Who has the best walks matchup today (Thursday, June 18, 2026)?

Nick Kurtz (ATH) — top of the board at 100, facing RHP Ryan Johnson. An elite bat into a beatable arm is what pushes it to No. 1.

What are the best MLB walks matchups today (Thursday, June 18, 2026)?

The top walks matchups on Thursday, June 18, 2026: Nick Kurtz (100), Ben Rice (78), Juan Soto (77), Tyler Soderstrom (76), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (68). The full board ranks every hitter in every game by walks upside.

Did the top walks matchup get a walk on Thursday, June 18, 2026?

No — Nick Kurtz didn't record a walk.

Which hitters have a platoon edge today?

Nick Kurtz (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .241 against righties this year. Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .151 against righties this year. Juan Soto (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .169 against righties this year. Tyler Soderstrom (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .147 against righties this year. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .130 against righties this year.

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 — Thursday, June 18, 2026

Every hitter on the Thursday, June 18, 2026 slate — ranked by who's most likely to draw a walk. Results show how each call played out.

How the model did — Thursday, June 18, 2026

Our top 5 hitters went 1/5 (20%) on 1+ walk, against 34% on the season.

Top 5

1/520%

season 34%

Top 10

2/1020%

season 37%

Full slate

39/14427%

season 28%

Top call Juan Soto came through. Nick Kurtz 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 · 4–3

TORaway

BOShomeTop matchup51 Final · 4–2

CLEaway

MILhomeTop matchup46 Final · 9–3

MINaway

TEXhomeTop matchup46 Final · 0–3

BALaway

SEAhomeTop matchup51 Final · 6–4

NYMaway

PHIhomeTop matchup77 Final · 5–1

CWSaway

NYYhomeTop matchup78 Final · 6–14

STLaway

KChomeTop matchup52 Final · 0–5

LAAaway

ATHhomeTop matchup100

Not starting36 not in the official lineup — moved to the bottom

PosSort

#Hitter · Matchup · 180 shownScore

44 with a BBLive count — updates as games play

1
Andrew Vaughn1B
MILvsCLE· 0-for-2
3BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #59
2
Travis Bazzana2B
CLE@MIL· 1-for-3
2BBFinal
Proj 0.5 BB, #18
T2
JJ Wetherholt2B
STL@KC· 3-for-4
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #32
T2
Luke Keaschall2B
MIN@TEX· 2-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #95
T2
Denzer Guzman3B
LAA@ATH· 0-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #119
6
Juan SotoLF
NYM@PHI· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.6 BB, #3
T6
Iván HerreraDH
STL@KC· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.5 BB, #7
T6
David FryRF
CLE@MIL· 1-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.5 BB, #17
T6
Bryce Harper1B
PHIvsNYM· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #21
T6
Jake Bauers1B
MILvsCLE· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #28
T6
Rhys Hoskins1B
CLE@MIL· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #30
T6
MJ MelendezDH
NYM@PHI· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #33
T6
Christian YelichDH
MILvsCLE· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #36
T6
Gunnar HendersonSS
BAL@SEA· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #37
T6
Zack Gelof3B
ATHvsLAA· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #48
T6
J.T. RealmutoC
PHIvsNYM· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #49
T6
Nick Madrigal3B
LAA@ATH· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #51
T6
Kyle Manzardo1B
CLE@MIL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #54
T6
Vaughn Grissom2B
LAA@ATH· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #57
T6
Dominic CanzoneDH
SEAvsBAL· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #61
T6
Brice Turang2B
MILvsCLE· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #62
T6
Gary SánchezC
MILvsCLE· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #65
T6
Colton CowserCF
BAL@SEA· 1-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #68
T6
Bryson Stott2B
PHIvsNYM· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #70
T6
Jacob WilsonSS
ATHvsLAA· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #74
T6
Josh BellDH
MIN@TEX· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #78
T6
Yohendrick PiñangoLF
TOR@BOS· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #80
T6
Samuel BasalloC
BAL@SEA· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #83
T6
Colt EmersonSS
SEAvsBAL· 1-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #84
T6
Brayan RocchioSS
CLE@MIL· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #93
T6
Jordan WalkerRF
STL@KC· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #103
T6
Nelson VelázquezLF
STL@KC· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #104
T6
Henry BolteCF
ATHvsLAA· 1-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #109
T6
Wyatt LangfordLF
TEXvsMIN· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #111
T6
Colson MontgomerySS
CWS@NYY· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #114
T6
Jake Burger1B
TEXvsMIN· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #115
T6
Cooper PrattSS
MILvsCLE· 1-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #116
T6
Alec Burleson1B
STL@KC· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #130
T6
Michael Massey2B
KCvsSTL· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #142
T6
William ContrerasC
MILvsCLE
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB
T6
Daniel SchneemannCF
CLE@MIL· 0-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB
T6
Anthony VolpeSS
NYYvsCWS· 1-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB
T6
Steven KwanLF
CLE@MIL· 1-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB
T6
Mark Vientos1B
NYM@PHI· 0-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB

Best MLB Walks Matchups — Thursday, June 18, 2026

Nick Kurtz (ATH) is the top walks matchup on the Thursday, June 18, 2026 board at 100, with Ben Rice (NYY) and Juan Soto (NYM) 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: Nick Kurtz

Nick Kurtz (ATH) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Ryan Johnson. The lefty is working counts at .241 BB/PA against righties this year — and .275 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a walk in about 19% of his trips. And Ryan Johnson has been thin against righties lately. 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 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Ryan Johnson too — 1.000 across 1 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.

The rest of the top of the board

Ben Rice (NYY) (78) vs RHP Sean Burke: an excellent bat at .130 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.259).
Juan Soto (NYM) (77) vs RHP Aaron Nola: an elite bat at .152 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.194).
Tyler Soderstrom (ATH) (76) vs RHP Ryan Johnson: an excellent bat at .146 into an arm with little track record against the same side, due to bounce back.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) (68) vs RHP Sean Burke: an excellent bat at .134 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.259).
Cody Bellinger (NYY) (58) vs RHP Sean Burke: a strong bat at .101 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.259).
Iván Herrera (STL) (52) vs LHP Noah Cameron: an excellent bat at .139 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.000).
Lane Thomas (KC) (51) vs LHP Matthew Liberatore: a strong bat at .118 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.118).

Platoon edges to target

Nick Kurtz (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .241 against righties this year.
Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .151 against righties this year.
Juan Soto (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .169 against righties this year.
Tyler Soderstrom (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .147 against righties this year.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .130 against righties this year.

How it played out

2 of the top 10 walks matchups landed at least one walk. Top play Nick Kurtz finished with 0 walks. 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 (Thursday, June 18, 2026)?: Nick Kurtz (ATH) — top of the board at 100, facing RHP Ryan Johnson. An elite bat into a beatable arm is what pushes it to No. 1.
What are the best MLB walks matchups today (Thursday, June 18, 2026)?: The top walks matchups on Thursday, June 18, 2026: Nick Kurtz (100), Ben Rice (78), Juan Soto (77), Tyler Soderstrom (76), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (68). The full board ranks every hitter in every game by walks upside.
Did the top walks matchup get a walk on Thursday, June 18, 2026?: No — Nick Kurtz didn't record a walk.
Which hitters have a platoon edge today?: Nick Kurtz (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .241 against righties this year. Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .151 against righties this year. Juan Soto (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .169 against righties this year. Tyler Soderstrom (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .147 against righties this year. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .130 against righties this year.
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.