Best MLB Doubles Matchups — Saturday, August 22, 2026
Top doubles spot: Ryan Jeffers
Ryan Jeffers (MIN) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Casey Mize. The righty is driving the ball at .054 2B/PA against righties this year — and .115 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a double in about 6% of his trips. And Casey Mize has been tough to drive against righties lately — .000 doubles per batter faced. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.3 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .158 in 19 career PA against Casey Mize, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT) (100) vs LHP Tarik Skubal: an elite bat at .072 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.056), due to bounce back.
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) (97) vs RHP Rhett Lowder: an excellent bat at .059 into an arm prone to extra-base damage from the same side (.050), hot bat.
- Freddie Freeman (LAD) (96) vs RHP Jared Jones: an excellent bat at .062 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.087).
- Bryan Reynolds (PIT) (93) vs LHP Tarik Skubal: an elite bat at .070 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.056).
- Nathaniel Lowe (CLE) (91) vs RHP Gabriel Hughes: an elite bat at .063 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Rafael Devers (SF) (79) vs LHP Patrick Sandoval: an excellent bat at .056 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.083).
- Andrew Vaughn (MIL) (77) vs LHP Martín Pérez: an elite bat at .068 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.054), hot bat.
Platoon edges to target
- Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT) — righty bat vs LHP, .082 against lefties this year.
- Freddie Freeman (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .066 against righties this year.
- Bryan Reynolds (PIT) — righty bat vs LHP, .070 against lefties this year.
- Nathaniel Lowe (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .071 against righties this year.
- Andrew Vaughn (MIL) — righty bat vs LHP, .121 against lefties this year.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Gabriel Moreno (AZ), Andrew Vaughn (MIL), Kazuma Okamoto (TOR), Alec Burleson (STL), Jordan Walker (STL), and Javier Sanoja (MIA). Cold but due to bounce back: Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT), Byron Buxton (MIN), Dillon Dingler (DET), Victor Bericoto (SF), and Alek Thomas (LAD).
How it played out
3 of the top 10 doubles matchups landed at least one double. Top play Ryan Jeffers finished with 1 double. We post the result next to every projection so you can grade the board yourself — and so the model gets re-tuned against what actually happened.
How to read these doubles matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's doubles per plate appearance against the hand he's facing — weighted toward the last two weeks, then the season, then a two-year baseline. Then it layers in the bullpen, his spot in the order, and park and weather. Higher means more of it points his way. It's context, not a lock — a great spot still goes 0-for-4 sometimes, and a tough one runs into one. The edge is in stacking the odds, and since we grade every board, you can see how often the top of the list delivers.