Who has the best walks matchup today (Monday, May 25, 2026)?

Willy Adames (SF) — top of the board at 100, facing RHP Merrill Kelly. A solid bat into a beatable arm is what pushes it to No. 1.

What are the best MLB walks matchups today (Monday, May 25, 2026)?

The top walks matchups on Monday, May 25, 2026: Willy Adames (100), Shohei Ohtani (100), Jake McCarthy (100), Spencer Horwitz (96), Pete Crow-Armstrong (96). The full board ranks every hitter in every game by walks upside.

Did the top walks matchup get a walk on Monday, May 25, 2026?

Yes — Willy Adames got 1 walk.

How is the walks matchup score calculated?

It's his walk rate against that hand, weighted to recent form over a two-year baseline, set against how freely that arm gives them up. Command and plate discipline carry this board; the park barely moves it. 0–100 across the slate.

What does BB/PA mean?

Walks per plate appearance — how often a hitter draws a base on balls. Around .085 (one walk every ~12 trips) is league average; .12+ is elite plate discipline. The matchup pairs the hitter's walk rate with how freely the pitcher gives them up.

What does the score actually mean?

Higher is better. This board rewards patience and punishes chase — a disciplined bat against a wild arm will out-grade a better hitter who swings at everything.

What's the confidence meter?

It's how much data is behind the call — sample size on both the hitter and the pitcher, plus whether the lineup's official. A high score with low confidence is a thinner read than the same score backed by a deep track record. It's not a probability of a walk.

What is a platoon split (handedness split)?

Walk rates split by hand too, and often the other way round to what you'd expect — some hitters get more free passes against the same hand because the arm won't give in with the platoon disadvantage.

What are park factors?

Parks barely move walks, and the board reflects that. What matters is the arm's command and the umpire behind the plate, not the dimensions. Above 1.00 bumps the score, below 1.00 trims it — the swing is small here.

What do "2W", "SZN" and "2Y" mean?

The timeframes behind each rate: the last two weeks (recent form), the current season, and a trailing two years (a stable baseline). Recent form counts most, and small samples get pulled toward league average so a hot week doesn't fool the model.

What do "≈ est", "Due" and "Not starting" mean?

"≈ est" is a hitter we don't have splits for yet — a rookie or unmatched ID — shown at a league-baseline estimate instead of dropped. "Due" means he hasn't recorded a walk in a while and profiles for regression. "Not starting" means he was projected but didn't make the official lineup, so he slides to the bottom where you can still look him up.

Can I use this for walks props or DFS?

That's what it's built for — pre-slate research. The board surfaces which hitters have the best conditions today, and where one exists, we show the book's "1+ walk" line so you can shop the price. We're not a sportsbook and we don't post picks — we show the matchup data, the line, and the result. (Best-price and all-book odds are a Pro feature.)

How accurate is the model?

We grade every board against the box score. Walks are among the most stable rates in baseball, so this board's record holds up better over short runs than the power boards — the season number is posted either way.

When do lineups update?

Projected lineups (marked "Proj") come from each team's last game. Official lineups usually drop about two hours before first pitch, and the board updates itself as they post. Batting order is a big driver, so it's worth a second look mid-afternoon — rankings shift as lineups lock.

Yes. The full board, every game page, and the daily archive are free, no login. Best-price odds and the betting tools are the paid tier.

Best MLB walks matchups — Monday, May 25, 2026

Every hitter on the Monday, May 25, 2026 slate — ranked by who's most likely to draw a walk. Results show how each call played out.

How the model did — Monday, May 25, 2026

Our top 5 hitters went 3/5 (60%) on 1+ walk, against 36% on the season.

Top 5

3/560%

season 36%

Top 10

5/1050%

season 34%

Full slate

57/23424%

season 28%

Top call Willy Adames came through. Jake McCarthy didn't.

Each hitter below carries a 0–100 matchup score — a read on the spot in front of him, not a ranking of how good he is, so a star in a brutal matchup can sit below an average hitter in a soft one. Confidence next to it is coverage: how much real data backs the number. Every call here was graded against the box score — wins and misses both, with the record on this page. How this board is built →

Final · 7–9

TBaway

BALhomeTop matchup96 Final · 1–2

CHCaway

PIThomeTop matchup96 Final · 1–3

MINaway

CWShomeTop matchup96 Final · 1–5

STLaway

MILhomeTop matchup75 Final · 4–3

NYYaway

KChomeTop matchup83 Final · 7–2

CINaway

NYMhomeTop matchup92 Final · 6–2

AZaway

SFhomeTop matchup100 Final · 10–2

WSHaway

CLEhomeTop matchup75 Final · 3–0

PHIaway

SDhomeTop matchup87 Final · 9–0

HOUaway

TEXhomeTop matchup83 Final · 8–2

MIAaway

TORhomeTop matchup96 Final · 3–5

COLaway

LADhomeTop matchup100 Final · 9–2

SEAaway

ATHhomeTop matchup83

PosSort

#Hitter · MatchupScore

57 with a BBLive count — updates as games play

1
Fernando Tatis Jr.RF
SDvsPHI· 2-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #14
T1
Brandon NimmoRF
TEXvsHOU· 0-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #77
T1
Kyle Manzardo1B
CLEvsWSH· 0-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #138
T1
Cedric MullinsCF
TB@BAL· 1-for-4
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #141
5
Willy AdamesSS
SFvsAZ· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #1
T5
Shohei OhtaniTWP
LADvsCOL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #2
T5
Spencer Horwitz1B
PITvsCHC· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #4
T5
Taylor WardDH
BALvsTB· 1-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #6
T5
Byron BuxtonCF
MIN@CWS· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #7
T5
Ian HappLF
CHC@PIT· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #18
T5
Liam HicksC
MIA@TOR· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #22
T5
Joc PedersonDH
TEXvsHOU· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #25
T5
Carlos CortesRF
ATHvsSEA· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #27
T5
Edouard Julien2B
COL@LAD· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #37
T5
Miguel AndujarDH
SDvsPHI· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #40
T5
Kyle SchwarberDH
PHI@SD· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #41
T5
Adley RutschmanC
BALvsTB· 0-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #44
T5
Jackson ChourioLF
MILvsSTL· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #48
T5
JJ Wetherholt2B
STL@MIL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #49
T5
Alejandro OsunaLF
TEXvsHOU· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #54
T5
Nick Kurtz1B
ATHvsSEA· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #56
T5
JJ BledayLF
CIN@NYM· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #59
T5
Nolan Arenado3B
AZ@SF· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #61
T5
Jonathan Aranda1B
TB@BAL· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #62
T5
Bryce Harper1B
PHI@SD· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #64
T5
Otto LopezSS
MIA@TOR· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #65
T5
Pete Alonso1B
BALvsTB· 3-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #68
T5
Brice Turang2B
MILvsSTL· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #71
T5
Yordan AlvarezDH
HOU@TEX· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #78
T5
Oliver Dunn3B
TB@BAL· 0-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #89
T5
Colson MontgomerySS
CWSvsMIN· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #90
T5
Alec Bohm3B
PHI@SD· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #92
T5
Jakob MarseeCF
MIA@TOR· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #98
T5
William ContrerasC
MILvsSTL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #99
T5
Salvador PerezDH
KCvsNYY· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #103
T5
Ezequiel DuranSS
TEXvsHOU· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #105
T5
Christian Walker1B
HOU@TEX· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #106
T5
Eugenio SuárezDH
CIN@NYM· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #110
T5
Leody TaverasCF
BALvsTB· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #132
T5
Gabriel MorenoC
AZ@SF· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #140
T5
Bryson Stott2B
PHI@SD· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #145
T5
Konnor GriffinSS
PITvsCHC· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #148
T5
Blaze Alexander3B
BALvsTB· 3-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #150
T5
Jazz Chisholm Jr.2B
NYY@KC· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #155
T5
Bryce EldridgeDH
SFvsAZ· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #162
T5
Will SmithC
LADvsCOL· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #163
T5
Hyeseong KimSS
LADvsCOL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #167
T5
Tristan PetersCF
CWSvsMIN· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #169
T5
Luis RengifoLF
MILvsSTL· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #174
T5
Daylen LileLF
WSH@CLE· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #177
T5
Isaac CollinsLF
KCvsNYY· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #181
T5
Anthony VolpeSS
NYY@KC· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #182
T5
Jackson Holliday2B
BALvsTB· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #190
T5
Steven KwanLF
CLEvsWSH· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #197
T5
Lenyn Sosa2B
TORvsMIA· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #219
T5
Lane ThomasLF
KCvsNYY· 0-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #225
T5
Colt EmersonSS
SEA@ATH· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #230

Best MLB Walks Matchups — Monday, May 25, 2026

Willy Adames (SF) is the top walks matchup on the Monday, May 25, 2026 board at 100, with Shohei Ohtani (LAD) and Jake McCarthy (COL) right behind. Every hitter on the slate is ranked by who's most likely to draw a walk — plate discipline and how freely the pitcher and bullpen issue walks, plus lineup spot. It's the read DFS and prop players make before lock.

Top walks spot: Willy Adames

Willy Adames (SF) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Merrill Kelly. The righty is working counts at — BB/PA against righties this year, a solid bat that turns into a walk in about 9% of his trips. And Merrill Kelly has been thin against righties lately. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's a fine .281 in 32 career PA against Merrill Kelly. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.

The rest of the top of the board

Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (100) vs RHP Tanner Gordon: a solid bat at .085 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Jake McCarthy (COL) (100) vs RHP Emmet Sheehan: a solid bat at .085 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Spencer Horwitz (PIT) (96) vs RHP Ben Brown: a solid bat at .085 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) (96) vs RHP Carmen Mlodzinski: a solid bat at .085 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Taylor Ward (BAL) (96) vs LHP Shane McClanahan: a solid bat at .085 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Byron Buxton (MIN) (96) vs LHP Anthony Kay: a solid bat at .085 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
Xavier Edwards (MIA) (96) vs RHP Trey Yesavage: a solid bat at .085 into an arm with little track record against the same side.

How it played out

5 of the top 10 walks matchups landed at least one walk. Top play Willy Adames finished with 1 walk. 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 walks matchups

Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's walks 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.

Keep reading

What the walks board is

The Walks board projects the chance a hitter draws a walk. 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 plate discipline.
The pitcher's control.
The count leverage in the matchup.

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?

An over-only market with heavy juice; our overs grade anti-predictive and lose to the vig. No edge — transparency board.

How to use it

Spot the patient-hitter-vs-wild-arm setups; not a bettable edge.

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

Frequently asked questions

Who has the best walks matchup today (Monday, May 25, 2026)?: Willy Adames (SF) — top of the board at 100, facing RHP Merrill Kelly. A solid bat into a beatable arm is what pushes it to No. 1.
What are the best MLB walks matchups today (Monday, May 25, 2026)?: The top walks matchups on Monday, May 25, 2026: Willy Adames (100), Shohei Ohtani (100), Jake McCarthy (100), Spencer Horwitz (96), Pete Crow-Armstrong (96). The full board ranks every hitter in every game by walks upside.
Did the top walks matchup get a walk on Monday, May 25, 2026?: Yes — Willy Adames got 1 walk.
How is the walks matchup score calculated?: It's his walk rate against that hand, weighted to recent form over a two-year baseline, set against how freely that arm gives them up. Command and plate discipline carry this board; the park barely moves it. 0–100 across the slate.
What does BB/PA mean?: Walks per plate appearance — how often a hitter draws a base on balls. Around .085 (one walk every ~12 trips) is league average; .12+ is elite plate discipline. The matchup pairs the hitter's walk rate with how freely the pitcher gives them up.
What does the score actually mean?: Higher is better. This board rewards patience and punishes chase — a disciplined bat against a wild arm will out-grade a better hitter who swings at everything.
What's the confidence meter?: It's how much data is behind the call — sample size on both the hitter and the pitcher, plus whether the lineup's official. A high score with low confidence is a thinner read than the same score backed by a deep track record. It's not a probability of a walk.
What is a platoon split (handedness split)?: Walk rates split by hand too, and often the other way round to what you'd expect — some hitters get more free passes against the same hand because the arm won't give in with the platoon disadvantage.
What are park factors?: Parks barely move walks, and the board reflects that. What matters is the arm's command and the umpire behind the plate, not the dimensions. Above 1.00 bumps the score, below 1.00 trims it — the swing is small here.
What do "2W", "SZN" and "2Y" mean?: The timeframes behind each rate: the last two weeks (recent form), the current season, and a trailing two years (a stable baseline). Recent form counts most, and small samples get pulled toward league average so a hot week doesn't fool the model.
What do "≈ est", "Due" and "Not starting" mean?: "≈ est" is a hitter we don't have splits for yet — a rookie or unmatched ID — shown at a league-baseline estimate instead of dropped. "Due" means he hasn't recorded a walk in a while and profiles for regression. "Not starting" means he was projected but didn't make the official lineup, so he slides to the bottom where you can still look him up.
Can I use this for walks props or DFS?: That's what it's built for — pre-slate research. The board surfaces which hitters have the best conditions today, and where one exists, we show the book's "1+ walk" line so you can shop the price. We're not a sportsbook and we don't post picks — we show the matchup data, the line, and the result. (Best-price and all-book odds are a Pro feature.)
How accurate is the model?: We grade every board against the box score. Walks are among the most stable rates in baseball, so this board's record holds up better over short runs than the power boards — the season number is posted either way.
When do lineups update?: Projected lineups (marked "Proj") come from each team's last game. Official lineups usually drop about two hours before first pitch, and the board updates itself as they post. Batting order is a big driver, so it's worth a second look mid-afternoon — rankings shift as lineups lock.
Is MatchWiz free?: Yes. The full board, every game page, and the daily archive are free, no login. Best-price odds and the betting tools are the paid tier.