is how Myers scored his 3.5 Box-Toppers points:

July 19: Player of the Game, 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

Aug. 15: American League Batter of the Day, 1.5 BTP.

Sept. 4: Player of the Game, 1.0 BTP

How top rookies fared in Box-Toppers points 

Here are the results of Rookie of the Year voting in both leagues. Players are listed in order of their vote total. The far right column shows how many Box-Toppers points (BTP) they earned during the 2013 season. For more: MLB.com’s coverage of the vote.

Top rookies
AL
Player	Pos	Club	1st	2nd	3rd	Points	BTP
Wil Myers	dh rf	Rays	23	5	1	131	3.5
Jose Iglesias	ss	Tigers*	5	17	4	80	0
Chris Archer	pi sp	Rays	1	5	15	35	11.7
Dan Straily	pi sp	Athletics	1	2	4	15	7.7
J.B. Shuck	lf	Angels		1	1	4	3.0
Cody Allen	pi mr	Indians			2	2	1.0
Martin Perez	pi sp	Rangers			2	2	5.0
David Lough	rf	Royals			1	1	3.5
NL
Player		Club	1st	2nd	3rd	Points	BTP
Jose Fernandez	pi sp	Marlins	26	4		142	19.0
Yasiel Puig	rf	Dodgers	4	25		95	1.5
Shelby Miller	pi sp	Cardinals		1	9	12	15.4
Hyun-Jin Ryu	pi sp	Dodgers			10	10	9.7
Julio Teheran	pi sp	Braves			7	7	13.7
Jedd Gyorko	2b	Padres			2	2	2.0
Nolan Arenado	3b	Rockies			1	1	0.0
Evan Gattis	ca	Braves			1	1	1.0

* Jose Iglesias began the season playing for the Red Sox. 

Shane Victorino helps Red Sox win World Series, tops players in Game 6, Wednesday, Oct. 30

Shane Victorino helped the Red Sox wrap up a World Series title Wednesday, earning Player of the Day honors in the deciding Game 6. 

Victorino, with two hits, including a three-run double, led the Red Sox to a 6-1 win over the Cardinals in Game 6 and sealing a 4-2 game victory in the series.

Victorino went 2-for-3 in the game and drove in four runs. He had 4.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 224th overall.

Victorino was also Player of the Day in the deciding Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, in which the Red Sox beat the Tigers 5-2. 

Related story: Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21. 

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top players in each of the other games.

Thanks for following Box-Toppers this season. Stay tuned via RSS, Twitter or Facebook for offseason posts to follow postseason player awards, season wrap-ups and other odd bits of essential knowledge and/or trivia. 

Top 6 players in World Series Game 6 

Here are the top six Red Sox players in Wednesday's World Series Game 6, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Shane Victorino, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0, is Box-Toppers Player of the Game (POG). 

1030	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	3.0	Red Sox	Shane Victorino RF	3	0	2	4	1	0	0	0		0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Koji Uehara	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz DH	1	2	0	0	4	1	1	0		0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Brandon Workman	1.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Junichi Tazawa (H, 2)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Red Sox	Stephen Drew SS	4	1	2	1	0	0	0	0		0.0	0	0	0	0	0

World Series Game 6 preview: Cards' Wacha, Red Sox' Lackey duel in pitching rematch from Game 2

World Series Game 6 Wednesday features a pitching rematch of Game 2 won by the Cardinals.

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha faces Red Sox pitcher John Lackey, the same two who started Game 2 in Boston last Thursday won by the Cardinals 4-2. St. Louis closing pitcher Trevor Rosenthal was Box-Toppers Player of the Day in that game. Wacha, who pitched six innings, earned the win.

The Red Sox lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and could wrap up the World Series championship with a win Wednesday.

Wacha had 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 361st overall. However, the rookie has earned Player of the Game honors for the Cardinals three times already this postseason (Game 4 of the National League Divisional Series vs. the Pirates, and Game 2 and Game 6 of the NL Championship Series vs. the Dodgers).

Lackey had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 148th overall. Lackey was Player of the Day in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series vs. the Tigers.

Related story:  Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21. 

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top players in each of the other games. 

Red Sox' Jon Lester, Game 1 hero, tops players again in World Series Game 5

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester earned Box-Toppers Player of the Day honors Monday for the second time this World Series.

Lester struck out seven over 7 2/3 innings and held the Cardinals to one run and four hits in the 3-1 win in Game 5 of the Fall Classic. The Red Sox take a three-to-two-games lead in the best-of-seven series. 

Lester was also Player of the Day in World Series Game 1 as the Red Sox beat the Cardinals 8-1. He was also Player of the Game in the first game of the American League Division Series against the Rays. 

Lester had 12.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 34th overall and is the Red Sox 2013 regular season leader in Box-Toppers points.

Game 6 is Wednesday in Boston. 

Box-Toppers tracks players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top players in each of the other games.

Related story:  Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21.

Top 3 players in World Series Game 5

Here are the top three Red Sox players in Monday's World Series Game 5, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 8.2, was Player of the Game (POG).

1028	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	8.2	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Jon Lester (W, 2-0)	7	4	1	1	0	7
	3.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Koji Uehara (S, 2)	1	0	0	0	0	2
	0.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz 1B	4	0	3	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Jonny Gomes' 3-run homer lifts Red Sox to World Series Game 4 win, tops players for Sunday, Oct. 27

Jonny Gomes hit a three-run homer to lead the Red Sox to a Game 4 World Series win, earning Sunday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day honors. 

The Red Sox beat the Cardinals 4-2 to even the best-of-seven World Series at two games apiece. 

Gomes, starting in place of an injured Shane Victorino, had 5.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 156th overall.

Coming Monday: The World Series resumes Monday in St. Louis. Here is the pitching match-up:

World Series Game 5, Red Sox at Cardinals, series tied 2-2

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall. 

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright, 20.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked second overall. 

This is a rematch of World Series Game 1, won by the Red Sox 8-1. Lester was Player of the Game.  Both players are their team's overall leader in Box-Toppers points.

Box-Toppers tracks players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top players in each of the other games.

Related story:  Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21.

Top 6 players in World Series Game 4

Here are the top six Red Sox players in Sunday's World Series Game 4, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Jonny Gomes, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0, was Player of the Game (POG). He  edged out middle relief pitcher Felix Doubront, who had a game score of 2.2, and who picked up the win.

1027	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	3.0	Red Sox	Jonny Gomes LF	2	1	1	3	2	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.2	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Felix Doubront (W, 1-0)	2.2	1	1	1	0	3
	2.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz 1B	3	2	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	John Lackey (H, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Junichi Tazawa (H, 1)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Koji Uehara (S, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	0

Cardinals' Trevor Rosenthal tops players for 2nd straight World Series game

Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal is Box-Toppers Player of the Day for the second straight World Series game. 

Rosenthal is Box-Toppers top player in Saturday's Game 3, pitching the final five outs to lead the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Red Sox. The Cardinals now lead the World Series two games to one.

Rosenthal struck out two and gave up one hit over 1 2/3 innings and earned the win when the Cardinals scored the walk-off winning run on an obstruction call when Allen Craig got tangled in Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks' feet as he was trying to score from third on an overthrow. Craig was tagged out at the plate, but was ruled safe at home because of the obstruction call.  

Rosenthal had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 147th overall. He was also Box-Toppers Player of the Day in Game 2. 

 Coming Sunday: The World Series resumes Sunday in St. Louis. Here is the pitching match-up:

World Series Game 4, Cardinals lead Red Sox 2-1

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st overall. 

Cardinals: Lance Lynn, 16.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 11th overall. 

Box-Toppers tracks players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games.

Related story:  Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21.

Top 6 players in World Series Game 3

Here are the top six Cardinals players in Saturday's World Series Game 3, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Trevor Rosenthal, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 2.2, was Player of the Game (POG). He narrowly edged out starter Joe Kelly, who had a game score of 2.1, for top player. Highest-ranking batter was Matt Holliday (game score of 1.0), who went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs.

1026	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	2.2	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Trevor Rosenthal (W, 1-0)	1.2	1	0	0	0	2
	2.1	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Joe Kelly	5.1	2	2	2	3	6
	2.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Kevin Siegrist	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Cardinals	Matt Holliday LF	5	1	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Cardinals	Allen Craig PH	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Cardinals	Yadier Molina C	4	0	3	1	1	1	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

World Series Game 3 preview: Red Sox' Peavy vs. Cardinals' Kelly

Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy matches up against Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly in Game 3 of the World Series Saturday.  

Peavy had 8.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 84th overall. Kelly had 4.0 points, ranking 264th overall. 

The best-of-seven series is tied at one game apiece as it moves to St. Louis for Game 3.

Related story:  Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21. 

Box-Toppers tracks players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games.

Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal saves World Series Game 2, tops players for Thursday, Oct. 24

Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal is Thursday's Player of the Day, earning the save in Game 2 of the World Series.

Rosenthal pitched the ninth inning and struck out three in the 4-2 win over the Red Sox. The Cardinals tie the Red Sox at one game apiece in the best-of-seven World Series.

Rosenthal had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 147th overall.  It is the first time this postseason he has earned Player of the Game honors.

The World Series moves to St. Louis for Game 3 Saturday. 

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Related story:  Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21.

Top 4 players in World Series Game 2 

Here are the top four Cardinals players in Thursday's World Series Game 2, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Trevor Rosenthal, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 4.0, was Player of the Game (POG). Middle reliever Carlos Martinez also had a game score of 4.0, but Rosenthal was named Player of the Game because he picked up the save.

1024	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	4.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Trevor Rosenthal (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	3
	4.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Carlos Martinez (H, 1)	2.0	1	0	0	0	3
	1.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Michael Wacha (W, 1-0)	6.0	3	2	2	4	6
	0.0	Cardinals	Pete Kozma PR, SS	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0		0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Red Sox' Jon Lester shuts down Cardinals in World Series Game 1, tops players for Wednesday, Oct. 23

Jon Lester shut out the Cardinals for 7 2/3 innings and led the Red Sox to a Game 1 World Series win to earn Wednesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day honors.

Lester struck out eight, walked only one and allowed five hits in the 8-1 win. The Red Sox take a one-game-to-zero lead over the Cardinals in the best-of-seven series. 

Lester had 12.7 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 34th overall. He was also Player of the Game in the first game of the American League Division Series against the Rays.

 Coming Thursday: The World Series resumes Thursday in Boston. Here is the pitching match-up:

World Series Game 2, Red Sox lead Cardinals 1-0

Cardinals: Michael Wacha, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 361st overall. However, the rookie has earned Player of the Game honors for the Cardinals three times already this postseason (twice in the National League Championship Series), more than any other player.

Red Sox: John Lackey, 6.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 148th overall. Lackey was Player of the Day in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series vs. the Tigers.

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Related story:  Box-Toppers previews 2013 World Series in this post from Oct. 21.

Top 6 players in World Series Game 1  

Here are the top six Red Sox players in Wednesday's World Series Game 1, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Jon Lester, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.2 was Player of the Game (POG). David Ortiz was the highest-scoring batter, going 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, amassing a Box-Toppers game score of 4.0.

1023	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	9.2	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Jon Lester (W, 1-0)	7.2	5	0	0	1	8
	4.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz DH	3	2	2	3	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Junichi Tazawa	0.1	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Red Sox	Dustin Pedroia 2B	4	2	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Red Sox	Daniel Nava PH, LF	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	0.0	Red Sox	Mike Napoli 1B	4	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Box-Toppers recalls 2004's postseason, when Cards-Red Sox also met in World Series

With the Red Sox and the Cardinals matched up against each other for the fourth time in World Series history, let's take a Box-Toppers look back to the last time they faced off, in the 2004 Fall Classic. 

With nine years of separation, there aren't a lot of returning players from the previous Cards-Sox title bout—in fact, only two: 

• Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz.
• Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.

Ortiz had 10.7 Box-Toppers points during the 2004 regular season, his best at the time and was Player of the Game in two postseason contests—once in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees and once in Game 1 of the World Series against the Cardinals. This season, Ortiz had 12.4 Box-Toppers points and has already been Player of the Game in Game 2 of the ALCS vs. the Tigers.

Molina was in his first year with the Cardinals in 2004 and had only 1.0 Box-Toppers point. He was playing behind then-starting catcher (now Cardinals manager) Mike Matheny. This season, Molina has 4.0 Box-Toppers points. 

One other current Cardinal player did play a prominent role in 2004's postseason. Carlos Beltran, then of the Astros, was twice Player of the Game during the National League Division series, as the Astros defeated the Braves, three games to two. The Astros lost to the Cardinals in the NLCS, four games to three. 

The 2004 postseason was also notable because it was the first and only time a team with a 3-0 game deficit in a best-of-seven series came back to win it 4-3. That was the Red Sox, beating the Yankees in the ALCS, sparked by Ortiz' Game 4 performance. Ortiz hit a walk-off, 12th-inning, two-run home run to beat the Yankees 6-4. The Sox then trailed that series three games to one.

The 2004 postseason was also notable because it was the first time the Red Sox had won the World Series since 1918—a span of 86 years. The Red Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals in the Fall Classic. Then-Cards stars like Albert Pujols, who contributed to St. Louis wins in the first two rounds of the postseason, were shut out from even once earning Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors during the World Series. However, Ortiz was joined by three other arguably legendary Red Sox as Player of the Game in the other three World Series victories: 

• Game 1: Ortiz, who has 126.4 Box-Toppers points for his career, ranked 24th all-time (since 1995 when Box-Toppers record-keeping began).
• Game 2: Pitcher Curt Schilling, who had 21.0 Box-Toppers points in 2004 and has 194.1 since 1995, ranked third on the all-time (since 1995) list.  
• Game 3: Pitcher Pedro Martinez, who had 17.1 Box-Toppers points in 2004 and has 244.8 since 1995, ranked second on the all-time (since 1995) list, behind only Randy Johnson (278.8). 
• Game 4: Pitcher Derek Lowe, who had a career-low 1.0 Box-Toppers point in 2004, but has 91.5 for his career, ranked 82nd on the all-time list. 

2004 League Division Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the league division series games played in 2004. Games are listed by day. The Red Sox beat the Angels 3-0. The Yankees beat the Twins 3-1. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers 3-1. The Astros beat the Braves 3-2.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 5
MLB	2.0	Red Sox	Manny Ramirez lf	5	2	2	3	0	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	2.0	Cardinals	Larry Walker rf	4	2	2	2	0	2				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Twins		0	0	0	0	0	0			Johan Santana (W, 1-0)	7.0	9	0	0	1	5
Oct 6
MLB	5.0	Astros	Carlos Beltran cf	3	3	3	2	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
AL	3.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Keith Foulke (S, 1)	1.1	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	3.0	Yankees	Alex Rodriguez 3b	6	2	4	3	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 7
MLB	4.0	`Braves		0	0	0	0	0	0			John Smoltz	3.0	0	0	0	2	3
BAT	3.0	Cardinals	Edgar Renteria ss	4	3	3	1	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 8
MLB	4.0	`Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Bronson Arroyo	6.0	3	2	2	2	7
BAT	1.0	Yankees	Derek Jeter ss	5	0	3	3	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 9
MLB	7.0	Dodgers		0	0	0	0	0	0			Jose Lima (W, 1-0)	9.0	5	0	0	1	4
NL	3.0	Astros		0	0	0	0	0	0			Brad Lidge (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
BAT	2.0	Yankees	Ruben Sierra dh	4	1	2	3	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 10
MLB	3.0	Cardinals	Albert Pujols 1b	4	1	2	4	1	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Braves	Adam LaRoche 1b	3	1	1	3	1	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 11
MLB	7.0	Astros	Carlos Beltran cf	5	3	4	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

2004 League Championship Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the league championship series games played in 2004. The Red Sox beat the Yankees 4-3. The Cardinals beat the Astros 4-3.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 12
MLB	5.0	Yankees	Hideki Matsui lf	5	2	3	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 13
MLB	4.0	Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Jon Lieber (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	1	1	1	3
NL	3.0	Cardinals	Albert Pujols 1b	3	2	2	2	2	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 14
MLB	3.0	Cardinals	Scott Rolen 3b	4	2	2	3	0	1				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 16
MLB	9.0	Yankees	Hideki Matsui lf	6	5	5	5	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	5.0	Astros	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Brad Lidge (S, 2)	2.0	1	0	0	1	5
Oct 17
MLB	4.0	Astros	Lance Berkman, RF	2	1	2	3	2	0
AL	2.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz, DH	5	1	2	4	1	1
Oct 18
MLB	9.0	`Astros										Brandon Backe	8.0	1	0	0	2	4
AL	5.0	Red Sox										Tim Wakefield (W,1-0)	3.0	1	0	0	1	4
Oct 19
MLB	5.0	Red Sox										Curt Schilling (W,2-1)	7.0	4	1	1	0	4
Oct 20
MLB	5.0	Red Sox	Johnny Damon cf	6	2	3	6	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
NL	4.0	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Julian Tavarez (W, 2-1)	2.0	0	0	0	0	2
Oct 21
MLB	4.0	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Jeff Suppan (W, 2-1)	6.0	3	2	1	2	6

2004 World Series Box-Toppers results 

Here are Box-Toppers Players of the Games for each of the World Series games played in 2004. The Red Sox beat the Cardinals 4-0.

2004	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Oct 23
MLB	4.0	Red Sox	David Ortiz, DH	3	1	2	4	2	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
Oct 24
MLB	4.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Curt Schilling (W, 1-0)	6.0	4	1	0	1	4
Oct 26
MLB	8.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Pedro Martinez (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	0	0	2	6
Oct 27
MLB	7.0	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Derek Lowe (W, 1-0)	7.0	3	0	0	1	4

In the first column of each chart, the designation MLB indicates Player of the Day, AL or NL indicates Player of the Day in the opposite league and BAT indicates the player was the top batter of the day in his league. Usually, top players of the game receive 1.0 Box-Toppers point, top batters in the league receive 1.5, top players in the league receive 1.7 and top overall players receive 2.0. However, postseason Box-Toppers points are not counted in regular season Box-Toppers totals.

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

Game 1 Preview: Cardinals, Red Sox bring out their aces to open World Series

Game 1 of the World Series Wednesday features the pitching aces of both the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Adam Wainwright starts for the Cardinals and Jon Lester starts for the Red Sox in the first of the best-of-seven series beginning in Boston. 

Both players are their team's overall leader in Box-Toppers points.  Wainwright has 20.2 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking second among all players. Lester has 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranking 34th overall.

For more on the World Series, see Box-Toppers preview of the Cardinals-Red Sox match-up. 

Box-Toppers is set up to determine the players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Kershaw leads Box-Toppers 2013 All-Star teams, Nationals have most team members

The Box-Toppers All-Star teams for the 2013 regular season are led by overall top player, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

The Washington Nationals have the most representatives of any team, with four players.

The All-Star teams are comprised of the players with the highest Box-Toppers point totals by position in each league. In addition to the batters—eight in the National League and nine (including the designated hitter) in the American League—are the top four starting pitchers in each league, the top player who was predominately a middle-reliever and the top closing pitcher.

Kershaw was Box-Toppers Player of the Season, the top overall player, with 21.7 Box-Toppers points. The top four overall players were starting pitchers from the NL. Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer is the top AL player with 18.1 points, ranked fifth overall. 

The top AL batter is Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera with 16.9 points, ranked eighth overall. The top NL batter is Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt with 13.7 points, ranked 22nd overall.

Four Nationals players made the list, more than any other team: 

• Shortstop Ian Desmond with 5.5 Box-Toppers points, ranked 163rd overall.
• Third baseman Ryan Zimmerman with 9.2 points, ranked 66th.
• Catcher Wilson Ramos, 7.5 points, ranked 101st.
• Outfielder Bryce Harper, the third-ranked outfielder, with 9.4 points, ranked 65th overall. 

Only two members of both leagues' All-Star teams are still active this season, playing in the World Series: 

• AL designated hitter David Ortiz of the Red Sox has 12.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked 36th overall.
• NL starting pitcher Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals has 20.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked second overall. 

Box-Toppers is set up to determine the players who most help their team win the most games. Top players from the winning team of each game are determined by a formula using standard box score statistics. These top players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being Player of the Game. Among each day's top players, bonus points are awarded for the top players and batters of the day in each league. Players accumulate points through the season to provide a data point for comparison, such as determining which players are most worthy as All-Stars.  

End-of-season 2013 Box-Toppers All-Star teams 

Here are the Box-Toppers All-Stars by position for both leagues. It includes players with the highest Box-Toppers points (BTP) by position in each league. Also included is the players' overall rank among all players.

	AL	Team	BTP	Rank		NL	Team	BTP	Rank
1B	Davis, Chris 2478	Orioles	12.7	32		Goldschmidt, Paul 2935	D-Backs	13.7	22
2B	Cano, Robinson 2092	Yankees	12.5	35		Murphy, Daniel 2589	Mets	8.5	79
SS	Lowrie, Jed 2437	Athletics	8.0	90		Desmond, Ian 2673	Nationals	5.5	163
3B	Cabrera, Miguel 1776	Tigers	16.9	8		Zimmerman, Ryan 2180	Nationals	9.2	66
CA	Arencibia, J.P. 2781	Blue Jays	5.5	158		Ramos, Wilson 2904	Nationals	7.5	101
OF	Soriano, Alfonso 1445	Yankees	12.9	28		Cuddyer, Michael 1826	Rockies	11.5	40
OF	Raburn, Ryan 2340	Indians	9.5	62		Gonzalez, Carlos 2460	Rockies	11.0	43
OF	Jones, Adam 2347	Orioles	8.0	86		Harper, Bryce 3011	Nationals	9.4	65
DH	Ortiz, David	Red Sox	12.4	36
SP	Scherzer, Max 2588	Tigers	18.1	5		Kershaw, Clayton 2494	Dodgers	21.7	1
SP	Sanchez, Anibal 2187	Tigers	17.1	7		Wainwright, Adam 2150	Cardinals	20.2	2
SP	Masterson, Justin 2462	Indians	16.4	10		Greinke, Zack 1871	Dodgers	19.4	3
SP	Sale, Chris 2806	White Sox	16.1	12		Fernandez, Jose 3147	Marlins	19.0	4
MR	Chen, Bruce 1170	Royals	6.4	129		Collmenter, Josh 2863	D-Backs	8.0	89
CP	Holland, Greg 2906	Royals	11.0	37		Kimbrel, Craig 2825	Braves	12.7	31

BTP: Box-Toppers points

What are those numbers after players' names?

Cardinals-Red Sox World Series features two highly ranked, evenly matched teams

The 2013 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox features two highly ranked and evenly matched teams. 

The Cardinals are ranked third in Box-Toppers Power Rankings with 122.4 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox are close behind in fourth, with 121.7. So only 0.7 points separate them, which is less than one Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor (worth 1.0 point). 

Both teams also tied with the best regular-season winning percentage in baseball (.599, both with 97 wins). Both teams knocked off teams just ahead of them in Box-Toppers Power Rankings in their respective league championship series, both in six games. The Cardinals beat the second-ranked Dodgers (122.7 Box-Toppers points) and the Red Sox beat the top-ranked Tigers (123.4).

The best-of-seven World Series begins Wednesday in Boston. 

Below are position-by-position match-ups of each player likely in the starting line-up for both teams (we have taken the liberty of inserting Cardinals first baseman Allen Craig into the designated hitter spot), along with the four most likely starting pitchers, the team's top closer and an extra pitcher. Also listed are each player's Box-Toppers points earned in 2013, along with their overall rank among players for the season.

If you simply add together the Box-Toppers points of these 15 key players from each team, the Cardinals have 109 points and the Red Sox 96.2.

If you compare them position-by-position, the Red Sox have more players with higher Box-Toppers points totals. The Red Sox have the edge in eight positions, the Cardinals in seven.

The Red Sox batters tend to have better Box-Toppers points totals than Cardinals batters. Comparing position-by-position, the Red Sox batters beat Cardinals batters in Box-Toppers points by 6-3.

However, the Cardinals tend to have superior pitching when it comes to Box-Toppers points totals, starting with their ace Adam Wainwright, who has 20.2 regular season Box-Toppers points and is ranked second among all players (Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers ranks first). Three Cardinals pitchers rank in the top 20 in Box-Toppers points for the season—Wainwright, Lance Lynn (16.1 points, ranked 11th) and Shelby Miller (15.4 points, ranked 17th). Interestingly, Miller was not in the rotation for the NLCS, bumped in favor of rookie Michael Wacha, who though he has only 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, has earned Player of the Game honors for the Cardinals three times already this postseason (twice in the NLCS), more than any other player. 

The Red Sox top player in Box-Toppers rankings is pitcher Jon Lester with 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall. Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has 12.4 Box-Toppers points and is ranked 36th overall, fifth among all AL batters.

The Cardinals were the top-ranked team in Box-Toppers weekly power rankings reports from May 9 to July 25, 11 straight times. They remained top NL team for four more weeks until they were passed by the Dodgers Sept. 5 and remained the second-ranked NL team for the remainder of the season.

The Red Sox were the top-ranked AL team in Box-Toppers points for seven weeks, from May 30 to July 14. They were top overall team in Power Rankings on Aug. 1, but fell back during August. In September through the end of the season, they were consistently the second-ranked AL team in Box-Toppers points, behind the Tigers. 

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason.

World Series player comparisons 

Likely starting players for the Red Sox and Cardinals listed by position with their Box-Toppers point total (BTP) for the 2013 regular season and their overall player rank among all players

	Red Sox	BTP	Rank		Cardinals	BTP	Rank
1B	Mike Napoli	5.0	170		Matt Adams	5.0	198
2B	Dustin Pedroia	3.5	286		Matt Carpenter	7.5	100
SS	Stephen Drew	6.0	143		Pete Kozma	2.5	408
3B	Xander Bogaerts	0.0	--*		David Freese	5.5	154
CA	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	4.5	228		Yadier Molina	4.0	253
CF	Jacob Ellsbury	5.5	161		Jon Jay	5.5	162
LF	Jonny Gomes	6.0	156		Matt Holliday	6.5	121
RF	Shane Victorino	4.5	224		Carlos Beltran	2.5	378
DH	David Ortiz	12.4	36		Allen Craig	5.0	173
SP	Jon Lester	12.7	34		Adam Wainwright	20.2	2
SP	Clay Buchholz	11.1	41		Lance Lynn	16.1	11
SP	Jake Peavy	8.0	84		Joe Kelly	4.0	264
SP	John Lackey	6.0	148		Michael Wacha	3.0	361
CP	Koji Uehara	6.0	149		Trevor Rosenthal	6.0	147
PI	Felix Doubront	5.0	179		Shelby Miller	15.4	17

* Xander Bogaerts, who made his Major League debut Aug. 20, has yet to earn Box-Toppers Player of the Game honors and so has no Box-Toppers points. Players do not appear in Box-Toppers player rankings until they have earned Player of the Game honors at least once in their career. Bogaerts is expected to start in place of Will Middlebrooks, who earned 1.0 Box-Toppers point and is ranked 573rd.

Shane Victorino slam lifts Red Sox into World Series, tops players Saturday, Oct. 19

Shane Victorino's grand slam put the Red Sox into the World Series and made him Saturday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day. 

Victorino's seventh-inning slam led the Boston Red Sox to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. The Red Sox win the best-of-seven series four games to two and will face the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series beginning Wednesday in Boston.

Victorino had 4.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 224th among all players. 

As in Game 2 of the series, Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer seemed on track to be Player of the Game when a Tigers reliever allowed a grand slam. In Game 2 on Sunday, David Ortiz hit a game-tying grand slam. And in Game 6, Victorino hit a go-ahead slam after Scherzer was pulled. Before Scherzer was pulled in the seventh inning, he struck out eight. 

The Tigers, now eliminated, were Box-Toppers top-ranked team at the end of the season, with 123.4 Box-Toppers points. The Red Sox were the fourth-ranked team with 121.7 Box-Toppers points. They now face the third-ranked team, the Cardinals, in the World Series. The Cardinals had 122.4 points.

There are no games Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.  

 Coming soon: Box-Toppers previews the World Series between the Cardinals and the Red Sox.

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1019	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	3.0	Red Sox	Shane Victorino RF	3	1	1	4	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Top 6 players in ALCS Game 6

Here are the top six Red Sox players in Saturday's American League Championship Series Game 6, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Shane Victorino, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 3.0 was Player of the Game (POG).

1019	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	3.0	Red Sox	Shane Victorino RF	3	1	1	4	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Red Sox	Xander Bogaerts 3B	1	2	1	0	2	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Koji Uehara (S, 5)	1.0	1	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Craig Breslow (H, 4)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	0.2	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Brandon Workman	1.2	2	0	0	0	1
	0.1	Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Junichi Tazawa (W, 1-0)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0

Michael Wacha hurls Cardinals into World Series, beats Dodgers in NLCS, tops players for Friday, Oct. 18

Michael Wacha pitched the Cardinals into the World Series, dominating the Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, earning Friday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Wacha pitched seven shutout innings and gave up only two hits in the 9-0 win over the Dodgers, to win the NLCS for the Cardinals four games to two. 

It is the second time during the NLCS and the third time during the postseason that the rookie Wacha has earned Player of the Game honors. In the regular season, he only earned Player of the Game honors twice—both times in September—earning 3.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 361st overall.

By contrast, the Dodgers starter Friday, Clayton Kershaw, is Box-Toppers Player of the Season, earning 21.7 Box-Toppers points, more than any other player. However, Kershaw lasted only four innings, gave up 10 hits and seven runs. Wacha also outdueled him in Game 2 of the series.

Of course, with the Dodgers eliminated from the postseason, it means that Box-Toppers' preseason pick for World Series champion will not come to fruition. On paper—or rather in Box-Toppers' database—the Dodgers looked like the most dominant going into the 2013 season. But early on, they languished and seemed doomed for the NL West basement. However, in June, they began winning and by July were finally among Box-Toppers' top 10 teams and topped all teams for two weeks in September. They finished the season as Box-Toppers' second-ranked team, just behind the Tigers.

Coming Saturday: The American League Championship Series resumes Saturday in Boston. Here is the pitching match-up:

ALCS Game 6, Red Sox lead Tigers 3-2

Tigers: Max Scherzer, 18.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked fifth overall (see the Top 10 Player ranking list on the home page)

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz, 11.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked 41st overall

This is a rematch of Game 2 of the series, won by the Red Sox, 6-5.

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1018	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	9.0	Cardinals		0	0	0	0	0	0			Michael Wacha (W, 3-0)	7.0	2	0	0	1	5

Top 6 players in NLCS Game 6

Here are the top six Cardinals players in Friday's National League Championship Series Game 6, ranked from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score (how game score is calculated). Michael Wacha, who had a Box-Toppers game score of 9.0 was Player of the Game (POG). Carlos Beltran was top batter with a Box-Toppers game score of 2.0. 

1018	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
POG	9.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Michael Wacha (W, 3-0)	7.0	2	0	0	1	5
	3.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Carlos Martinez	1.0	0	0	0	0	2
	2.0	Cardinals	Carlos Beltran RF	4	1	3	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	2.0	Cardinals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			Trevor Rosenthal	1.0	0	0	0	0	1
	1.0	Cardinals	Shane Robinson CF, RF	4	1	2	2	0	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0
	1.0	Cardinals	Matt Adams 1B	3	1	2	1	1	0			0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Red Sox' closer Koji Uehara shuts down Tigers in ALCS Game 5, tops players for Thursday, Oct. 17

Red Sox closer Koji Uehara shut down the Tigers for 1 2/3 innings in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series and is Thursday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Uehara struck out two and allowed no hits or runs, earning the save, as the Red Sox beat the Tigers 4-3 to take a three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven ALCS. Game 6 is in Boston Saturday. 

Uehara had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 149th overall. 

 Coming Friday: The National League Championship Series resumes Friday in St. Louis. Here is the pitching match-up:

NLCS Game 6, Cardinals lead Dodgers 3-2

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw, 21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page)

Cardinals: Michael Wacha, 3.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 361st overall

This is a rematch of Game 2 of the series, won by the Cardinals, 1-0. Wacha was Player of the Game. 

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1017	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	3.2	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			Koji Uehara (S, 4)	1.2	0	0	0	0	2

Adrian Gonzalez, top player for Wednesday, Oct. 16, keeps Dodgers alive in NLCS; Austin Jackson top player in Tigers' ALCS win

Adrian Gonzalez hit two home runs to keep the Dodgers alive in the National League Championship Series and is Wednesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

Gonzalez, who also went 3-for-4 and scored three times, led the Dodgers to a 6-4 win over the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLCS. The Cardinals now lead the best-of-seven series three games to two as the series returns to St. Louis for Game 6 on Friday.

Gonzalez had 5.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 175th among all players. 

Meanwhile, Austin Jackson of the Tigers is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the American League Championship Series Game 4. Jackson went 2-for-2, walked twice and drove in two runs in the 7-3 win over the Red Sox, to tie the best-of-seven ALCS at two games apiece. Game 5 is Thursday in Detroit.

Jackson had 1.0 Box-Toppers point during the regular season, ranking 576th overall. 

Coming Thursday: The American League Championship Series continues Thursday. Here is the pitching match-up:

ALCS Game 5, Red Sox at Tigers, series tied 2-2

Red Sox: Jon Lester, 12.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 34th overall

Tigers: Anibal Sanchez, 17.1 Box-Toppers points, ranked seventh overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page)

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1016	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	4.0	Dodgers	Adrian Gonzalez 1B	4	3	3	2	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0
AL	3.0	Tigers	Austin Jackson CF	2	1	2	2	2	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0

Red Sox' Lackey, Cards' Holliday top players in LCS games for Tuesday, Oct. 15

John Lackey, who threw 6 2/3 shutout innings and struck out eight, leading the Red Sox to win Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, is Tuesday's Box-Toppers Player of the Day.

The Red Sox won 1-0 to take a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven ALCS series. 

Lackey had 6.0 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 148th among all players. 

Meanwhile, Matt Holliday of the Cardinals is Box-Toppers Player of the Game in the National League Championship Series Game 4. Holliday hit a two-run home run and went 2-for-4 in the Cardinals 4-2 win over the Dodgers. The Cardinals take a three-games-to-one lead over the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Holliday had 6.5 Box-Toppers points during the regular season, ranking 121st among all players. 

Coming Wednesday: Both League Championship Series continue Wednesday. Here are the pitching match-ups:

NLCS Game 5, Cardinals lead Dodgers 3-1

Cardinals: Joe Kelly, 4.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 264th overall

Dodgers: Zack Greinke, 19.4 Box-Toppers points, ranked third overall (see the Top 10 Player Ranking list on the home page)

While the pitching match-up in the game favors Greinke, the best pitcher hasn't always guaranteed a team's victory in this series. In fact, in the first three games of the series, the top three pitchers in Box-Toppers Player Rankings started games and in each game, his team lost:

• Greinke picked up a no-decision in the Dodgers' Game 1 loss.
• Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (21.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked first) picked up the loss in Game 2.
• Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (20.2 Box-Toppers points, ranked second) picked up the loss in Game 3.

ALCS Game 4, Red Sox lead Tigers 2-1

Red Sox: Jake Peavy, 8.0 Box-Toppers points, ranked 84th overall

Tigers: Doug Fister, 6.7 Box-Toppers points, ranked 113th overall

In regular season games, 2.0 Box-Toppers points are awarded for Player of the Day, 1.7 for top player in the opposite league, 1.5 for top batter in each league and 1.0 for the top player in each of the other games. However, no Box-Toppers points are awarded during the postseason. 

Top player from each game

Listed from highest to lowest Box-Toppers game score

1015	Score	Team	BATTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	-	-	PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
MLB	10.2	Red Sox		0	0	0	0	0	0			John Lackey (W, 2-0)	6.2	4	0	0	0	8
NL	1.0	Cardinals	Matt Holliday LF	4	1	2	2	0	0				0.0	0	0	0	0	0