Kansas City @ Tampa Bay Picks & Props

Tropicana Field ranks as the #26 ballpark in the game for right-handed BABIP, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). According to the weather forecast, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for pitching on the schedule today. Michael Wacha will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Yandy Diaz in today's game. Yandy Diaz's speed has fallen off this season. His 26.61 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 25.17 ft/sec now. Yandy Diaz has done a poor job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-hit balls. His 5° angle is among the lowest in MLB since the start of last season (4th percentile).

Tropicana Field ranks as the #26 ballpark in the game for right-handed BABIP, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). According to the weather forecast, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for pitching on the schedule today. Taj Bradley will receive the benefit of the platoon advantage against Bobby Witt Jr. in today's game. The Tampa Bay Rays infield defense profiles as the 3rd-strongest among all the teams in action today. Playing on the road generally lowers batter metrics in all categories due to the lack of home field advantage, which should be the case for Bobby Witt Jr. today.

Amed Rosario has primarily hit in the top-half of the lineup this season (71% of the time), but he is projected to hit 6th on the lineup card today. Tropicana Field ranks as the #26 ballpark in the game for right-handed BABIP, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). According to the weather forecast, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for pitching on the schedule today. Batting from the same side that Michael Wacha throws from, Amed Rosario will have a tough challenge in today's game. Amed Rosario hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (40.8% — 100th percentile) but may find it hard to clear the game's 9th-deepest CF fences in today's game.

Tropicana Field ranks as the #26 ballpark in the game for right-handed BABIP, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). According to the weather forecast, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for pitching on the schedule today. Hitting from the same side that Taj Bradley throws from, Maikel Garcia will be at a disadvantage in today's matchup. The Tampa Bay Rays infield defense profiles as the 3rd-strongest among all the teams in action today. Tampa Bay's #3-ranked outfield defense on the slate poses a formidable challenge for Maikel Garcia, who tends to hit a lot of flyballs.

Richie Palacios is projected to bat 1st in the batting order today. Hitting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Richie Palacios will have the upper hand today. Richie Palacios pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (34.7% — 85th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Richie Palacios will have the benefit of the home field advantage today, which figures to improve all of his stats. Richie Palacios has compiled a .336 wOBA (the best measure of overall offense) since the start of last season, checking in at the 82nd percentile.

Garrett Hampson's BABIP skill is projected in the 89th percentile by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Garrett Hampson is in the 90th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to optimize base hits (49.7% rate since the start of last season). By putting up a .392 BABIP since the start of last season, Garrett Hampson is positioned in the 97th percentile.

Harold Ramirez has been lifted for a pinch-hitter 18% of the time when starting against a righty hurler this year. Tropicana Field ranks as the #26 ballpark in the game for right-handed BABIP, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT). According to the weather forecast, the temperature and humidity for this matchup will be the 4th-best for pitching on the schedule today. Michael Wacha will have the handedness advantage over Harold Ramirez in today's game. Since the start of last season, Harold Ramirez's 4.6% Barrel%, a reliable metric for measuring power, places him in the 16th percentile among his peers.

Nelson Velazquez is penciled in 5th in the lineup in today's game. Among all major league stadiums, Tropicana Field's LF fences are the 6th-shallowest. Based on Statcast metrics, Nelson Velazquez ranks in the 86th percentile for offensive ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .346. Nelson Velazquez's 21.1% Barrel% (a reliable standard to measure power) ranks in the 99th percentile since the start of last season. Nelson Velazquez's 95.8-mph exit velocity on flyballs (an advanced stat to measure power) ranks in the 89th percentile since the start of last season.

Isaac Paredes is projected to hit 4th in the lineup today. Isaac Paredes pulls a lot of his flyballs (44.7% — 100th percentile) and is a great match for the park considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Isaac Paredes will possess the home field advantage in today's game, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Isaac Paredes's 22.1° launch angle (an advanced stat to measure a batter's ability to lift the ball for power) is among the steepest in Major League Baseball: 99th percentile. Placing in the 93rd percentile, Isaac Paredes sports a .382 wOBA (widely regarded as the top measure of overall offense) this year.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Randy Arozarena in the 92nd percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Randy Arozarena is penciled in 5th in the lineup in today's game. Randy Arozarena will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which figures to bolster all of his stats. Randy Arozarena has been unlucky this year, posting a .255 wOBA despite the leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimating his true talent level to be .337 — a .082 gap. Based on Statcast metrics, Randy Arozarena ranks in the 88th percentile for offensive ability per the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season at .356.

Jose Siri pulls a lot of his flyballs (35.5% — 89th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Jose Siri will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to improve all of his stats. When it comes to his wOBA and overall offense, Jose Siri has experienced some positive variance this year. His .241 figure has been a fair amount higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected wOBA (xwOBA) at .240. Jose Siri's 12.7% Barrel% (a reliable metric to measure power) grades out in the 86th percentile since the start of last season. Jose Siri's maximum exit velocity (an advanced stat to measure power) has been 113.7 mph since the start of last season, grading out in the 80th percentile.

Batting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Ben Rortvedt will have an edge in today's game. Ben Rortvedt will possess the home field advantage today, which ought to bolster all of his stats. Ben Rortvedt has exhibited favorable plate discipline since the start of last season, ranking in the 86th percentile with a 1.74 K/BB rate.

Kyle Isbel will have the handedness advantage over Taj Bradley in today's matchup.

Hunter Renfroe pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (39.8% — 98th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards MLB's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. Despite posting a .241 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Hunter Renfroe has had some very poor luck given the .064 difference between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .305. Ranking in the 75th percentile, the hardest ball Hunter Renfroe has hit since the start of last season reached a maximum exit velocity of 113.2 mph -- an advanced indication of underlying power skill.

Jose Caballero pulls many of his flyballs (34.3% — 81st percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting them towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences in today's matchup. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics in all categories, and Jose Caballero will hold that advantage in today's game. In terms of the ability to lift the ball for power, Jose Caballero ranks in the 93rd percentile with a 20.9° launch angle, which is among the steepest angles in MLB. Sporting a .320 BABIP since the start of last season, Jose Caballero grades out in the 82nd percentile.

Among all major league stadiums, Tropicana Field's LF fences are the 6th-shallowest. Home field advantage typically boosts batter stats in all categories, and Alex Jackson will hold that advantage in today's game.

Jonathan Aranda is penciled in 4th on the lineup card in today's game. Tropicana Field has the 3rd-shallowest RF dimensions among all stadiums. Batting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Jonathan Aranda will have an edge in today's matchup. Home field advantage generally boosts hitter stats in all categories, and Jonathan Aranda will hold that advantage in today's game.

When it comes to his overall offensive ability, Salvador Perez ranks in the 80th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Salvador Perez is penciled in 4th in the batting order in this matchup. Salvador Perez pulls many of his flyballs (35.6% — 90th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards baseball's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. In the past two weeks' worth of games, Salvador Perez has been performing exceptionally well at the plate with a wOBA of .390. Salvador Perez has done a good job optimizing his launch angle on his hardest-contacted balls. His 15° figure is among the highest in the game since the start of last season (77th percentile).

Michael Massey is projected to hit 5th on the lineup card today. Hitting from the opposite that Taj Bradley throws from, Michael Massey will have an edge in today's game. Michael Massey pulls a lot of his flyballs (38.4% — 96th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards MLB's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. In the past 14 days, Michael Massey has been performing exceptionally well at the plate with a wOBA of .344. Michael Massey's 19.6° launch angle (an advanced metric to assess a batter's ability to lift the ball for power) is among the highest in Major League Baseball: 93rd percentile.

Freddy Fermin pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (35.9% — 91st percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the game's 6th-shallowest LF fences today. By putting up a .288 Expected Batting Average (an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) since the start of last season , Freddy Fermin is ranked in the 92nd percentile. Freddy Fermin is in the 92nd percentile when it comes to hitting balls between -4° and 26°, the launch angle range that tends to result the most in base hits (50% rate since the start of last season). The standard deviation of Freddy Fermin's launch angle since the start of last season (26.1°) is in the 78th percentile. A low deviation like this tends to lead to a higher batting average on balls in play. Grading out in the 89th percentile, Freddy Fermin has notched a .278 batting average since the start of last season.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Vinnie Pasquantino in the 90th percentile when assessing his overall offensive ability. Vinnie Pasquantino is penciled in 3rd in the lineup in this matchup. Hitting from the opposite that Taj Bradley throws from, Vinnie Pasquantino will have an advantage in today's game. Vinnie Pasquantino pulls a lot of his flyballs (35.7% — 90th percentile) and will have a big advantage hitting them towards the league's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's game. Sporting a .372 Expected wOBA (or xwOBA, an advanced metric created by the leading projection system (THE BAT X) utilizing Statcast data) since the start of last season, Vinnie Pasquantino finds himself in the 96th percentile for offensive skills.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Brandon Lowe in the 88th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive talent. Brandon Lowe is penciled in 2nd in the batting order in this game. Hitting from the opposite that Michael Wacha throws from, Brandon Lowe will have an edge today. Home field advantage generally boosts batter stats in all categories, and Brandon Lowe will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Since the start of last season, Brandon Lowe's flyball exit velocity (an advanced standard to evaluate power) is in the 91st percentile at 95.4 mph.

Tropicana Field has the 5th-shallowest RF dimensions among all stadiums. Hitting from the opposite that Taj Bradley throws from, Adam Frazier will have an edge in today's game. Adam Frazier has had some very poor luck with his batting average since the start of last season; his .234 figure is a good deal lower than his .268 Expected Batting Average, based on the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Adam Frazier ranks in the 96th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs (20.1% rate since the start of last season). Sporting a 1.89 K/BB rate since the start of last season, Adam Frazier has demonstrated impressive plate discipline, grading out in the 79th percentile.

When estimating his overall offensive skill, MJ Melendez ranks in the 75th percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Hitting from the opposite that Taj Bradley throws from, MJ Melendez will have an edge in today's matchup. MJ Melendez pulls a high percentage of his flyballs (33.8% — 78th percentile) and has the good fortune of hitting them towards baseball's 5th-shallowest RF fences in today's matchup. When it comes to his batting average, MJ Melendez has been unlucky this year. His .177 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .284. Since the start of last season, MJ Melendez's 11.6% Barrel%, a reliable metric for measuring power, places him in the 79th percentile among his peers.