Best MLB Stolen Bases Matchups — Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Top stolen bases spot: Josh Naylor
Josh Naylor (SEA) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Yusei Kikuchi. The lefty is running at .050 SB/PA against lefties this year — and .040 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 4.1 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Yusei Kikuchi too — .375 across 8 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Bobby Witt Jr. (KC) (100) vs RHP Cristian Javier: an elite bat at .053.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD) (100) vs RHP Mason Adams: an elite bat at .057, hot bat.
- José Ramírez (CLE) (100) vs LHP Anthony Kay: an elite bat at .068.
- Otto Lopez (MIA) (100) vs RHP Merrill Kelly: an elite bat at .050, due to bounce back.
- Corbin Carroll (AZ) (93) vs RHP Ryan Gusto: a high-volume bat at .033.
- Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) (93) vs RHP Ryan Gusto: a high-volume bat at .032.
- Samad Taylor (SD) (88) vs RHP Mason Adams: an elite bat at .060.
Platoon edges to target
- José Ramírez (CLE) — righty bat vs LHP, .085 against lefties this year.
- Corbin Carroll (AZ) — lefty bat vs RHP, .033 against righties this year.
- Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) — lefty bat vs RHP, .034 against righties this year.
- John Rave (KC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .077 against righties this year.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .058 against righties this year.
How it played out
5 of the top 10 stolen bases matchups landed at least one stolen base. Top play Josh Naylor finished with 2 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