Best MLB Stolen Bases Matchups — Sunday, August 23, 2026
Top stolen bases spot: David Hamilton
David Hamilton (MIL) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Tyler Mahle. The lefty is running at .086 SB/PA against righties this year — and .130 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a stolen base in about 8% of his trips. He's hitting in a spot worth about 3.8 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .000 in 4 career PA against Tyler Mahle, 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
- Tyler Tolbert (KC) (100) vs RHP Jacob Waguespack: an elite bat at .181, due to bounce back.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (89) vs RHP Bailey Ober: an elite bat at .046.
- Corbin Carroll (AZ) (86) vs LHP Andrew Abbott: a high-volume bat at .044.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) (82) vs RHP Bryce Miller: an elite bat at .054.
- Ryan Waldschmidt (AZ) (74) vs LHP Andrew Abbott: an elite bat at .046.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (73) vs RHP Lake Bachar: a high-volume bat at .038.
- José Caballero (NYY) (69) vs RHP José Soriano: an elite bat at .102, due to bounce back.
Platoon edges to target
- David Hamilton (MIL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .086 against righties this year.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .059 against righties this year.
- Ryan Waldschmidt (AZ) — righty bat vs LHP, .077 against lefties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .016 against righties this year.
- Victor Robles (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .085 against lefties this year.
How it played out
2 of the top 10 stolen bases matchups landed at least one stolen base. 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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