Best MLB Walks Matchups — Saturday, June 27, 2026
Top walks spot: Nick Kurtz
Nick Kurtz (ATH) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Reid Detmers. The lefty is working counts at .139 BB/PA against lefties this year — and .125 over the last two weeks, a strong bat that turns into a walk in about 11% of his trips. And Reid Detmers has been handing out free passes to lefties lately — .182 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 owned Reid Detmers too — .333 across 9 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- James Wood (WSH) (100) vs RHP Brandon Young: an excellent bat at .131 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.194).
- Lars Nootbaar (STL) (97) vs RHP Ryan Gusto: a strong bat at .118 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.179).
- Nolan Schanuel (LAA) (97) vs RHP Jack Perkins: a strong bat at .108 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.120).
- William Contreras (MIL) (96) vs LHP David Peterson: a strong bat at .118 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.136).
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) (95) vs RHP Kai-Wei Teng: an excellent bat at .137 into an arm around league average against the same side (.091).
- Alec Burleson (STL) (90) vs RHP Ryan Gusto: a solid bat at .100 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.179).
- Andrew Vaughn (MIL) (90) vs LHP David Peterson: an excellent bat at .121 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.136).
Platoon edges to target
- James Wood (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .180 against righties this year.
- Lars Nootbaar (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .152 against righties this year.
- Nolan Schanuel (LAA) — lefty bat vs RHP, .085 against righties this year.
- William Contreras (MIL) — righty bat vs LHP, .133 against lefties this year.
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) — lefty bat vs RHP, .159 against righties this year.
How it played out
4 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.