Best MLB Stolen Bases Matchups — Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Top stolen bases spot: Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (LAD) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Michael McGreevy. The lefty is running at .021 SB/PA against righties this year — and .073 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 .167 in 6 career PA against Michael McGreevy, 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 RHP Grayson Rodriguez: an elite bat at .097.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) (90) vs RHP Grayson Rodriguez: an elite bat at .081.
- Kyle Tucker (LAD) (78) vs RHP Michael McGreevy: a high-volume bat at .034.
- José Fermín (STL) (61) vs LHP Eric Lauer: an active bat at .027.
- Nathan Church (STL) (59) vs LHP Eric Lauer: a high-volume bat at .032.
- Jordan Walker (STL) (57) vs LHP Eric Lauer: an active bat at .027, due to bounce back.
- Leody Taveras (BAL) (57) vs RHP Gabriel Hughes: a high-volume bat at .044, due to bounce back.
Platoon edges to target
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .021 against righties this year.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .095 against righties this year.
- Kyle Tucker (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .024 against righties this year.
- José Fermín (STL) — righty bat vs LHP, .022 against lefties this year.
- Jordan Walker (STL) — righty bat vs LHP, .032 against lefties this year.
How it played out
1 of the top 10 stolen bases matchups landed at least one stolen base. Top play Shohei Ohtani 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