Best MLB Stolen Bases Matchups — Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Top stolen bases spot: Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Riley Cornelio. The righty is running at .059 SB/PA against righties this year — and .083 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a stolen base in about 5% of his trips. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. No real history against Riley Cornelio. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) (100) vs RHP Gabriel Hughes: an elite bat at .078.
- Dane Myers (CIN) (100) vs LHP Tarik Skubal: a high-volume bat at .038.
- Oneil Cruz (PIT) (100) vs RHP Sean Burke: an elite bat at .072.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) (100) vs RHP AJ Smith-Shawver: an elite bat at .084.
- Konnor Griffin (PIT) (96) vs RHP Sean Burke: an elite bat at .064, due to bounce back.
- Esteury Ruiz (MIA) (94) vs LHP Sean Manaea: an elite bat at .099.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (94) vs LHP Tarik Skubal: a high-volume bat at .036, hot bat.
Platoon edges to target
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .092 against righties this year.
- Dane Myers (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .042 against lefties this year.
- Oneil Cruz (PIT) — lefty bat vs RHP, .086 against righties this year.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .081 against righties this year.
- Esteury Ruiz (MIA) — righty bat vs LHP, .146 against lefties this year.
How it played out
1 of the top 10 stolen bases matchups landed at least one stolen base. Top play Fernando Tatis Jr. 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