Best MLB Walks Matchups — Friday, June 26, 2026
Top walks spot: Bryce Eldridge
Bryce Eldridge (SF) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Reynaldo López. The lefty is working counts at .154 BB/PA against righties this year — and .265 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a walk in about 15% of his trips. And Reynaldo López has been handing out free passes to righties lately — .200 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 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's just .000 in 1 career PA against Reynaldo López, but that's a tiny sample and the matchup says regression. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- Nick Kurtz (ATH) (100) vs RHP Walbert Ureña: an elite bat at .171 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.129), due to bounce back.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (82) vs RHP Walker Buehler: an elite bat at .161 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.000).
- Juan Soto (NYM) (74) vs RHP Zack Wheeler: an elite bat at .154 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.116).
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) (74) vs RHP Spencer Arrighetti: an excellent bat at .145 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.029).
- Rafael Devers (SF) (73) vs RHP Reynaldo López: a strong bat at .114 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.200).
- Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) (71) vs RHP Nick Martinez: an elite bat at .160 into an arm fairly stingy with walks against the same side (.082).
- Tyler Soderstrom (ATH) (63) vs RHP Walbert Ureña: a strong bat at .115 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.129).
Platoon edges to target
- Bryce Eldridge (SF) — lefty bat vs RHP, .154 against righties this year.
- Nick Kurtz (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .234 against righties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .192 against righties this year.
- Juan Soto (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .169 against righties this year.
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) — lefty bat vs RHP, .158 against righties this year.
How it played out
2 of the top 10 walks matchups landed at least one walk. Top play Bryce Eldridge 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.