Best MLB Stolen Bases Matchups — Monday, July 27, 2026
Top stolen bases spot: Zach Neto
Zach Neto (LAA) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Tatsuya Imai. The righty is running at .035 SB/PA against righties this year — and .035 over the last two weeks, a high-volume bat that turns into a stolen base in about 4% of his trips. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .000 in 2 career PA against Tatsuya Imai, 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
- José Caballero (NYY) (100) vs LHP Noah Schultz: an elite bat at .065.
- Nasim Nuñez (WSH) (99) vs RHP Max Scherzer: an elite bat at .081, due to bounce back.
- Nico Hoerner (CHC) (99) vs LHP Matthew Liberatore: an elite bat at .052.
- Ceddanne Rafaela (BOS) (92) vs RHP Jack Perkins: a high-volume bat at .036.
- Brice Turang (MIL) (90) vs RHP Tyler Mahle: a high-volume bat at .038.
- Jarren Duran (BOS) (89) vs RHP Jack Perkins: a high-volume bat at .036.
- Cooper Pratt (MIL) (84) vs RHP Tyler Mahle: a high-volume bat at .040.
Platoon edges to target
- José Caballero (NYY) — righty bat vs LHP, .083 against lefties this year.
- Nasim Nuñez (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .106 against righties this year.
- Nico Hoerner (CHC) — righty bat vs LHP, .025 against lefties this year.
- Brice Turang (MIL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .030 against righties this year.
- Jarren Duran (BOS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .032 against righties this year.
How it played out
1 of the top 10 stolen bases matchups landed at least one stolen base. Top play Zach Neto 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.
Learn more: How the model works · The picks story · Today's plays