Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Monday, August 24, 2026
Top total bases spot: Pete Crow-Armstrong
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Merrill Kelly. The lefty is racking up bases at .486 TB/PA against righties this year — and .568 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a total base in about 45% of his trips. And Merrill Kelly has been getting squared up by righties lately — .581 total bases per batter faced. One catch: the bullpen behind him has been stingy to that side late. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Merrill Kelly too — .333 across 6 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Abimelec Ortiz (WSH) (97) vs RHP Ryan Feltner: a strong bat at .426 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.581), due to bounce back.
- CJ Abrams (WSH) (89) vs RHP Ryan Feltner: a league-average bat at .356 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.581).
- Jeff McNeil (ATH) (88) vs RHP Zebby Matthews: a solid bat at .402 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.542).
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (86) vs LHP Carson Whisenhunt: a solid bat at .398 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.432).
- Sal Stewart (CIN) (81) vs LHP Carson Whisenhunt: a solid bat at .399 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.432), hot bat.
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) (79) vs RHP Logan Gilbert: a strong bat at .465 into an arm tough on the same side (.185).
- Dane Myers (CIN) (78) vs LHP Carson Whisenhunt: a solid bat at .410 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.432).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Merrill Kelly has been getting squared up by righties — .428 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC), Michael Busch (CHC), and Ian Happ (CHC).
- RHP José Urquidy has been vulnerable to righties — .419 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Wyatt Langford (TEX), Ezequiel Duran (TEX), and Corey Seager (TEX).
- RHP Ryan Feltner has been vulnerable to righties — .418 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Abimelec Ortiz (WSH), CJ Abrams (WSH), and Daylen Lile (WSH).
- RHP Kumar Rocker has been vulnerable to righties — .417 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Munetaka Murakami (CWS), Sam Antonacci (CWS), and Miguel Vargas (CWS).
Platoon edges to target
- Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .486 against righties this year.
- Abimelec Ortiz (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .500 against righties this year.
- CJ Abrams (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .488 against righties this year.
- Jeff McNeil (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .349 against righties this year.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) — righty bat vs LHP, .555 against lefties this year.
How it played out
5 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Pete Crow-Armstrong finished with 0 total 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 total bases matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's total 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 total bases board is
The Total Bases board projects how many bases a hitter racks up vs the posted total-bases line. 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:
- His extra-base pop vs this arm.
- The park.
- Recent contact quality.
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?
Total bases grades right at break-even even when we tune it to the hilt — the book prices the marginal leans efficiently. Transparency board.
How to use it
See who the model projects for extra-base damage; no systematic edge to bet.
Everything here is a research signal from the model, graded in public — not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.
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