Best MLB Walks Matchups — Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Top walks spot: Nick Kurtz
Nick Kurtz (ATH) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Mitch Keller. The lefty is working counts at .241 BB/PA against righties this year — and .282 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a walk in about 19% of his trips. And Mitch Keller has been handing out free passes to righties lately — .147 walks per batter faced. The bullpen behind him hasn't been any better to that side, so there's no relief late. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Mitch Keller too — .500 across 2 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) (78) vs RHP Hunter Brown: an excellent bat at .141 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (74) vs RHP Drew Rasmussen: an elite bat at .170 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.037), due to bounce back.
- James Wood (WSH) (71) vs RHP Michael Wacha: an elite bat at .152 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.056), hot bat.
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) (68) vs RHP Tyler Phillips: an excellent bat at .138 into an arm prone to walking the same side (.095), hot bat.
- Tyler Soderstrom (ATH) (67) vs RHP Mitch Keller: an excellent bat at .134 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.147).
- Bryce Harper (PHI) (66) vs RHP Tyler Phillips: an excellent bat at .139 into an arm prone to walking the same side (.095), due to bounce back.
- Bryce Eldridge (SF) (62) vs RHP Grant Holmes: an excellent bat at .126 into an arm prone to walking the same side (.107), hot bat.
Platoon edges to target
- Nick Kurtz (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .241 against righties this year.
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) — lefty bat vs RHP, .151 against righties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .198 against righties this year.
- James Wood (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .189 against righties this year.
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) — lefty bat vs RHP, .153 against righties this year.
How it played out
8 of the top 10 walks matchups landed at least one walk. Top play Nick Kurtz 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.