Best MLB Walks Matchups — Friday, July 17, 2026
Top walks spot: Yordan Alvarez
Yordan Alvarez (HOU) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Dean Kremer. The lefty is working counts at .181 BB/PA against righties this year — and .103 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a walk in about 16% of his trips. And Dean Kremer has been tough to walk against righties lately — .000 walks per batter faced. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Dean Kremer too — .300 across 10 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (90) vs RHP Gerrit Cole: an elite bat at .158 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.038).
- Ben Rice (NYY) (79) vs RHP Roki Sasaki: an excellent bat at .130 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.042), hot bat.
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) (69) vs RHP Spencer Miles: an excellent bat at .147 into an arm fairly stingy with walks against the same side (.077), due to bounce back.
- Mike Trout (LAA) (64) vs RHP Troy Melton: an elite bat at .160 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.000), hitter's park.
- Junior Caminero (TB) (60) vs LHP Eduardo Rivera: an excellent bat at .136 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Junior Caminero (TB) (60) vs LHP Jake Bennett: an excellent bat at .136 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Brice Turang (MIL) (53) vs RHP Sandy Alcantara: an excellent bat at .123 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.026).
Platoon edges to target
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .181 against righties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .177 against righties this year.
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .152 against righties this year.
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .172 against righties this year.
- Junior Caminero (TB) — righty bat vs LHP, .193 against lefties this year.
Where walks come easiest today
- Coors Field is playing as a real hitter's park today (+18% walk park). Top bat there: Kyle Karros (COL) at 48.
- Angel Stadium is playing as hitter-friendly today (+3% walk park). Top bat there: Mike Trout (LAA) at 64.
Lineup watch
27 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
0 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.