Best MLB Stolen Bases Matchups — Saturday, July 25, 2026
Top stolen bases spot: Chandler Simpson
Chandler Simpson (TB) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Tanner Bibee. The lefty is running at .082 SB/PA against righties this year — and .103 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a stolen base in about 9% of his trips. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.3 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .100 in 10 career PA against Tanner Bibee, 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
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (100) vs RHP Andre Pallante: an elite bat at .060.
- Esteury Ruiz (MIA) (100) vs RHP Randy Vásquez: an elite bat at .116.
- David Hamilton (MIL) (99) vs RHP Ryan Feltner: an elite bat at .077.
- Sam Antonacci (CWS) (87) vs RHP Hunter Brown: a high-volume bat at .042.
- José Ramírez (CLE) (86) vs RHP Nick Martinez: an elite bat at .058.
- Randy Arozarena (SEA) (84) vs RHP Nathan Eovaldi: a high-volume bat at .044.
- Nasim Nuñez (WSH) (84) vs LHP Mitch Bratt: an elite bat at .088.
Platoon edges to target
- Chandler Simpson (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .082 against righties this year.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .049 against righties this year.
- David Hamilton (MIL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .080 against righties this year.
- Sam Antonacci (CWS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .050 against righties this year.
- José Ramírez (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .066 against righties this year.
How it played out
2 of the top 10 stolen bases matchups landed at least one stolen base. Top play Chandler Simpson finished with 0 stolen bases. 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 stolen bases matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's stolen bases 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 stolen bases board is
The Stolen Bases board projects the chance a runner swipes a bag. 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 runner's speed and attempt rate.
- The opposing catcher's arm (we fold in his caught-stealing rate).
- The pitcher's time to the plate.
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?
The heaviest-juiced board on the site — longshot prices that our model can't overcome. No edge, but the runner-×-catcher projection is a genuinely sharp ranking. Transparency board.
How to use it
Great for reading steal spots (a burner vs a weak arm); just not a market you beat at those prices.
Everything here is a research signal from the model, graded in public — not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.
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