Best MLB Stolen Bases Matchups — Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Top stolen bases spot: Bobby Witt Jr.
Bobby Witt Jr. (KC) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Bryan Hudson. The righty is running at .105 SB/PA against lefties this year — and .214 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 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .000 in 2 career PA against Bryan Hudson, 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
- Esteury Ruiz (MIA) (98) vs RHP Kevin Gausman: an elite bat at .098, due to bounce back.
- Jonah Cox (SF) (88) vs LHP Connor Prielipp: an elite bat at .067.
- Konnor Griffin (PIT) (76) vs LHP Matthew Liberatore: an elite bat at .050.
- José Caballero (NYY) (72) vs LHP Ian Seymour: an elite bat at .062.
- Nasim Nuñez (WSH) (69) vs LHP Framber Valdez: an elite bat at .072, due to bounce back.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) (67) vs RHP Gerrit Cole: an elite bat at .078.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) (64) vs RHP Ryan Gusto: an elite bat at .055.
Platoon edges to target
- Bobby Witt Jr. (KC) — righty bat vs LHP, .105 against lefties this year.
- Jonah Cox (SF) — righty bat vs LHP, .103 against lefties this year.
- Konnor Griffin (PIT) — righty bat vs LHP, .072 against lefties this year.
- José Caballero (NYY) — righty bat vs LHP, .076 against lefties this year.
- Nasim Nuñez (WSH) — righty bat vs LHP, .090 against lefties this year.
Lineup watch
288 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