Kansas City @ Los Angeles Picks & Props

In MLB, Dodger Stadium's CF dimensions are the 9th-shallowest. Hitting from the opposite that Cole Ragans throws from, Chris Taylor will have an advantage in today's matchup. Chris Taylor will have the benefit of the home field advantage in today's game, which ought to improve all of his stats. Despite posting a .157 wOBA this year, the leading projection system (THE BAT X) believes Chris Taylor has suffered from bad luck given the .141 deviation between that figure and his estimated true talent wOBA of .298. Chris Taylor's 21.1° launch angle (a reliable standard to measure a hitter's ability to lift the ball for power) is among the steepest in Major League Baseball: 97th percentile.

In MLB, Dodger Stadium's CF dimensions are the 9th-shallowest. Utilizing Statcast metrics, Nelson Velazquez is in the 86th percentile for hitting ability via 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 stat to assess power) ranks in the 99th percentile since the start of last season. Nelson Velazquez's 95.8-mph exit velocity on flyballs (an advanced metric to assess power) ranks in the 89th percentile since the start of last season. Nelson Velazquez is in the 95th percentile when it comes to hitting balls between 23° and 34°, the launch angle range that tends to best-produce home runs (22.8% rate since the start of last season).

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Drew Waters in the 96th percentile when it comes to his BABIP ability. The switch-hitting Drew Waters will hold the platoon advantage while batting from from his better side (0) today against Gavin Stone. Placing in the 79th percentile, the hardest ball Drew Waters has hit since the start of last season reached a maximum exit velocity of 112.2 mph -- a reliable indication of underlying power ability. Drew Waters has done a favorable job optimizing his launch angle on his highest exit velocity balls. His 20.2° angle is among the highest in the game since the start of last season (91st percentile). The standard deviation of Drew Waters's launch angle since the start of last season (24.2°) is in the 90th percentile. A low deviation like this tends to lead to a higher BABIP.

In MLB, Dodger Stadium's CF dimensions are the 9th-shallowest. Kyle Isbel will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Gavin Stone in today's matchup.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Mookie Betts ranks as the 8th-best batter in MLB. Mookie Betts is projected to hit 1st in the lineup today. Batting from the opposite that Cole Ragans throws from, Mookie Betts will have an edge in today's matchup. Mookie Betts hits many of his flyballs to center field (38.8% — 90th percentile) and sets up very well considering he'll be hitting out towards baseball's 9th-shallowest CF fences today. Home field advantage typically improves batter stats across the board, and Mookie Betts will hold that advantage in today's matchup.

In MLB, Dodger Stadium's CF dimensions are the 9th-shallowest. Hitting from the opposite that Cole Ragans throws from, Andy Pages will have the upper hand in today's game. Home field advantage typically improves batter metrics in all categories, and Andy Pages will hold that advantage in today's matchup. Ranking in the 85th percentile for Sprint Speed at 28.54 ft/sec this year, Andy Pages is notably quick.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT X), Shohei Ohtani ranks as the 4th-best batter in the game. Shohei Ohtani is penciled in 2nd in the lineup today. It may be sensible to expect weaker performance for the Kansas City Royals offense in future games, considering that the leading projection system (THE BAT X) views them as the 9th-luckiest offense in the league this year. It is likely that we will see a Pitchers Umpire (Gabe Morales) in charge of the strike zone in this game. In MLB, Dodger Stadium's CF dimensions are the 9th-shallowest.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Freddie Freeman as the 4th-best batter in MLB when estimating his batting average ability. Freddie Freeman is penciled in 3rd on the lineup card today. In MLB, Dodger Stadium's CF dimensions are the 9th-shallowest. Freddie Freeman will benefit from the home field advantage in today's matchup, which should boost all of his stats. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected wOBA (.396) suggests that Freddie Freeman has experienced some negative variance this year with his .383 actual wOBA.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects Vinnie Pasquantino in the 89th percentile when it comes to his overall offensive ability. Vinnie Pasquantino is projected to hit 3rd on the lineup card in this matchup. Batting from the opposite that Gavin Stone throws from, Vinnie Pasquantino will have an edge in today's game. Vinnie Pasquantino has compiled a .372 Expected wOBA (xwOBA) since the start of last season, grading out in the 95th percentile for hitting ability according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data. Vinnie Pasquantino has recorded a .297 Expected Batting Average since the start of last season, checking in at the 96th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s interpretation of Statcast data.

Hitting from the same side that Gavin Stone throws from, Bobby Witt Jr. will have a tough challenge today. Bobby Witt Jr. has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.6%) and will have to hit them out towards MLB's 8th-deepest RF fences in today's game. Out of every team today, the 2nd-strongest infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bobby Witt Jr. will be at a disadvantage playing as a visiting player in today's matchup. The leading projection system (THE BAT X) estimates Bobby Witt Jr.'s true offensive skill to be a .361, indicating that he has had positive variance on his side this year given the .033 difference between that mark and his actual .394 wOBA.

In MLB, Dodger Stadium's CF dimensions are the 9th-shallowest. Nick Loftin's quickness has improved this season. His 27.23 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last year sits at 27.82 ft/sec now. In terms of plate discipline, Nick Loftin's ability is quite strong, sporting a 1.61 K/BB rate since the start of last season while grading out in in the 91st percentile. Placing in the 94th percentile, Nick Loftin has posted a .289 batting average since the start of last season.

When assessing his BABIP ability, Teoscar Hernandez is projected as the 13th-best hitter in the game by the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Teoscar Hernandez is projected to hit 5th in the batting order today. Teoscar Hernandez will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Cole Ragans in today's matchup. Teoscar Hernandez will hold the home field advantage in today's matchup, which ought to bolster all of his stats. When it comes to his batting average, Teoscar Hernandez has been very fortunate this year. His .259 mark has been quite a bit higher than the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .240.

The leading projection system (THE BAT X) projects MJ Melendez in the 77th percentile when estimating his overall offensive talent. Hitting from the opposite that Gavin Stone throws from, MJ Melendez will have an advantage in today's game. Based on Statcast metrics, the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Expected Batting Average (.291) suggests that MJ Melendez has had bad variance on his side this year with his .158 actual batting average. MJ Melendez's 11.6% Barrel% (an advanced stat to measure power) grades out in the 79th percentile since the start of last season. Since the start of last season, MJ Melendez has an average exit velocity of 93.2 mph, which ranks among the elite in Major League Baseball at the 97th percentile.

Gavin Stone will have the handedness advantage over Maikel Garcia in today's game. Maikel Garcia has a 91st percentile opposite-field rate on his flyballs (36.5%) and has the misfortune of hitting them in the direction of MLB's 8th-deepest RF fences today. Out of every team today, the 2nd-strongest infield defense belongs to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Maikel Garcia is an extreme groundball batter and squares off against the strong infield defense of Los Angeles (#2-best of all teams on the slate). Maikel Garcia will be at a disadvantage playing on the road today.

As it relates to his overall offensive ability, Salvador Perez ranks in the 81st percentile according to the leading projections (THE BAT X). Salvador Perez is projected to hit 4th in the batting order today. In MLB, Dodger Stadium's CF dimensions are the 9th-shallowest. Salvador Perez's speed has gotten better this year. His 24.24 ft/sec Statcast Sprint Speed last season sits at 24.74 ft/sec now. Salvador Perez has been hot of late, tallying a .364 wOBA in the past 14 days.

Kike Hernandez will have the benefit of the platoon advantage against Cole Ragans today. Kike Hernandez hits a high percentage of his flyballs to center field (38.6% — 88th percentile) and is fortunate to face MLB's 9th-shallowest CF fences today. Home field advantage typically bolsters batter stats across the board, and Kike Hernandez will hold that advantage in today's game. When it comes to his batting average, Kike Hernandez has experienced some negative variance this year. His .207 mark falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .255.

Miguel Rojas's batting average ability is projected to be in the 85th percentile according to the leading projection system (THE BAT X). Miguel Rojas will hold the platoon advantage against Cole Ragans today. Home field advantage generally bolsters batter metrics in all categories, and Miguel Rojas will hold that advantage in today's matchup. In terms of his batting average, Miguel Rojas has experienced some negative variance since the start of last season. His .243 figure falls considerably below the leading projection system (THE BAT X)'s version of Statcast-based Expected Batting Average (xBA) at .298.

Adam Frazier has gone over 0.5 in 5 of his last 10 games.