Minnesota @ Houston Picks & Props

Yordan Alvarez projects as the 3rd-best hitter in Major League Baseball, according to THE BAT X. Yordan Alvarez is projected to hit 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. With its smallest outfield compared to other parks, Minute Maid Park provides a favorable setting for HRs. Yordan Alvarez will hold the platoon advantage over Louie Varland in today's game. The Minnesota Twins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Yordan Alvarez can likely count on never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game.

In terms of his overall offensive capability, Byron Buxton ranks in the 95th percentile according to THE BAT X's projects. Byron Buxton is projected to bat 4th on the lineup card in this matchup. Byron Buxton pulls a lot of his flyballs (40.3% — 99th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Extreme groundball bats like Byron Buxton tend to be more successful against extreme flyball pitchers like Hunter Brown. Of late, it has been observed that Byron Buxton's exit velocity on flyballs has significantly increased, as he now has an average of 97.5-mph in the past 14 days, compared to his seasonal average of 92.7-mph.

On the slate, the Minnesota Twins' infield defense is expected to be the 3rd-worst. Chas McCormick will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to boost all of his stats.

As one of the lowest in MLB, Minute Maid Park's elevation, being near sea-level, typically results in reduced offensive output. Louie Varland will have the handedness advantage over Mauricio Dubon in today's game. Hitting towards baseball's 8th-deepest CF fences in today's game, Mauricio Dubon frequently sends his flyballs to center field (39.5% — 94th percentile) with little luck. Last season, Mauricio Dubon had a launch angle of 10.6° on his hardest-hit balls, significantly better than his 3.4° this year. As of late, Mauricio Dubon's capacity to strike the ball at a launch angle that maximizes home runs (ranging from -4° to 26°) has deteriorated, plunging from 13.4% throughout the season to 0% in the past seven days.

Compared to last season, Christian Vazquez has improved his ability to hit the ball at a launch angle ideal for BABIP optimization, increasing his percentage from 47% to 52.4% this season. Based on Statcast data, THE BAT X's version of Expected wOBA (.287) may lead us to conclude that Christian Vazquez has had some very poor luck this year with his .258 actual wOBA. Using Statcast data, Christian Vazquez ranks in the 79th percentile per THE BAT X's version of Expected Batting Average since the start of last season at .270.

With its smallest outfield compared to other parks, Minute Maid Park provides a favorable setting for HRs. In recent times, Willi Castro has shown considerable progress in his Barrel%, upgrading from his seasonal rate of 12.3% to 19.2% in the preceding 14 days. Compared to last year, Willi Castro has improved his capability to hit the ball within the HR-optimizing launch angle range of -4° to 26°, as his percentage has increased from 17.3% to 27.7%. In recent times, Willi Castro has improved his capability to strike the ball at an angle between -4° and 26°, which is favorable for hitting a HR. This has resulted in an increase from 27.7% for the season to 38.5% over the previous two weeks. Willi Castro has been unlucky in regards to his batting average since the start of last season; his .246 mark is considerably lower than his .272 Expected Batting Average (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

Corey Julks pulls many of his flyballs (38.1% — 97th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. On the slate, the Minnesota Twins' infield defense is expected to be the 5th-worst. Corey Julks will possess the home field advantage today, which should improve all of his stats. Comparing his seasonal 87.5-mph average to his 90-mph average in the past week's games, Corey Julks's exit velocity has significantly gaind in recent times. Corey Julks has posted a .277 batting average this year, grading out in the 78th percentile.

When estimating his BABIP captalent, Donovan Solano is projected in the 90th percentile by THE BAT X. Donovan Solano is penciled in 2nd on the lineup card today. Recently, it has been observed that Donovan Solano's exit velocity on flyballs has significantly increased, as he now has an average of 103.3-mph in the past 14 days, compared to his seasonal average of 90.8-mph. Donovan Solano's ability to hit the ball at a base hit-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has increased from last season to this one, rising from 53% to 58.1%. Based on Statcast data, Donovan Solano is in the 89th percentile per THE BAT X's version of Expected Batting Average since the start of last season at .280.

THE BAT X projects Jose Altuve in the 93rd percentile as it relates to his overall offensive ability. Jose Altuve is projected to bat 1st in the lineup today. Jose Altuve pulls many of his flyballs (40.7% — 99th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. On the slate, the Minnesota Twins' infield defense is expected to be the 5th-worst. Jose Altuve will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats.

THE BAT X projects Jeremy Pena in the 91st percentile when assessing his BABIP ability. For 62% of the time this season, Jeremy Pena has mainly batted in the back-half of the lineup, but for this matchup, he is listed in the 2nd spot in the lineup. Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions in MLB. On the slate, the Minnesota Twins' infield defense is expected to be the 3rd-worst. Jeremy Pena will benefit from the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to boost all of his stats.

Kyle Tucker projects as the 20th-best batter in the league, via THE BAT X. Kyle Tucker is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this matchup. Kyle Tucker will have the handedness advantage against Louie Varland in today's game. The Minnesota Twins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Kyle Tucker stands a good chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game. On the slate, the Minnesota Twins' infield defense is expected to be the 3rd-worst.

Martin Maldonado pulls many of his flyballs (33.5% — 78th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences today. On the slate, the Minnesota Twins' infield defense is expected to be the 3rd-worst. Martin Maldonado will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats.

By evaluating his BABIP ability, THE BAT X ranks Edouard Julien as the 16th-best batter in MLB. Edouard Julien is projected to hit 1st in the batting order in this matchup. With its smallest outfield compared to other parks, Minute Maid Park provides a favorable setting for HRs. Edouard Julien will have the handedness advantage over Hunter Brown in today's game. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Edouard Julien can likely count on holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game.

THE BAT X projects Alex Bregman in the 93rd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Alex Bregman is penciled in 4th in the lineup in this game. Alex Bregman pulls a lot of his flyballs (38.6% — 98th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. On the slate, the Minnesota Twins' infield defense is expected to be the 3rd-worst. Alex Bregman will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions in MLB. Scoring in the 81st percentile for Sprint Speed at 28.43 ft/sec since the start of last season, Royce Lewis exhibits immense athleticism.

THE BAT X projects Alex Kirilloff in the 92nd percentile when assessing his BABIP talent. Alex Kirilloff is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. Alex Kirilloff will hold the platoon advantage over Hunter Brown in today's matchup. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Alex Kirilloff can likely count on never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game. Alex Kirilloff has a 78th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.4%) and has the good fortune of hitting them in the direction of the game's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup.

As it relates to his batting average ability, Jose Abreu is ranked in the 86th percentile by THE BAT X projects. On the slate, the Minnesota Twins' infield defense is expected to be the 3rd-worst. Jose Abreu will benefit from the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Despite posting a .244 wOBA this year, THE BAT X believes Jose Abreu has been unlucky given the .095 difference between that mark and his estimated true talent wOBA of .339.

Assessing his overall offensive capability, Carlos Correa scores in the 94th percentile in THE BAT X projects. Carlos Correa is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Of late, it has been observed that Carlos Correa's exit velocity on flyballs has significantly increased, as he now has an average of 106.8-mph in the past 14 days, compared to his seasonal average of 94.7-mph. THE BAT X estimates Carlos Correa's true offensive talent to be a .360, implying that he has suffered from bad luck this year given the .060 discrepancy between that figure and his actual .300 wOBA.

Max Kepler will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Hunter Brown today. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Max Kepler has a strong chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. By increasing his Barrel% from 7.1% in the previous season to 13.4% this season, Max Kepler has displayed significant improvements. Max Kepler has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 94.7-mph average to last season's 91.1-mph average. In terms of his batting average, Max Kepler has had bad variance on his side since the start of last season. His .220 mark falls considerably below THE BAT X's version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .267.

Minute Maid Park has the 2nd-shallowest left field dimensions in MLB. Comparing his seasonal 90.2-mph mark to his 100.8-mph average in the past week's games, Ryan Jeffers's exit velocity has significantly improvementd in recent times. Ryan Jeffers has seen a sizeable gain in his exit velocity on flyballs this year; just compare his 98.2-mph average to last year's 94.8-mph average. In the past two weeks, Ryan Jeffers's launch figure has improved significantly to 31.6° from his seasonal figure of 17.3°.

Joey Gallo is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this game. Joey Gallo will hold the platoon advantage against Hunter Brown in today's matchup. The Houston Astros have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Joey Gallo stands a good chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Players such as Joey Gallo, who excel at hitting flyballs, typically have greater success when facing pitchers like Hunter Brown who specialize in producing groundballs. Comparing his average of 101.6 mph this season to last year's average of 97.9 mph, Joey Gallo has exhibited a noteworthy increase in his exit velocity on flyballs.

While Kyle Farmer has predominantly been placed in the latter half of the batting batting order this season (57% of the time), he is expected to assume the 4th position in the batting order for this particular matchup. Kyle Farmer pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (34.5% — 85th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 2nd-shallowest LF fences in today's game. Kyle Farmer has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his batting average since the start of last season; his .257 mark is considerably lower than his .282 Expected Batting Average (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

Michael A. Taylor has gone over 0.5 in 3 of his last 10 games.