Kansas City @ Miami Picks & Props

Mike Mayers will hold the platoon advantage over Bryan De La Cruz today. The Kansas City Royals infield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst on the slate. Bryan De La Cruz's average launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls this season (8.2°) is considerably worse than his 13.2° angle last year. Bryan De La Cruz's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls of late (3.4° in the past 14 days) is a considerable dropoff from his 8.2° seasonal mark.

Michael Massey has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this year (79% of the time), but he is projected to bat 5th in the lineup in this game. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Michael Massey has made notable strides with his Barrel% of late, upping his 11.8% seasonal rate to 33.3% in the past week's worth of games. Michael Massey has seen a notable improvement in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 96.6-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal 91.1-mph mark. Michael Massey's ability to hit the ball at a HR-maximizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has gotten better recently, rising from 18.6% on the season to 33.3% in the past week.

THE BAT X projects Edward Olivares in the 82nd percentile when assessing his batting average talent. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Edward Olivares will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Braxton Garrett in today's matchup... and even better, Garrett has a large platoon split. Edward Olivares has suffered from bad luck when it comes to his wOBA this year; his .311 rate is significantly deflated relative to his .370 Expected wOBA (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data).

THE BAT X projects Vinnie Pasquantino in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. Vinnie Pasquantino is projected to bat 3rd in the lineup today. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Vinnie Pasquantino's launch angle this season (17.2°) is significantly better than his 12° mark last year. Vinnie Pasquantino's average launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls of late (15.6° in the past 7 days) is a considerable increase over his 12° seasonal angle.

Yuli Gurriel is projected to bat 5th on the lineup card in this game. LoanDepot Park has the 5th-shallowest CF dimensions among all parks. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Yuli Gurriel will possess the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to improve all of his stats. Yuli Gurriel has seen a big increase in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 91.7-mph average over the past 14 days to his seasonal 87.8-mph EV.

THE BAT X projects Jesus Sanchez in the 76th percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. Jesus Sanchez has primarily hit in the back-half of the lineup this season (57% of the time), but he is projected to hit 4th in the lineup in this matchup. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Jesus Sanchez will have the handedness advantage over Mike Mayers today. The Kansas City Royals have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Jesus Sanchez has a strong chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game.

THE BAT X projects Drew Waters as the 14th-best hitter in Major League Baseball when assessing his BABIP talent. LoanDepot Park has the 5th-shallowest CF dimensions among all parks. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Drew Waters has been hot recently, compiling a a 25% Barrel% (an advanced standard to study power) over the last 7 days. Drew Waters has been honed in on the ideal launch angle for home runs in recent games, angling balls between 23° and 34° 37.5% of the time in the past 7 days.

Nick Pratto is penciled in 1st in the lineup in this game. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Nick Pratto has made big strides with his Barrel% of late, bettering his 11.4% seasonal rate to 30% over the past week. Nick Pratto has seen a sizeable improvement in his exit velocity on flyballs lately; just compare his 96-mph average in the past two weeks' worth of games to his seasonal figure of 93-mph. Nick Pratto's launch angle recently (29° in the last week) is a significant increase over his 9.2° seasonal angle.

The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Nick Fortes will hold the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Nick Fortes has been unlucky this year, notching a .279 wOBA despite THE BAT X estimating his true talent level to be .311 — a .032 difference.

THE BAT X projects Matt Duffy in the 88th percentile when it comes to his BABIP skill. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Matt Duffy will have the handedness advantage against Braxton Garrett in today's game... and even better, Garrett has a large platoon split. Matt Duffy has posted a .335 BABIP since the start of last season, checking in at the 84th percentile.

THE BAT X projects Salvador Perez in the 84th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Salvador Perez is projected to bat 4th in the lineup in this game. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Salvador Perez will have the handedness advantage against Braxton Garrett today... and even better, Garrett has a large platoon split. Salvador Perez has notched a .278 batting average this year, grading out in the 78th percentile.

THE BAT X projects Jean Segura in the 90th percentile when estimating his batting average skill. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Jean Segura hits a lot of his flyballs to center field (39.8% — 96th percentile) and will have a big advantage facing the game's 6th-shallowest CF fences today. The Kansas City Royals infield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst on the slate. Jean Segura will benefit from the home field advantage today, which should bolster all of his stats.

THE BAT X projects Jorge Soler in the 95th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Jorge Soler is penciled in 2nd in the lineup today. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. The Kansas City Royals infield defense grades out as the 2nd-worst on the slate. Jorge Soler will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should bolster all of his stats.

THE BAT X projects Maikel Garcia in the 88th percentile when estimating his BABIP ability. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Maikel Garcia will have the handedness advantage over Braxton Garrett in today's matchup... and even better, Garrett has a large platoon split. Maikel Garcia has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity lately; just compare his 95.8-mph average in the last 14 days to his seasonal 91.9-mph figure.

THE BAT X projects Garrett Cooper as the 13th-best hitter in the game when estimating his BABIP talent. Garrett Cooper is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Garrett Cooper will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Garrett Cooper has made notable gains with his Barrel% in recent games, upping his 8.9% seasonal rate to 15.8% in the past two weeks.

The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Nicky Lopez has seen a notable gain in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 87-mph average to last season's 84.8-mph EV. Nicky Lopez's ability to hit the ball at a BABIP-optimizing launch angle (between -4° and 26°) has improved from last year to this one, increasing from 44.3% to 50%. Nicky Lopez has had bad variance on his side thus far when it comes to his batting average since the start of last season; his .229 figure is deflated compared to his .263 Expected Batting Average (based on THE BAT X's interpretation of Statcast data). Nicky Lopez has shown strong plate discipline since the start of last season, ranking in the 85th percentile with a 1.96 K/BB rate.

THE BAT X projects Joey Wendle in the 78th percentile as it relates to his batting average ability. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. Joey Wendle will hold the platoon advantage over Mike Mayers in today's game. The Kansas City Royals have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Joey Wendle stands a good chance of holding the advantage against every reliever all game. Joey Wendle will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats.

THE BAT X projects MJ Melendez in the 80th percentile when assessing his overall offensive talent. MJ Melendez is projected to bat 3rd in the batting order in this matchup. The weather report forecasts the 4th-most suitable pitching weather of all games today, as it relates to temperature and humidity. MJ Melendez has made sizeable gains with his Barrel% lately, improving his 13.4% seasonal rate to 21.7% over the past two weeks. MJ Melendez has seen a sizeable increase in his exit velocity this season; just compare his 94.5-mph average to last season's 90.7-mph figure.

Luis Arraez has gone over 1.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

Jon Berti has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.

Bobby Witt Jr. has gone over 0.5 in 6 of his last 10 games.