Best MLB Total Bases Matchups — Saturday, October 17, 2026
Top total bases spot: Jonathan Aranda
Jonathan Aranda (TB) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Shawn Armstrong. The lefty is racking up bases at .410 TB/PA against righties this year — and 1.000 over the last two weeks, a solid bat that turns into a total base in about 39% of his trips. And Shawn Armstrong has been thin against righties lately. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. 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 Shawn Armstrong, 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
- Steven Kwan (CLE) (100) vs RHP Nick Martinez: a league-average bat at .345 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.667).
- Chase DeLauter (CLE) (97) vs RHP Nick Martinez: a solid bat at .389 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.667).
- José Ramírez (CLE) (83) vs RHP Nick Martinez: a league-average bat at .320 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.667).
- Yandy Díaz (TB) (78) vs RHP Shawn Armstrong: a solid bat at .402 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Liam Hicks (TB) (78) vs RHP Shawn Armstrong: a solid bat at .406 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Chandler Simpson (TB) (76) vs RHP Shawn Armstrong: a league-average bat at .341 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Jo Adell (CLE) (70) vs RHP Nick Martinez: a league-average bat at .353 into an arm getting squared up by the same side (.714).
Arms giving up extra bases today
- RHP Nick Martinez has been vulnerable to righties — .387 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Steven Kwan (CLE), Chase DeLauter (CLE), and José Ramírez (CLE).
- RHP Shawn Armstrong has been mostly containing righties — .350 total bases per batter faced. Bats to target: Jonathan Aranda (TB), Yandy Díaz (TB), and Liam Hicks (TB).
Platoon edges to target
- Jonathan Aranda (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .410 against righties this year.
- Steven Kwan (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .333 against righties this year.
- Chase DeLauter (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .392 against righties this year.
- José Ramírez (CLE) — lefty bat vs RHP, .282 against righties this year.
- Liam Hicks (TB) — lefty bat vs RHP, .422 against righties this year.
How it played out
6 of the top 10 total bases matchups landed at least one total base. Top play Jonathan Aranda finished with 3 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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