Best MLB Hits Matchups — Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Top hits spot: TJ Rumfield
TJ Rumfield (COL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Merrill Kelly. The lefty is hitting .268 H/PA against righties this year — and .343 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a hit in about 27% of his trips. And Merrill Kelly has been tough on righties lately — .174 hits per batter faced. One catch: the bullpen behind him has been stingy to that side late. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .143 in 7 career PA against Merrill Kelly, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a hitter's park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Gabriel Moreno (AZ) (94) vs RHP Mason Adams: a strong bat at .266 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Connor Norby (COL) (91) vs RHP Merrill Kelly: a solid bat at .245 into an arm vulnerable to the same side (.263), hitter's park, due to bounce back.
- Ildemaro Vargas (AZ) (90) vs RHP Mason Adams: a solid bat at .245 into an arm with little track record against the same side, hitter's park.
- Konnor Griffin (PIT) (88) vs LHP Matthew Liberatore: a strong bat at .269 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.355).
- Jake McCarthy (COL) (85) vs RHP Merrill Kelly: a solid bat at .246 into an arm tough on the same side (.174), hitter's park.
- Jeremy Peña (HOU) (78) vs RHP George Kirby: a strong bat at .262 into an arm tough on the same side (.172).
- Marcelo Mayer (SF) (78) vs LHP Connor Prielipp: a strong bat at .260 into an arm getting tattooed by the same side (.294), due to bounce back.
Pitchers getting tattooed today
- RHP Aaron Nola has been vulnerable to righties — .262 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Jackson Chourio (MIL), Garrett Mitchell (MIL), and William Contreras (MIL).
- RHP Chris Bassitt has been giving up plenty to righties — .259 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Brett Bateman (TOR), Alejandro Kirk (TOR), and Nathan Lukes (TOR).
- LHP Matthew Liberatore has been giving up plenty to lefties — .256 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Konnor Griffin (PIT), Bryan Reynolds (PIT), and Rafael Flores Jr. (PIT).
- RHP Ryan Gusto has been giving up plenty to righties — .256 hits per batter faced. Bats to target: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Seiya Suzuki (CHC), and Michael Busch (CHC).
Platoon edges to target
- TJ Rumfield (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .268 against righties this year.
- Konnor Griffin (PIT) — righty bat vs LHP, .289 against lefties this year.
- Jake McCarthy (COL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .262 against righties this year.
- Alec Burleson (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .278 against righties this year.
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .263 against righties this year.
Best parks to hit in today
Coors Field is playing as a real hitter's park today (+9% hits park). Top bat there: TJ Rumfield (COL) at 100.
Hot bats and bounce-back spots
Swinging hot bats: Yordan Alvarez (HOU), Alejandro Kirk (TOR), Bo Bichette (NYM), Alejandro Kirk (TOR), Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD), and Geraldo Perdomo (AZ). Cold but due to bounce back: TJ Rumfield (COL), Connor Norby (COL), Marcelo Mayer (SF), Alec Burleson (STL), and Corey Seager (TEX).
Lineup watch
288 of today's hitters are still on projected lineups, drawn from each team's last game. Batting order drives the score, so these flip the moment official lineups post — usually about two hours before first pitch. Anyone who doesn't make the official card gets flagged "Not starting" and drops to the bottom.
How to read these hits matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's hits 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.
What the hits board is
The Hits board projects the chance a hitter records at least one hit, matchup-adjusted. One statistical model scores every matchup on the slate the same way — a star and a backup judged on the matchup in front of them, not their name — and every number is graded against the real box score once the games go final.
How the model gets its number
It isn't a gut call or a name game. The projection is built from a few things:
- The hitter's contact rate vs this pitcher's hand.
- The starter's hit-suppression and the park.
- Recent form, without over-reacting to a hot or cold week.
Those pieces combine into one number, and the model re-tunes itself weekly against how its past calls actually landed.
Is there a betting edge here?
Hits is an efficient market — the book prices a 1+ hit line about as well as we do, so we publish the WizLine as graded transparency, not a play. Our projection is sharp (the ranking is well-calibrated); the book just isn't leaving room on it.
How to use it
Use it to see who the model likes to square one up, and how that squares with the price — but there's no systematic edge here, so treat it as research, not a lean.
Everything here is a research signal from the model, graded in public — not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.
Learn more: How the model works · The picks story · Today's plays