Best MLB Walks Matchups — Sunday, July 19, 2026
Top walks spot: Ben Rice
Ben Rice (NYY) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Will Klein. The lefty is working counts at .150 BB/PA against righties this year — and .179 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a walk in about 13% of his trips. And Will Klein has been handing out free passes to righties lately — .143 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. No real history against Will Klein. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) (100) vs RHP Brandon Young: an elite bat at .161 into an arm fairly stingy with walks against the same side (.077), hot bat.
- Mike Trout (LAA) (87) vs RHP Casey Mize: an elite bat at .160 into an arm around league average against the same side (.091), hitter's park.
- 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) (75) vs RHP Cam Schlittler: an elite bat at .157 into an arm fairly stingy with walks against the same side (.083).
- Jordan Walker (STL) (74) vs LHP Eduardo Rodriguez: a strong bat at .104 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.042), hot bat.
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (72) vs RHP Ryan Feltner: a solid bat at .096 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.250), hitter's park, hot bat.
- Iván Herrera (STL) (71) vs LHP Eduardo Rodriguez: an elite bat at .152 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.042), due to bounce back.
Platoon edges to target
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .150 against righties this year.
- 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.
- Jordan Walker (STL) — righty bat vs LHP, .124 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: Elly De La Cruz (CIN) at 72.
- Angel Stadium is playing as hitter-friendly today (+3% walk park). Top bat there: Mike Trout (LAA) at 87.
How it played out
5 of the top 10 walks matchups landed at least one walk. Top play Ben Rice 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.