Best MLB Walks Matchups — Sunday, June 28, 2026
Top walks spot: Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani (LAD) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Michael King. The lefty is working counts at .183 BB/PA against righties this year — and .167 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a walk in about 14% of his trips. And Michael King has been prone to walking righties lately — .100 walks per batter faced. One catch: the bullpen behind him has been stingy to that side late. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Michael King too — .389 across 18 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) (100) vs RHP Hunter Brown: an excellent bat at .145 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.143).
- Lars Nootbaar (STL) (89) vs RHP Tyler Phillips: an excellent bat at .126 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.200).
- James Wood (WSH) (86) vs RHP Kyle Bradish: an excellent bat at .137 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.035).
- Freddie Freeman (LAD) (80) vs RHP Michael King: an excellent bat at .128 into an arm prone to walking the same side (.100), hot bat.
- Samad Taylor (SD) (79) vs RHP Emmet Sheehan: an excellent bat at .121 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.176), due to bounce back.
- Michael Busch (CHC) (79) vs RHP Brandon Woodruff: an excellent bat at .141 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.000).
- Nolan Schanuel (LAA) (79) vs RHP Aaron Civale: a strong bat at .113 into an arm around league average against the same side (.091).
Platoon edges to target
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .183 against righties this year.
- Kevin McGonigle (DET) — lefty bat vs RHP, .161 against righties this year.
- Lars Nootbaar (STL) — lefty bat vs RHP, .159 against righties this year.
- James Wood (WSH) — lefty bat vs RHP, .181 against righties this year.
- Freddie Freeman (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .130 against righties this year.
Lineup watch
18 of today's hitters are still on projected lineups, drawn from each team's last game. Batting order drives the score, so these flip the moment official lineups post — usually about two hours before first pitch. Anyone who doesn't make the official card gets flagged "Not starting" and drops to the bottom.
How it played out
3 of the top 10 walks matchups landed at least one 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.