Kansas City @ Minnesota Picks & Props

Kenta Maeda will hold the platoon advantage against Maikel Garcia today. Maikel Garcia hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.1% — 89th percentile) and and will have to hit them out towards the game's 10th-deepest CF fences today. Playing on the road generally diminishes hitter stats across the board due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Maikel Garcia in today's game. In the last week, Maikel Garcia's Barrel% has experienced a negative regression, plummeting from his seasonal rate of 5.8% down to 0%. Compared to his seasonal mark of 6.1°, Maikel Garcia has produced a noticeably lower launch angle (-1.7°) over the last two weeks.

Edouard Julien has a 79th percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (34.6%) and will have to hit them out towards the game's 11th-deepest LF fences in today's matchup. The Kansas City Royals outfield defense projects as the 5th-strongest among all the teams in action today. Edouard Julien has negatively regressed with his Barrel% lately; his 10.8% seasonal rate has fallen to 0% over the past 7 days. Edouard Julien's exit velocity on flyballs has declined of late; his 93.1-mph seasonal mark has dropped to 79.5-mph in the past week's worth of games. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Edouard Julien's true offensive skill to be a .308, implying that he has had some very good luck this year given the .014 gap between that mark and his actual .322 wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Max Kepler in the 6th percentile when estimating his BABIP talent. This year, Max Kepler has been pulled from the game early in 11% of his appearances when starting against righty on the mound. Target Field has the 10th-deepest CF fences in the majors. The Kansas City Royals outfield defense projects as the strongest among all the teams in action today. Max Kepler's exit velocity on flyballs has declined recently; his 92.2-mph seasonal figure has decreased to 89.6-mph in the last 14 days.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Byron Buxton in the 95th percentile as it relates to his overall offensive ability. Byron Buxton is projected to hit 3rd in the batting order in today's game. The #7 stadium in the majors for boosting BABIP to right-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field. Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).

Nick Pratto is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Target Field ranks as the #7 stadium in the league for lefty BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Nick Pratto will hold the platoon advantage over Kenta Maeda in today's game.

When assessing his BABIP skill, Drew Waters is projected as the 11th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Target Field ranks as the #7 stadium in the league for lefty BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). The Minnesota Twins infield defense projects as the 4th-weakest among every team today.

When it comes to his overall offensive talent, MJ Melendez ranks in the 75th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). MJ Melendez is projected to hit 5th in the lineup in this matchup. Target Field ranks as the #7 stadium in the league for lefty BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).

Target Field ranks as the #7 stadium in the league for lefty BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Home field advantage generally bolsters hitter stats in all categories, and Willi Castro will hold that advantage today. Willi Castro has made notable strides with his Barrel%, bettering his 3.5% rate last season to 9.5% this year.

Target Field ranks as the #7 stadium in the league for lefty BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Nicky Lopez will hold the platoon advantage over Kenta Maeda in today's matchup. The Minnesota Twins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Nicky Lopez stands a good chance of holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game.

The #7 stadium in the majors for boosting BABIP to right-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field. Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Home field advantage typically boosts batter metrics across the board, and Jose Miranda will hold that advantage in today's matchup. When it comes to his batting average, Jose Miranda has suffered from bad luck this year. His .213 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .248.

The #7 stadium in the majors for boosting BABIP to right-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field. Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Dairon Blanco has gotten much quicker this season, improving from last season's 28.86 ft/sec to 29.8 ft/sec now (according to Statcast's Sprint Speed metric).

Target Field ranks as the #7 stadium in the league for lefty BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Kyle Isbel will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Kenta Maeda in today's game. The Minnesota Twins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Kyle Isbel can likely count on holding the advantage against every reliever all game.

The #7 stadium in the majors for boosting BABIP to right-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field. Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Christian Vazquez will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which should bolster all of his stats. Christian Vazquez has been hot lately, raising his seasonal exit velocity of 87.1-mph to 91.5-mph over the past week.

Target Field ranks as the #7 stadium in the league for lefty BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Michael Massey will hold the platoon advantage against Kenta Maeda today. The Minnesota Twins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Michael Massey has a strong chance of never losing the platoon advantage against the 'pen all game.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Salvador Perez in the 77th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive skill. Salvador Perez is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today. The #7 stadium in the majors for boosting BABIP to right-handed hitters, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT), is Target Field. Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts).

Target Field ranks as the #7 stadium in the league for lefty BABIP, via the leading projection system (THE BAT). Target Field sits at the 5th-highest altitude in Major League Baseball. High elevation usually leads (as a rule of thumb) to better offense. The weather report predicts temperatures in this matchup to reach the 2nd-highest level of all games on the slate at 88°, which is highly linked to an increase in offense (and a reduction in strikeouts). Joey Gallo will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Zack Greinke in today's game. Joey Gallo will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats.

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

Alex Kirilloff has gone over 1.5 in 1 of his last 10 games.

Carlos Correa has gone over 1.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.

Donovan Solano has gone over 1.5 in 1 of his last 10 games.

Bobby Witt Jr. has gone over 1.5 in 4 of his last 10 games.