Best MLB Walks Matchups — Sunday, July 19, 2026
Top walks spot: Yordan Alvarez
Yordan Alvarez (HOU) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Brandon Young. The lefty is working counts at .183 BB/PA against righties this year — and .161 over the last two weeks, an elite bat that turns into a walk in about 16% of his trips. And Brandon Young has been fairly stingy with walks against righties lately — .077 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 Brandon Young too — .667 across 3 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Juan Soto (NYM) (75) vs RHP Alan Rangel: an elite bat at .173 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.167).
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (72) vs RHP Cam Schlittler: an elite bat at .157 into an arm fairly stingy with walks against the same side (.083).
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) (62) vs RHP the starter: an excellent bat at .137 into an arm with little track record against the same side.
- Ben Rice (NYY) (59) vs RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto: an excellent bat at .129 into an arm around league average against the same side (.091), hot bat.
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) (58) vs RHP Trey Yesavage: an excellent bat at .146 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.273).
- Mike Trout (LAA) (53) vs RHP Casey Mize: an elite bat at .160 into an arm around league average against the same side (.091), hitter's park.
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) (52) vs RHP Nolan McLean: an excellent bat at .139 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.061).
Platoon edges to target
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .183 against righties this year.
- Juan Soto (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .197 against righties this year.
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD) — lefty bat vs RHP, .175 against righties this year.
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .150 against righties this year.
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .171 against righties this year.
Where walks come easiest today
- Coors Field is playing as a real hitter's park today (+18% walk park). Top bat there: Elly De La Cruz (CIN) at 42.
- Angel Stadium is playing as hitter-friendly today (+3% walk park). Top bat there: Mike Trout (LAA) at 53.
Lineup watch
279 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 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.