Best MLB Home Runs Matchups — Sunday, July 19, 2026
Top home runs spot: Ben Rice
Ben Rice (NYY) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Will Klein. The lefty is going deep on .081 HR/PA against righties this year — and .107 over the last two weeks, big-time bat that turns into a home run in about 6% of his trips. And Will Klein has been keeping the ball in the park against righties lately — .000 home runs 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. No real history against Will Klein. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (100) vs RHP Brandon Young: big-time bat at .061 into an arm getting taken deep by the same side (.077), hot bat.
- Shea Langeliers (ATH) (100) vs LHP Foster Griffin: elite bat at .067 into an arm keeping the ball in the park against the same side (.000).
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (91) vs RHP Cam Schlittler: big-time bat at .061 into an arm mostly containing the same side (.028).
- Ben Rice (NYY) (89) vs RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto: big-time bat at .060 into an arm keeping the ball in the park against the same side (.000), hot bat.
- Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT) (88) vs LHP Joey Cantillo: elite bat at .075 into an arm keeping the ball in the park against the same side (.000), hot bat.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (84) vs LHP Ryan Yarbrough: big-time bat at .061 into an arm keeping the ball in the park against the same side (.000).
- Juan Soto (NYM) (84) vs RHP Alan Rangel: elite bat at .066 into an arm keeping the ball in the park against the same side (.000).
Platoon edges to target
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .081 against righties this year.
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .073 against righties this year.
- Shea Langeliers (ATH) — righty bat vs LHP, .077 against lefties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .045 against righties this year.
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .081 against righties this year.
How it played out
2 of the top 10 home runs matchups landed at least one home run. Top play Ben Rice finished with 0 home runs. 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 home runs matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's home runs 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.