Best MLB Stolen Bases Matchups — Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Top stolen bases spot: Oneil Cruz
Oneil Cruz (PIT) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Landen Roupp. The lefty is running at .084 SB/PA against righties this year — and .077 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a stolen base in about 7% of his trips. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.3 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .000 in 2 career PA against Landen Roupp, 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 Ramírez (CLE) (89) vs RHP Dylan Cease: an elite bat at .052.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) (88) vs RHP Justin Hagenman: an elite bat at .086.
- Jorge Mateo (TB) (87) vs RHP Justin Hagenman: an elite bat at .082.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (74) vs RHP Casey Mize: an elite bat at .052.
- A.J. Ewing (NYM) (71) vs RHP Griffin Jax: an elite bat at .048.
- Josh Naylor (SEA) (70) vs LHP Patrick Sandoval: an elite bat at .051.
- José Caballero (NYY) (70) vs LHP Reid Detmers: an elite bat at .063, due to bounce back.
Platoon edges to target
- Oneil Cruz (PIT) — lefty bat vs RHP, .084 against righties this year.
- José Ramírez (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .059 against righties this year.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .085 against righties this year.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .044 against righties this year.
- A.J. Ewing (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .055 against righties this year.
Lineup watch
270 of today's hitters are still on projected lineups, drawn from each team's last game. Batting order drives the score, so these flip the moment official lineups post — usually about two hours before first pitch. Anyone who doesn't make the official card gets flagged "Not starting" and drops to the bottom.
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