San Diego @ New York Picks & Props

A significant rise in his exit velocity can be observed in Nelson Cruz's performance this season, with his current average of 93.4 mph differing from last year's average of 90.9 mph. Improvement can be seen in Nelson Cruz's capacity to hit the ball within the base hit-optimizing launch angle range of -4° to 26°, increasing from 44% to 50.7% between last season and this year. Based on Statcast data, THE BAT X's version of Expected Batting Average (.257) suggests that Nelson Cruz has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season with his .237 actual batting average.

Xander Bogaerts has gone over 0.5 in 9 of his last 10 games.

Trent Grisham will hold the platoon advantage against Luis Severino in today's matchup. The New York Yankees have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Trent Grisham has a strong chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. Trent Grisham has made big strides with his Barrel%, improving his 8.7% rate last season to 15.3% this season. There has been a significant improvement in Trent Grisham's launch angle from last year's 14.6° to 23.2° this year. Within the past two weeks, Trent Grisham has displayed a significant increase in his average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls, clocking in at 26.2° compared to his seasonal angle of 21.3°.

THE BAT X projects Jake Cronenworth in the 85th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive talent. Jake Cronenworth is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card today. Jake Cronenworth will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Luis Severino in today's matchup. The New York Yankees have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jake Cronenworth can likely count on holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. Jake Cronenworth has made sizeable strides with his Barrel% of late, improving his 5.6% seasonal rate to 16.7% over the last week.

In terms of his overall offensive capability, Anthony Rizzo ranks in the 92nd percentile according to THE BAT X's projects. Anthony Rizzo is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card today. Anthony Rizzo will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Michael Wacha in today's matchup. Anthony Rizzo pulls a lot of his flyballs (34.7% — 87th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 7th-shallowest RF fences today. Anthony Rizzo will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Yankee Stadium projects as the #23 park in MLB for righty batting average, according to THE BAT projection system. Compared to other stadiums among all parks, Yankee Stadium has a near sea-level altitude that often results in decreased offensive production. Dry weather has a small yet noteworthy link with less offense (and more Ks), and the weather report expects the 5th-driest conditions on the schedule today at 27%. Michael Wacha will hold the platoon advantage over Aaron Judge in today's matchup. Aaron Judge pulls a lot of his flyballs (33.2% — 76th percentile) and and will have to hit them out towards baseball's 7th-deepest LF fences in today's matchup.

Matt Carpenter has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

Oswaldo Cabrera pulls many of his flyballs (33.5% — 79th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards the game's 7th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. Oswaldo Cabrera will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Lately, Oswaldo Cabrera has had a launch angle of 20.7°, which is considerably higher compared to his seasonal average of 15.3°. THE BAT X estimates Oswaldo Cabrera's true offensive skill to be a .313, suggesting that he has had bad variance on his side this year given the .070 gap between that mark and his actual .243 wOBA.

According to THE BAT X, Juan Soto is predicted to be the 3rd-best batter in the majors. Juan Soto is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order today. Juan Soto will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Luis Severino today. The New York Yankees have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Juan Soto can likely count on never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. If you compare Juan Soto's current average exit velocity of 95.9 mph on flyballs to last season's 99.5 mph, it is clear that there has been a significant increase.

Harrison Bader is penciled in 5th in the lineup in this game. Harrison Bader will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Over the last week's worth of games, Harrison Bader has significantly increased his Barrel% from a seasonal rate of 9% to 17.6%, showcasing notable gains in his performance. From last year to this one, Harrison Bader has improved his ability to hit the ball with a launch angle between -4° and 26°, which optimizes for a home run. His percentage has risen from 15.5% to 26.9%. Harrison Bader's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better recently, rising from 32.8% on the season to 58.8% in the last week's worth of games.

While Brandon Dixon has predominantly been placed in the latter half of the batting lineup this season (100% of the time), he is expected to assume the 5th position in the batting order for this particular matchup. Brandon Dixon has been hot in recent games, compiling a a 22.2% Barrel% (an advanced standard to evaluate power) over the past week. Brandon Dixon has hit one of the hardest balls in the game over the last week — 111-mph — which is a good indicator of recent form and raw power. Recently, Brandon Dixon has successfully focused on achieving the optimal launch angle for hitting home runs, consistently hitting balls at angles ranging from 23° to 34° for 33.3% of the week.

Kyle Higashioka will possess the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. With his Barrel% having increased from 10% in the previous season to 17.8% this year, Kyle Higashioka has shown significant improvements. Kyle Higashioka has seen a big gain in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 92.8-mph average to last season's 90.7-mph average. This year, Kyle Higashioka has improved his ability to hit the ball with a launch angle that optimizes his BABIP (between -4° and 26°). His success rate has risen from 40.9% to 51.1% compared to last year. Kyle Higashioka has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .261 rate is a fair amount lower than his .323 Expected wOBA (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

This season, Rougned Odor mostly batted in the later part of the batting order (94% of the time); however, for this matchup, he is expected to hit in the 1st spot. Rougned Odor will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Luis Severino today. The New York Yankees have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Rougned Odor stands a good chance of never facing a bullpen mismatch all game. Rougned Odor pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (37.4% — 96th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 7th-shallowest RF fences today. Over the last week's worth of games, Rougned Odor has significantly increased his Barrel% from a seasonal rate of 9.8% to 20%, showcasing notable improvements in his performance.

THE BAT X projects DJ LeMahieu in the 89th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. DJ LeMahieu is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. DJ LeMahieu has a 100th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (45.6%) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them out towards baseball's 7th-shallowest RF fences today. DJ LeMahieu will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. DJ LeMahieu has seen a significant increase in his exit velocity this year; just compare his 91.5-mph average to last year's 89.2-mph figure.

Anthony Volpe will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to boost all of his stats. Recent evidence shows that Anthony Volpe's exit velocity on flyballs has notably risen, with an average of 98.8-mph in the last 14 days, in contrast to his seasonal average of 94-mph. Anthony Volpe's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased of late, rising from 44.9% on the season to 52.2% in the last two weeks. Anthony Volpe has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .286 mark is quite a bit lower than his .341 Expected wOBA (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data). Anthony Volpe grades out in the 98th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize home runs (23.7% rate this year).

Brett Sullivan will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Luis Severino today. The New York Yankees have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Brett Sullivan stands a good chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game.

Jake Bauers has gone over 0.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

Gleyber Torres has gone over 1.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.

Fernando Tatis Jr. has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.