Best MLB Walks Matchups — Monday, July 20, 2026
Top walks spot: Yordan Alvarez
Yordan Alvarez (HOU) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Janson Junk. The lefty is working counts at .181 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 Janson Junk has been handing out free passes to righties lately — .188 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 Janson Junk too — .500 across 2 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.
The rest of the top of the board
- Juan Soto (NYM) (78) vs RHP Jacob Misiorowski: an elite bat at .174 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.000).
- Ben Rice (NYY) (64) vs RHP Braxton Ashcraft: an excellent bat at .127 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.133), hot bat.
- Mike Trout (LAA) (58) vs RHP Kyle Leahy: an elite bat at .163 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.000), hitter's park.
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) (58) vs RHP Emmet Sheehan: an excellent bat at .140 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.053).
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) (57) vs RHP Jacob deGrom: an excellent bat at .149 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.143).
- Bryce Eldridge (SF) (54) vs RHP Michael Wacha: an excellent bat at .124 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.231), hot bat.
- Bryce Harper (PHI) (53) vs RHP Emmet Sheehan: an excellent bat at .132 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.053).
Platoon edges to target
- Yordan Alvarez (HOU) — lefty bat vs RHP, .181 against righties this year.
- Juan Soto (NYM) — lefty bat vs RHP, .197 against righties this year.
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, .147 against righties this year.
- Kyle Schwarber (PHI) — lefty bat vs RHP, .151 against righties this year.
- Munetaka Murakami (CWS) — lefty bat vs RHP, .174 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: Hunter Goodman (COL) at 46.
- Angel Stadium is playing as hitter-friendly today (+3% walk park). Top bat there: Mike Trout (LAA) at 58.
How it played out
2 of the top 10 walks matchups landed at least one walk. Top play Yordan Alvarez 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.